Computer News, Tips and Advice for Your Business from OSHEAS Computer Consultants

The Proper Care & Feeding of Your PC

Tips to Keep Your PC Running Smoothly - Part One

Most computer users have no idea how to take care of their computers. The general belief is that a computer is like a toaster or DVD player. You plug it in, turn it on and expect it to work. Like many things that we depend on, computers need a little care and maintenance to keep them running efficiently and to save time, hassle, and money in the future.

Your computer has many enemies
There are many things that can affect your computer’s health: viruses, power surges, hardware failures, bad software… but worst of all is heat. While manufacturers are working to reduce the heat that the average PC creates, internal fans are still needed to cool things down. The problem is the same fan that cools your computer, pulls in dust, dirt and hair which can actually heat things up, if left unchecked.

Listen to your computer
You notice your computer seems louder and/or is running slower than usual. This may mean your computer is not running efficiently. As the computer heats up, it speeds up the internal fans to cool down. This makes your computer run louder. When the fans can no longer provide enough cooling, your computer will actually slow itself down, so it doesn’t produce as much heat. Eventually, even this will not be enough and the computer may shut itself off. With an increase in humidity, which adds moisture to the dust, there is a risk of an electrical short and this may cause real damage to your computer.

The solution is simple
At least twice a year, (or three to four times a year if your computer sits on the floor, or you have pets in your office) turn off your computer for a quick cleaning.

• Take note of where all the cords are connected
• Move your computer outside or to an area where it can be cleaned
• Open the case and blow out the dust and hair using
  canned air
• Have three cans of canned air available, as you may need to change cans when one temporarily freezes up
• Try to avoid allowing the internal fan to spin when you blow
  the canned air on it.
• Do not try to wipe anything off, let the air do the work.
• Once the computer is cleaned out, close up the case, plug every thing back in, and fire it up.
• If it was really dirty you will probably notice a difference in performance right away.

If you are uncomfortable with the idea of opening and cleaning your PC, please do not hesitate to contact OSHEAS. We would be more than happy to take care of this for you.

What is The Computer 411?

As technology and computer consultants, we come across a lot of information that we find interesting and useful. We have decided to share this information in a monthly newsletter: the Computer 411. We hope the that the odds and ends of computer and technology news, tips and advice help You to better understand how your computer systems can help you and your business. If you have any questions or comments about the content found in this newsletter, please feel free to contact us at: 411@osheas.com. Thank you and enjoy.

Did You Know...

Researchers were able to extract and recover 99% of the research data from a Seagate hard drive that was onboard the ill-fated space shuttle, Columbia. On February 1, 2003, the Columbia experienced a tragic, fiery crash as it was re-entering the earth’s atmosphere. Nearly everything was disintegrated during re-entry.

In April of 2008, the data recovery crew at Kroll Ontrac, Inc. was able to reconstruct the damaged Seagate 400MB drive and painstakingly take the extremely valuable data off the drive. The crew said the device was so thoroughly damaged in the shuttle's fiery crash that it just looked like a cracked "hunk of metal".

OSHEAS has always highly recommended Seagate drives over all others, and this story helps illustrate the quality and durability of their products.

OSHEAS
Recommends

There are many
companies that offer anti-virus software, but we have found one we think is superior to all the rest. OSHEAS highly recommends AVG
Anti-Virus software. AVG offers basic antivirus and anti-spyware protection for Windows XP and Windows Vista and best of all, there is a free version available for download.

To get this free software,
click here. We advise that you uncheck the tool bar feature during install. Once installed you can safely uninstall any other anti-virus software you might be running.

About OSHEAS Computer Consultants

Since 1992, OSHEAS has been committed to developing lasting partnerships with all of their clients by providing the best technology solutions for each unique situation. From problems with a data server, web hosting, or a computer crash, to designing a new whole office system and network, OSHEAS has the knowledge and experience to solve any computer problem. Our electronic paging system allows us to be quick and responsive to situations as they happen, and we ensure confidentiality of all work.

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