Easy Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Computer

Just like your car needs an oil change every three months or 5,000 miles, your computer needs maintenance, too.  Here are some easy DIY maintenance tips to keep your computer in good standing!

1.  Blow the Dust Out

Your computer/laptop has a few fans inside that keep your machine from overheating. Unfortunately, these fans also suck in a lot of dust.  It’s recommended you blow the dust out monthly (especially if you have pets).

There are tons of videos on YouTube to show you how it’s done, but we particularly like this one:

2.  Check for Windows Updates

Most Windows machines will automatically install the critical updates during shutdown or alert you when it’s time to shutdown to install these, but a lot of other important updates still need to be manually installed.

You can follow these easy directions directly from Microsoft for Windows Vista/7 and here for Windows 8/8.1.

3.  Be wary of what you install on your machine.

A lot of viruses and spyware stem from users unwittingly installing these problems themselves. If you download ANY programs from the web, read EVERYTHING.  Sometimes there are check boxes to install McAfee or some other application right before you download a program.  Even once you begin installing, read each window carefully before clicking ” Next”. I know that most people just want to Click Click Click until they have what they want.  Heck, I’m guilty of this sometimes, and I’m suppose to know better.  If you aren’t careful, you wind up with all sorts of bloatware like My PC Backup, Optimizer Pro and who knows what else.

4.  Run Disk Cleanup

Windows has a tendency to store data files you don’t really need, like temporary internet files, setup log files, thumbnails and all other sorts of files taking up space on your hard drive and at times, even slows down your computer.

 Microsoft even has a video to show you how to do this in Windows 7.  For Windows 8 or 8.1, check out this link.

5. Uninstall Unused/Unnecessary Programs

Having a lot of programs installed can sometimes bog down your computer, especially if they are constantly running in the background.  Every now and then, you should look through the list of installed programs and see if there’s anything you don’t need.

 Also, here’s another tip:  Get rid of toolbars.  They do nothing but attract spyware.  If you see any of those in your installed programs list, uninstall them!

 In Windows Vista and 7, click on the Start button, then click on Control Panel.  Search and click on Programs and Features and you should see your list of installed programs.

 Here’s how in Windows 8 and 8.1.

 There’s still a lot more that can be done to maintain your computer’s performance, but these instructions encompass the easy ones.  If any of this seems too daunting or you’re interested in fully maintaining your machine, simply E-mail us at denverscc@gmail.com or give us a call at 352-246-8069.

-Melissa Lira Oehl