Things you should know about computer

1. Your computer can probably run Windows 7? Windows 7 is unlike Windows Vista. Windows Vista was a giant resource hog compared to Windows XP. Windows 7 needs to have a processor 1 GHZ or higher, 1 GB of ram for 32 bit or 2 GB of ram for 64 bit. 16 GB of Hard Drive space for 32 bit or 20 GB of Hard Drive space for 64 bit. With Direct X 9 device with WDDM (Windows Display Driver Model) 1.0 or higher driver. This means with computers and laptops that are less then two years old should be able to handle Windows 7.

2. A laptop is slower then a desktop. The hard drives are slower in a laptop compared to a desktop of the same year.

3. In Windows 32 bit versions, the maximum RAM is limited to 4 GB.

4. The more ram you have the more efficient the computer will run.

Minimum: 512 MB
Recommended: 1GB
Excellent: 2GB or higher.

5. You should not fill your hard drive to more than 75% of capacity. It causes the hard drive to work harder, which shortens the life. Also, it takes longer to run your maintenance programs.

6. Hardware that is not installed correctly or that is faulty will cause the blue screen of death. Viruses can also cause the blue screen of death. An experienced technician will test both hardware and software to find the true problem.

7. You should never save your data on the same drive as your operating system. Viruses attack the operating system which can cause loss of data saved on the same drive.

8. You should not use normal vacuum the inside of your computer because it has lots of static. Even if it’s not a visible discharge, there can be a static discharge that will damage your computer. You should use anti-static vacuum instead.

9. You should have good anti-virus and anti-spyware programs. A good anti-virus will help you keep out the viruses that can cause a lot of damage to your files. A good anti-spyware will help get rid of the programs that are collecting information on you and sending it out over the world wide web.

10. You should use Disk Defragmenter on your computer regularly. Overtime your hard drive gets fragmented. This causes your computer to slow down. Defragmenting your hard drive will optimize the time it takes to read and write files to/from the disk.

11. You should not use your laptop on soft surfaces. The fans become obstructed and the machine will get too hot causing damage to the machine. Although laptops can do most things a desktop can they have significantly less ventilation.

12. You should do regular back-ups and maintenance. Data recovery can be a very expensive process. It’s always a better idea to make sure you back up you computer often as there is no guarantee when computer will crash.

13. You should not leave your laptop running all the time. It can get very hot as it does not have the ventilation space a tower does.

14. You should not leave your laptop powered on if transporting in a case. There is not enough space inside for it to be able to cool properly. Overheating will cause damage to the inside parts.

15. You should use a battery back up for desktop. It keeps the power more stable and you computer won't suffer spikes or brown outs (brown outs are just as hard on your computer as a spike).

16. You should not block any fan on your computer. The more air circulation you have the better your chances of keeping your computer within proper operating temperatures. Too much heat can cause the insides parts to be damaged.

17. You should do a regular cleaning on all optical drives. Like all things they work better and longer if well maintained. The cleaning disc can be purchased at any retailer that sells audio equipment.

18. When you are buying CD's or DVD's make sure they are not transparent. If you can see through them, you run the risk of having a higher percentage of bad burns or bad discs.