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How to Extend the Life of Your Computer in 9 Steps

If you own a smartphone, a tablet or a computer, you already know that taking care of them is a must. These devices are, after all, an investment. You bought them for a certain amount of money, so you expect them to last long and work without a glitch. All sorts of problem can appear if you neglect your computer, tablet or smartphone. Most often than not, gadgets owners have to buy new ones because they didn't know how to properly take care of the ones they had.

In order to avoid looking for another PC and spending money on it again, you should prevent issues from appearing in the first place. There are lots of ways to make sure your device does its job longer than one or two years from the moment you first bought it. Today we're talking about how to extend the life of your computer in 9 steps. It's very easy and very rewarding. Once you've read up all about it, you'll be able to make the most out of your PC!

1. Don't keep drinks or food close to your computer

How many times have you heard someone telling you how they spilled coffee or dropped snacks all over their PC's keyboard? Too many times, probably. If you don't want to be in their shoes, keep your food and drinks as far away from your computer as possible. Should you find it hard to work without your favorite energy drink or daily coffee close by, we suggest using a bottle featuring a lid. You could also switch to a canteen instead. This will prevent you from spilling your drinks by accident.

2. Look for strong security solutions

Every time a computer's involved in a discussion, the word "antivirus" isn't far behind. Especially if you wish to extend the life of your PC. Powerful security suites are essential in this case. If malware makes its way onto your computer, you risk losing every important data inside it. To retrieve said content, you'd have to pay quite a lot of money, more so if you'd take your device to the repair guys. Invest in powerful security solutions and you're covered. You can find a list of the best antivirus options on this page.

3. Keep your PC clean

Cleaning a computer, or any other device you use daily, is another essential step towards extending its life. Dust in particular is the main reason why a computer gets too hot. That's because the aforementioned dust decreases a PC's airflow. Make sure you regularly clean the PC's ports and its monitor. Both operations are easy to perform even if you're a newbie at this.

In the case of the ports, you first need to click Shut down. Second: find a can of compressed air from your local home office store. A fan works just as well. Now use that to blow away garbage and dust. Take a needle (or a toothpick) and clean what comes up from the previous operation. Use the can of compressed air again to blow away the second batch of mess. Apply alcohol on a q-tip to make sure the region around the PC's port is clean. Turn the computer on after making sure it's completely dry.

Here's how to clean the monitor. First, dampen a cloth (make sure it's a soft one) with cool water. Using a downward motion, wipe the monitor with the cloth. Do it with care and make sure not to press too much on the monitor. If you notice you left water drops on the screen, be careful to wipe them away asap.

4. Perform a reformatting

In case your PC shows signs of slowing down, back up its important documents. Then install the OS again. This is particularly important after a virus has been deleted from a device. Reformatting your computer now and then will save you a lot of trouble later on.

5. Take care of your PC's battery

Laptops are famous for their batteries which will only work well for just a couple of years. If you're one of those people who leave their devices' batteries charging 24/7, stop doing it. As soon as the battery is fully charged, remove it. Another option would be to unplug the gadget's power cable once the recharge is over.

6. Make sure your computer stays cool

Most of us keep our laptops on our bed when working. Then there are others who keep them in their laps. Bad ideas, both of them. If you do any of that, air is prevented from flowing through the device. Using a cooling pad will make sure overheating is prevented. Invest in that and your computer will thank you by lasting longer.

7. Make sure to defragment the hard drive

Computers can improve their performance if owners defragment their hard drives. It's an easy procedure and it implies opening something called a Disk Defragmenter. To get to this option, you have to click Start. Next: click Programs and select Accessories. Choose System tools and click Disk Defragmenter. That's it! A defragment should be performed on a regular basis.

8. Buy protective gear for your device

You keep your tablet and smartphone in special cases, right? Your laptop needs one of those, too. Padded protection is one of the best and most useful inventions ever. Keep your computer in a case or sleeve and carry it around without fear of dropping and damaging it. In such a worst case scenario, your device will have so many crashes that it will require a lot of repairing and lose crucial data.

9. Avoid running too many programs simultaneously

A computer's processor goes through quite a lot of daily strain. We tend to open too many tabs at once when we're online. It's the same with our PC's programs. Then we do something else and find that our device just froze. Avoid these situations by closing the tabs, programs or documents that aren't required to function at a particular time. Keep only the most necessary content open. Hitting the Power button too often once the computer freezes a bit (for, say, one minute) is another bad idea. Have a little bit of patience and, if things don't improve, hit Reboot.

Taking care of your PC is a sure way to help it last more than a couple of years. Fortunately there are many easy methods to do that. This post discusses how to expand the life of your computer in 9 steps. Get ready to enjoy your device for a long way to come!

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