5 Tips for Cleaning Your PC

Your PC is similar to every car, closet, and boat you’ve seen; it gets dirty, disorganized, and slows down if it is not properly maintained. Some of the most important computer tasks that you can perform such as backing up, securing your documents and cleaning your computer always comes with the best of intentions but usually end up like New Year’s resolutions: we all say were going to do them, but the reality is “all steam ahead” usually ends up puttering out of gas a couple of weeks after the new year. If you follow a regular maintenance schedule for your car similar to regularly changing your oil or your house air filter, why not your computer?

Here are a couple of tips that can help you start off on the right foot and get into a good habit of taking care of your computer.
1. Raise your computer off of that dusty floor. Floors are full of dust, dirt and grime that go directly into your computer. If you have studied your computer, you will come to realize that it is air-cooled by spinning fans that push air through grates in the front and rear of the computer. If it is on the ground, dust and debris can enter through those vents and eventually clog the grates rendering the cooling air flow moot.

2.  If you prevent the air flow in your computer, the parts start to heat up. Just like an overheated car, overheated computers start to malfunction. If you push your computer against a wall and block cooling vents, it also reduces the airflow, so try to have your computer off the floor and at least a few inches away from the wall.
3. To quickly clean your computer before you move it to its new home, you will want to go to your local computer shop or office supply store and pick up a can of compressed air. This compressed air canister usually comes with a little red straw that you can attach to the front end to focus the air flow so that you can blow all of the dust out.
4. TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER! There is a chance you might cause a static zap in your components and ruin all of your parts.
5. Make sure you use a small toothpick to stop the fans that are in your computer when you get close to them. If you blow in the fan blades and you spin them fast enough you might ruin the fan and can actually prevent the fan from spinning.

Tags: cyber security , information technology ,

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