How to Take Care of Your Computer. 10 Most Important Rules to Let It Work Long and Well

Do not keep too many icons, images or folders on your desktop. Such files reduce the efficiency of your computer and burden the operational memory too much, for example while the system starts.

If you need to have some files at hand, keep them in appropriate folders.

It is commonly believed that having free anti-virus is still better than having no protection at all. However, the protection Windows offers has been substantially improved recently, which makes the devices much safer now. Free anti-virus software not only offers a limited range of protection (unless you go for premium versions), but they also overload operational memory, for instance during the routine scans they perform.

If you use your computer for personal purposes only, giving up on free anti-virus software is not a bad option at all.

Cleaning your computer regularly (no matter if it’s a laptop or a PC) makes it work better and longer. Ideally this should be done once a month. The best tool to do it is an air compressor. If you don’t have one, you can get a compressed air can, available at most electronic stores. Use the air stream to clean all ports and fans. Remember that hardware, especially the still under warranty, should not be disassembled.

In case of a standard PC, you can remove the side boards and air-clean all components. Keep the air pressure reasonably low if you use the air compressor – you don’t won’t to damage any motherboard elements or cables. Below you can find an ideal example how a laptop should NEVER be cleaned.

The memory of your computer can be divided into some kind of zones, called partitions. Once you divide your hard drive, one of the partitions can be dedicated to the operating system so that no redundant files end up there (this, of course, does not apply to settings of some programs). It can really improve the performance of the computer, especially if it’s a couple of years old. Of course you are free to choose the number of partitions, but it is recommended to keep it up to 4.

While PCs, due to their structure and components used, do not differ in the way they handle various applications, in case of laptops their destination matters a lot. A laptop up to $600 will never satisfy a gamer, while it will work well in the office. If you try playing games, it will sound louder than a drone and using it for too long will wear off most of key components. So you’d better make sure your laptop is not exploited way beyond its nominal capacity.

So many of us love spending evening in bed watching films on the laptop. However, we need to make sure that the laptop does not lie on the duvet or blanket, but on a wide book or a dedicated stand. Why? The thing is that bed linen is soft, and consequently it may block air inlets and outlets which increases the temperature inside the device. And overheating is the last thing you want to happen to your laptop.

Nothing lasts forever. However, we can make things last longer. In case of our computers, you can clean them once a year by reinstalling the operational system. In fact, all our operations on the device leave a trace (installing applications, browsing the internet, saving data) and sooner or later the amount of garbage will be a burden. That is why, instead of playing a ‘garbage hunter’ and searching for temporary files and empty folders, you can clean the whole disc.

Although the best way of cleaning the disc is formatting it, there are a number of applications that allow you to clean the device in a less ‘drastic’ way. To name just one, Glary Utilities helps you find any redundant files. It always informs you what kind of files it is going to remove so you can feel secure it will never get rid of anything important.

We have been focusing on the computer but there are more pieces you need to look after.

The screen has to be kept clean with soft glass wipes so that its surface won’t get scratched. Electronic stores also offer dedicated cleaning foams.

The mouse is not that delicate, so you can use a slightly dump cloth to clean it. Any apertures can be cleaned with toothpicks.

As for the keyboard, a make-up brush will come in handy (it will also be useful to clean the inside of your computer) due to its soft hair. Accompanied with a jet of compressed air it will clean all, even the most inaccessible, spots.

No matter if you are planning to buy a laptop or a PC, your needs have to be clearly defined. For office work you don’t need an advanced graphics card but a high-speed SSD hard-drive, which has recently become very common.

On the other hand, if you want a good laptop to play games, make sure you have at least $1,000 - they never cost less.

Another thing you need to consider is whether the device will be kept in the office or at home. If it will, then go for a PC as it will always be cheaper than a laptop, assuming the same performance parameters. Of course buying a PC will also mean other accessories, including a screen, a mouse, a keyboard, etc.

There is one thing you must remember: the more you care about your computer, the longer and the better it will work for you!