Maintaining your system

How to Maintain Your Computer
A properly maintained computer will provide you with
substantially higher speeds, both via RAM and on the
internet, regardless of your hardware setup and
configurations. The second law of thermodynamics states that all systems atrophy (degrade) over time -
well, here are a few tips on how to delay the inevitable.
Software/Hard drive: Clean out all the junk left behind by
browsers. To do this, you can use the Disk Cleanup utility
included on the Windows systems, or download a freeware
program such as CCleaner to do it for you. In Linux you can use Kleansweep or Bleachbit. Cookies and cache left behind
by browsers can
amount up to gigabytes of wasted space, so it is imperative
they're deleted.
Search and destroy spyware and/or
viruses on your PC: There is a myriad of tools available to do this. AVG Anti Virus is a
good one to use. Download.com is a great
place to legally obtain these tools. Defragment your hard
drive monthly
to keep your computer running
smoothly. Windows XP and recent windows includes a utility to do this, but a tool called Magical Defrag also
exists, which automatically defrags your system during
periods of inactivity.
Uninstall programs you no longer use,
and delete music you no longer listen
to. The more free space your computer has, the faster it will go. You'll be surprised how
much space you'll free up and how much
your computer's performance will increase. Use the
msconfig command in the
RUN command prompt to open up a
window that will allow you to uncheck start up programs you don't use. This can up your start up
and boot down times a
lot. CCleaner also has a feature that allows
you to do the same thing (Tools--->Start up) Use your computers disk management
systems. For Windows, select Performance and
Maintenance and then choose "Rearrange
items on your hard disk..." and "Free up
space on your hard disk." For Mac, go to the Applications
Folder, select Utilities Folder then launch Disk Utility. Hardware/CPU: Always run your computer on a UPS as this
will help protect it from electric
surges. Phone lines for modems and cat 5 or cat 6 network
lines also need surge
suppression as they can and will take out
your network card or modem in an electric storm. Your computer can grow dusty in less
than a year, depending on where it is
stored. Open it up depending on how dusty your house is.
If it's not too dusty, then check
every few months, but if it's super dusty(your
house), then be much more proactive about it. Remove the dust on the bottom with a
vacuum (or cloth), then spray with
compressed canned air. Pay special attention to the CPU
heat sink and CPU fan. Hold the
fan still while spraying it as you can cause it
to spin out and on reboot it may have more noise. Spray the intakes to the Power supply
fan also. Since you have the cover off reboot
and listen for noisy fans make sure all fans are working.
Replace the fan if it stops
spinning or starts making unnatural sound or
you can try to lubricate the bearing,this might help. Be careful when plugging in USB,
Ethernet, speakers, printer etc. into your computer. Ports
such as USB and Ethernet can
easily be damaged from careless placement.
These repairs can be costly and these ports
are a necessity. Underclock your CPU for the ultimate in longevity.
Video Tips Give your computer a rest by turning it off once
in a while. It's no big deal to leave it on for a day or
two, but keep in mind that the hotter it is, the
more wear and tear on components. That said.... Be wary
when unchecking in the msconfig prompt. If you don't know what you're doing, do not
suggest unchecking anything as you may disable a crucial
system process. Be careful overclocking your PC. It's fun-
but as stated above it runs the temperature up on the
motherboard and WILL melt your processor if the necessary
precautions aren't met. Such as a large CPU/Fan heatsink and case fans. When deleting files,
make sure you know what
they are. If you accidentally delete something
important, it could cause misfunctions. Programs such as
LimeWire, BearShare, Kazaa all have great opportunities for
sharing information, but there are multiple files that contain malware,
spyware, and trojans to infiltrate all your
information. Also beware of the potential for
identity theft. Don't be a victim. There are two schools of
thought here. Many
prefer to leave their computers on. The thermal expansion and contraction of components can also cause
failure by power cycling. In the always on
case, just shut the monitor off. And put the hard drives to
sleep after one hour per powersaving menu. You can also
go to standby after an hour.
(This sometimes causes computers to lock up though). If the uninstall you performed seems ineffective,
you can manually uninstall via the regedit command in the
RUN prompt. Be VERY wary when you do this as well, as the
registry editor grants you unrestricted access to the most
sensitive parts
of your PC. USE ONLY IF YOU'RE A PROFESSIONAL! OTHERWISE, DO NOT
TOUCH! Even only one wrong registry
deletion can cause serious problems and
even in the worst case scenario, Windows
will not boot.
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