30-01-2013, 09:25 AM
How to do Basic Computer Maintenance
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What is Computer Maintenance?
Definition: Computer Maintenance
Computer Maintenance is basically the same as any other type of maintenance; it is a set of services or procedures performed to keep something (in this case, a computer) in good working condition. A well-maintained computer will run faster, more efficiently and crash less than one that has not been maintained.
Why Perform Computer Maintenance Procedures?
Maintaining your computer is not only good for your computer, but for you as well. Practicing good maintenance procedures will save you money (less chance of items breaking down and having to replace them), time (improved performance means less waiting time and less breaking down means more usage) and protects your data (by backing up the data, for example).
Computer Maintenance Procedures
Quite a few things can be done to maintain your computer and you do not need to be a computer technician in order to do so. Here is a list of some of the Computer Maintenance Procedures you can do yourself:
1. Hard Drive Maintenance
2. Privacy Software
3. Updating Your Software
Hard Drive Maintenance
One of the most important components is your computer’s hard drive. On the hard drive all the operating system’s files are stored along with programs and files of your data. Practicing good hard drive maintenance will ensure your hard drive is fast, efficient and will last for years.
Hard Drive Maintenance Items
There are a few things that are part of hard drive maintenance that you can do. Things such as running scandisk, disk defragmenter and hard drive storage are essential steps in maintaining your hard drive and keeping it in peek condition
Scanning the Hard Drive
In order to scan the hard drive, you need to run Scan Disk. Scan Disk is a built in Windows System Utility program used to check for errors in the hard drive. To do this in any Windows 95 and newer operating system, refer to the next section “Running Scan Disk”
What Does Scan Disk Do?
Scan Disk is used to check for errors on a hard disk. If Scan Disk finds errors, it will try to correct these errors automatically. If there are problems with areas on the hard disk that Scan Disk cannot fix, Scan Disk will mark them as “bad”, and Windows will not write to these bad areas on the hard disk.
Errors on the hard disk can occur from improper Windows shutdown, programs ending incorrectly (either through crashing or the power being turned off when the program was trying to save) or just basic “wear and tear” of the hard drive.
Defragmenting the Hard Drive
In order to defragment the hard drive, you need to run a Disk Defragmenter program. Disk Defragmenter is a built in Windows System Utility program used to defragment the hard drive. To do this in any Windows 95 and newer operating system, follow the steps outlined in “Running Disk Defragmenter”
Defragmenting the Hard Drive, a Warning
It is highly recommended that the power to the computer should not be turned off when running Disk Defragmenter. Since Disk Defragmenter is copying and moving around files, shutting off power to the computer can cause damage to your hard drive and possible data loss!
What is Fragmentation?
Fragmentation refers to the condition of a disk in which files are divided into pieces scattered around the disk. Windows will try to write the file contiguously, (basically meaning, all information in a row, in the same area or in clusters on the hard disk), but sometimes the file is too large in order to do so. So, Windows will store parts of a file in non-contiguous clusters. This is entirely invisible to users, but it can slow down the speed at which data is accessed because the disk drive must search through different parts of the disk to put together a single file.
It is recommended that you close all programs or applications, turn off your screen saver and let Windows run Disk Defragmenter. Any other hard disk access will cause Disk Defragmenter to re-read the drive information, therefore causing Disk Defragmenter to restart.