With it being Springtime we are busy doing spring cleaning around our houses, doing deep cleanings inside, and cleaning up our yards. Don't forget to do your computers, both on the inside and outside. You would be surprised at how much dust gets inside of our computers and keyboards.
Here are some tips and tricks for cleaning the inside and outside of your computer.
Computer Fans: I like to use canned air to spray my computer out. Fans get clogged from little dust bunnies and just from going in and out of my laptop bag all of the time.
Keyboards: I also have a little vacuum I bought from Amazon that I use. It's great for cleaning my keyboard and the inside of clients' computers when I take them to replace hard drives. (I always clean out the inside of the computer for them).
Screens: It always amazes me how screens get dirty even if they are not touch screens. I am very particular about my screen wipes because I don't want streaks or residue left behind. I use the NXT screen wipes. I use these on all screens in my house including my Alexa, wifi camera, sunglasses, and reading glasses.
Cabling: Another thing I like to do is check my cables, make sure everything is plugged in correctly, and clean up any messy cords. I am a stickler for cabling that looks good and I love using velcro to make everything look nice, Amazon has a lot of options for getting different size velcro straps.
Other devices that should be cleaned:
I like to clean my power strips and check all of my power cords that are plugged in to make sure they are all fitting tightly.
If you have a battery backup it's good to do a battery test to see how long it lasts and replace it if necessary.
Internet service provider modem. I like to wipe this down and use the canned air on it, the same goes for any wireless routers and switches, I like to blow out any open ports on the switches and then unplug any used ports one at a time to blow them out with the canned air.
Printers: I like to clean my printer both inside and out. I take out the paper and use my little vacuum to get inside the tray, and this is also a good time to check your ink cartridges and do an alignment with the printer.
Get rid of wanted Apps and Programs:
It's amazing at how many unused apps and programs we can accumulate on our computers over the years.
Apps and Programs: I like to go through my programs and delete anything that I no longer use.
Old printer drivers: Uninstall any old printer drivers that are still hanging around on the computer even though the printer was replaced long ago.
Computer Maintenance:
Let's admit the truth, no one likes to do maintenance on our computers but its important and what better time than when you are doing a PC spring cleaning?
Here are a few things you can do to make sure things are running smoothly.
Virus and malware protection:This is a great time to make sure your virus and malware protection is up to date and to run a through scan with both, including scanning for rootkits.
Updates: I know you are rolling your eyes at me because if you have read my other blogs you know how much I talk about doing your updates! It's important, updates are released for a reason.
Software updates: Its also important to do updates to your software applications, so you might as well go through and check to make sure your software is all running on the latest and greatest versions.
Driver and Firmware updates: I know this one can be tricky for people but its important to keep the firmware and drivers updated for ALL of your devices! This goes for things like your wireless router, printer, doorbell cameras, smart tv, security camera systems, especially if you have NVRs where the footage is stored, gaming consoles, Apple TVs, Roku boxes, fire sticks. If it talks to the internet make sure you check it for any updates!!
Does any of the above sound scary to you?
If you are not sure about some of my suggestions then make the smart IT choice and reach out to me today so we can get your computer and other devices updated and running like they should.
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