Know your computer

The personal computer (PC) has become a very important part of the life for the modern TEENager. The PC is also quite an investment, as some possess some extremely high-end prices. As such, it becomes even more important to protect this investment.

It is thought that the useful life of a PC is about three years. That is when most warranties expire and most systems start to fail. But through proper maintenance, regular updating and the occasional upgrade here and there, you can get so much more out of your PC.

You can start by:

1) Installing spyware and antivirus programmes.

This does for your PC, what washing your hands after using the bathroom does for your body. Get rid of all the bad stuff that could harm you later. Antivirus programmes like Norton and AVG are quite effective at eliminating viruses as long as you keep them well updated. However, getting rid of spyware might pose a much stickier problem. There are dozens of good programmes like Lavasoft's Ad-Aware or Microsoft's Windows Defender that can detect and remove spyware from your computer, and still better yet, some are free! But if things have gotten too out of control, it's probably best you back up your data and reinstall the operating system.

2) Uninstall unnecessary programmes

Over time, your computer can and probably will get crowded with software that nobody either uses or needs anymore. Some of these programs use up the computer's resources even when they're not being used. So go through the 'Add' or 'Remove' programmes menu and uninstall any program you haven't used since the Thunder Cats been coming on local television.

3) Run diagnostics

Most PCs come with basic diagnostic and maintenance tools built into the system. In Windows PCs, you can find them in 'System Tools' in the 'Accessories' folder.

4) Get more memory

The quickest way to increase the performance of your PC is to give it more memory -- or RAM (Random-access memory). If you've still got 256 megabytes of RAM in your system, your PC is probably going to have a hard time running a programs or applications made in the last three years, and unfortunately, you're probably not going to be able to view all the cool stuff that the online expect has to offer.

Follow these simple steps and you'll be sure to get so much more out of your little PC.

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