Importance of Computer Maintenance

Computers play a vital role in your daily life and you can use a PC to do many things, for example, surf the Internet, watch movies, play games, deal with work, etc. PC maintenance is very important to ensure your computer runs smoothly. If you have ever lost important files due to hard drive crash, spending much time in removing a nasty virus or frying a CPU since you didn’t clean the fan, perhaps you clearly know why you need to maintain your computer.

10 Essential Computer Maintenance Tips

Here are 10 essential computer maintenance tips to keep your system running smoothly and efficiently:

1. Clean Your Keyboard Regularly

The best way to clean a keyboard is using a damp, lint-free cloth. A quick weekly wipe is enough to restore cleanliness and peace of mind! Hard to press or sticky keys are likely clogged with dust, dirt or debris. In this case, compressed air is the solution. How to proceed?

  • Turn Your Laptop Off and Unplug USB and Power Plugs
  • Turn the laptop upside down and gently tap its underside to dislodge any debris.
  • Return the laptop to its original position and spray compressed air between keys from a distance of about 1-inch.
  • Spray in short bursts moving from one side of the keyboard to the other and back again, if necessary.


2. Keep Cables Organised

Have you ever observed that wires have a propensity to become tangled and confused? Everybody has been there. Fortunately, there are some options. Zip ties can be used to arrange cords according to type. If there are a lot of them, consider labeling the cords so you can quickly determine what each one is for. You may even determine that you would benefit from a PC cable management device, such a cable box!

3. Wipe Down Monitor

How many times do you and your students point at your laptop screen during class? You’re probably asking yourself how to wipe a computer monitor to remove fingertips. The answer is a lint-free microfiber cloth slightly dampened with distilled water. Never use bleach or hash chemicals of any kind. Avoid using a circular motion when you clean. Long, gentle side-to-side or top-to-bottom strokes are best. And to avoid screen damage, never apply pressure!

4. Get rid of Your Mouse’s Dust and Particles

Similar to your keyboard, your mouse needs routine dusting to function effectively. Turn your mouse upside down and unplug it to accomplish this. After that, you should take off the bottom panel and use a lint-free cloth to wipe the ball. For a more thorough cleaning, dab the cloth with rubbing alcohol. Reassembling the mouse requires letting the ball dry.

5. Tips to Maximise Battery Life 

Avoid the common mistake of keeping it constantly under charge! Lithium-ion batteries last longer operating at a charge of 20-80% – so always unplug the charger when you reach 100%. Also note that when a device is in storage, the battery drains… and can be damaged if it sits unused for long periods. So if you don’t plan to use your device for over a month, it’s best to unplug it – even though the best practice would be to charge the battery from time to time during lengthy storage periods.

6. Run Antivirus Software

Install reputable antivirus software and run regular scans to detect and remove malware, viruses, and other malicious threats. Keep your antivirus software up to date to safeguard your system against emerging threats.

7. Power Down or Reboot Your Device Regularly

While restarting your computer regularly helps replenish system resources, shutting down your device every night is not necessary with new PCs. Another way to free up memory that was causing your computer to operate slowly is to restart it.
To prevent overheating, you should carefully shut down any older computers you use each night. If your gadget is more recent, think about giving it a daily reset and putting it in sleep mode while not in use.

8. Configure Your Startup

You should periodically check in on the applications that automatically run at start-up. These applications can slow down your computer. From the Settings tab, you should be able to navigate to the Startup to control which applications run.

9. Run disk cleanup

You can free up disk space on your hard drive by running a disk cleanup. This will clean out temporary files and extra language files as well as delete big attachments and more. 

10. Install Major Computer Updates

To keep your applications running safely and efficiently you should check for major computer updates at least once a month. These updates can be critical for long-term health because they patch up critical security holes and remove unnecessary features. You may also be able to adjust your settings so updates happen automatically.