Computing & Telecommunications

Preventative Maintenance

Preventative Maintenance for PLU's Computers

Each summer we schedule appointments across campus to perform "preventative maintenance" (PM) on University-owned computers.  This project requires that we work around your schedules and while we do not want to interfere with your duties, we do need to complete our work on as many computers as possible.  The individual tasks differ slightly from year to year.  Our PM task list this year includes the following:

• Open the case and clean the inside of the computer

• Clean up old files such as 'temp' files in your web browser(s), 'cookies' and your 'history' files.  Left to accumulate, these files can use a sizable amount of storage and memory and may cause your computer to run slower than normal.
• Installed the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack on computers that have Office 2003.  This compatibility pack ensures that individuals who receive Office 2007 files will be able to read them.  Although PLU does not plan to start installing Office 2007 until summer of 2008, many students will arrive on campus with Office 2007.
  

• Configure your computer to receive security patches for the operating system as well as your software programs.

• Ensure that your computer is connected to our anti-virus server for updates

• Check your computer's hard drive for errors and make corrections when necessary.

• Verify that the Windows and Office updates are current.

This year we left a "Preventative Maintenance Report" on each computer when the work was completed.  We also leave a colored dot on the computer's CPU.  The color changes from year to year.  The color for 2007 is blue.  If you do not find a blue dot on your computer, that means the PM has not yet be done.  We hope that you will contact the Help Desk at ext. 7525 to request this work.

Please contact us if you have any questions about our Preventative Maintenance work.

Updated 8/21/07

Computing & Telecommunications

Pacific Lutheran University