5 Tips Why Periodic Tune-Ups are Important

Period maintenance is just as important for your computer as is it for your car. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Disk Clutter: As you perform tasks on your computer (like browsing the Internet), a trail of ‘temporary’ files are left behind, so your computer can access your information faster the second time around. Unfortunately, these are often not cleaned up again and the pile of temporary files grows bigger, taking up valuable space on your hard disk.

2. Disk Fragmentation: How does your paper filing cabinet look? Is everything logically stored and labeled, or it is messy, with documents stuffed in wherever you could find room? You’d agree that it’s much quicker to retrieve documents from a tidy filing cabinet. The physical storage of files on your computer can get messy too, slowing down the time it takes to open them.

3. Critical Updates: We all know how buggy Computer Software can be. It is critical to the health of your computer to keep your software up to date and avoid crashes and security leaks. It is also tricky determining what updates are safe and which ones to avoid. Contact your local Computer Troubleshooter for advice.

4. System files maintenance: Start-up files and the Registry (the hidden boss of Windows) fill up with useless stuff that can slowdown your computer or cause system freezes and other problems.

5. Intermittent or unnoticed hardware issues: These can turn into painful outages if left unattended. All hardware fails, it is just a matter of when, not if. Fortunately, there are ways to detect if a minor problem are lurking and it is important to address these sooner rather than latter. A simple software driver upgrade or a hardware component replacement may be all it takes to prevent a computer crash and extend the life of your computer.

Address little problems before they become big ones. If you notice a minor problem with your computer, call your local Computer Troubleshooter. It can be significantly more cost-effective to fix a minor problem right away, than waiting for it to compound and then require major work. Make a note of the details of any problems, including what you were doing at the time and the exact wording of error messages. This can help speed-up our troubleshooting process, as we follow your trail of ‘clues’ to help us determine the source of the problem.

Call your local Computer Troubleshooter to discuss whether it is time for a tune-up.