Your computer can be a sizable investment, and any investment is worth protecting. If you continuously have computer issues or find yourself replacing your computer frequently, it may be due to poor care and maintenance. Taking the following steps to maintain your computer properly can help keep your computer running smoothly for years to come:
- Use a Surge Protector
A surge protector is a device made to protect your electronics from voltage spikes. When a lightning storm hits, the surge of power can send extra power to your devices if they aren’t protected. This surge can destroy your electronics. To keep your expensive electronic devices protected, use a surge protector. A surge protector can take that extra power and divert it away from your electronics, keeping them safe.
- Keep It Covered and Clean
Keeping your computer or laptop clean is an essential part of computer maintenance. When the dust settles into the computer components, it can cause the device to overheat or run poorly. Do your best to keep your computer protected by putting it in its case when not in use, and using compressed air to clean the internal components regularly.
- Update Your Computer Regularly
Keeping your computer updated is another way to keep your computer running smoothly. Updates offer improvements, bug fixes, and often time security and antivirus software. Update your computer regularly to keep it running in optimal condition.
- Manage Your Hard Drive and RAM Space
When your hard drive is full, it can take a toll on the performance of your computer. The same can happen if you’ve got too many applications running in your RAM space. To keep your computer running smoothly, consider getting an external hard drive for file storage, and upgrading your RAM, or deleting or disabling unused applications. This will leave plenty of room on your storage drives to keep your computer running quickly and efficiently.
- Turn It Off When Not in Use
If you aren’t using your computer frequently throughout the day, daily, it’s best to turn your computer off, leaving your computer running when not in use is just burning out the components of your computer. However, if it’s a desktop or laptop that is being used very frequently, for more than 3-4 hours a day, every day, it may be more efficient to leave it turned on.
- Make Sure It Doesn’t Overheat
Keep your computer running smoothly by avoiding overcrowding the space around it. If it’s a desktop, don’t pack files and things around it, and try to avoid using a laptop on a soft surface, such as a bed. Computers have vents and fans to prevent overheating, but blocking these vents can overheat your device, leading to hardware damage if left unattended. You can click here to learn more about preventing overheating.
- Schedule Regular Maintenance
Schedule disk cleanups, virus scans, and maintenance protection frequently. The more maintenance and security protection maintenance you do to keep your computer free of junk files and unused applications, the smoother it will run. Running a virus scan frequently will help protect your device from a threat that could potentially damage your computer.
- Call a Professional if Needed
If you’ve tried all these tips and still find your computer is running slow, it may be a good idea to call a professional for HP computer repair. Sometimes no matter what you do, a device can get a severe virus or be loaded with malware that will prevent you from fixing it by yourself, when certain situations arise within your computer, its best to find a professional who has experience in fixing computers. Some issues that occur can be made worse by trying to fix it yourself. If you’ve done all you know how to do and still seem to have computer troubles, call in a professional for help.
Computer Care for a Longer Lifespan
By following these tips, you should have no problem keeping your computer safe and reliable for years to come. When you get into your maintenance routine, you will see it’s not as hard to do as you think, and the reward is well worth it. Having a reliable computer is essential to productivity.
Doing what you can to make your computer last will save you money by getting the most out of the device you have without upgrading it to a new system. So take these tips and improve the way you care for your computer today.
