Don't Read This Unless You Want Your Computer To Die!
So you have this machine, but you have no idea how to take care of it and keep it running right. Well here are a few tips for the novice, or reminders for the forgetful. You need to take care of your computer if you want it to take care of you.
You should have a firewall, antivirus software, and a disk cleaner on your computer. When you save files to your computer you should have a folder that they will go into such as, pictures, music, documents and so on. Clean off all the icons from your desktop that you do not often use, as you can find them in the start menu or under programs. Take off any programs from the start up menu as it can slow down the start up process.
You should run your antiviral programs and antispyware programs daily to keep your computer free of harmful content. This content can make your computer run slow, or completely wipe out the data on your hard drive.
When you download and run a program, many files are left in temporary folders and other folders that you know longer need. Every website you visit leaves a file on your computer so you need to clean out the cookies and cache files. There are some good programs out there that will do this for you with just a few clicks. You can find them free or at a small cost. Make sure to keep all of your software up to date.
You should run a scan disk on your computer bi-weekly or monthly depending on how often you use your computer. It keeps files compressed and in the right areas of the hard drive to help your computer continue to run smoothly. If you have many files and programs on your computer this can take a few hours.
Remove any programs from your computer that you do not use. Use the uninstall program that came with your computer, never just delete a program folder. Run the registry cleaner weekly as it will remove stray file strings left on your computer after programs and files are removed.
If you keep up with all of these procedures, this should provide enough maintenance for your computer to run smoothly. If a problem develops run your antiviral software, or your PC doctor program to try to pinpoint the problem. There is also online help available for most computers.
