EASY WAYS TO MAINTAIN YOUR SYSTEM AT HOME

1—Run Your Anti-Virus
A huge number of the problems on modern
computers are caused by viruses. Slow
computers, stalled downloads, and strange
errors are all symptoms of that scourge of
modern computing.
If you have an anti-virus program installed, it
doesn’t guarantee that it’ll catch every virus
before it infects your computer. Just like real
life viruses, sometimes computer viruses adapt
just enough to get past your defenses.
However, the makers of anti-virus software are
constantly updating their software to find last
week’s and last month’s viruses, so if you run
a full disk scan using your anti-virus software,
you’ll probably find any active infections.
2—Clean Your Registry
This advice especially applies to old versions of
Windows and computers which have seen a lot
of action over the last year or so.
Every time you make a major change to your
computer, Windows updates its Registry.
Installing programs, removing programs,
changing major settings, and a bunch more
things all add information to the Windows
Registry without ever cleaning it.
But as your Registry gets full, it also tends to
stop performing as well. It slows down your
computer, it gets confused and causes
conflicts, and it may even crash and take down
your computer.
Luckily, cleaning your Registry is easy and
there are plenty of free and paid programs
available which will help you do it. A software
program will not upgrade your memory but it
will clean out all the junk files, detect Malware,
delete unused registry keys, Automatic Driver
updates, and more. At the moment I am using
PC Matic to maintain everything for me. This
software is amazing and has won a number of
top awards. You can get a free scan for your
computer to see how it works before you buy.
3—Safe Mode
Most people I’ve talked to about this subject
seem to have no idea what safe mode is for.
Do you? The answer is that it’s for fixing major
problems with Windows by turning off some
default actions. For example:
Safe mode will prevent most programs
from starting up automatically, so if
your problem is with one of those
programs, you’ll discover it
immediately.
Safe mode won’t load the drivers for
most non-essential hardware, so if
some of your hardware is
malfunctioning, you’ll discover it
immediately.
Safe mode can also help you discover
damage from viruses, but I still think
your anti-virus software is better
equipped to deal with those problems
To access safe mode, press and hold the F8
key when your computer starts booting.
4—Blame Windows
Sometimes the problem with your computer is
your operating system, Windows. That doesn’t
necessarily mean Microsoft messed up—it
could be that an old virus deleted an important
file.
But diagnosing a problem with Windows from
within Windows can be challenging. What you
need is an outside authority—I suggest Linux.
You can download a “Live” Linux CD which
won’t install anything on your computer but
which will boot Linux for as long as the CD (or
DVD) is in your disc drive. I suggest you use
Ubuntu:
Go to the Ubuntu website using a working
computer, download the current CD or DVD,
whichever you prefer (DVDs have more stuff
but take longer to download), burn the CD or
DVD, and put it in your computer. Reboot your
computer and see if it works.
If Linux can get your computer to work, then
there’s nothing wrong with the hardware—
there’s something wrong with Windows, which
brings us to our next tip for how to repair your
computer:
5—Reinstall Windows
In the Windows 95 and 98 days, we used to
reinstall Windows about once a year just to
keep things moving smoothly. That was the
great thing about Windows XP—it was stable
for much longer periods. But if you get a
problem in Windows which you can’t fix any
other way, reinstalling Windows is still your
best option.
It’s important to backup all of your important
files before you reinstall Windows. If your
computer won’t boot Windows, either use the
Linux method described above to access your
files and copy them to DVDs or external hard
drives, or take the hard drive out of your
computer and use an external hard drive
adapter to copy the files to another computer.
After backing up your files, reinstalling
Windows should be easy. Most computers
these days let you reinstall Windows from a
special entry in your boot menu—if you can’t
find that option, consult the manual which
came with your computer or use a working
computer to search for your model of computer
on the Internet.
6—Blowing Your
Problems Away
If the problem with your computer is hardware,
not software, there may not be much you can
do. Most modern electronics are not field
serviceable—if they’re broke, they’re junk.
However, there is one thing you can do to
bring some electronics back to life: blow on
them.
Specifically, blow the dust off of them. Dust is
a powerful insulator—it’s technically almost
exactly the same stuff (primarily cellulose)
used in high-end home insulation to help keep
heat inside your house during the winter and
outside during the summer.
With the dust holding the heat inside your
computer, parts begin to fail. Most modern
electronics are only designed to work up until
about 35 Celsius or 110 Fahrenheit before
automatically shutting off to prevent severe
damage or fire.
If you get rid of the dust , your parts won’t get
as hot and they may begin to work again. But
let me warn you: heat-damaged parts are more
likely to fail than undamaged parts, so don’t
expect miracles.
To clear the dust out of your powered-off
computer, grab a handkerchief, cover your eyes,
inhale through the handkerchief, and blow as
hard as possible without spitting. Alternatively,
you can work much faster (although not quite
for free) by using a can of compressed air from
your local supermarket or office supply store.
7—Your Last Resort
If none of the techniques described above
helped you fix your computer, I suggest you
call for help. Call the manufacturer—even if
your computer is out of warranty. Most
manufacturers have toll-free support numbers,
so the call won’t cost you anything and the
worst that can happen is that they’ll be unable
to help you for free. On the other hand, they
may know a free way to repair your computer .