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Looking after your computer is essential not least because it was an expensive investment! Computers, much like cars, benefit from regular service and maintenance. The following tips will help you prolong the life of your computer, as well as make your computing experience more pleasant!

Keep it clean

If you took the back off your computer you’d be amazed at the amount of dust and dirt you would find inside, even if the computer is kept in a relatively clean environment, such as an office. Excessive amounts of dust can cause a short circuit, which can result in all sorts of problems, so it’s important to keep your computer clean.

Unless you know what you are doing, ask a qualified person to clean the inside of your computer.

Defragment & check for errors often

Use the System Tools that ship with Windows such as Disk Defragmenter and ScanDisk. It’s a good idea to defragment your computer on a regular basis (say every two to three months) so that programs run faster. ScanDisk checks your hard disk for errors (you may have seen this before if you didn’t shut the computer down properly).

Use an anti-virus program

Some people, even though they have an anti-virus program installed, do not realise the importance of keeping their virus definitions files up-to-date. We cannot stress how vital this is to the ongoing protection of your computer from viruses. It should be done at least once a month.

Protect against power surges

Power spikes or surges are a common cause of hardware failure. Using a surge protector is a simple, yet inexpensive way to protect your computer from power surges and spikes.

Backup Often

Make backups (which means "to make a copy of") of important files and backup often. For example, I use my accounting program on a daily basis, so I back it up daily. How often you back up is determined by how often your documents change - if you are creating or editing documents on a daily basis, do quick backups daily as well as weekly. It’s better to be over-cautious; after all how long does it take to back up compared with the time required to re-input or recreate lost documents?