Software Maintenance:
Just like your car your computer needs some basic maintenance. The most common problems can usually be traced to the software that is on your hard drive.

We all want to keep our Computer System running quickly and at peek performance. Here are a few easy tips that will insure that your Computer continues to function properly. First and most important is that a up to date Anti Virus software, such as Symantec's Norton Anti Virus, is installed on your Computer. Once a week the Anti Virus software should scan the entire system and make sure that no Viruses have been installed. You will also want to make sure that your Anti Virus software has the latest update. The second most important program to have installed is an Anti Spyware software. This software should also check the entire system once a week. If there has been a lot of internet activity you may want to check the system after browsing the internet. The next step to making sure that your system operates correctly is to Check for Errors on your hard drive. Simply right click your hard drive icon. Click properties, Click Tools then check for errors. You may have to shut down and restart for this application to complete.

Things to remember: Always check to make sure that your Anti Virus Icon is on the task bar and is working. As soon as you believe that your software has been compromised follow the steps listed above. If they do not solve the problem then a professional should be called. Usually if the problem is caught within a few days it can be fixed without having to loose all of your data and programs.

Hardware Maintenance:
A majority of Hardware problems are caused by dust. Your computer case is designed to pull air from the front of the case over the motherboard and out through a fan in the rear of the case and rear of the power supply. Every three months the side of the computer case should be removed and the hardware should be cleaned of dust. The easiest method of dusting is by using a can of compressed air. The air should be sprayed on the computers heatsinc and fan, case fans, power supply fan and any other fans. You may want to check you video card as they typically have fans and are sometimes hard to see. By removing dust you will insure that heat generated from they computer is properly vented. Fan failure is typically the main cause of computer noise and power supply failure.

The next cause of hardware problems is loose connections. Once a year the inside of the computer should be inspected. All cables to the hard drives, floppy drive and Optical drive should be inspected. Any add on card such as a video, sound card, modem should be checked to make sure that it is properly seated on the motherboard. It is also a good idea to make sure that the ram is making a good connection on the motherboard.

Final thought:
If you believe there is a problem with your computer. Backup what you can and try to fix the problem immediately or call someone who can. Most problems will not just go away they will usually get worse.

About the Author
Evan Freedman is an author for The Computer Geek Custom Web Page Design and for CSSZafco.com, distributor of computers and accessories. Evan has been diagnosing and fixing computer for over 25 years. Please visit the site to view a huge assortment of Computer Technology.