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Making Your Computer Rock-Solid


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Making Your Computer Rock-Solid

If you are like me, you might rely heavily on your computer for work everyday. Unfortunately, if you haven't reinforced your system with security software and system updates, your computer might not last forever. A few years ago, I was plugging along when my computer completely died. After spending hundreds of dollars on manufacturer repairs, a friend of mine who worked in computer services taught me a few tips. I want to teach you to make your computer rock-solid, so that you don't have to deal with surprise system failures and annoying glitches. After all, nothing is worse than a computer with problems.

Tips For Keeping Your Computer Cool When The AC Breaks Down

Just as it's important to keep your body cool during the summer, it's also important to keep your computer cool. Computers generate a lot of heat, and that heat needs to be released in order for the computer to run properly. Computers that overheat may experience everything from slow processing speeds to hardware failure. Climate control is an important part of keeping your computer cool, but isn't a requirement as long as you make other accommodations.  

Use Alternative Methods to Keep Your Home Cool

Room temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit have the potential to be damaging to your computer. Follow these tips to keep your home's temperature as far below 90 degrees as possible:

  • Draw the curtains and shades.
  • Turn on the attic fan and ceiling fans.
  • Eat take out and avoid cooking.
  • Turn off incandescent light bulbs. 

Check your home's thermostat (if it's working) throughout the day to ensure that your home's internal temperature stays below 90 degrees. If it rises above 90, consider relocating your computer to the coolest part of the house, like the basement or a room on the home's north side. 

Clear the Fan Vents

Your computer uses a fan to blow hot air out of the tower. Most likely you won't be able to see the fan, but you will be able see the vents where the fan blows air from the CPU. These vents tend to get clogged with dust and can make it harder for your computer to cool itself off. Take a look at the vents and wipe them off on the outside with a clean paper towel or clean cotton rag. This will help ensure that the fan has adequate clearance to blow hot air out of the tower. 

Know When to Turn the Computer Off

Learn to recognize the signs that your computer is overheating.

  • Sluggish performance. When it overheats, your computer will start to run slow for unknown reasons. Programs that usually take little or no processing time will start to take a long time to run.
  • Sudden computer crashes and restarts. Your computer may shut itself off or restart itself suddenly.  
  • Loud fan. When the internal temperatures begin to climb, your computer's fan will begin to work harder to compensate. The harder your fan blows, the louder it will become. If your computer begins to overheat, the fan may blow louder than ever before. 

If any of these things happen, your computer is getting too hot to run safely. Turn it off. If necessary, wait until evening when your house begins to cool. Click here for more information about computer services.