Five Tips To Prolong Pc Life

This month’s article deals with how to prolong the life of your desktop or laptop computer. If you follow these simple tips there’s a good chance you can significantly increase the life of your computer.

Protect your Computer From Electrical Problems.
Electrical problems are one of the primary causes of computer failures and are a silent and unseen pc killer. Power problems reek havoc with electrical goods and computers are particularly vulnerable to electrical problems. Even with the best protection equipment it is still possible to lose a computer to electrical problems.

Tip 1. Turn off and Unplug Computers When not in use
This tip applies to both desktop and laptop computers and is cost free! Despite what you may believe a pc which is turned off but connected to a wall outlet can be damaged by electrical problems. When you are not using it turn it off and disconnect it.

Tip 2. Protect Your Computer With a Good Surge Protector
A surge protector will reduce the chances of electrical damage to your computer. I recommend Belkin surge protectors and you can buy one for around €10-€15.

Tip 3. Avoid Letting Your Computer overheat
Heat is a common killer of computers and particularly laptops. On my website
http://www.reidyonline.com/downutils.htm  you will find a handy utility`, speedfan to monitor the heat of your computer and hard drive. If you run this utility when you start up your computer, before your marathon facebook sessions, you might find you are killing your pc by letting it overheat.

Tip 4. Remove the Battery From Your Laptop
Don’t do this while it is running! Removing your battery will reduce the amount of heat generated by the charging process. In addition a laptop without its battery cannot be moved without turning it off (see tip 5!)

Tip 5. Don’t Move Your Laptop When It’s Running
It’s a laptop not a book and moving it while it’s running can result, over time, in hard drive failure. Check out the video below which shows the activity that occurs when you use your computer. Moving a laptop while it is running is equivalent to playing Russian roulette – eventually you will lose.

Video - Inside Your Hard Drive

Finally a plug for myself here : If your computer does fail seek professional advice before you dump it. Many machines can be repaired at a fraction of the cost of replacement.

Oliver Reidy is a computer technician and has been in the industry since 1981.Locally he is a member of Mebo (Meath East Business Owners) Http://www.mebo.biz.