Keeping Your Computer Forever

This week's Tech Savvy is about keeping what you have. Many believe that computers and anything related to technology is best bought new and replaced every few years. Computer manufacturers probably love this, but that it is simply not true. The truth is if a computer is properly maintained and not abused, it can last for a decade, even more. My pre-teen daughter has a laptop as old as she is, and it works great.

So how do you keep a computer running for a long time? The trick is to keep the enemies of your computer at bay. We will cover each of them, starting with the most common.

The biggest enemy of your computer is dust. It doesn't kill your computer instantly, but rather shortens it's lifespan in several ways. In a computer, dust coats things, preventing them from getting rid of heat effectively. It also coats parts that move, and since dust acts as an abrasive, it wears them out prematurely. In extreme cases, dust, nicotine and animal dander can form mats that block airflow the computer uses for cooling.

Keeping dust out of your computer might sound impossible, especially in this climate, but it's not. Never put a computer directly on the ground while it's running. I swear they need to design vacuum cleaners like computers because they're quite efficient at collecting dust. If your computer is out of the warranty period, turn it off and open it up occasionally to wipe the dust out of the bottom of the case. Don't worry about the dust on the parts, as touching these can cause more damage than good. If you look inside, and it's really bad, you may wish to refer the cleaning to a computer professional.

The second thing that is your computer's mortal enemy is static electricity. What is a mild annoyance when you touch a door knob will kill your computer. The odd thing is that it may not kill it right away, all at once, or even affect it at all... it all depends on factors that are completely random. Enough static “hits” will rack up microscopic damage to the electronic components, weakening them and shortening their life. Some things you can do to limit the damage static electricity will do to your computer are don't touch the parts on the computer unless you know what you are doing. If you open the case for cleaning or curiosity, stay in physical contact with the bare metal in the case. Placing your hand on the frame will drain the static charge you may be carrying.

The third enemy of your computer is power. The same thing that makes it run can also harm it. A power surge packs quite a punch and will cause damage is allowed to. To prevent this, use a surge suppressor. To tell how good one is, check to see how many joules it is rated at (this tells you how much energy it will absorb before it gives up), and what kind of equipment replacement warranty they provide. If the manufacturer claims their device will stop anything, but doesn't put their money where their mouth is, you should question the manufacturer's confidence in their own product. Related to this is lightning. It is best to disconnect your computer from the house during a lightning storm. Remove power to the computer and accessories by unplugging them and disconnect the phone line.

Damage is not the only thing that can keep your computer from running like new. After a while the information becomes disorganized and getting the computer to do anything becomes a chore. It's kind of like a workbench or desk which never gets cleaned. No matter how efficient you are, eventually clutter takes over.

Programs are available to fix this, and a few are loaded on your computer from day one. On a Windows computer, Scandisk, Disk Cleanup, and Defrag are quite valuable in keeping it running well. They are located in your Start Menu under Accessories and System Tools. Use Scandisk to verify the health and integrity of the information located on your computer's hard disk. Use Disk Cleanup to remove information that is not needed any longer. Finally use Defrag to organize the information logically.

Programs can also impact your computer's ability to do it's job. Viruses, Trojans, Spyware, and other malicious software, collectively known as “Malware” do nasty things to your computer and the information on it. These will be the topic of next week's Tech Savvy.