Why Regular Computer Maintenance is So Important

When was the last time you cleaned out the fans of your computer, ran a scan for viruses and malware or checked the condition of your hard drive? The best thing you can ever do for your computer is to give it some regular “TLC” – Tender Loving Care. Don’t we all?! Your devices are no exception – regular maintenance can help prolong their lifespan and keep them running smoothly and efficiently, PLUS it will help keep your data safe and secure.

So what are the important things to check during routine computer maintenance? At Tekkie Help we believe there are some key things that need to be checked and performed on a regular basis – ideally quarterly.

Clean out the fans

Dust can accumulate in the fans of your computer, even more so in Singapore as the fans run even harder to keep your computer cool. It is really important to keep the fans free from dust to prevent the fans becoming blocked and your computer overheating. If a computer overheats it can lead to malfunction and failure. To clean out the fans, ideally you need to open up your computer – Windows desktops, older Mac laptops and some Windows laptops are relatively easy to open up and then you can vacuum out the interior and the internal fans – the use of a small paint brush can really help make sure you get all the dust out. For computer that are more tricky to open, you can either call Tekkie Help to assist or the next best option is to ensure the vents on the exterior are vacuumed out well.

Check the hard drive health

Hard drives have a life span of about 3-5 years, after this time they can begin to slow down and fail (or they can just stop working without warning!). It’s important to be aware of how old your hard drive is and look for signs that it may be struggling – sluggish performance, spinning wheel, intermittent question mark sign (Mac). There are some steps to check disk health and repair any identified bad sectors. This will help to prolong the life of your computer’s hard drive. If your hard drive does fail, it doesn’t necessarily mean the computer needs to be chucked in the bin. It is possible to replace the hard drive to extend the life of your computer. It is always recommend to upgrade to a solid state drive (SSD) which will enhance overall performance. Check out these reasons why you should upgrade to an SSD (FYI Tekkie Help can do this for you!).

Verify data backup

Whilst we are on the topic of failing hard drives, if you don’t already have a backup, get one NOW! Data loss is not a rare thing – we encounter it weekly. The main causes of data loss are from hardware failure, viruses and user error. Did you also know that just having your data in the Cloud is NOT a backup? Check out the most common backup blunders here.

If you have a backup, it is important to verify it is working on a regular basis – are files there and able to be viewed? Also how old is the backup disk? If it is more than 4 years old then it needs to be replaced as the life span of hard drives is 3-5 years – you don’t want your backup drive failing!

Run a scan for malware/ viruses

Virus scans search through your system to locate and remove any malicious threats on your device. You’ll find most antivirus software guards against malware. This can include threats like viruses and worms, as well as, spyware, Trojans, ransomware, and adware. Malware Bytes is a really good program to run on your computer.

Check for operating system updates

In order to keep your computer safe, it is really important to keep the operating system up to date so you have all the most recent security patches. Our biggest tip though before initiating any update is to always backup your computer first. Upgrades can crash and cause corruption on your hard drive which can lead to data loss if you don’t have a copy of your precious data.

Tekkie Help Health Check Promotion

If checking the above sounds like a daunting task, you definitely need to get someone to help as these are essential tasks for computer maintenance. Tekkie Help are offering a special promotion to come to your house and conduct all these checks and tasks (plus more e.g. check battery health etc). There are different options for whether you have 1, 2 or multiple computers to check. Click here for more information or call 81138682.