There are two main ways that you can take care of your computer. You can take care of the software that is loaded on your computer and you can take care of the hardware.

Software Maintenance

Software maintenance is an essential part of taking care of your computer. With all of the viruses and worms going around on the internet it is important that you take the steps necessary to prevent your computer from becoming unworkable. One main way to keep you computer up to date is to get the latest updates from the software vendor. All software vendors have to keep on top of things that are going around to ensure that their software is not vulnerable to hacks, worms and viruses that are going around. Since most of the computers use Microsoft Windows © , it is essential that you go to the Windows Update site. This site contains updates for the Windows operating system and keeps it up-to-date with all the latest fixes that Microsoft has available.

Another way for you to keep you software up-to-date is to keep an Anti-Virus program loaded on your system. You can find links to Anti-Virus soft wares on the Virus Alerts page. It is very important to keep up with the latest updates from your Anti-virus software to avoid viruses from getting on your machine. New viruses come out daily and many variants of viruses come out constantly. To keep your computer safe from these viruses, make sure you have the latest virus definitions from your anti-virus vendor.

It is also important to practice safe Internet habits. Be careful what you load on your computer from the Internet. There are a few ways to make sure that you keep your computer running well while surfing the net. One way is to make sure what you are loading on your system. There are many web sites that would have you load software in order to view the site. Some of those soft wares can actually load what is termed as "Spyware" on your computer. Some web site give you the option to load the software by letting you read what they would like you to load and will give you an opt out to not load it. While you won't be able to see the site, saying NO to some of these soft wares will keep malicious software off your machine. Conversely, some web sites will not give you the option of accepting or declining their software and will load it without you knowing. In order to combat this problem. Several software makers have developed software that remove the "Spyware" from your computer. Examples of this are Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy. By downloading and installing this software, you can eliminate the "Spyware" on your computer and keep it running well.

Hardware Maintenance

Hardware maintenance is also essential to keeping you computer in a good, working order. There are three ways that you can keep your computer hardware in good working order and I call them the 3 C's.

The first way to keep your hardware in good, working order is to keep it Clean. To keep your hardware clean, you can use canned air and blow the dust that builds up in your computer. Doing this will lead to the second C, Cool. Keeping you hardware cool leads to longer operation. Most modern components get very hot and it is imperative that is stays cool to keep the parts functioning correctly. By keeping the inside of your computer clean, you allow air to get to the components that need the air to keep cool. A couple ways to keep hardware cool are fans. When you get a computer from LMC Computers, you can be assured that the proper amount of fans are applied and that proper airflow through the case is done. The third C is for Conditioning. By conditioning, I mean power conditioning. Always be sure that your computer is plugged into a Surge Protector or a UPS (Uninterruptible Power System). This will ensure that any fluctuations in power will not cause harm to your computer.

When you don't take care of your computer, it can leave the computer in an inoperable state. In terms of software, if you don't take care of your computer, Windows can crash or will not work properly. There are several viruses that can cause your computer to keep rebooting, cause data loss, or can completely kill your Operating System. By not taking care of your computer, your email address can be spread throughout the Internet and you will get Spam from all over the place and you will most likely not like what you get. Your computer can get loaded with "Spyware" which will cause pop-ups on the Internet. All of these things will also cause your computer to slow down by doing so many things. Some viruses can actually turn your computer into a Spam machine that will send out email to others or spread viruses to other computers.

In terms of hardware, if you do not keep your computer clean, it will get dirty. Sometimes it can get to the point where no airflow is allowed to the components that need it the most. Sometimes, dust or hair can cause a short in your computer that can leave it in an inoperable state. A dirty computer will lead to over heating as stated before. This can lead to components inside your computer being destroyed. Below is a picture of a processor where proper cooling was not available and caused the processor to overheat and now no longer works.

The top of the processor shows no sign of being damaged, but the underside tells a different story. The dark brown spot on the processor in indicative of the processor overheating and ultimately burning.

If you have any questions about taking care of your computer. Please contact us and we would be glad to walk you through the process. If you do not feel comfortable doing some of these things, let us know and we would be glad to do it for you. You may also visit our forums to get ideas on keeping your computer cool and working well.