I am often asked by customers for recommendations for maintaining their computers, so here are my recommendations to help keep your computer running smoothly.

First let’s talk about computer security, it is important to keep updated antivirus and antimalware software on your computer to prevent it from getting any viruses or malware. Make sure you also keep your operating system up to date with any patches and service packs by downloading operating system updates frequently. Also if possible use a software or hardware firewall to help keep hackers out.

It is also extremely important to make sure that you always have some type of backup of your data, either an external hard drive, online backup, or even a USB flash drive will work. The only time most people really think about having a backup plan is after they have lost data due to a hardware failure, natural disaster or a theft, and it is too late. I always tell people the only time you really need a backup, is when you REALLY need a backup.

As far as routine maintenance, I would recommend running the following utilities once a month. These utilities are normally included with your operating system. First, run disk cleanup to search for and remove any unnecessary temporary files on your hard drive. Next, run check disk to check your hard drive for any damaged files. Finally, run defrag to speed up the performance of your hard drive by arranging the files in contiguous order.

It is also important to keep the inside of your computer clean and free of moisture and dust. Moisture leads to corrosion, and dust buildup inside a desktop or laptop computer can lead to overheating. The inside of a desktop or tower computer can be opened up and cleaned out using a can of compressed air. Be sure to ground yourself before touching any electronic components to prevent damage due to static electricity. Cleaning out dust inside a laptop computer can be more difficult and is best done by a professional computer service technician. If you smoke don’t do it around your computer. It can damage the electronic components inside your computer as well. If anyone who smokes could see what the inside of a computer that has had second hand smoke inside of it looked like, they would quit smoking.

Lastly, I would recommend using an Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) also known as a battery backup. This will prevent you computer from shutting off if there is a sudden loss of power. It will also give you time to save your work in an extended power outage. UPS also have surge protection built in to protect you computer from power spikes that could normally damage it.