Fred Martin Computers, Inc.
1070 Westport Drive
Boardman, Ohio 44511
330.788.4848
10 Tips for a healthy PC
It can be an angering experience to press your PC's power button and nothing happens. It's also an agitating computing experience to see your computer go from lighting fast to molasses slow. To extend the life of your PC and keep it running in the best condition possible - here are 10 Tips For a Healthy PC.
1 - Clean
Out Your System Unit
The inside of your PCs tower or desktop case
gathers dust and dirt over time. This is because of the electrical charge
inside the case and the incoming air while your
PC uses it's fans to cool sensitive parts such as the Central Processing
Unit (CPU) and Graphics Processing Unit (GPU).
At least once a year, you should remove the access panel and blow the dust
and dirt out of the case with a can of compressed air. You will want to blow
away the dust off of the optical drives, hard drives, processor, behind the
motherboard and all of the other parts in the case. Be sure to follow the
directions on the can of compressed air also.
2 - Clean
Your Keyboard and Mouse
Over time, your keyboard can accumulate dust, dirt and other foreign matter
(sandwich crumbs, candy, peanuts etc). This can be cleaned out also by using
the same can of compressed air. Simply tilt the keyboard vertically and use
short bursts of air between the columns of keys in a downward motion. This
will blow the debris from the top of the keyboard to the bottom and out.
(Remember to follow the directions on the can of compressed air for use,
storage and disposal) For mice that have a ball, remove the cover plate and
clean the ball with warm water and mild soap and dry. Clean the rollers
inside of the mouse with a lint-free swab and alcohol. Place the ball inside
the mouse and replace the cover plate. If you use an optical mouse, there
are no moving internal parts and cleaning inside the mouse is not needed.
3 -
Remove Unwanted Programs and Files
Programs and files that are no longer utilized can take up lots of hard
drive space. This creates longer access times when your computer has to
search through thousands of files to find the one you need.
When you have a program that you no longer use, uninstall the program using
either the programs uninstall wizard or your computer's uninstall utility.
When files are of no longer any use, remember to delete them also. Don't
forge to empty your recycle bin.
4 -
Delete Your Cookies
Cookies can benefit your Internet experience by saving the data from visited
web sites. However if the web sites that you frequent are constantly
changing, cookies are of no use to you - they only take up hard drive space.
Many anti-virus software suites contain maintenance utilities that can
delete your cookies. If you do not own a software package with this feature,
you can use your computers utility program to delete the cookies. Using
Microsoft Windows, this utility can be found by following this path.
Left Click the Start Button ~ Programs ~ Accessories ~ System Tools ~ Disk Clean Up
You will want to perform this utility on all of your PCs internal hard drive at least once every two weeks.
5 - Disk
Defragmentation
Perform a disk Defragmentation on a monthly
basis. This utility is a process that eliminates fragmentation in system
files. It does this by physically reorganizing the content of the hard drive
in order to place the files closer together and creates larger spaces for
future information to be saved. Many anti-virus software suites include a
Defragmentation program. If yours includes this
software, just follow the directions for hard drive
defragmentation. If not, access your Windows operating system disk
defragmenter by using the following path.
Left Click the Start Button ~ Programs ~ Accessories ~ System Tools ~ Disk Defragmenter
6 -
Antivirus Software
Antivirus software programs attempt to identify,
quarantine and delete malicious software and computer viruses.
Unfortunately, many people don't use this software, don't update the
antivirus definitions or don't have an antivirus software program installed
on their PC.
First, ensure you have an antivirus program installed on your PC. Some of
the most common and popular antivirus programs are Symantec's Norton
Antivirus, Computer Associates' Internet Security Suite and Kaspersky
Internet Security. You must perform a definitions update to the software at
least once a week and scan your PC at least once a week. Many antivirus
software programs will allow you to set a schedule so that the software
automatically scans at a designated day and time. We recommend Kaspersky
Virus Program.
7 -
Pop-ups, Spyware and Malware
With Internet usage, you're bound to receive a pop-up or pop-under, spyware
or malware. Pop-ups and pop-unders are online
forms of advertisements. They usually activate when you visit certain
websites and are normally generated by JavaScript. Spyware is designed to
intercept or take control of a computer's operation without the consent of
the user. Malware is designed to infiltrate or cause damage to a computer
system. You must protect your computer system against this type of software
and this is done by pop-up and pop-under blocker software and Spyware /
Malware scanning software. There are many software programs available that
can detect and remove this malicious software. Many are part of antivirus
software suites such as Kaspersky Personal Virus Program and
Kaspersky Internet Security.
8 - Leave
Your PC On
Starting your PC is one of the most stressful things you can do to your
PC's components. If you choose not to leave your
PC on all the time, you can simply set Windows' Power Management to
hibernate rather than shut down.
9 - Don't
Leave Your Monitor On
Monitors have a life expectancy and to extend the usage, when you are not
using your computer, turn off the monitor.
10 -
Surge Protector
Power surges and brownouts happen all the time. These are fluctuations with
your homes power every time you refrigerator's compressor starts, your air
conditioning turns and other devices in your home. It is extremely important
to protect the sensitive components of your PC by utilizing a surge protect
and NOT and power strip. We recommend A UPS system ( Battery Backup)