| 1. Get Rid of Dust | | | | |
| | | | If you have a very old PC (four or five |
| One of the most common causes of overheating | | | | years old), the CMOS battery on the |
| is dust and dirt. So you need to keep your | | | | motherboard may need to be replaced. The |
| system clean, inside and out. Try to clean it | | | | first sign of a bad CMOS battery is when your |
| once a year using lint-free wipes. Make sure | | | | system clock starts losing time.8. Take Care |
| you use an antistatic wrist strap as well to | | | | when Opening the Case |
| protect your system when cleaning inside the | | | | |
| case.2. Get Power Protection | | | | Whenever you open the PC case, turn off the |
| | | | power and unplug your PC. Ground yourself |
| One of the saddest things in many PCs is | | | | first - by touching anything inside the PC to |
| that they are not surge protected. Surge | | | | avoid destroying your circuit boards with a |
| protectors are a good investment - they | | | | static charge. Another option is to wear a |
| protect your PC from that unfortunate power | | | | grounding wrist strap. I've destroyed my |
| outage or lightning strike. Try to get one | | | | computer power supply before because I forgot |
| that has a warning indicator and is UL 1449 | | | | about this point.9. Maintain the Mouse |
| certified.3. Turn Off the Monitor | | | | |
| | | | What's one of the dirtiest components in a |
| One tip I always apply at home - turn off | | | | PC that you come in contact with? Yes - it's |
| the PC monitor when its not in use. I treat | | | | the modest little mouse. Years of using a |
| the computer monitor like a TV - don't waste | | | | mouse will get it filled with dirt and |
| your monitor's power if you're not using it. | | | | grime.If you have a mechanical mouse, you'll |
| This is especially important in LCD monitors, | | | | realize this when the mouse starts to move |
| which may burn out or get bad pixels after | | | | erratically. To clean it, unscrew the mouse |
| long periods of use.4. Keep the PC Running | | | | and use a small scraper to scrape the dirt |
| | | | off the two plastic rollers inside. Also |
| Many people don't realize that its harmful | | | | remember to clean the scroll wheel if there |
| to power up your computer from a cold state. | | | | is one. If you have a optical mouse, you need |
| This is especially true when done repeatedly | | | | not worry about any internal rollers but you |
| within a short timeframe. Try to leave your | | | | still need to clean the scroll wheel.10. |
| PC running as long as possible - or use the | | | | Clean Up the Registry |
| Microsoft Windows' Power Management settings | | | | |
| to put your machine into hibernation rather | | | | If you always add and remove computer |
| than completely shutting down.5. Hard Drive | | | | programs in your PC, you can be sure the |
| Health Check | | | | entries in your Windows Registry are pretty |
| | | | much in a mess. A clogged Windows Registry |
| If you use Windows XP, you should regularly | | | | increases the time your PC boot up time and |
| check your hard disk's health with an | | | | hogs system resources. Try to get a tool to |
| error-checking utility. In Windows Explorer, | | | | help clean the registry safely, such as |
| click on the drive's icon, select Properties | | | | Registry Mechanic. Do not try to clean the |
| -> Tools -> Check Now. If the check discovers | | | | registry yourself if you're not sure what |
| several hundred errors, your drive could be | | | | you're doing.Conclusion |
| full of bad sectors - you'd best backup your | | | | |
| important data and then try to get it | | | | I hope this article has given you many ideas |
| repaired.6. Get an Anti-Virus Program | | | | on how to keep your good old PC in tiptop |
| | | | shape. Remember, take care of your PC and it |
| I still find it amazing that many home | | | | will take care of you. Apply these tips once |
| computer users do not have an anti-virus | | | | in a while to ensure a trouble-free computer |
| program installed. This piece of software is | | | | system.Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on |
| fundamental to any computer system. You | | | | building computers. Visit his |
| should definitely consider getting a program | | | | |
| like Norton Antivirus or The Shield Pro to | | | | website at for tips and tricks on assembling |
| protect against harmful attacks.7. Check the | | | | a PC, as well as buying good computer |
| CMOS battery | | | | components. |