I noticed that the little sticker on my car windshield that indicates that it’s just about time for an oil change. It’s funny how we pay so much attention to our car and its maintenance, but we don’t do the same for our computers.
These days, almost everyone owns a computer. It is a must-have, like a car. With our cars, we seem to remember to change the oil; we notice strange noises, indicator lights and take care of that infamous 60,000 mile tune up. Our computers are not so lucky even though we may use them more often than our cars - especially if you telecommute!
With our computers, we travel all over the internet. Computers are responsible for our email, family calendars, schedules, pictures, music and those bizarre you-tube videos. We rarely consider that there are thousands of temporary file fragments being strewn all over our precious hard drives every time we go surfing. We forget to apply software updates and our virus scan software is often out of date. But when our computers come to a crawl or don’t work at all – we freak out! We keep a lot of stuff in that little box but don’t think about doing a bit of maintenance once in a while. We never worry until it’s too late!
Regular maintenance for your computer will keep it going strong. A little TLC – starting with some “housekeeping” on a monthly basis will help. Delete files you don’t need any more. Configure Windows Updates to install automatically. Make a backup copy of all of your important files and store them on a DVD in a safe place.
Schedule regular maintenance for your computer using post-it notes, email reminders or put in on the Outlook calendar! So, the next time you notice that little sticker on your windshield or change the oil on your car, think about your computer. Maybe a computer checkup now and then will keep you traveling safe on the “information super highway”.
