After being in this business for over 5 years now, I have come to realize that the majority of people detest spending money on their computer. Computer maintenance is perceived as being just a waste of money. Then when the computer breaks down, it is seen as a huge inconvenience. Would we get 10 years out of our cars without maintenance and repairs? Why are so many people under the assumption that a computer should just “work forever” without any maintenance? Lets take a closer look

That’s a good question, and I don’t have an answer. Our cars get oil changes, brake jobs, and tire rotations. Our homes get new roofs, better windows, and cut lawns nearly every week!  If anything needs replacing or upgrading, it is just seen as routine. Yet our poor computers are left without any TLC!

We demand so much from our computers everyday. In many cases they are left to run around the clock, 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. They are our primary source of information, paramount to our communication, and the gateway to our social networking & electronic media. Heck, they are the backbone of our businesses! The truth is, they are becoming more and more important to our lives as time goes on…

I feel if people knew a bit more, they would not be so adverse to the idea of spending a few bucks a year on their computer; perhaps its just a simple lack of education. Maintenance will save frustration and headaches in the future. It’s not like anyone is to blame here. I mean, who really talks about computer maintenance anyways? For example, we know that our oil needs changing every 5000 Miles. But how do we change our computers oil? Here are the basics:

1) Data Backup: Our data is whats really important. Our pictures, music, movies, documents… this is what equates to true “value.” Its hard to put a price tag on our memories, but I would wager that they’re pretty pricey. And our businesses… well, its not an option to lose data; it could be catastrophic. If you are unsure how to backup your data, have a professional teach you. You may just be thankful you did.

2) Software TuneUp: Have a professional cleanup unwanted applications, reduce memory hogging, remove viruses & spyware, fix registry errors, and defragment your hard drive. If done correctly, this will make a night and day difference in the speed and responsiveness of your machine.

3) Hardware Diagnostics and Dust Cleaning: Have a professional check your RAM and Hard Drive for failure. Get your machine physically cleaned removing dust and debris from inside. This will avoid overheating, which could destroy the computer in a instant. A cool computer is a safe, efficient computer.

These 3 things are the foundation for computer maintenance. A few hundred bucks a year to ensure a speedy, reliable system? Could you put a price tag on a complete computer disaster? All your pictures and documents gone forever? Or even worse some would argue, is having a computer so slow that it causes more frustration and anxiety than enjoyment.

Some may argue that computers are so cheap that they are almost disposable these days. That’s a valid point, because its very true. Computers are cheap nowadays. But should we just run them into the ground and buy a new one? Not a great strategy. Its a real pain in the butt to be transferring all your data, programs, and settings from one computer to the next new one. Besides, who wants to spend $800 every 2 years on a new computer? Personally I have been using the same computer for 8 years! There is no reason why you can’t get 10 years out of your computer. If you take care of it, it will take care of you. Similar with a lot of things in life.

Lets run a quick example to show why its cost effective and less hassle to maintain rather than buy new.

Scenario A - Maintain
$800 to purchase your computer
$200 / year for maintenance (9 years)
Total Expense after 10 years = $2600

Scenario B - Buy New Every 2 Years
$800 to purchase your computer
Don’t spend a dime on maintenance. Simply buy another after 2 years
Total Expense after 10 years = $4000
Plus the hassle of transferring data, programs, and settings. What happens if the computers gets real slow & sluggish after the first year?

Considering how important the computer has become to our lives, we should become more accustom to shelling out a few bucks making sure its running well. Nobody likes a slow computer, and a computer that doesn’t work is no help either. YES - Computers Need Maintenance Too!

Anyways, thanks for listening to my rant. Thats my story, and I’m sticking too it. Hopefully I was able to open some eyes, and save somebody from a complete computer meltdown. Share your opinions and experiences below!

This entry was posted on Monday, May 4th, 2009 at 6:28 pm and is filed under Maintenance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.