| 1. Get Rid of Dust | | | | the CMOS battery on the motherboard may need to |
| One of the most common causes of overheating is | | | | be replaced. The first sign of a bad CMOS battery is |
| dust and dirt. So you need to keep your system | | | | when your system clock starts losing time.8. Take |
| clean, inside and out. Try to clean it once a year using | | | | Care when Opening the Case |
| lint-free wipes. Make sure you use an antistatic wrist | | | | Whenever you open the PC case, turn off the |
| strap as well to protect your system when cleaning | | | | power and unplug your PC. Ground yourself first - by |
| inside the case.2. Get Power Protection | | | | touching anything inside the PC to avoid destroying |
| One of the saddest things in many PCs is that they | | | | your circuit boards with a static charge. Another |
| are not surge protected. Surge protectors are a | | | | option is to wear a grounding wrist strap. I've |
| good investment - they protect your PC from that | | | | destroyed my computer power supply before |
| unfortunate power outage or lightning strike. Try to | | | | because I forgot about this point.9. Maintain the |
| get one that has a warning indicator and is UL 1449 | | | | Mouse |
| certified.3. Turn Off the Monitor | | | | What's one of the dirtiest components in a PC that |
| One tip I always apply at home - turn off the PC | | | | you come in contact with? Yes - it's the modest little |
| monitor when its not in use. I treat the computer | | | | mouse. Years of using a mouse will get it filled with |
| monitor like a TV - don't waste your monitor's power | | | | dirt and grime.If you have a mechanical mouse, you'll |
| if you're not using it. This is especially important in | | | | realize this when the mouse starts to move |
| LCD monitors, which may burn out or get bad pixels | | | | erratically. To clean it, unscrew the mouse and use a |
| after long periods of use.4. Keep the PC Running | | | | small scraper to scrape the dirt off the two plastic |
| Many people don't realize that its harmful to power | | | | rollers inside. Also remember to clean the scroll wheel |
| up your computer from a cold state. This is especially | | | | if there is one. If you have a optical mouse, you |
| true when done repeatedly within a short timeframe. | | | | need not worry about any internal rollers but you still |
| Try to leave your PC running as long as possible - or | | | | need to clean the scroll wheel.10. Clean Up the |
| use the Microsoft Windows' Power Management | | | | Registry |
| settings to put your machine into hibernation rather | | | | If you always add and remove computer programs |
| than completely shutting down.5. Hard Drive Health | | | | in your PC, you can be sure the entries in your |
| Check | | | | Windows Registry are pretty much in a mess. A |
| If you use Windows XP, you should regularly check | | | | clogged Windows Registry increases the time your |
| your hard disk's health with an error-checking utility. In | | | | PC boot up time and hogs system resources. Try to |
| Windows Explorer, click on the drive's icon, select | | | | get a tool to help clean the registry safely, such as |
| Properties -> Tools -> Check Now. If the check | | | | Registry Mechanic. Do not try to clean the registry |
| discovers several hundred errors, your drive could be | | | | yourself if you're not sure what you're |
| full of bad sectors - you'd best backup your | | | | doing.Conclusion |
| important data and then try to get it repaired.6. Get | | | | I hope this article has given you many ideas on how |
| an Anti-Virus Program | | | | to keep your good old PC in tiptop shape. |
| I still find it amazing that many home computer | | | | Remember, take care of your PC and it will take |
| users do not have an anti-virus program installed. This | | | | care of you. Apply these tips once in a while to |
| piece of software is fundamental to any computer | | | | ensure a trouble-free computer system.Gary |
| system. You should definitely consider getting a | | | | Hendricks runs a hobby site on building computers. |
| program like Norton Antivirus or The Shield Pro to | | | | Visit his |
| protect against harmful attacks.7. Check the CMOS | | | | website at for tips and tricks on assembling a PC, as |
| battery | | | | well as buying good computer components. |
| If you have a very old PC (four or five years old), | | | | |