"Will it damage a computer to store it ... in the 90's?"  Fahrenheit, I
presume.  I think that it is in more danger from mishandling, dust and dirt,
insects, and moisture.  If it is left in the sun, the case could fade, and
any floppies with it could "wilt", like an old LP record left in a car.

Do you have a copy of the BIOS setup - just in case the battery dies?
Either use <SHIFT>-<PRINTSCREEN> to make a paper copy, or a bootable disk
with software to record and re-write it - or BOTH.

If you are worried about moisture, put it in a big plastic bag with a DRY
sachet of silica gel and seal the big bag with tape or a twist-tie.

HINT: You can refresh old bags of silica gel by drying them in an oven at
225 F for 20 minutes or so (longer if the bag is more than 1" thick).
Just don't burn the paper wrapper or you will have to sweep things up.

If you are storing it in a warehouse, make sure it is in a sturdy, well-
padded carton with your name on all sides (Someone may move it, or it
could be buried in a pile of cartons).

When you unpack, check for damage, open the case, and blow out the dust
and lint that accumulated during use.  You can use a vacuum cleaner with
the hose hooked up to blow - just bang the hose on the ground while blowing
to make sure that ALL the dirt is out of the hose first.  You could use a
source of clean, DRY, compressed air with a low-pressure (SAFETY!) blow-off
gun.  At the same time, you could hold the keyboard upside down (not over
the open case!) and blow out all those old cookie crumbs, etc.

You could also blow some dirt out of the monitor and power supply by
blowing through the openings (hold the fan so that it doesn't
overspeed).  Unless you are an expert, it is not worth the trouble (and
risk to yourself!) to open the monitor or the power supply.

Before touching anything else, first discharge any static by touching the
shiny metal of the power supply - or better yet, use that anti-static wrist
strap.  Make sure all connectors are fully connected, and that all socketed
chips and daughterboards are properly seated.  Don't overdo it, and damage
something.  Close up, reconnect everything, and power up.  The first time,
the hard drive may be a little sluggish, but listen to make sure that it
spins up, and you are back to normal.

Boyd Ramsay

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                         PCBUILD's List Owner's:
                      Bob Wright<[log in to unmask]>
                        Drew Dunn<[log in to unmask]>