Some users will immediately call up their most technically inclined friend for assistance. But sometimes even then, they won't know the solution to the problem. So they call up the local computer shop and geek crew for an estimate. Once quoted $70-140 per hour, they immediately hang up and have to make a tough decision: Let the problem persist and hope it goes away after a few restarts, or get ready to open their wallets as far as they will go.
Fortunately, there are people out there who can help you solve your problem for only $40 per hour, but even then you get pretty lucky the person is who they say they are. I am that person. I am an honest individual who is what many call a geek and can fix almost anything when it comes to personal computers and small business networks. But this article isn't about me, it's about some of the things I do and am willing to tell you about the procedures for you to do it yourself and keep your computer running smoothly and hopefully without as many errors as before.
Now, after normal wear and tear of computers being used day in and out, the computer guts will sometimes wear out. This is normal, just like the human body getting old, except computers only last anywhere from 2 seconds (when something must have gone wrong in the factory build of the computer), all the way up to years and years on end and sometimes even up to 20 years these days!
But occasionally, computers will slow down. Sometimes it's a user error when people get used to such a fast speed that when their computer is run for so long, people often see it as getting slower and slower. Truth is that you are just getting used to the speed. Why not install some more memory or upgrade the CPU? Sounds complex huh? It can be.
Here are some normal and typical things you can do to keep your computer running healthy, safer, and more enjoyable knowing you are taking care of it and keeping out a lot of bad things.