So you’ve just bought a brand new computer, perhaps your first computer, or a replacement for a broken computer? Well there are some important things that you should know. You don’t usually think a computer needs much care or attention but like a car your computer needs certain things to keep working. In this article I’ll cover the extreme basics of what you can do to minimize problems with your computer. If you’re more experienced computer user you may not really find this very helpful as it is things that you probably already know. We will go over four main areas, preventing overheating, preventing hard drive failures, protecting against computer viruses, and finally safeguarding your files.
Preventing overheating.
If your computer gets too hot then it can over heat. This can lead to problems with it working correctly, crashing frequently, or dying completely. The most common cause of overheating is dust inside the computer. It is rather easy for a computer to collect dust as it generally sits in one spot and usually close to the floor if it is a tower.
Lift the tower up off the floor. - Put it on a desk or a stand; do not set it directly on the floor as this is where most dust goes to live. This is especially important if you have carpet.
Dust regularly with cans of spray air. - You can get a few cans of spray air and make sure that you spray the air onto the fans. I suggest that you do this before you start using the computer for the day. I’ve had an experience where using the spray air caused the electronic components in the computer to pop off the boards due to expansion and contraction caused by the rapid cooling of the spray air.
Place out of direct sunlight and a cool location. – The sun will heat up your computer and could lead to overheating. A nice cool location, preferably dark or shaded is good. Putting them inside cabinets especially wooden ones are generally not a good idea unless well ventilated.
Preventing Hard Drive Failures
Inside your computer is the Hard Drive and this is where all the files are stored that you use on a daily basis every time you use your computer. These can fail and they’re the most likely piece of your computer to fail. One day you will be using it without any problem and the next your computer won’t start.
Get a battery backup instead of a surge protector. – Your computer, like everything else in the house, uses electricity. Getting one of these will not only protect your hard drive but your other components inside the computer. A surge strip will only protect your computer if there is an extremely large surge in electricity, like a lightning strike. A battery backup on the other hand protects against, large spikes, common fluctuations in electricity, or loss of power. They make sure that your computer gets a more stable electrical signal. Make sure the only two things plugged in to the “Battery” side of your battery backup are the monitor and the computer unit. I’d also recommend not plugging in a printer in to the battery side of the battery backup as they can cause rapid loss of power and shut the computer off. Battery backups are designed to keep power to your computer should the power go out and give you time to safely shut the computer down.
Don’t use a space heater. – If you have a space heater near your computer, plugged in to the same electrical outlet as your computer this can cause major fluctuations in the electricity to your computer and will most likely kill the hard drive. If you have a battery backup it will most likely cause a low voltage issue which will wear out the battery backup and kill it then eventually the hard drive.
File corruption. – Files on your computer can become corrupted or broken especially with in the operating system. These commonly present themselves a blue screen with an error message. Also caused the “Blue Screen of Death” not all blue screens are related to the hard drive however so it is important to write the message down and contact a technician.
Note: File corruptions are generally not hard drive failures, but they are commonly called hard drive failures and as a result I included the above information.
We've touched on the physical part of the computer in part two we'll look at the virutal. We will discuss how to protect against computer viruses and how to keep your files safe.