DIY Computer Maintenance to keep things running smoothly

What can I do to prevent Computer problems?

This is a question that people have asked on numerous occasions. The entire process of reducing Computer problems can be bundled under the banner of Computer Preventive Maintenance.

It is not rocket science and you don’t have to be an IT professional to keep your PC in a good shape. Any computer user can follow the guidelines mentioned below and can reduce their PC problems dramatically.

Use this article as a computer maintenance checklist.

So what you should do as part of preventive maintenance?

1. Use a good anti virus program. This is possibly the most important piece of work in preventive maintenance. Installing the anti virus program however is not enough. You should do the following as well.

* Set-up the program to download and install updates automatically.

* Schedule periodic full system scans.

* Check the virus definitions date regularly and see whether it is up to date.

2. Set-up your PC to Download and install “Windows Updates” automatically.

Windows updates include Operating System patches for bugs and PC security related issues. These patches can reduce many unknown computer problems.

3. Install anti Spyware program to detect Spyware tools.

4. Install a Personal Firewall. Most of the anti virus programs are bundled with a Personal Firewalls these days. Personal firewall is a barrier between your PC and the outside world. This can prevent your PC from hackers and Spyware tools.

5. Do not download and install unknown software from Internet. This is the biggest mistake that most PC users make. Some of this software can damage the Windows registry, which cause lot of errors.

6. Uninstall unnecessary programs installed in your PC.

7. Be very careful when opening emails with attachments (particularly if you are not expecting them).

8. Perform Scandisk periodically to check the Hard Drive.

9. Defragment your hard drive regularly.

10. Ensure that you have a backup system in place to copy important documents and make sure it works.