1Defragmenting Your Computer's Hard Drive

It is important to understand the concept of fragmentation before going any further.

When you need to save a file and this file is larger in volume than the available space then the file will have to be subdivided into chunks or fragments so that it can fit.

When this file needs to be used, its various fragments will have to be gathered up to make it whole. The more fragments there are, the longer it will take for your system to join them up and the slower your PC will operate.

As a way to maintain your computer, defragmentation rearranges the data in the hard drive so none of the files are broken up. Simply put, no file will be divided into fragments. Doing so helps your pc access files faster and easier and the process will enhance the health of your computer.

2Checking Your PC Drives For Errors

As a way to maintain your computer effectively, you should regularly check to see whether any errors have occurred in its drives. These errors and corruptions are normally brought about by power failure or by faults and defects that naturally occur during those frustrating times when a program fails and stops working.

Checking for such errors should be done regularly and on all the drives in your computer. Maintaining a schedule may help you to avoid the loss of data as a result of a minor incident that happened several weeks ago.

3Updating Your Computer’s Drivers

Updating your drivers regularly is another crucial aspect in maintaining your computer because doing so will ensure that your hardware will run as fast as possible and that you won’t have to suffer occasional system lockups. It is highly recommended that you should check your hardware manufacturer’s website on a regular basis so you will always be in the know about the latest in driver developments. The items being addressed are usually components like the motherboard’s BIOS, network adapters, and sound and video cards.

4Regular Cleaning Up Windows

It is of utmost importance to regularly clean up Windows XP and Vista. This is an effective way to maintain your computer because lots of space can be saved through the deletion of any unnecessary files. Such files, which can be temporary in nature, are often created by various programs during their installation or when in operation. For computers that run using Vista or XP, this maintenance task can be done by running the Disk Cleanup program.

5Using a Native File System

There is a Native File System for every operating system and it is a system that enables an operating system to efficiently store and recover files.

Each Native File System for any operating system is an improved variation of the Disk Operating System i.e. DOS file system and was created to be used in 32-bit or 64-bit multitasking environments.

As a way to maintain your computer, it is recommended that one uses the NTFS file system when running Windows XP or Vista. During the process of installing fresh copies of Windows, UNIX or Linux, one is given the opportunity to reformat the hard drive for Native File System support. At this point it is advisable to make use of the Native File System.

6Using a Plain Background For Your PC

Another technique that you can use to maintain your computer and have it run faster for longer is to stick to the use of a simple one-color background. Graphical operating systems like Linux, Vista and Windows XP have the capacity to use millions of colour photos as well as various fancy animations for screen backgrounds. Although these are attractive to you as the owner, you have to realize that your PC has to dedicate additional RAM to ensure that your backgrounds work perfectly. Such RAM usage results in slower running speeds.

7Transferring Data Faster

Transferring data faster is another way to maintain your PC. The use of SATA (Serial ATA) is preferred over EIDE (Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics) due to the former’s ability to transfer data faster. If you lack a SATA-based motherboard it is still possible to make use of it through the application of suitable connectors. Perhaps you have plans to purchase a new motherboard or to recycle an old one – if so, you just need to use SATA and refuse the EIDE option. For video game aficionados the use of PCI Express Video Card is recommended.

8Cleaning the Registry

The Windows Registry is a mega file responsible for storing the settings for Windows XP and Vista as well as the programs that they are running. It is common knowledge that this file will gradually become larger as it collects information on current programs as well as those that have been deleted. The result of this accumulation of information can be seen in form of nonsensical error messages, a slower PC, and even a crash in extreme situations.

To avoid such events it is important to maintain your computer by using a registry cleaner. The market many quality cleaners available for use. A computer whose registry is clean and free of errors will exhibit faster load times as well as faster booting.

9Uninstall Unwanted Software

For many PC owners, unwanted and unused software remains on the computer long after it is needed. With time the PC’s program folder becomes overloaded with numerous shareware programs, commercial software, and even demos that aren’t required at all. To maintain your computer so it will last longer, you can get rid of these applications. This will clean up your computer and create space that can be utilized for better purposes.

Getting rid of many of these software programs can easily be done with the uninstall features they usually have. Maintaining our computer by removing unnecessary programs will help extend the life of your PC.

10Stopping Unwanted Resident Programs

Resident programs are automatically loaded as you boot your system. These programs then work in the background as you run your programs. Note that these are not viruses and that they carry out tasks you normally do including scanning for viruses and updating your Operating System. The presence of too many resident programs in your system demands the use of excess RAM and processing time so that they can run effectively. Getting rid of such by turning them off or by preventing their loading at start-up is another step you can take to maintain your computer.