Keep It Clean
Computers, since they constantly need air moving through them to stay cool, pull in a lot of dust over time which can seriosuly hurt performance. Compressed air is a good tool for keeping things working smoothly. If you’ve got time and feel confident in your skills, you can also (carefully) open your tower or laptop to clean out the dust from fans, heatsinks, and other places where collected dust can cause increased heat and therefore a shortened device lifespan. A soft microfiber cloth is also handy to keep around for cleaning screens without scratching them.
Back It Up
Not enough people back up their files and we can’t recommend it enough. If you’re working from home, though, having all files and information safely duplicated can be a lifesaver in case something does go wrong with your device. We reccomend at the very least have some kind of cloud-storage backup but it’s best to just invest in an external hard-drive that you can keep with you and back-up all of your most important files. Then you always have access to them when you need them.
Organize the Wires
Cable management is generally for more aesthetic reasons, but it is actually important for the safety of your workspace. The very least you can do is ensure you don’t run cables in areas that you walk over often if you have to try zip-tying them to a nearby surface or running them somewhere else. A little work goes a long way with your cable management and can save you from a nasty fall and/or pulling your computer over onto the ground.
Keep it Updated and Upgraded
Most of your computer’s different hardware components will need updated drivers to work correctly with everything else in your system. It’s critical that you keep these updated or compatibility issues that could lead to total system failure. You also need to keep your hardware updated, if you do graphics work but haven’t updated your graphics card in 5+ years, you need to talk to us.
If you count on your computer for your work then it’s really worth investing some time in keeping it running smoothly. Use the tips above to get started, but if something crazy happens, have no fear. Buckeye Computer services can help you with anything you need.
