In many ways, it is great that there are now as many computers in every household that there are televisions, but in most ways, this is a problem.
This guide is mainly for Windows users, since they are still the largest crowd of computer users. I'll write up some on other operating systems later.
People have yet to learn how to maintain their computers. They view them as just another appliance that can be plugged in and forgotten. What they don't realize is the maintenance that goes into one when they buy it.Common situation #1: "My computer will run for a little while then cut off. I think I have a virus(which is apparently what is wrong in every regular consumer's mind when their computer acts up)." No, no virus. If you would look, your CPU fan is caked up with cigarette ash and dust.
If you have a computer, it has to be maintained just like a car does. And the more "high-end" your computer is, the more maintenance it will require.
Dust. Now, I know, you've never blown out your VCR, but this isn't an appliance. Stop treating it like one.
Take the side off your computer and blow it out! Blow out the CPU fan and heatsink, the power supply, and, if equipped, the front and back case fans. This should be done at least once a month. I usually have to do mine twice a month since I have cats. This will eliminate quite a few problems. Just use a can of air and blow out the inside of the computer until it looks new. A computer generates a ton of heat, and if it can't escape, then your computer will run for a few minutes and cut off. It is doing this to try to save itself. Think of it like when someone passes out from heat exhaustion, because this is exactly what is happening.
Defrag. In a computer, when you write to the hard drive, the operating system tries to write in straight rows of data, simply because its quicker and can be read quicker later. In Windows, though, it also starts writing from the first empty block it finds. Over time, if you have copied data to the hard drive, deleted other stuff, and written more to it, this causes fragmentation. What is happening is that, like I said, the computer writes things in straight lines starting from the first empty block. But if that first empty block isn't long enough to store all the data, it will still use it, it just jumps over the data that is in the way and starts writing more in the next empty area. So, after a while, everything is chopped up and this causes major slow-downs in reading and writing to the hard drive, which will lead to instabilities and just a generally slower computer.
To fix this, get a reliable defrag tool. The one that comes standard with Windows is kind of crappy. If you are a power user, get Diskeeper. It offers major deep defragmentation options for power users.
If, on the other hand, you are just a casual user, I would go with one of the free solutions. My personal preference is Auslogics Disk Defrag. It offers some great options, does a great job, and is free.
Check for errors. If your computer has been used for a long time, chances are that there are corrupted sectors on the hard drive. If its just from normal usage, then there's nothing to really worry about. Just use Window's built in error checking to scan the hard drives and make sure they are running smoothly.
Antivirus and Anti-malware. Yes, you need both. Some people prefer a paid solution like Norton 360, but I see no reason to pay for something that can be gotten for free, right? So I use Microsoft Security Essentials, Malwarebytes AntiMalware and Spybot Search and Destroy. Between these, I haven't been infected by anything in several years. All are free, although for added protection there is a pay version of Malwarebytes that can be purchased.
The main thing I like about Spybot now is its "Immunize" feature. When you install Spybot, let it do all of its updates, then click on the Immunize tab. This places a "placeholder" of a known spyware on your computer so that you won't get infected by that particular malware. This may either be an empty file with the proper name, or an entry into your "hosts" file telling the malware that its already been installed.
Another way to keep from getting malware is to stop using Internet Explorer. Install Mozilla Firefox and install the AdBlock Plus addon. This keeps malicious banner ads from loading software onto your computer without your knowledge.
Optimize. In some cases, especially after your computer has been running for a while without a fresh reinstall, things tend to get very slow. There are really only 2 options to fix this, if none of the above tricks worked. Reinstall and have to reset and reinstall all your applications and settings, or use an optimizer. Most of these programs, unfortunately, are not free.
WiseFixer Registry Cleaner. This works by compressing the registry and removing all the dead entries created by installing and uninstalling programs. Every time you uninstall a program, some of the setting get left behind in the registry. Windows still has to read through all of this garbage to find what it needs, so getting rid of them speeds things back up. Even I use a registry cleaner, since I can't keep up with every needed and unneeded entry in the registry, and manually removing stuff can kill your computer.
PC Optimizer Pro. This software does even more tweaking and stuff to your system, helping it speed up more.
Update!
This is one thing that everyone seems to forget, since all they view their computer as is another television. You MUST update your operating system files through WindowsUpdate, update your antivirus and anti-malware. Just because you have antivirus doesn't necessarily make you protected, especially if you haven't updated it in 6 months. Same goes for updating Windows files. Microsoft is constantly patching the holes that allow viruses and malware to get on your computer, but if you don't download these patches, then they aren't doing any good.
What I guess I'm trying to say, in all, is to stop treating your computer like a toaster.
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