Computer maintenance tips: some last minute tips

The past two blog posts have been about tips that I’m sharing with PC users a way for them to keep their PCs in great shape. Maintenance is the key towards having a trouble free PC. If you do not even do any kind of cursory maintenance on your PC chances are that you will encounter problems more frequently and sooner than a PC user who keeps regular maintenance of his computer.Below are some last computer maintenance tips that you should perform on your PC. Follow these tips to lessen any problems down the road:

* Ensure that your hard drive is performing optimally and its physical condition is ok by performing Scandisk regularly. Doing this will allow you to know if you are beginning to get bad sectors on your hard drive, the kind of information that you should know about ASAP especially if you have sensitive and important data stored on the hard drive.

* Delete the temporary internet files to free up space and also speed up browsing. You can set up Internet Explorer to automatically delete temporary internet files by going to Tools/ Internet Options/ Advanced. Go to the bottom and select “Empty Temporary Internet Files when browser is closed.”

* It would be a good idea not to use Internet Explorer as your browser because it has a lot of security flaws that could potentially harm your system. Consider using Firefox or Opera instead, two browsers that are less likely to have security breaches.

* Try to get the latest Java download to keep your system up to date.

* Download the SiteAdvisor plugin, which provides safety ratings for the sites that you visit, helping you prevent visiting websites that can harm your computer.