PowerBookCentral.com: Preventative Maintenance

Hard Drive

Daily:

Weekly:

Run Disk First Aid and a disk utility like Norton Utilities or Tech Tool Pro to scan for any problems.

Monthly:

Rebuild the desktop by pressing command-option as the Mac is starting up.
Defragment your hard drive using a disk tool utility like Norton Utilities or Tech Tool Pro.
Scan your hard drive for viruses. Do this more or less often depending on your downloading or file sharing habits.

Every six months:

Install a fresh copy of your system software, or upgrade to the latest MacOS. This will also update the hard disk driver.
Zap your PRAM by holding down the command-option-p-r keys at startup until you hear the second startup chime.

Every two years:

Battery

Daily:

Use the plastic protective cap that came with your battery when storing it outside of your laptop. Contact with a metal surface could cause a short in the battery.

Monthly:

Use Battery Recondition to completely drain and recharge your battery. This will keep the memory effect to a minimum. Do this more or less often depending on how much you rely on your battery. Newer Li-Ion batteries are less prone to the memory effect.

Screen

Daily:

Do not touch your screen. Not only does it leave an oily smudge, but you risk scratching the screen everytime you touch it.
When not in use, play it safe by closing the lid and putting your PowerBook to sleep.

Weekly:

Use an LCD screen cleaner to remove dust. These are commonly found in the computer section of your local Wal-Mart. Klear Screen also makes a good, high-quality cleaner. Whatever you do, don't use a dry paper towel or other abrasive to clean the surface.

Keyboard

Daily:

Avoid typing with dirty hands. Avoid dusty environments. Keep that cup of Java at least three feet away from the keyboard. Moral of the story? Try to keep particles or moisture from getting between the keys and fouling the keyboard or worse.

Monthly:

Use a can of compressed air (again, commonly found in the computer section at stores like Wal-Mart) to blow out dust and particles in the keyboard.

Expansion Bay Modules

Daily:

When not in use, keep your module in its plastic static bag. Not only does this keep dust to a minimum, but you also avoid the slim chance that a static discharge could damage the module.

Monthly:

Other Peripherals

Monthly:

Software

Daily:

Every three months: