by Josh Peffer

Created on: June 19, 2009

Maintenance with your computer is a must. Tons of people have failed to keep there computer properly "oiled" and have had computer failure. Some of the more common things people do to destroy or not keep there computers running at optimal level is; shock, physical cleanliness, and virtual cleanliness.

Lots of people keep there computers on the ground and plugged into just regular outlets or regular power splitters. Little do they know that one little surge in the power system and their computer is fried. Toast, and burning like an ant under a magnifying glass. If you keep your computer on the ground, beware of static electricity. If you keep your computer plugged into normal power outlets or normal power splitters, beware of power surges. To prevent having your computer end up like the poor little ant, never keep your computer straight on the carpet. Placing a plastic mat under your computer is a good suggestion. Or putting your computer on your desk. To prevent your computer from suffering from a power surge, plug it into a surge protector. These are cheap, and will save you a lot of money and time in the long run. It is always better to be safe than sorry. Doing these small things, is like keeping up the maintenance on your car. You want to protect your investments. And information on your computer is very valuable.

Many people's computers sit in their offices and never leave the room. They have been there since the day they were brought home from the store. This is not necessarily a bad thing. But if you have never taken the side panel off of the computer to have a look inside, then this is a bad thing. One of the major causes that computer's overheat is that people don't regularly dust them out. One of these days, take off that side panel and have a look inside. It isn't that hard. All you need is a screw driver. If, when you take it off, you are afraid you might have an allergy attack from all of the dust, it is time to clean. Cleaning is simple and very quick. All you need to do is spray out all of the dust. You don't need to take it apart or move anything. Just get your compressor running or buy one of the cans of dust-off. This will not hurt your computer one bit, but help it stay cool and well ventilated. Make sure you spray out the power supply and all fans. There will be a lot of dust, so you might want to take the computer outside or somewhere well ventilated. This will increase the life of your computer and keep you happier.

Virtual cleanliness. I mean keeping your computer clean of junk files and unnecessary programs. This can seem a daunting task at times. But with a little help from some wonderfully structured programs, it isn't so bad. A high percentage of people who own computer's never think to try and optimize their computer's. Once their computer starts slowing down, they think, "Oh time for a new computer." Cleaning off your computer can save you time, by speeding up your computer, and money, so you don't have to buy a new computer. There are many optimizing and cleaning programs out there. Some are free, others, you can pay for. One of the top ones that I recommend, is CCleaner. It will clean out all of your junk files and also clean out your registry. It is free to download. Now you cannot just do this once and call it good. You need to keep "oiling" your computer, just like a car. If you run your optimization programs every couple of days, it will keep your computer running at top speed.

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