10 Ways to Keep your Computer Running Smoothly

Computers are in use every day of our lives. Almost everyone uses a computer at work and almost everyone uses one at home; but a large number of people still have no idea how to look after a computer. Seeking computer support will help you to manage your computer so that it does not become damaged and malfunction any sooner than necessary. Computers do have a finite lifespan but it is often far cheaper and easier to seek computer repair than it is to buy an entirely new device. This article will consider some of the ways you can keep your computer running smoothly for as long as possible.

1. Never turn your computer off physically until it has properly closed down. Turning your computer off at the mains each night and over the weekend is a great way to protect the environment. Turning your computer off before it is ready, however, is a frequent cause of computer malfunctions. Ensure that the Operating System is fully shut down before turning the computer off.

2. Invest in an Uninterruptable Power Source. A UPS is capable of protecting your computer from power surges and power shortages. It will stop your computer from failing during any power failure at all and will thus protect you from losing work and protect your OS from corruption.

3. Creating Backups is the easiest way to prevent the loss of anything important. If you would be upset about losing it, then back it up. A backup should really be done on a weekly basis for a work computer so that you can always limit the damage caused by any failure.

4. Run a defragmentation at least once a month. A fragmented hardrive will slow your
computer processes down massively. By carrying out a defragmentation you will be able
to reduce the power and processing power required by your computer to carry out simple tasks. In the long run this will reduce the strain on your computer and increase its lifespan.

5. Keep space free for your Operating System. If your OS does not have enough space then it will start utilising your hardrive and become very slow. When the OS is using the hardrive it will constantly be spinning which puts a lot of strain on it and will reduce the speed at which your machine runs.

6. Carry out regular anti-virus checks. It is essential that you have some kind of anti-virus software installed on your computer. There are countless viruses on the internet which will damage your computer irreparably if they get the chance. Be careful about what you download and make sure you run a scan every couple of weeks.

7. Keep your computer uncluttered. When your computer boots up there should not be a huge number of programs which pop up immediately. This will slow your computer down enormously and put a large amount of strain on the processor at the very start of the period.

8. You need a firewall to protect you. There is so much information sent online now that it is vital to have a firewall. Protect yourself from fraud by installing a firewall.

9. Keep all of the software disks that come with the computer. If anything goes wrong then you will need the disks which came with your computer to restore it back to its former condition. Be sure to keep them in a safe place so that they are easily located when they are needed because a new OS will be very expensive to buy.

10. Set your OS to automatically update. By allowing automatic updates you will always be protected from malware and virus attacks. When they are identified the companies create preventative methods to stop them damaging your computer. Installing the updates will thus protect your computer effectively.