Maintaining your PC could save its "life"
Aysë Stenabaugh
Jesters Computers
(9/2021) Let’s be honest, maintaining your computer is probably the furthest thing from your mind until something goes wrong. Similar to performing maintenance on a vehicle, having yearly maintenance done on your computer can help detect hardware problems, resolve security issues and increase performance. Over time with and with use Computers can become bogged down with unwanted software, pop-ups and error messages. These issues can often be resolved without needing to purchase a new computer. 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.
Software which may or may not not have been installed intentionally often hinder performance by being configured to always run at startup or to run in the background unnecessarily. Over time you may accumulate software that you no longer use or that becomes out of date and should be updated. Identifying and removing software that is malicious can resolve slowness and unwanted pop-ups or notifications. Sometimes these programs can easily be uninstalled but other times it may take a skilled technician to locate and remove harmful software.
Updates are important to keep your device running smoothly. They 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 If your programs are out of date they may not function properly and sometimes they can even negatively affect the performance of your computer.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 keeping your device vulnerable can end up much worse. Most often updates don’t provide many changes especially if they are done regularly. During our Clean-up, we update both your operating system and common 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 doesn’t mean they can’t and won’t fail sooner. When you have your computer maintained, good technicians will check your hard drive to see if there are any signs that your hard drive is failing and if necessary, recommend a replacement before any data is lost. An even better technician will be honest with you about whether or not its worth replacing the hard drive or the entire computer all together. Computers can also overheat and should be blown out inside to remove dust and dirt buildup that could cause hardware to fail prematurely.
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 and the device will become unusable until space is recovered.
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 support by appointment.
Pop-ups, errors & conflicts that you encounter can often be resolved by regular maintenance as well. Investigating these problems can sometimes lead to prevent of a potentially bigger issue. Often, we remember how simple computers used to be while disregarding just how frequently we use and rely on our devices today this has become even more obvious since the start of the pandemic. Since most of the things we use computers for also incorporate using the internet, maintenance is even more vital than it was in the past.
If you have been the victim of a scam, Jesters Computers can help; whether you require a cleanup of your device, advice or one-on-one support. Contact Jester’s Computers located in Fairfield by calling 717-642-6611, emailing customerservice@jesterscomputers.com or by visiting us on the web at www.jesterscomputers.com
