1. Unplug the power cord to the computer before opening the case to work inside of it. With the cord unplugged you are sure there is no power to the motherboard.

2. Since there are capacitors in the computer which can store a charge for short periods of time, it is a good idea to wait a few minutes after unplugging the power cord before working on the computer.

3. A properly grounded wrist strap may be gotten from an electronics store to prevent ESD. Use one of these before touching any components inside such as hard drive, video card, memory stick, etc. If a grounded wrist strap is not available then make sure you touch a grounded object such as a metal pipe to discharge any built up static so you don’t “Shock” your components.

4. Hold components by both edges and try not to touch the IC chips, leads, capacitors, or circuitry as these are miniature electronic components and may be damaged.

5. Place components on a grounded anti-static pad or on the bag that came with the components whenever the components are separated from the system to prevent static discharge. Remember, avoid dropping your hard disk because cylinder of the hard disk is very sensitive and it may never work again if dropped.

6. Dont ever touch the non-serviceable. When you come across labels that say “No serviceable components inside” don’t take it as a challenge because its a serious statement. Remember some parts of a computer are just not meant to repaired and this label is usually seen on the power supply which isn’t a good idea to try to repair. Replacement is best.

Keep in mind that failure to protect yourself can cause injuries and it can also damage your computer and the most common accident is erasing stored data (due to hard drive crash). These are simple things to remember to protect yourself, software, hardware, and most important to protect our precious stored data on our computer.