Computers are Like Cars
People don’t realize that computers are like cars. They need routine check-ups and maintenance or else they will break down. Most likely at the worst possible time. Just like cars, computers are required to have specialized care. You can’t just bang on the keys and expect the best to happen. That’s not how it works. There are a few things that you can do on your own on a regular basis to avoid your computer breaking down.
Antivirus scans are completely necessary. Even if you do have an antivirus program installed, it doesn’t always do full scan protection on its own. This needs to be ran at least once a month to be totally effective in keeping your computer protected. Most antivirus applications have schedule scans, but a lot of the time these checks pop up at impromptu times that we decide to ignore. It’s vital that if you do have to ignore these scheduled scans, you make sure to run them when you do have the time.
Cleaning your car prevents debris from making contact with your paint. Your computer works the same way. Computers can produce a considerable amount of heat. Inadequate cooling of your computers components can shorten the lifespan, demean the performance, or even cause your computer to stop functioning altogether.
The hard drive is probably where you should store all the important things on your computer like school documents, applications, or business reports. Unfortunately, over time, your hard drive can become “fragmented.” This just means that files have been divided into pieces that are scattered around. If fragmentation is left untreated it can cause degraded performance and increased wear-and-tear on the drive. This could ultimately lead to the death of the drive itself. You should be sure to defragment your drive. Sometimes a defragmentation tool is built-in, but other times a third-party tool is necessary to use during the process.
Don’t ignore software updates. We all hate them. They usually pop up when we are in the middle of doing something important, or we just don’t have the time at that moment to wait for the update to be done. But software updates actually eliminate potential security risks. They can provide various fixes like current errors, bugs, or problems that occur on your computer. As such, you should check for and apply updates on a regular basis.
You should always be updating your computer. You never know when it might crash or get damaged. You always want to be prepared for the unexpected when it comes to your computer, because your computer contains very important information that you might not be able to ever get back if you don’t back-up your files.
As mentioned before, your computer is like your car. A maintenance routine is only as good as its implementation. If you don’t take preventative measures to keep your car in good condition, it’s going to break down. Your computer works the same way. So don’t just bang on your keys and hope for the best. Take preventative measures as best as you can. When issues do occur, make sure to contact those people who are specialized in computer maintenance.
Resources:
http://northbridgecs.com/blog/the-importance-of-regular-computer-maintenance