Guest Post: Avoiding 5 Common Mistakes of Beginning Genealogists

If you’re looking for ways to improve your research skills, it’s always best to take a personal inventory of your research practices and habits. Following are five common errors that many beginners and hobbyists make which, if eliminated, could save time and increase accuracy immensely.

1.    Collecting Ancestors – This is one of the most common mistakes. Simply copying down someone else’s tree or taking their information at face value without sources or explanation is a quick way to perpetuate untrue lineages and family stories. A good rule of thumb is to be able to give a solid reason for every bit of information you add to your database/tree/chart. How do you know that John is the son of Robert? And how do you know that that Robert is the right one when there is another man by the same name a county over? Traditions handed down can be helpful and even true, but a good genealogist always double checks! (And P.S. – use special caution when attempting to tie into “royal lines”; many are known to have been fabricated long ago.)

2.    Fishing for the Famous – We encounter this fairly frequently, and it involves trying to prove a relationship to a notable person simply because you share the same last name. “I am from the South and my last name is Lee. We are probably related to the famous Confederate General Robert E. Lee.” Such an assumption is not a sound approach and is very seldom true. The best course of action is to start with your recent family and move backward. Avoid beginning with a celebrity or historical figure and trying to force him into your tree!

3.    Tunnel Vision – It is usually difficult to find direct-line ancestors if the rest of the family is ignored. In your research, build complete families, not just single lines of descent. Don’t just know who your ancestor was and who he married, but research who his siblings and their spouses were. Even studying his unrelated close friends and associates can often be the key to solving a brick-wall problem. If your ancestor didn’t leave much of a paper trail, there’s a good chance that one of his siblings did, taking you back to the next generation you couldn’t have found only researching one man or woman.

4.    Incomplete Research – Lone records can often contain inaccuracies, or at the very least, a fragmented part of the story. Be sure to make the effort to confirm information that you find with multiple records whenever possible. Find a headstone? Great! If possible, also locate a death certificate, parish record, obituary, and/or will.

5.    Being Disorganized – Do you have notes scribbled on three different notepads and tucked away on Post-Its, backs of envelopes, and other random slips of paper? This one is for you! Your research experience will improve if you make a concerted effort to keep everything in one place. The same can go for Word documents scattered around your hard drive. Make folders, keep notes in your pedigree software, and always back-up your files externally! No one wants to lose ten years’ worth of research because their computer crashes!

Don’t be discouraged if you find yourself making these mistakes from time to time! Genealogy is a fun field, but it can also be exacting, with a steep learning curve. Even as professionals, we are constantly growing and figuring out better ways of doing things, and everyone benefits from raised standards!

Legacy Tree Genealogists provides full-service genealogical research for clients worldwide, helping them discover their roots and personal history through records, narratives, and DNA. Based near the world's largest family history library in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, Legacy Tree has developed a network of professional researchers and archives around the globe. For additional information on services visit us on Legacy Tree.

Exclusive Offer for Olive Tree Genealogy readers: Receive $100 off a 20-hour research project using code SAVE100, valid through April 21st, 2017. Just use the link  Legacy Tree

I Want....

The following article is © Barbara A. Brown and posted on Olive Tree Genealogy blog with her permission

Yep -- I want ancestors with names like Rudimentary Montagnard or Melchizedick von Steubenhoffmannschild or Spetznatz Gianfortoni, not William Brown or John Hunter or Mary Abbott.

I want ancestors who could read and write, had their children baptized in recognized houses of worship, went to school, purchased land, left detailed wills (naming a huge extended family as legatees), had their photographs taken once a year -- subsequently putting said pictures in elaborate isinglass frames annotated with calligraphic inscriptions, and carved voluble and informative inscriptions in their headstones. I want relatives who managed to bury their predecessors in established, still-extant (and indexed) cemeteries.

I want family members who wrote memoirs, who enlisted in the military as officers and who served in strategically important (and well documented) skirmishes. I want relatives who served as councilmen, schoolteachers, county clerks and town historians. I want relatives who 'religiously' wrote in the family Bible, journaling every little event and detailing the familial relationship of every visitor.

In the case of immigrant progenitors, I want them to have arrived only in those years wherein passenger lists were indexed by National Archives, and I want them to have applied for citizenship, and to have done so only in those jurisdictions which have since established indices.

I want relatives who were patriotic and clubby, who joined every patrimonial society they could find, who kept diaries, and listed all their addresses, who had paintings made of their horses, and who dated every piece of paper they touched. I want forebears who were wealthy enough to afford, and to keep for generations, the tribal homestead, and who left all the aforementioned pictures and diaries and journals intact in the library.

But most of all, I want relatives I can find!!!

Note that Ms. Brown's "I Want" article was originally posted in 1994 to the National Genealogical Conference, FIDO bulletin board forum. This article also appeared in IIGS Newsletter August 1998 with her permission. Ms. Brown offers lookups in Who's Who books from 1901 to 1978 and Social Register Directories from 1917 to 1971. She can be reached at babrown12@yahoo.com

What to Save? What to Toss? 4 Questions That Can Help You Decide

It's the How to Archive Family Keepsakes Blog Book Tour and Olive Tree Genealogy is the stop today. My readers know how passionate I am about preserving family treasures. Well today you are in for a treat! Denise Levenick is the guest author today.

So read on for great tips on deciding what items are worth archiving. As an added bonus you can get a FREE PDF Chart Handout What To Do With What You Inherit: Save, Skim, or Toss, (Read on for information about downloading the free handout).

What to Save? What to Toss? 4 Questions That Can Help You Decide

Guest Post by Denise May Levenick, The Family Curator, author of How to Archive Family Keepsakes (Family Tree Books, 2012). 

It can be hard for family historians to let go of anything that might carry a family story, no matter how old or broken that keepsake might be -- the chipped china teacup you remember from your grandmother's kitchen cupboard, the mildewed children's book that was once bright and new, the keys to long-forgotten locks. 

One key isn't much to save, but it doesn't take long for family keepsakes to become a mountain of memorabilia that threatens to come down on our present life like an avalanche. 

So, how do we choose, what to save, what to toss, and what to give away? I've sifted, sorted, and organized dozens of family collections, and discovered that it sometimes "less" is truly "more," even when it comes to family archives. Yes, we could probably find a family story in every single item set aside and saved, but is that the story we want to preserve? Or, knowing the story, can we let the item go?

Our ancestors were mobile people, and as anyone knows who has ever moved from home to home, each relocation typically involves a kind of triage. Some things are tossed away, others carefully packed up and moved to the new home. Rarely is a home moved intact from place to place.
The same kinds of decisions occur between generations. Sometimes, a son or daughter will inherit an entire home of possessions and need to begin the difficult task of sifting, sorting, saving, and tossing.
Family historians will want to be on the lookout for anything that documents vital record information (birth, marriage, death records), hints at unknown family members, or fills in the blanks for "mystery years" or "family secrets."

Ask Yourself

1. Why did my ancestor save this?
The answer could be quite simple. Maybe your mom, like her girlfriends, followed the current fad and pressed her prom corsage in her school yearbook. Or, perhaps your grandmother added a caption to a baby photo because there was no other documentation of birth. The dried flowers are sentimental, but can be discarded. The baby photo, however, should be preserved with its important handwritten note.

2. Is it unique, one-of-a-kind?
Some family letters, photos or documents might be the only proof of birth or other event; you will want to save those items that document a vital event or important family story.

3. Is it old?
You might be unsure whether or not an item is worth keeping. When in doubt, save it, especially any original document decades old with names, places, and dates. You may discover connections later in your research. Think again about Question #1: Why did my ancestor save this?

4. Is it valuable?
“Value is relative,” you may have heard it said. And, it’s true. What’s valuable to you today, may not be valuable to your children or grandchildren.

Some items, like books and newspapers are now available in digital versions. Save digital copies as PDF images and let go of the paper copies. Or save a digital copy and file a single paper copy as a backup. Digital storage is less expensive than physical storage space. Do preserve your family’s heirloom original documents, though. They may be priceless and unique.

Think About Your Answers

Four "Yes" answers should be a clue that the item is worth preserving, or at least holding for further consideration. 

I've found 19th century baby photos tucked between pizza take-out menus and trade union cards stashed in old wallets. You have to look inside everything, but then, it's ok to toss the cracked plastic envelope, the take-out menus and the smashed, blackened prom corsage.

Take a digital photo if you need a visual reminder of the artifact. Write a short note if it holds a special story. If in doubt whether or not you should let something go, ask yourself if you've ever saved a similar memento from your own life experience, and what you expect your children to do with it. Sometimes, it's ok to give yourself permission to hold on to the memory and let go of the clutter. 

For a FREE PDF chart What To Do With What You Inherit: Save, Skim, or Toss, visit www.thefamilycurator.com/saveskimtoss.

Find more ideas for sorting and organizing inherited family treasures in How to Archive Family Keepsakes: Learn How to Preserve Family Photos, Memorabilia & Genealogy Records by Denise May Levenick (Family Tree Books, 2012). Copyright, 2012, Denise May Levenick. All Rights Reserved. www.thefamilycurator.com

How to Archive Family Keepsakes (Family Tree Books, 2012) ISBN 1440322236
Paperback from Family Tree Books, Amazon.com ; PDF eBook from Scribd
10% Savings Coupon ShopFamilyTree.

Join the Blog Tour
Join the Blog Book Tour for How to Archive Family Keepsakes January 10-26, 2013 for author interviews, book excerpts, giveaways, and more. Visit the Blog Book Tour Page at The Family Curator website for the complete schedule .
 
Proceeds from the sale of How to Archive Family Keepsakes during the Book Tour will help fund the 2013 Student Genealogy Grant founded in 2010 in honor of Denise’s mother, Suzanne Winsor Freeman.


Blog Book Tour Giveaways
Comment on daily Book Blog Tour PostTweet the Tour Twitter @FamilyCurator #keepsakebooktourShare the Tour on FaceBook, Google+, Goodreads

It’s easy to enter to win a free copy of Denise’s new book or one of the weekly giveaway prizes. All you have to do is leave a comment to the Blog Tour Post hosted at one of the official tour blogs. Random winners will also be selected from social media comments on Twitter, FaceBook, and Google+.

Each blog tour post comment gives you one chance to win; one entry per post per day, please. Leave a comment at each stop on the blog tour and increase your chances of winning. The lucky names will be announced each Saturday during the tour at The Family Curator.

About the Author
In every family, someone ends up with “the stuff.” Denise May Levenick is a writer, researcher, and speaker with a passion for preserving and sharing family treasures of all kinds. She is the creator of the award-winning family history blog, The Family Curator www.TheFamilyCurator.com and author of the new book How to Archive Family Keepsakes: Learn How to Preserve Family Photos, Memorabilia and Genealogy Records, (Family Tree Books, 2012).

From Record to Reality - Gleaning Your Family's Story of Service

Olive Tree Genealogy is very pleased to present an article by Guest Author Marie Rundquist. Marie's books (listed at end of article) are available at  buybooksontheweb.com (Infinity Publishing), Barnes and Noble, along with other Internet and E-book sources. 

From Record to Reality

Gleaning Your Family's Story of Service

by Marie Rundquist

May 2012

At Memorial Day events and backyard barbecues, we cherish the memories of our beloved men and women in uniform, share their treasured photographs, and display their medals of honor, but what do we really know of their stories?  As time passes, and wartime memories fade, an ancestor's military registration record, limited to the most basic of vital information, may be the only evidence of his service to his country.  While genealogists highlight marriages, births, and family lines in their research, military service is often incidental -- a footnote annotation in a charted family tree.  When I initially researched my own family history, I found elaborate details related to my ancestors' marriages, births, and deaths, but noted only a cursory mention of their military careers.  


At a recent memorial service for my husband's paternal uncle, we had the opportunity to witness the presentation of an American flag by an Honor Guard, a stunning tribute to my husband's “Uncle Ed” and his service to his country.  At Ed's viewing, there were many stories shared about his love of family, his devotion to his real-estate career, his ability to organize community events, and put people at ease, but little was said about his military service.  As he was laid to rest, and an American flag, folded into the shape of a three-cornered hat, was presented by the Honor Guard to surviving family, all in attendance were at once reminded that Ed had enlisted in the the military during World War II, and were deeply moved.


Ed's World War II enlistment record offers an abbreviated view of a high school graduate with machine-shop training, a single man with dependents, who were his immediate family. Challenged to complete Ed's story of service, I searched the 1930 Federal Census records and discovered that Ed was, in fact, the youngest in a family of eight, that his mother and father were originally from Poland.  I examined the census reports of adjacent households in Trenton, New Jersey's sixth ward, observed numbers of Czechoslovakian and Polish surnames in close proximity, and concluded that Ed lived in a tightly-knit, Eastern European immigrant community.  I browsed the recently published 1940 Federal Census and unearthed the roots of Ed's (and my husband's) deeply ingrained work-ethic, for according to the enumerator, Ed's three elder brothers all contributed to the household, and each held a job – as, respectively, a night-club musician, a factory-worker, and my father-in-law was, at the time of the1940 Federal Census, an apprentice linoleum layer for a department store.  According to the census taker, Polish was the language most commonly spoken at home in Ed's neighborhood..  


A 1941 parish directory was shared at Ed's memorial service, its pages lined with the photographs of young men in uniform, their faces full of hope, eyes bright and shining.  Leafing through the directory, I was reminded that while most view senior year as a launching point for college and careers, for a high school graduating class in the early 1940s, senior year was a weigh-station on a long and perilous journey – one that for many would end on foreign shores.  From a published obituary, I learned that Ed was an Air Force veteran of World War II, who served in the Asiatic Pacific campaign.  After returning home, Ed approached life with boundless optimism  -- that he, as a survivor of World War II,  had the opportunity to marry, buy a home, build a career, educate his children, and be of help to  his family and friends ranked highest among his concerns. A lover of music and song, and a devoted family man, Ed didn't “sweat the small stuff.”  Quibbling over trivial and insignificant events of the day simply didn't factor into Ed's priorities – nor did quibbling factor into his brother's priorities, as I recall, and certainly my husband is not a quibbler..


By extending my research beyond a single military registration record, to include the 1930 and 1940 Federal Census, newspaper articles, and other published sources, I gained insight into a family's shared traits, uncovered the greater reality that upheld “Uncle Ed's” military enlistment record, and, in honor of Memorial Day, advanced one enlisted man's story of service from footnote to front-and-center.



Marie Rundquist is a DNA project manager, collaborative research community moderator, president of an information systems consulting firm and author of Revisiting Anne Marie: How an Amerindian Woman of Seventeenth-Century Nova Scotia and a DNA Match Redefine “American” Heritage and Cajun by Any Other Name Recovering the Lost History of a Family and a People. For more information visit: http://dna-genealogy-history.com

Guest Author: Best Family History Software

I'm pleased to introduce my readers to my guest author today - Jenna Smith.  Jenna has written an article comparing various Genealogy Software. Enjoy!

Best Family History Software

More and more people are interested in studying their family history. From people perusing Brookdale senior living reviews to professional genealogists, the human race wants to know its roots. This isn't new thing, but in the past people have found digging into the past to be daunting logistical challenge. Fortunately, there are a number of tools out there now that will help you to conduct your research efficiently and have a bit of fun doing it. The following are three of the top pieces of software you can use to flawlessly trace your family tree:

Family Tree Maker

The proprietary, award-winning genealogy software from Ancestry.com has been kicking since 1989 and as of 2010 is available for both PCs and Macs. The program allows users to organize and track information related to family history searches. In 2006 it won the CODiE award for “Best Consumer Productivity Solution.” Since then, FTM has been upgraded a number of times. While the software shares many similar features as other genealogy and family tree services, Family Tree Maker has received high marks for its ease of navigation and user-friendliness. New bonus features allow for customized narratives, 3D options, and quick information retrieval.

Reunion

Developed exclusively for Macs by Leister Productions, Inc., Reunion consistently receives rave reviews. Like Family Tree Maker, Reunion allows users to create family history reports, including charts that illustrate family trees and tools for publishing their results online. Also like Family Tree Maker, Reunion is beloved for its ease of use. Released in a number of different versions over the years, the latest Reunion 9 provides even more options for customizing your family history research experience. Newer features include enhanced file importing capabilities, an expansion of output formats, a with-the-times approach to same-sex couple documentation, and the ability to flag people and events with historical significance.

RootsMagic

RootsMagic runs primarily on Windows operating systems, although some users have been able to utilize the software application Wine in order to run it on Linux. The latest version of this software has a revamped interface that is FamilySearch certified and the new layout allows integration with Family Tree Maker and other software like Family Origins. RootsMagic also allows for DNA research and can be used to create 6 different types of CSS websites, including pedigree charts, and multiple forms of narrative reports. While its multimedia functions don't operate as seamlessly as the previous two programs listed here, RootsMagic has a stellar support staff and supports a number of 3rd party software.

Whether you use a PC, Mac, or Linux there are software options here for you to conduct extensive family history research. The programs discussed above also offer state-of-the-art methods for sharing and storing your reports. There's never been a better time to discover your roots!

About Jenna: Jenna is a journalism student at Saint Louis University. Upon graduation, she hopes to travel the world while producing compelling content for the masses. When she isn't writing,  you can find Jenna with her nose in a book, or her headphones in to block out the rest of the world. 

Dealing with Language Problems as You Trace Genealogy

by Rebecca Garland, Guest Author

While it’s hugely fascinating to dig back through old records to make the connections in your family tree, there’s nothing more frustrating that hitting the snag of language. As immigrants moved from one country to another, they brought their language with them. Unless the native languages of your ancestors trickled down to you, you’ll be at a loss when you start to pull up old letters or journals written by your ancestors. Even official documents from the old country would likely be written in a language other than English, stopping your search dead in its tracks if you can’t come up with a way to get the information you need.

Ask Your Relatives to Translate
In some cases you may be able to find a relative that still speaks the language well enough to translate it for you. This would likely be true if you’re a recent immigrant with only a few generations of family in a new country. In some cases the old languages are remarkable similar to what is spoken today making it easy for the language to carry on. Castilian, or formal Spanish, is a perfect example. In other cases, languages have died out over the year, but you might get lucky and find a built-in translator, but if not, you have other options.

Use a Dictionary or Website to Translate
There is an auto-translate function of Google as well as any number of online language dictionaries and programs. In most cases, these programs will give you a very rough translation – nothing at all like the translation of actual people working through the old languages, but at least you’ll get a very rough idea of what the documents are saying. If you’re just looking for a gist of the message, a dictionary will give you enough words to understand the point of the list, even if it’s not enough to let you in on the full story. This would be perfect for a list of names that you don’t understand, but not as great for family letters.

Use a Translation Service
You genealogy documents might be in a language still spoken today, even if it’s not spoken around you. In this case you can easily find a translation service. Look online or through the listings in your area to find a professional. Don’t despair if you realize you’re dealing with a version of the language that isn’t spoken or read today. There are scholars who spend their entire professional careers working with the languages or forms of handwriting we’ve forgotten. Again, this detailed search can be done online to find professional scholars and translators. It isn’t a free service, of course, but when it comes to a hobby as impressive as genealogy, it can be considered money well spent.

About the Author
 Rebecca Garland is a veteran freelance business writer working hard to populate the internet with relevant, interesting content you can actually put to use. With advanced degrees and certifications in business, engineering, education and information science, Rebecca enjoys topics ranging from old handwriting and languages and genealogy to parenting and education.

Play nice with your computer. Part Three: Steps 6 & 7

Olive Tree Genealogy is pleased to present the last of a three part series on Cleaning your computer by guest author Barbara Brown. This is something all genealogists need to do, including me!

Play nice with your computer. Part Three: Steps 6 & 7
© copyright Barbara A. Browm 2009.

Step Six
Germs reside on both the mouse and the keyboard; cleaning them is good for you as well as for the computer. Once more, remove the ball from the mouse. Put it where it will not roll, and where you will easily find it again.

Run an alcohol-soaked (rubbing alcohol, not single-malt Laphraoig) around the outside of the mouse. Pay particular attention to the bottom of the mouse. Get all the sticky stuff off the bottom; you will be surprised how much easier it glides when clean. And the key you use the most, probably the left one. Dry with a soft cloth. Do not attempt to clean the mouse ball with alcohol. If it is dirty and has bits of unidentfiable material attached, try rubbing with a soft cloth. (If still grotty, buy a new mouse. ) Replace the mouse ball.

Using the antibacterial wipes (or q-tips and rubbing alcohol) clean the edges of the keyboard and the tops of the keys.
If you have a sticky key or two, gently pry off the key with the screwdriver, turn the keyboard upside down over the disposal bag, thump. If stickiness is stubborn, use an alcohol-moistened q-tip, or one of your snazzy special purpose foam swabs.

Caution ! before you remove any keys, write down exactly where they came from. Otherwise, your next email message mojht ;ook ;oke thos.

Using only a damp lint-free cloth (or that special Monitor Cleaner you bought), wipe the screen clean. Do not let water DRIP. When the screen is clean, use that same damp cloth to wipe off the outside of the monitor, especially where there are "air holes." Do not wipe the back of the monitor with a damp cloth or anything else wet. If you insist upon doing so, first go to the kitchen and stick a fork into your toaster. At least you will save the computer.

Now is the time for those specialized CD and floppy kits if you purchased them. And now that you have seen what lives within the computer case, you will surely remember to buy them next time. If you have earphones or microphones, you might want to disinfect them with one of those anti-bacterial wipes. And if the surface can take it, spray your desk with Lysol or use those handy-dandy wipes again. Put the computer back into its accustomed spot.

Step Seven

Reattach the keyboard and mouse. Reattach the plug into the computer. Plug in the surge protector. Turn on the surge protector. Release the relations and household pets. Praise them for their help. Enjoy your new cool-running computer.

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This article may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, email, messaging system, or mailing lists, without the written permission of the author.

Play nice with your computer. Part Two: Steps 3, 4, 5

Olive Tree Genealogy is pleased to present the second of a three part series on Cleaning your computer by guest author Barbara Brown. This is something all genealogists need to do, including me!

Play nice with your computer. Part Two: Steps 3, 4, 5

© copyright Barbara A. Browm 2009.

Step Three

Detach the keyboard from the computer. Remember where it was connected. If you do not trust your memory, write it down (e.g. 'blue round connector, left side, third from top'). Move away from the now-clean computer area. Hold the keyboard upside down over the paper bag. Run a finger across the rows of keys to release large bits caught between the keys. Now thump gently. Thump again. When no more more cracker crumbs, cigarette ashes, dog hair, matches, or toothpicks fall out, start vacuuming. Continue to hold the keyboard upside down, carefully bring the vacuum brush closer. We do not want to suck the key covers off, merely remove the dust, dirt and debris. Set the now pristine keyboard aside for a while.

Step Four

Go and get the mouse. Again, note where it was attached. Open the back of the mouse (a slight twist on the central round cover will usually suffice). Do not lose the ball. Vacuum the inside. If there is gunk on the rollers, pry off with your fingernail. Vacuum again. Put the ball back in, the cover on, and leave the mouse by the keyboard.

Step Five

Place the computer away from your clean desk upon some sheets of newspaper. Read your manual, or if you have discarded it, try to figure out how to get the cover off. Next time, save the manual. Remove the side panel. If you do not see dust, dog hair, cat hair, cookie crumbs, suspicious clumps, or anything else which looks like it does not belong there, congratulate yourself, replace the cover, and go to Step Six

If, however, the inside is murky, carefully vacuum NEAR the computer. You do not want to pull out ribbon connectors or wires or boards. (The replacement of loose connections is a topic which requires much more detail than can be provided here). Do NOT put the vacuum nozzle INTO the computer. Vacuuming thusly might cause static electricity, which is a definte no-no around computers. Put a large sheet of newspaper behind the computer tower. Ensure that nothing precious is behind the computer.

Remove the (usually plastic) cover from the fan. Carefully insert the screwdriver just far enough in to prevent the fan from turning. Take your can of compressed air and blow from inside to outside. When most of the gunk is gone, reverse and clean from outside to inside. Look around for another fan, and repeat the process. When the can of compressed air gets cold, put it aside and start using a new one. Spray carefully around the inside of the computer. Chase the dust and hair out of corners, off the cards, off the connectors.

Now carefully fold up that sheet of newspaper, discard it into the paper bag, and vacuum up whatever stray grit and dust came from the fan cleaning.

Coming next Play nice with your computer. Part Three: Steps 6 & 7
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This article may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, email, messaging system, or mailing lists, without the written permission of the author.

Play nice with your computer. Part One: Steps 1 & 2

Olive Tree Genealogy is pleased to present a three part series on Cleaning your computer by guest author Barbara Brown. This is something all genealogists need to do, including me!

Play nice with your computer

© copyright Barbara A. Browm 2009.

I know you have access to a computer, because you are reading this. And I know that you occasionally snack whilst at the computer, because you are human. And therefore, I know that the inside of your computer is a mess. Pet hair, bug dander, crumbs, loose mattress stuffing, lint, dust, flakes, and other unspecified particles have taken up residence within your computer. Messy computers become overheated computers which become short-lived computers.

Computers are expensive. Cleaning them is not. Computers should be cleaned at least twice a year for Compulsively Neat People and every other month for Average Discriminating Folks. And if your computer's fan is whining, whirring, snuffling or creaking loudly, it is definitely time for PC Grooming.

Go to the store, and get a couple of cans of compressed air. You will need more than one can. Compressed air is sold in office supply stores, computer and department stores, club or discount stores. Buy a new mouse pad. If you are in the mood, also purchase special-purpose cleaners ( foam swabs, a screen cleaner cloth, floppy drive or cd/dvd-drive cleaning kit, cleaning kits for the mouse, printer, scanner, what-have-you).) Set aside an hour for this.

Gather up your compressed air, a duster, a large paper bag for discards, newspaper, a soft lint-free cloth, a slender screwdriver, the portable battery-operated vacuum ( rated 'ESD-safe' ), q-tips and rubbing alcohol or antibacterial wipes, your new computer cleaning kits, pencil and paper. You might want a dust mask, and you might want to move to the back porch for this process. Arrange a Play Date for your children, spouses, in-laws and pets or sequester them in another location. Bribe them with a toothsome snack. Otherwise they will want to help and they will want to explore the inner workings of the computer. Such curiosity is cute but antithetical to Proper PC Hygiene.

Step One

First, before you turn off the computer, make backup copies of anything you hold dear. Tidying the computer innards should not affect any of your data, but Murphy's Law reigns. And you needed to back up anyway. OK. Turn off the computer. Completely off. Turn off the surge protector too. Remove the surge protector plug from the wall outlet. Remove the plug from the computer. (What? You don't have a surge protector??? Go back to the store and get one before you go any further).

Step Two

Remove the assembled pens, pencils, forks, spoons, papers, gum wrappers, paper clips, Milk-Bones, credit cards, junk mail catalogues, take-out containers, and that long-lost spare key. Put this stuff someplace far away from the computer for later sorting and disposal. Carefully vacuum around the computer; the desk, the wall behind, the floor nearby. Dust the outside of the computer with your duster paying particular attention to the air vents.

Now using the brush attachment, carefully vacuum the outside of the computer but not the back connection panel. Lift the computer carefully, move to a nearby clean spot, and vacuum the spot where the computer was. Vacuum the outside of the computer fans (behind a grille) by carefully inserting the screwdriver just far enough into the grate to prevent the fan from turning, and then hold the vacuum brush away from the grate..

Coming Next: Play nice with your computer. Part Two: Steps 3, 4, 5
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This article may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, email, messaging system, or mailing lists, without the written permission of the author.