Larry Hechler

Today in class we got a lecture from Larry Hechler, the Hardware Technician Supervisor. What a knowledgeable guy! Here's some of the things we discussed
Always back up your files. you can do this onto a hard drive, thumb drive, DVD, or even the school's Y: drive, especially for assignments. You can also save things to a cloud resource, which stores stuff in cyberspace and can be accessed from anywhere. The reason for backing up files is that if a computer crashes, the likelihood is very low that you can get your "stuff" back. Also, we're already paying for it! A part of our technology fee goes to tucc-tiger and backup space.
When cleaning your computer, never use anything with alcohol, ammonium or acetone. Also never spray anything directly on the monitor. Make sure that your lap top is unplugged and off, because one drop can fry a working monitor. Instead of buying cheap stuff, mix one drop of dawn soap or whatever in 1 quart of water, and then squeeze the towel until almost completely dry before washing with it.
Computer batteries are Lithium Ion Cell batteries, which last a long time if you care for them right. Larry Hechler suggested running the battery all the way down at least once a week, and never to only let it run for 15 minutes before plugging it back in, because then your computer gains a short memory cycle.
If you have a mac, don't take it apart or it invalidates your warranty. The only thing you can do is add more memory. Everything else has to be done by a certified mac technician.
Keyboards are very fragile and they break easy
Thanks Larry Hechler for all the great information!