A lot of people remember that their bodies need exercise (even if they do not provide it) but few people think about their PC needing care as well.
Over time your computer can become loaded down with temporary files (which are created basically any time you use a program), log files, old programs, and files that have been scattered across the hard drive.
There are several things you can do to help keep your PC running strong including:
1) Keep your PC virus free. A lot of PCs become infected with viruses. Make sure to have an anti-virus software installed on your machine and keep the virus definitions up to date. Your Internet Service Provider probably has a free anti-virus software you can get or you can go to Google and type in "Free Anti-Virus" and see what you get. I personally recommend getting Symantec’s product and paying for the service.
2) Keep your registry clean, there are several free programs including RegSeeker and CCleaner that do an excellent job of cleaning the registry. This process is important because your registry can get loaded down with information that was valid once but has become outdated or the programs have been removed. Keeping your registry clean allows the system to process through the file faster allowing the overall performance of the PC to be faster as well.
3) Take care of your hard drive. A full hard drive can slow your machine down (although not nearly as much as other things will). Try and delete files that you do not need anymore and remove old programs that you are not using. Also make sure to scan and defrag your hard drive at least once every two months or so. You can do this by going to "My Computer" and then right clicking on your hard drive and selecting properties. From there select the tools tab and select error-checking to scan the drive and defragmentation to defrag the drive. When selecting error-checking make sure to place a checkmark in all the boxes and that will do a low level scan of your hard drive. Both of these options take a while so run them right before you go to bed or when you’re not going to use your PC for a while. You can also use the clean up button on the first tab to clean out a lot of temporary files which can really fill up your drive over time.
4) Keep your PC free of spy/ad/mal-ware. These little nasty programs come attached to fun programs that you download off the Internet or you get them from visiting web sites. Get yourself a copy of ad-aware or another anti-spyware software. There are many out there that are free and easy to use. Again make sure you keep the definitions up to date and scan your computer every few weeks. This software can take a PC from super machine to tinker-toy in just a few hours so keep it off your computer! If your wondering what type of software includes this little added bonus the answer is: music/software sharing programs like Limewire, screensaver software, and games you download from the Internet are just a few of the programs that carry along little extras that watch what you do and transmit information back to their creators.
5) Fdisk, reformat, and reinstall Windows. This process takes quite a while and you have to make sure you have all the drivers you will need (or at least the network / modem drivers so you can get on the Internet to get the rest of the drivers later). A lot of people never rebuild their PCs. I try to rebuild mine at least a few times a year. Think of your PC like a blackboard. No matter how much you wipe it off you still see the old marks. However you can resurface it (or have it professionally cleaned in the case of the chalkboard) and start fresh.
6) Add more RAM, an external hard drive, or a new video card. A lot of things can be improved by adding some more RAM (up to a point), adding an external hard drive allows you to store your files on a separate drive then the operating system which helps to keep that drive clean, and upgrading your video card can really improve the performance of a PC if it helps to remove some of the work from the CPU and move it to the video card. You will probably get a greatly improved picture as well.
These are some "easy" and not so easy ways to keep your PC running "like new" and speaking of like new it is always a good idea to remove as much of the pre-installed software as you can. You’re not going to use most of it so why keep it there?
Another hint is to not install the software your DSL/Cable provider gives you for connecting to their network. Get yourself a router instead. It will handle all the work of connecting for you and you do not have to install another program onto your computer (because adding another program slows your PC down that much more when it is running).
So get back out there, keep your nose and your PC clean and have some fun!
