Does your computer need maintenance?
Aysë Stenabaugh
Jesters Computers
(9/2020) Most people won’t go for an extended time without getting their vehicle maintained. While it may not be quite obvious to maintain your computer if you aren’t the most tech-savvy and haven’t had maintenance you should consider it! As you use technology, devices become bogged down and inundated with
updates, pop-ups, and other annoyances that if fixed, would reduce stress and increase productivity! It’s not that the physical devices are no longer working properly, it's more so like changing the oil in your car, it will continue to run when it’s low or dirty but it won’t run well and bigger problems could arise that may be avoidable with regular care. We’ve
included information about a few of the things that we at Jester’s Computer Services recommend you maintain and are included in our clean-up service which we offer for a discounted price every March and September.
Unwanted Programs whether installed intentionally or not are often set to run at startup which can hinder performance. If you allow children on your computer, you may not know what the programs are that they have installed or whether if that software could cause harm to your device. Sometimes you can just uninstall the program but other
times it may take a skilled technician to locate and remove malicious software. Many of these programs run in the background using up your computer's resources which can also affect your internet connection data usage and speeds.
Updates are important to keep your device running smoothly. Updates help to ensure that any security risks that have been found and resolved are applied to your device. If your programs are out of date they may not function properly and sometimes they can even negatively affect the performance of your computer. Many dislike updates because
the result can sometimes include change however, you have to weigh it out which is worse, a little change, or keeping your device at risk? During our Clean-up, we update both your operating system and popular software to the latest versions.
Hardware, or your device's physical equipment, can wear out over time. Most commonly we see hard drives (where all your personal data is stored) fail after 5-7 years but they can certainly break down sooner. When you have your computer maintained, good technicians will check your hard drive to see if any corruption is found and if
necessary, recommend a replacement before any data is lost.
Temporary files that can include files you opened but did not save, old update files that no longer have a use and temporary files created while browsing the web. None of the aforementioned include your personal data files and are simply taking up storage space on your hard drive. Data files won’t slow your computer down but they do take up
storage space and when a hard drive becomes too full the operating system will stop functioning properly.
Registry errors can be caused when you install and then uninstall a program or perform software updates. Since both happen regularly, these errors are unavoidable. You may not even notice that there is a problem but once the errors are resolved, background operations can run more smoothly resulting in a better user experience. Even with
yearly maintenance most computers we see accumulate over a thousand or more registry errors, just another example of why regular maintenance is a good idea.
Malicious software that is installed on your device may not be obvious to the average user. While viruses and potentially unwanted programs can appear unexpectedly on your computer, often users unknowingly allow them in. An active antivirus no matter how good, won’t always prevent a user from installing software that could have legitimate
purposes but that most would consider an unwanted or malicious program. At Jester’s Computer in addition to our technicians removing any viruses or malicious software we provide educational materials to help you prevent common issues and, for those than need more help, we offer one-on-one remote support for both computers and mobile devices.
Pop-ups, errors & conflicts that you encounter can often be resolved by regular maintenance as well. Often, we remember how simple computers used to be while ignoring how frequently we use and rely on our devices today. Since most of the things we use computers for also incorporate using the internet, maintenance is more vital than ever
before.
If you haven’t had your computer maintained in the last year, Jester’s Computers would love to support your technology needs! All September long you can take advantage of our clean-up special which provides a $20 discount off our regular $99 price. To reach us find us online at www.jesterscomputers.com on Facebook or by calling us at
717-642-6611. We are open 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday with extended hours until 7 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Due to COVID-19, we are scheduling contactless pickup and drop-offs to our shop by appointment only. Most of our services are completed within 24 business hours or less!
