Maintain Computer After Repair: Best Practices for an Extended Lifespan

Maybe you just got a brand new PC setup, or maybe your old, trusty one is now finally fixed. Way less stuttering and crashes, no broken hardware suddenly going haywire, clean from malware and bloatwares, your computer systems are operating smoothly. But now arises the question— how do you keep your computer working the same for a long time?

Even the best computers last only a few years with maintenance, like maybe 8 or 10 years at most. Hardware wear and tear cannot be completely avoided, and replacements become mandatory down the line. But to keep your PC functional and efficient for as long as possible, there are multiple things you would need to keep in mind. With proper maintenance, your computer probably won’t need another repairing service anytime soon.

Here’s everything you’ll need to take care of as routine maintenance to extend your computer’s lifespan:

Keep Your Computer Clean and Organized

Weekly and monthly scheduled clean-ups are extremely important to keep computers dust-free and safe from overheating, but it’s often ignored as something unnecessary. If dust builds up in the PC, all moving parts like keys, cooling fans and hard drives get worn out from friction, and the components suffer from overheating due to the unwanted insulation.

• Wipe down the monitor every week with a non-abrasive cleaning solution to prevent the protective glare-free coating from corroding and staining. If your screen is somehow chipped at the edges, get a screen replacement at the earliest before it starts affecting others and strains your eyes.
• Keyboards are the component that are most interacted with in any PC, therefore have the most amount of residual debris sticking to it. Clean them off at least twice weekly and avoid spilling food or drinks on the keys.
• Similar to keyboards, a computer mouse stays in contact with other surfaces a lot, be it our hands or the mousepad on which it is moved around. Clean the sensor screen every month to stop grime build-up and always use a good mousepad to prevent the sensor from scratching.
• Dust can also accumulate inside the CPU and GPU cases through tiny gaps, settling over the fans and circuits. Make sure to give the whole computer setup a thorough cleaning every 3 or 4 months, gently dusting off the ports and internal components. Though, trying to open up a desktop or laptop casing can be risky without sufficient training and knowledge. If you’re not sure of how to proceed, it’s better to seek out professional cleaners for advice.
• If your desktop setup involves a lot of external cables and accessories, try to keep them covered and organized. Bad cable management can lead to accidents and connectivity issues.
• Upgrade the hardware devices from a computer repair shop and check for compatibility beforehand.

Optimize the System Setup and Processes

Cleaning the computer hardware alone won’t work. If your PC is lagging, stuttering, and crashing often, it’s most probably because the system is being overloaded. Try to optimize the processes and troubleshoot software issues if you want a better experience.

• Check your computer every month for unwanted programs and unused old applications that you can delete to free up memory and storage. Most computers come with lots of bloatware pre-downloaded along the operating system. These do nothing of significance and slow down your computer processor by running in the background. They can also pose data security risks and are best removed early.
• Bloatwares aren’t the only ones which keep running in the background. In fact, many essential applications also launch on startup and keep increasing the system load. However, unlike the former, these can be disabled so as to not launch whenever the PC is started.
• You should defragment the Hard Disk Drive (HDD) if your computer has one, since the data stored on the magnetic disks can be disoriented and scattered all over. Defragmenting reorganizes the fragmented data which is easier to access and consumes less processing power. Always remember though, Solid State Drives (SSDs) cannot and should not be fragmented unlike HDD.
• Run weekly checks for software and operating system updates and install the newest drivers to fix any bugs that might occur from version changes. Keep backups of previous versions that you could roll back to if an update breaks anything.
• Keep all your files organized and easily accessible within labeled folders, and avoid opening too many applications at once, otherwise more processing memory would be used up and the system will be overloaded.

Take Protection Against Malwares and Viruses

Computer systems that have once been attacked by malwares or viruses are prone to getting infected even after the recovery. New systems aren’t much better, as they don’t have anti-virus software installed initially. Therefore, immediately after setting up the system, one must fix every vulnerability that may possibly appear.

• Always remember to create a fresh system image backup right after starting a computer for the first time. Copy any important data that you risk losing into a cloud or USB drive before beginning.
• Install a trustworthy anti-virus program or just update if you already have one. Run a malware scan to detect any suspicious and malicious software and check for system vulnerabilities.
• Secure the computer with various network and connectivity firewalls to warn of any security breach. Avoid clicking on any suspicious links, applications or pop-ups flagged by the anti-virus or firewall. Some malwares are impossible to clean without flushing the whole computer setup, including hardware.
• If you find any involuntary, disrupting activity in your computer, immediately look for virus and malware removal services.
• Last but not the least, use strong passwords for all your accounts, be it your device lock or something on the internet. Try not to use the same password everywhere and change it in frequent intervals.

Though all these measures may feel tiresome at times, one must follow most of these instructions for a computer’s lasting performance. Consult a good computer repair service if you have many queries about how to take care of your PC after restoration.