Carroll County Times Articles
Computer Maintenance Tips
by Bob Keller – June 4, 2006
We all tend to take our personal computers for granted. We belly up to the desk and turn it on. We expect the computer to work and to produce that oh-so-familiar sound after the desktop is displayed. But what happens when the computer does not make the familiar sound or display your familiar desktop? This, obviously, is a scenario you will want to avoid.
General Maintenance Tips
Here are a set of general maintenance tips that you can use. These tips will help you keep your computer running better, keeping you happier.
Windows Updates, AntiSpyware and AntiVirus
First, I cannot stress enough the importance on keeping up with Windows updates and the updates for your antispyware (AS) and antivirus (AV) programs. These three help keep the hackers, viruses and spyware at bay. Ideally, you should have all three programs set to update automatically. This will reduce the chances of your forgetting to update them manually. Additionally, your AS and AV software should be set to scan automatically (either at a set time or at start up) as well as to provide "real time" protection. This means that it runs in the background, checking programs and files and will alert you to suspicious activity.
Hard Drive Defragging
Next, you will need to keep the hard drive in good shape. You should run a DEFRAG program weekly, or monthly at a minimum. This will defragment your drive. Think of your hard drive as a checkerboard table. At the beginning, all of the checkers are well organized. After several minutes of game play, the checkers are misaligned and out of order. This is similar to what happens to your hard drive after you install and uninstall programs and move things around. Defragging it keeps things well organized, which results in quicker access times and a healthier computer. Windows has an integrated defrag utility which works fine. Right click "My Computer", select "Manage", then look under Storage and click on Disk Defragmenter. Highlight the drive from the list at the top and click on Defragment.
Case Cleaning
Next, you should clean the inside of the computer case with compressed air about once every 6 months, or more often in dirty environments. Heat is a killer of computer components and dust and dirt traps heat on all of the vital components. You will want to do this outside or in a garage, as computers are great collectors of dust and dirt. Disconnect all of the cables and remove the side panel to the computer. Then use either compressed air (in a can) or a small compressor to blow out the dirt and dust. Be cautious of large powerful commercial air compressors. They can cause disconnections inside the case, and may contain moisture which could potentially harm your components. Use the compressed air to clean out the inside of the case, both sides (inside and outside) of the power supply, as well as the fans located inside of the case. By doing this, you will see just how much debris can collect inside of a computer. So much, in fact, that the next time you clean your home, you will probably think about setting a PC in each room of your house, having them suck the dirt into them, and periodically just emptying them instead of vacuuming the house.
Organize Installed Programs
Now, here is a bit of data housekeeping. Go through your Add/Delete list and remove any unused software. You would be surprised to see what is in there that you probably have not used in a long while. Look especially for something on the list you do not recall installing yourself. This could be a spyware installation and would warrant immediate removal. If are not sure if you installed something, write down the name and do a search for it on the Internet. When you locate it, read about it and see if it rings a bell. Remember, if you remove a lot of unwanted programs, you should defrag again.
This is a very condensed list of maintenance tips. The proper maintenance of most computers usually encompasses a combination of various software utilities. You can download a more complete list at www.keltechcomputerservice.com/maint.doc.
About the Author
Bob Keller, owner of KelTech Computer Service in Westminster, is a certified computer repair technician and Chairman of CompuKids. CompuKids is a program of the Carroll Technology Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating businesses, government and residents about technology issues. Questions are welcomed and may be addressed in future articles. Email advisors@carrolltechcouncil.org or go to www.carrolltechcouncil.org for a list of Advisor categories.
