Basic Computer Maintenance

By: Kerry Garrison

We get asked all the time what things you can do to prolong the
life of your system and keep it running in top shape. We have
put together a short list of our favorite tips to help you
maximize that investment of yours. Use these tips to keep your
system cool, running fast, and lasting longer.

I Thought I Saw A Bunny Wabbit

The main enemy of your computer is heat. Heat will destroy a
computer given a high enough temperature or a long enough
duration. When you machine is nice and new, heat shouldn't be a
problem is a well designed system. Well, if it isn't a problem
when you bought it, why is it a problem now? The answer are two
simple words: dust bunnies

Those pesky dust bunnies will multiply in the sanctity of your
computer case like real rabbts in the wild. The dust will build
up on the components and cooling fins trapping in heat. Now I
know that now self respecting computer stud wants to ask the
wife to borrow the dust buster, heaven knows you might get
trapped into cleaning something else while you are at it. In our
book, the best cleaning is to take the machine outside, remove
the side panel, and use a good air compressor or canned air to
clean off all of the components. Be sure and use the little
straw to get deep into the power supply. More power supplies are
lost every year to dust buildup than any other cause. Before
putting the cover back on, check all the cards and RAM to make
sure it is seated well.

Do The Defrag

When do you defragment your drive? This is an age old question
that I will put to rest right here and now. You do NOT need to
defragment your drive every day, nor every week, and many people
don't need to even do it once a month. It really just depends on
how much your use your system. We reecommend a defragmentation
about once a month. In an upcoming article, we will actually
show you how to automate this process.

Backup

Enough said. If you are not backing up your data on a regular
basis, then paint your face, put on a funny wig and a rubber
nose and hang out with Bozo, cause a fool you are. Read this
sentance carefully: your hardrive will die someday...period. It
is only a matter of when. how often should you back up? That
depends again, how far back to you want to go when your hard
drive dies and all of your data is gone? Every business should
be backing up their data monday through friday, preferably with
the ability to go back to any day's backup for at least two
weeks.

Whose got the power?

One of the most overlooked problems that will reduce a perfectly
good computer to a pile of rubble in no time flat is the quality
of the power coming into the system. If the power fluctuates up
and down even a small amount, it puts a tremendous strain on the
power supply to filter it and deliver clean power to the system
components. At minimum you want a good surge suppressor. I am
not talking about the $2.99 hardware store specials, I am
talking about a good quality, brand name (like Belkin) surge
suppresor. If you spend less than $20 on it, it is not providing
adequate protection. If you really want ensure good quality
power to your system, invest in even a small battery backup
system. A small UPS will smooth out the power spikes and drops
end deliver smooth, consistent power to your system.

About the author:
Kerry Garrison is the Director of Technical Services for Tech Data Pros, a southern
California IT Consulting firm, and is the publisher of The Geek Gazette and VOIPSpeak.net.