7 Essential Computer Maintenance Tips & Checklist for Longer Device Life
Maintaining your computer is a crucial practice that you should perform to ensure the longevity of your device. It is also one of the easiest ways to improve the performance of your computer. Below are steps that are essential when it comes to computer maintenance. They are also straightforward, and they are not going to take too much of your time. All they do is that they ensure your device is well performs optimally throughout.
image source: News Web Zone
Free up your hard drive
There is nothing that slows down your computer like a full hard drive. Whenever this piece of equipment fills what follows is a slow computer that can barely do anything on time. So once in a while, go to your hard drive location and clear old data and other irrelevant files. In case the files are essential and old, you can go ahead and back them up before proceeding to clean up the hard drive. It is an easy but essential computer maintenance tip. It ensures your computer works optimally without freezing.
Arrange all your cords and cables
Those people who don't arrange the computer power cable properly tend to purchase them after every few months. It is because the wires end up tangling, and as you pull them apart, they become loose. Doing this a couple of times in a month makes the cables and other cords weak. They break in the inside and stop functioning altogether. For you to prevent such scenarios, learn to keep your cords in order and also avoid twisting them as this makes them break faster.
Clean your keyboard and screen
Most people tend to avoid this part without the knowledge that it can become problematic in the long run. Every time you use your keyboard, many dust particles, dust, and skin cells sip through the open areas and find themselves under the keys. This usually makes the keys hard and unpleasant to press. If you continue pressing them, you end up destroying them. You should thus find a computer blower and use it to remove all the dirt particles. For the screen, you need something moister to remove the dirt and dust and enhance its visibility further. This is among the most crucial laptop maintenance tips. Make sure you do it at least once a week.
Make sure your battery doesn't overcharge
Charging of your computer is the only way to make sure it powers up. But this doesn't mean that you should charge it every single time you are using it to an extent you overcharge it. Insert your C13 plug in a socket or extension and charge your battery until it is full. You should then unplug the charger and let it utilize the power currently in the battery. By doing so, you keep your battery from spoiling, and that is by draining energy faster than it should.
Always update your firmware and software
Thousands of computers break daily due to the ignorance of the owners. Whenever a software asks for an update, go ahead and initiate that update. The last thing you want is making your computer vulnerable to viruses and worms that can crash your hard drive and wipe your data. The same goes for the firmware. Every update is important and very vital. Another reason why you should update frequently is to seal the security loopholes. Whenever an update of the software is available, it means that the other versions are vulnerable.
Shut your computer down properly
There are protocols that you should observe anytime you want to shut down a computer. Don't Simply pull out the computer extension cords and hold the power button down until it shuts. It is unacceptable. You should, however, go ahead and press the windows button, and once the side menu appears, go ahead and click the shutdown button. The window is going to close any files and folders open then shut correctly. That way, you don't risk losing data.
Uninstall programs you are not using
One of the many computer maintenance chores is to make sure that you uninstall programs that you are no longer using. This is the only way you can clean up the RAM. Remember, your Random access memory is very different from your hard drive or ROM. It is also very vital to clean up your RAM if you want to make your computer fast. By installing other programs, you get to give your PC enough room to operate efficiently.
Those are so far some of the best ways to end up with a fully functional and durable computer. The maintenance tips are basic and easy for anyone to perform. You should also include others like decluttering the desktop once in a while. By performing all the above tips, you get to prolong the lifespan of your computer a great deal.
