Answer to Question #274217 in Computer Networks for KING

Question

Describe three things (risks) that can cause damage to computer hardware; and explain measures an organization can use to minimize or prevent the risks.

Answer 1

1.Power faults

Power problems may include power outages, surges, and frequency shifts. All of these can cause data problems, especially when the data is being written to disk. Data in memory is usually not corrupted by a power problem and is simply erased if the problem is severe enough.

Solution

Consider a combined surge protector and uninterruptible power supply.

2.Age

As computers age, they fail more and more. Electronic components are stressed over time as they heat and cool. Mechanical parts simply wear out. Some of these failures will be dramatic. Something will stop working. However, some may be slow and unclear.

Solutions

Keep an eye on the specials after three to five years.

3.Incompatibilities

If you have a device installed that doesn't handle interrupts properly, there may be a hardware problem with a perfectly healthy PC. Sometimes the problem is immediately obvious and sometimes subtle, relying on the fact that certain events happen at the wrong time and all of a sudden strange things happen.

Solution

Make a really good backup before installing anything (hardware or software) so that you can get your system back to a stable state in case something unexpected happens.