by Dennis Stein

Created on: January 19, 2008

The Web abounds with helpful, fragmented tips (pardon the pun) on how to maintain your home computer. In an age where everyone wants to sell something, it usually amounts to a $19.99 software package which will undoubtedly solve all your computing problems, and make YOU not the computer, more productive.

In actuality, maintaining your PC is reasonably simple if you follow a few simple guidelines. Keep it clean, both inside and out, guard against viruses and spyware, and keep memory hogging applications in the background, especially at boot-up.Don't get me wrong, there are many helpful websites out there with community forums on PC maintenance and performance tips, but most of these things can be accomplished yourself. Google and Yahoo both have excellent resources for keeping your PC running in top form, simply by entering PC maintenance as your search. Wikipedia is also a fountain of knowledge on the subject. Keep in mind that at this day in age, anyone can put up a website, complete with their own views, which may or may not work for you.

The best way is to go to your own computer manufacturer's website, and look at their knowledge base, along with their latest driver software under support. With many larger companies such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, and IBM, quite often they have an all-in-one driver package which will be the most updated software for your PC. Make bookmarks in your browser of the most useful places you find, and do a lot of reading. Knowledge is power, after all.

Once you have collected a group of favorite sites, you will undoubtedly find people on forums who you recognize for helping people out of their various jams. These people are the ones you want to talk to, either via forums, or by email. Some of these folks are professionals who spend all their time helping others with computer issues...

Be prepared to do a lot of reading, but target your particular brand of computer in your searches, and you will uncover a treasure trove of info about maintenance on your home computer. Once you locate all the information, keep it simple, establish a routine, and your machine will serve you well for a long time...

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