by John Winter

Created on: October 11, 2009

This is a Plain English Article: Necessary Computer Maintenance Made Simple.

Is your new PC suddenly running much slower than it should, or are you so frustrated with your older PC that you are hesitant to even boot it up, fearful that simply logging on to Windows or trying to open your internet browser will be a timely hassle? Are you constantly worried about the dreaded Freeze, wherein your computer in processing any of your requests simply stops, forcing you to either up open up the Task Manager or in most cases restart your entire system? A Computer is like a human body, it requires certain maintenances and finding a simple comprehensive guide to exactly what needs to be done to both correct ailments which it is already suffering, and also to maintain it's health are hard to find. Nevertheless, you do not have to be a computer whiz, or programmer to keep your computer in a healthy, working state. You simply have to have a general knowledge of a few key reasons why your computer will not function as it should, and a few ways to correct these errors.

* If your computer is running slow, be sure and realize that most often this is due, not to just one of the problems that will be listed here, but probably a little of all of them. This guide is intended to illustrate the NECESSARY MINIMUM upkeep which should be performed on most personal computers. I've organized all the information into segments so that if you are familiar with one, you can simply skip it and move on to the next. Remember, all the information here is intended for average PC users, not advanced users. The language is intended to be as readable as possible.

1. Data Fragmentation.

Background.
Information or Data that is saved onto your computer, anything from text documents to extensive videos, from your various Programs to Windows itself, is stored on your hard drive. Your hard drive is a disk that actually looks like a small CD, and Data is stored much like it is stored on any CD or DVD, that is, across the surface of the hardware. As a result, a phenomenon called Data Fragmentation occurs. Put gently, Data Fragmentation is what happens when bits of information are stored disorderly across the hard drive. As a result, a fragmented file causes the hard drive to work harder in trying to find all the pieces of the file. This can result in slower processing, slower booting, and eventually if not corrected, this can result in freezing, and can cause programs to simply cease working at all.

Luckily,

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