Your computer, much like a car, will perform better and last longer when serviced regularly. IT professionals recommend that you service your computer annually to ensure it runs smoothly and to identify any hardware issues.
Over time computers get clogged with temporary files, internet histories, and unwanted software that fill up your hard drive and slow it down. Anyone using the internet is at risk of viruses and malware, which can hamper the performance of your computer and compromise your data security. A regular service will not only remove viruses and malware but ensure that your computer is running at optimum levels.
Taking a proactive approach to looking after your computer enables any issues to be caught early and dealt with quickly, before they become a bigger and more expensive problem. So what are the signs that you need to look out for?
Warning signals that your computer needs a service
- Computer running slowly – hard drives last between 3 and 5 years. Don‘t wait for it to fail – it is quicker and cheaper to replace the hard drive when it has started to fail rather than recover data and software from a completely failed hard drive.
- Hard drive imminent failure message – don’t ignore it and shut down immediately and take it to an IT professional.
- Over heating – this may be due to being dusty or a fan failure, and if not dealt with can seriously damage your computer, sometimes irrevocably.
- Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) – this means that the computer has a serious problem, it will not fix itself, and will need professional assistance.
- Corrupted files – If you’re beginning to find files that fail to open and are corrupted even though they saved without errors, or if files suddenly disappear – save your data and get your hard drive checked.
- Peculiar sounds -Grinding or screeching noises indicate that parts of the hardware, for example the bearings or spindle motor of the hard disk, or cooling fans, are failing. Back up your data and get it checked.
- Acting strangely – e.g. freezes, error messages – turn it off and restart it and if the issues continue seek help.
What do you do if your hard drive is about to fail?
If you think your hard drive is about to fail you need to back up your data on a second hard drive. The likelihood that both drives will fail simultaneously are very rare, however we recommend keeping a copy of your most important data in a different physical location, or alternatively save your data to the Cloud.
What should I do if I have a virus/malware?
If your computer is running slowly, or strange windows keep popping up as you browse your computer, you may well have been infected by a virus, spyware or one of the myriad of other types of malware that proliferate on the internet. What should you do?
- Before you do anything, you need to disconnect your computer from the internet, and don’t use it until you are ready to clean your computer.
- Delete temporary files
- Download malware scanners
- Run a scan with Malwarebytes
- If necessary, seek professional help from an IT expert
Managed IT Services
If you want to spend less time worrying about your computer a proactive solution like our Home PC Care Plan provides an around the clock monitoring and maintenance service, that keeps your computer software up-to-date and secure. It is like having a 24/7 service on your computer ensuring your computer runs smoothly and safely.
To book a service for your computer or find out about the full range of IT services we provide please contact us 01603 451810 | hello@adept-it-solutions.co.uk.