23rd Aug 10
Tips For Maintaining Your Computer
by Chas Parker
Your computer is used not only to access the internet, watch videos, listen to music, access emails and play games, but also to access personal files and information.
When purchasing a new computer, purchasing an Anti-Virus program is vital for keeping any bank details or identification safe. Reviews for BitDefender and other popular antivirus programs can be found here. The Yoggie Gatekeeper is a USB device designed to handle all your security without you doing anything but plugging the device in.
There are, of course, simple things you can do, like keeping food and drinks away from your computer, and never leaving a magnet nearby as this can erase data stored on hard drives. When it comes to upgrading your computer, especially for gaming, the price of the graphics cards, RAM and processors will cost a lot of money, but will help keep your computer running for longer.
If you’re into building custom computers, the one part you should never save money on is the power supply. Spending around £30 on a power supply may feel like a great deal, but after a few days (yes, days in some cases) the power supply will burn out and possibly ruin your entire computer. Research is key and the more spent on a good-quality power supply, the longer and more efficient your computer will run.
When it comes to the size of a hard drive, having a bigger hard drive, maybe 1TB (Terabyte) may seem like a waste, but think of it this way: yes you may only use one quarter of the space to begin with, but the other 750GB (Gigabytes) will last for years and knowing you have all that free space to store photos and videos on is great. 1TB hard drives cost a lot of money a year or two back, but these days you can pick up a 1TB hard drive for around £60, if not cheaper, plus 2TB hard drives don’t cost much more that a 1TB hard drive.
A really important thing to remember is that no matter how well you maintain your computer, there is always a chance your hard drive could die on you, or any other part of your computer. Back data up via an external hard drive or online – for a small fee you can back up and access your entire hard drive online.
Simple cleaning of the fans and vents of your computer will ensure every component is running at the right temperature. Any dust build-up should be removed; don’t use compressed air as this will cause the dust to blow inside the computer and could possibly cause more problems. Giving your keyboard, mouse and any other accessories a wipe down will help your machine look nice and keep it hygienic. There are even vacuum cleaners for computers. Simply plug them in to a USB port and suck up any dust or pieces of who knows what from under the keys.
Generally, every six or so months, deleting any old music, videos or games and cleaning out the fans will help keep your computer running cooler and will help it last longer. Following these simple tips will keep your computer tip-top until it’s time to upgrade.
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