Spring clean-up for your PC!
Aysë Stenabaugh
Jesters Computers
(3/2020) Most people won’t go for an extended period of 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 done you probably
should. 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.
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 located and remove malicious software.
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 If your programs are out of date they may not function properly and sometimes they can even negatively affect the performance of your computer.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?
Hardware, or your devices 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 are something that happens regularly, these errors are unavoidable. You may not even notice that there is a problem but once the errors are resolved, background operations are able to run more smoothly resulting in a better
user experience.
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. 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 one-on-one support, we offer individual classes as well.
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 but we at the same time we forget just how much more we use our devices today. Since most of the things we use computers for also incorporate using the internet, maintenance is more vital
than ever.
Technology can be scary but it doesn’t have to be! At Jester’s Computer Services we pride ourselves on gauging our customer’s experience and needs to provide the best recommendations. In addition to offering upgrades from Windows 7 to Windows 10, all customers unfamiliar with Windows 10 receive a mini one-on-one tutorial to help answer
questions you may have when using Windows 10 for the first time. Visit www.jesterscomputers.com to access our free tutorials, tips and tricks! We can be reached at 717-642-6611 or visit us at the shop located at 5135 Fairfield Road Fairfield, 17320.
