Teaching World

Do you look after your computer? I bet not. You buy your spanking brand new PC sparkling hardware and windows-XP stick it under your deck with the monitor on top of your desk and away you go. Your computer gets slower and slower occasionally reboots itself but on you carry thinking these things are normal and you can put up with it.

But computers like cars need a bit of TLC. A fond cleaning and service does not go amiss to keep it humming along at its original speed.

There are many things that you can do to prolong the life of your PC, both hardware and software wise. Like all things, computers get dirty, they have fans that suck in all that dust and Debra that is flying about in the air these days. A clean computer runs faster and will stay in your family for much longer.

Here are lots of ways to keep your PC young.

1. Windows–XP comes with a defragmentation utility, at least once every month or two depending on how much creating and deleting of files you do. You can do this in Windows XP going to your Start menu, then All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, then select Disk Defragmenter. The defragmenter brings all the bits of files together which speeds up the extraction when you access them. It also boosts the overall speed of your computer.

2. You should clean up files you no longer need. When you install/uninstall software frequently it can leave many unwanted files in temporary and system folders. In Windows XP, there is a disk Disk Cleanup utility that you should run occasionally to clean things up. This utility can be found by clicking the Start menu, then All Programs Accessories, System Tools, then select Disk Cleanup

3. Ensure that you have a good virus scanner installed. Viruses can cause havoc often slowing it down or even stopping it from working. You should always have a good virus scanner installed that should be kept up to date. I use AVG who have a free version that is very good. You can get it here.

4. A good spyware scanner should also be used as malware, spyware, adware, key loggers, and Trojan horses. Can also slow your PC down to a crawl as well as have serious security problems with any private information you have on your computer.

Keeping you computer clean is also important in making it run smoothly.

1. Open up your computer and clean out the dust. PC’s are notorious for sucking in the dust and blocking fan enclosures. Use a vacuum cleaner or a can of dust remover.

2. Keep your computer in a well-ventilated area and away from heaters and sunlight. This will help keep the computer cool and will prolong the life of it.

3. Do not buy cheap hardware. When buying new parts for your PC make sure they are off good quality. If you get components from well known manufacturers you can be sure that you will get good technical support.

There are many other things that can be done but by following these few basic tips you can be sure that you will reduce hardware computer problems as well as Windows XP problems.