CARING FOR YOUR COMPUTER

Reviewer Alex Heywood takes a selection of books from ZX and computer library shelves and assesses their value for owners of Sinclair computers.

Written by Dr. Rodnay Zaks, the leading light of Sybex, who've published the book, "DON'T" is designed to tell you how to care for your computer, and how to avoid doing things which could damage it. In America many computer manufacturers have been buying the book in bulk to supply with their computers to customers. They have discovered that the cost of the book is minimal compared to the savings in service calls it produces.

The book is aimed predominantly at buyers of business systems although there is specific information aimed squarely at home computer owners. Each chapter starts with a section headed for the home computer user, and although some of the advice seems like common sense it can well bear repeating.

In a section headed 'The Computer Room', which tells commercial operators of optimum operating conditions for their computers, Dr, Zaks says to the home user: "Keep the room comfortable for a human. Your computer will like it, too." A simple statement, but one which bears thinking about as it may well suggest further thinking. If a room is too cold for a human to work in, what is it doing to the computer?

The advice on discs does not apply (yet) to ZX owners, though with the advent of Clive's Microdrive it may well do so. There are four specific bits of advice given on working with floppy discs: Protect each new diskette; insert the disc correctly; follow the proper power-up/power-down procedure; and inspect discs each time they are used. We may well find that advice invaluable when the Microdrive becomes available.

Overall this book is not aimed at a ZX owner, but it makes interesting reading, and could well make you an expert at advising others on what potential sins they are committing.

DON'T (or How to Care for your Computer), Dr. Rodnay Zaks, Sybex, ISBN 0-89588-065-2.