1. Be sure to always completely shut down Windows before turning off your computer. Don’t cheat by just hitting the power button because you are in a hurry. You can do a lot of damage to your hard drive.
2. Never unplug peripherals (printer, scanners, etc.) while they are powered up. Select remove hardware or unplug them when the computer is shut down. Removing a “live” peripheral can damage your motherboard.
3. Keep at least 100 MB of your C Drive free for windows to use and help your computer run more efficiently.
4. Don’t let programs like Word or Internet Explorer start up automatically when you start up your computer.
5. Get a UPS – Uninterrupted Power Supply. This will protect you against power surges and power outages. Don’t gamble on this – no power, no work, no pay. And I don’t just mean that you can’t work during the power outage. I mean that it only takes one instance and your clients are worried about your reliability. Not good.
6. Keep installer software, just in case you need to reformat your hard drive. It won’t do much good to have a backup of your files if you no longer have the software to run them.
7. Registry Clean-up – This needs to be done periodically to clean up the clutter, but it can be very tricky and if not done right can cause more problems than it solves. Be sure you get a reliable program. I use RegCure. It’s easy to use and seems to do the job. You might also want to check out this article on PC World.
8. It is absolutely crucial that you have a security system that includes a firewall, antivirus software and anti-spyware. Keep them updated and use them!
9. Keep your hardware clean. Keep your components off the floor if possible. Use Spray O2 (NOT a vacuum) and a soft dry cloth on the outside.
10. Run Disk Cleanup at least weekly and defrag your system monthly.
11. Back UP! Ad infinitum, Ad Nauseum. Use an online backup service like Mozy. Copy important files to a CD. Use the backup tools provided by your operating system. If you are using Windows, there is a backup utility in the Control Panel.
There now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?
