It’s always kind of surprising to me how many people don’t really bother to maintain their PC.  A lot of folks seem to think that they can simply let their computer run.

Trouble is, it doesn’t work that way. A computer’s a complex, intricate machine, and it needs to be well-cared for in order to properly function.

What’s more,  it’s not just the hardware of a system that has a tendency to degrade over time. Modern computers are complex, intricate pieces of technology- fifty years ago, people wouldn’t have even dreamed this sort of stuff existed. As with any complex system, sometimes things tend to… go wrong. A glitch in the software here, a misplaced line of code there, and boom.

What’s shocking isn’t the fact that there’s literally thousands of ways a computer could break down and simply stop working. No, what’s shocking is that most of these issues, most of these errors, are preventable.  Here’s a few things you should do to ensure that your computer is in top working condition.

1. Regularly Defragment Your System

If you've never done it before...it might take a while.

Now, the tech savvy among you are probably snorting derisively here, right?  I’m starting off with something so obvious, after all. You’re probably thinking “who doesn’t do that?”

Oh, you’d be surprised.

I can name about six people off the top of my head that I know of who barely even know what the term ‘defragment’ means, much less how to do it.  See, as your computer operates, sometimes files tend to become ‘fragmented.’ Basically, they’re too big to store in one single area of the hard disc, so the OS breaks them apart, storing part of the file here, part of it there, and so on and so forth. As a result, the file takes a lot longer to load than it ordinarily would, and tends to slow the hard drive down considerably.

Defragmenting replaces these broken up files into singular, cohesive elements. They’re easier to access. and as a result, your hard drive has to do less work as the day-to-day operations are concerned. In Windows, you can usually access the defragmentation tool by either  right clicking on the drive you want to defragment and going to ‘properties’ then clicking on the ‘tools’ tab, or finding it in the start menu under accessories-system tools.  Far as I know, Windows is the only OS that really suffers a great deal from degrading performance as a result of file fragmentation. A lot of people run a defrag daily, making it part of their computer’s daily ‘wellness regimen’

2. Clear off Your Hard Drive

Again, this one should also be incredibly obvious…but the thing is, it’s not. Not as much as one would think, anyway.

When your hard drive starts to get too full (somewhere over 90% or so) your system’s performance starts to go down into the toilet. You don’t really need to know more than that. Think about what programs or files you don’t really need, or aren’t using, and get rid of them. If you’ve a lot of files you simply cannot part with, it might be worth investing in an external hard drive for some extra storage space.

There’s a couple decent programs out there, such as CCleaner, that can take care of this (and several other items on the list) for you.

3. Clean Up The System Registry

Glitches in the system registry can have a lot of adverse effects- anywhere from your system running a bit slower to the dreaded blue screen of death. And the thing is, scanning for errors (coincidentally, the next step) won’t always catch all of the registry errors.

Best to err on the side of caution- download a registry cleaner. That link’ll take you to a website with the top ten registry cleaners online. Choose whichever one you think looks the best- I’d probably take the one at the top of the list, though. If you’re leery of going based off of the reviews of one website, you can always check Cnet, as well.

4. Regularly Scan For Errors

If I haven’t made it obvious already, sometimes computers tend to screw up. System errors can cause and stem from a plethora of different problems- what caused the error isn’t generally as relevant as the fact that, unless it’s taken care of, it’s likely just going to cause more and more problems for you, the user.

As a general rule, I like to run an error scan at least once a week, if not more often. To do this, go to your C drive, right click, and select ‘properties.’  You’ll find the option for error checking there. Click all the check boxes, and then click ‘check now.’ Then restart your computer, and wait. It might be a while, depending on the size of your hard drive.

5. Run Regular Virus/Spyware Scans

Yes, both virus and spyware. And to be safe, it’s usually best to download several different programs to that effect. I find that Kaspersky, Avast, AVGFree and Malwarebytes(which also scans for malware) are some of the more effective antivirus programs (Stay the hell away from Norton, that’s all I can say- unless you fancy your computer walking instead of running. As anyone who’s used the program can attest, that’s a fitting metaphor.), and Spybot Search & Destroy and Adaware should take care of a lot of your spyware/malware needs. Why do I advocate running more than one scanner?

Because the fact is;  sometimes a particularly nasty file might be missed by one virus scanner, but picked up by another. No security software is completely bulletproof, so it’s usually best to have a few alternatives, just to be safe. That said, a lot of malware/spyware can be avoided simply by practicing safe browsing practices. Yeah, yeah, I know. You already know all of this, right?

6. Ensure Your Drivers Are Up To Date

To know why you should do this, let’s look at why companies release updated drivers. Maybe there’s an issue with their source code, and they’re trying to fix it. Could be that their old driver doesn’t play nice with the latest system update. Or maybe, just maybe, the update unlocks a plethora of cool new features for the driver. Whatever the reason may be, you can see why keeping your drivers up to date is a good idea, right? Unfortunately, unless your computer comes prepackaged with some sort of software that enables you to search out and download drivers, this process can tend to be a bit tedious. See, every piece of hardware on your computer has a driver, a piece of code, that runs it.

And often, every single piece of hardware is produced by a different manufacturer- and thus is to be found in a different place.

Oftentimes, it’s not enough to go to the website of the company that manufactured your computer. They don’t always have all the necessary updates or drivers there. What you’re going to need to do is either download one of the aforementioned programs that searches out updates for you, or, if you don’t feel comfortable trusting them….do it yourself. Yeah, kind of a pain, but it pays off in the end. Keeping your drivers up to date can help tone down the number of system errors you’ll run into, with the added bonus of helping your machine to run quicker and smoother.

7. Ensure Your BIOS is Up To Date

Again, here’s something a lot of people who aren’t tech-savvy almost never do. See, with most systems, updates to the BIOS aren’t always released directly to the user. More often than not, they’re posted on the website of the company that manufactured your computer – Dell, or Acer, or Asus, for example.

Find the logo of your computer and go to their website. Chances are, there’s a BIOS update waiting for you. These updates could be anything from minor bugfixes to major boons – the recent update for the XPS M1730, for example, has added a new functionality that prevents one of the two onboard graphics cards from literally frying itself to a crisp.

Yeah. Updating your BIOS is important.

8. Ensure Your OS Is Up To Date

Usually your system will sort this one out by yourself. But if you’re like me, and didn’t want to deal with the ever-intrusive automatic updates system, you’ll need to remember every now and then to run through the process of patching your operating system. What’s more, automatic updates usually only brings you the ‘vital’ changes to the OS. A lot of times, there’ll still be a great many updates that are worth installing on the developer’s website. It’s worth looking.

9. Regularly Clean Your Computer’s Interior Components

Exactly what you shouldn't be doing.

Computers tend to gather a pretty considerable collection of dust and grime over their operating life. That dust will often interfere with components, causing them to retain a lot more heat than they ordinarily would. That, in turn, shortens their life cycle. Every few months(probably somewhere around four to six), as a general rule, it’s a good idea to pop open your system and gently clean the components  it with a soft, dry cloth.

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