Dell 2100/200, 2100/180 manual Environmental Factors, Temperature, Humidity, Altitude

If the kit does not contain instructions, insert one of the pretreated diskettes into a diskette drive and turn on the system. After 20 or 30 seconds, remove the diskette from the drive. Repeat this procedure for each diskette drive in the computer.

CAUTION: Do not attempt to clean drive heads with a swab. You may accidentally misalign the heads, rendering the drive inoperable.

Environmental Factors

This section discusses various environmental factors that can adversely affect system performance and longevity.

Temperature

Temperature extremes can cause a variety of problems, including premature aging and failure of chips or mechanical failure of devices. Extreme temperature fluc- tuations can cause chips to become loose in their sockets and can cause expansion and contraction of disk drive platters, resulting in read or write data errors. When you perform a low-level format operation on a hard-disk drive, it is important to ensure that the drive’s surround- ing temperature is at or near the temperature at which the drive will be operated. Failure to do so can result in relo- cation of the tracks on the disk platters.

To minimize the negative effects of temperature on sys- tem performance, follow these guidelines:

•Ensure that the system is operated in an environment no colder than 10° Celsius (C) (50° Fahrenheit [F]) or hotter than 35°C (95°F).

•Ensure that the system has adequate ventilation. Do not place it within a closed-in wall unit or on top of cloth material, which can act as insulation. Do not place it where it will receive direct sunlight, particu- larly in the afternoon. Do not place it next to a heat source of any kind, including heating vents during winter.

•Make sure that all slots and openings on the com- puter remain unobstructed, especially the fan guard on the back of the computer.

•Clean the system at regular intervals to avoid any buildup of dust and debris, which can cause a system to overheat.

•If the system is exposed to abnormally cold tempera- tures, allow a 15-minute warm-up period after it is turned on before attempting to read from or write to the hard-disk drive.

•If intermittent system failures are noticed, try reseat- ing any socketed chips, which might have become loose due to temperature fluctuations.

Humidity

High-humidity conditions can cause moisture migration and penetration into the computer. This moisture can cause corrosion of internal components and degradation of properties such as electrical resistance, thermal con- ductivity, physical strength, and size. Extreme moisture buildup inside the computer can result in electrical shorts, which can cause serious damage to the computer.

Each Dell system is rated to operate at 8 to 80 percent rel- ative humidity, with a humidity gradation of 10 percent per hour. In storage, a Dell system can withstand from 8 to 95 percent relative humidity.

Buildings in which climate is controlled by air- conditioning in the warmer months and by heat during the colder months usually maintain an acceptable level of humidity for computer equipment. However, if a system is located in an unusually humid location, a dehumidifier can be used to maintain the humidity within an acceptable range.

Altitude

Operating a system at high altitude (low pressure) reduces the efficiency of forced and convection cooling and can result in electrical problems related to arcing and corona effects. This condition can also cause sealed com- ponents with internal pressure, such as electrolytic capacitors, to fail or perform at reduced efficiency.

Each Dell system is rated to operate at altitudes from -16 to 3048 meters (m) (-50 to 10,000 feet [ft]) and can be stored at altitudes of -16 to 10,600 m (-50 to 35,000 ft).

Maintaining the System C-133