How to Avoid the Pitfalls of a Computer Crash

Learn how to keep your computer running in tip-top shape.
If computer users had to make a list of their top five frustrating "computer moments," chances are fairly good that a large percentage of them would rate a computer crash at the top of their list. Depending upon the situation that a computer is used for (i.e. personal, business, etc.) a computer crash can mean everything from simple frustration to a devastating loss of time and money. Despite the prevalence of crashes, however, a lot of people still fail to understand why computer crashes actually happen. Even more unfortunate is the fact that even fewer people know the correct steps to take to avoid a crash in the first place.

As it seems to be with all things technical, the best way to understand crashes is by starting with the basics. According to expert Michael Cottier, hard drive crashes can happen for a variety of reasons. Oftentimes, says Cottier, a crash occurs because of a hardware problem. In this case something is wrong with the physical hard drive itself -- overheating or broken parts are good examples. Crashes can also occur due to corrupt system files, damaged registry files and accumulated viruses. In order to prevent damage of all types, it is important to follow certain steps.

•Defragment the hard drive at least once every month. Operating systems normally come with a defragmenting program -- a user
simply has to open the program and let it go about its business.

• Purchase and use a quality virus scanner. It’s important to always leave a virus scanner turned on to prevent invasive material from reaching the hard drive. It’s also a good idea to perform a full system scan once per month using the virus scanner.

• Enforce SPAM guards on e-mail programs.

• Delete temporary Internet files every couple of weeks -- they can wreak havoc on a registry if left untouched for long periods of time.

Common sense plays a large part in preventing crashes as well. Adware and/or spyware is prevalent in downloadable files, random pop-ups and free software. It’s a user’s responsibility to know what they’re downloading and to be proactive in checking the legal terms of each and every program they place on their computer. Laziness can result in unwanted crashes.

Experts at My-tech-guide.com also advise computer users to back up all files to discs on a regular basis. This prevents the loss of valuable information even if a computer should happen to crash. This is especially true for individuals running any type of business from their computer. It’s bad enough to face the hassles of a computer crash -- it’s even worse to lose precious (and potentially profitable) files if they’re not properly saved somewhere outside of the hard drive.

Computer crashes are unfortunately a common part of life. That doesn’t mean, however, that they have to stop productivity in its tracks. By taking a few simple steps of caution, and by ensuring that material is always backed-up to discs, a computer crash can be nothing more than a minor bump in the road.

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By J. Charleston
Published: 4/11/2007

 
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