‘Boring’ maintenance key to a working computer
By Bill Husted
Look, I admit that the phrase “preventive maintenance” doesn’t
exactly make the blood boil with excitement.
It’s boring work when it comes to a computer – the equivalent of making sure
the oil is changed in your car. But it comes down to a simple fact: You can
go to a little trouble now, or face a lot of trouble later. Me? I don’t mind
the occasional boiling of blood, but I prefer a computer that is boringly
trouble-free. If you feel the same, stick around and we’ll create a
maintenance plan that will increase the odds of your computer chugging along
happily with no major hitches.
Dusting the innards
Let’s start with a common household chore: getting rid of the dust. If you’ve
had the computer for a year or so I can safely say that the innards of it
are covered with a blanket of dust. The cooling fan drags dust in and that
dust accumulates on the main circuit board inside the computer. Like the
blanket on your bed, that layer of dust holds in heat. And the components on
that circuit board produce a lot of heat. Over time, holding that heat in
does damage and can eventually ruin your computer.
So we’ll start by opening up the computer and getting rid of the dust.
The manual that came with your computer will tell you how to open the case. If
you’ve lost the manual, go to the website of the manufacturer and you should
find an electronic version of the manual that you can download.
Before you open the case pay attention to this caution: Static electricity can
zap electronic components into an early grave. So, once the case is open,
touch the metal chassis to discharge any static electricity before you do
anything else.
We’ll get rid of the dust using a can of compressed air. You can pick these
cans up at almost any computer or photography store (photographers use them
to blow dust off lenses and from the inside of cameras). Hold the can 6
inches away and blow things clean.
While the computer case is removed also check the exhaust vent for the PC’s
cooling fan. At times dust balls clog the protective exhaust grating. Get
rid of that dust, too, since it slows the cooling airflow. Then replace the
case and reattach all cables.
Block viruses, spyware
That takes care of the physical housecleaning. Now let’s talk about ways to
keep your computer programs equally clean and trouble-free. We’ll start with
the big two, the most important maintenance items when it comes to software:
an anti-virus program and a program to combat spyware and adware.
Regular readers should already have settled on one of the many programs, both
free and for-pay, that I’ve recommended in the past. If so, there’s no need
to change. But if you have somehow ignored these programs, a crazy thing to
do, just download this free software from Microsoft: http://tinyurl.com/3ru6315
.
It’ll do a good job of guarding against the twin threats of viruses and
spyware. No matter which programs you use, make sure you have them set to
automatically update. The creators of viruses and spyware come up with new
twists all the time. Updating the software brings it up to date on the
latest threats.
Registry-cleaner glitches
Next we’ll move to the Windows Registry. It’s a complex database that keeps
track of all the hardware in your machine as well as the programs you use
and how they’re set up. It’s a real bear to fix that database when it gets
messed up. But luckily there is a program that, if used regularly, will find
little glitches that could turn into big problems later.
If you Google the words “registry cleaner” you’ll find hundreds of
programs that claim to do the job. But there’s only one I trust and it is
free. It’s called CCleaner and can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/djpqzx
.
Just make sure you get the version shown on the left of that page; you’ll be
charged if you use the wrong link. Although the program is easy to use, it
might not seem intuitive at first glance. So go to this page – www.piriform.com/ccleaner
- and click on the Help link and read a bit before using it.
Unclutter hard disk
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