Computer Turns Off On Its Own

It isn’t always the power supply that causes a computer to not turn on or stay on.  Problems can be at the physical hardware level on the motherboard.  Below you will see pictures showing images of an older AMD Socket A motherboard with leaking, bulging capacitors.  The owner of this board described the problem as he would turn on his computer, it would barely get to the Windows welcome screen and then just freeze.  The problem continued to get worse, eventually the system wouldn’t get past the BIOS screen, and then it just would not power on.

So What Causes Capacitor Failure?

Leaking and bulging motherboard capacitors around processor.

•  The chemicals inside a capacitor is producing gas, hence causing them to bulge and leak.  It could be a bad capacitor from the factory.  If you device (motherboard, video card, power supply, etc.) is under warranty, be sure to contact the manufacturer to see about a replacement.

•  Power spikes and surges, over charging of the capacitor.  Capacitors can literally blow up.  This is rare, but does happen often when associated with electrical surges.  The sound is likened to a pop that can be as loud as a .22 cal. rifle or a low muffled pop like a bottle full of just plain air thrown into a fire.

•  Conditions are too hot.  If a computer is in a harsh environment (look at your manufacturers specifications for exacts) this could lead to an early death of any capacitor.

•  Moisture, humidity like the climate description above can play havoc on any computer equipment that is not designed to resist water/humidity causing short circuits and electrical surges.

Symptoms of Capacitors Gone Bad:

•  System isn’t booting past post or barely making it into the operating system before it freezes.

•  A device like a CD/ROM cause the computer to reboot or shut off when access.  System freezes, blue screen, and/or turns off when using a high demand on resources application.

•  Sudden and random shut downs (system abruptly turns off).

•  System is running noticeably slower than you ever remember.  You know there are no virus’, spyware, and the hard drive is fine.  If you suspect that your problem is software related, you can verify it by running a free scan from Uniblue using their Registry Booster.

•   Windows producing a Blue Screen of Death for no apparent reason (unrelated to drivers).

How do I Prevent Capacitor Failure?

There are only a few prevention methods, however sometimes it still cannot be avoided.

•  Room temperatures should be between 60F and 75F.  If higher than 75F, be sure to provide lots of cool air flow into the computer and a hot air escape from the system tower.

•  Keep room temperatures between 60 F. and 75F ideally.   Relative humidity should be  low but not absent, between 35% – 45%.  Humidity can be bad for your health as well as a computer.  Mold likes to grow in high humidity climates.  Water likes to condensate in high humidity.  In low humidity environments, static electricity is common.  One good zap to the right electronic components inside a computer will bring it to its knees.  Water and electricity just don’t mix, period.

•  Surge protector and battery backup:  As high a joule rating as you can afford and backed by a battery backup unit UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) to keep power from turning off abruptly and remain running until it can be properly shut down or resume A.C. power.

Can’t I Replace the Capacitors Instead of the Entire Motherboard or Component?

Yes, it is possible if you have a bit of soldering know-how and match the capacitors exactly with the same specifications as the ones that you are replacing.  These days though, it more likely to be cost effective to just outright buy a new motherboard than the cost incurred from replacing the capacitors (time, parts, technician, etc).  Ryan’s Computer Consulting Services replaces motherboards occasionally due to bad capacitors.  If you are tech savvy and are in the market for a new motherboard we recommend checking out Tiger Direct.com.

Power Supply Failure, Noises, Computer not Turning On?  

Power supplies like hard drives will fail eventually. Power supplies however almost never give any warnings that they are about to give up other than the computer just not turning on.

Power supply failure early symptoms:

•  There are strange noises coming from the back side of the computer where the power cord plugs into the power supply.

•  Nothing happens when the computer power button is pressed.

• The computer turns on for a few seconds and then turns off.  (Sometimes this is unfortunately associated with motherboard failures.)

•  Computer turns on for a while, but when games or other applications are using the computer steadily, it will turn off or I get a blue screen.

Some of the most common issues with power supplies is bad leaking capacitors.  This same issue can happen on a motherboard as well.  Capacitors can blow, bulge or leak caused by many things such as:  power spikes, power outages, and age to name a few.  Below are a couple of pictures of bulging and leaking capacitors.  I cut away the wires inside the power supply to make things a bit easier to see.  Never take a power supply apart, it is dangerous and you risk electrocution, even if the power supply is unplugged.  Capacitors are made to hold high amounts of electrical charges.  The human body only needs 1/8 of an amp to stop your heart.  Power supplies on average produce 10 – 30 amps, while even higher models go up to 100 amps.

Capacitors are leaking brown goo from the center of the plus sign above. The other ones are bulging.

The power supply above caused the computer it was in to immediately turn off when the user inserted a CD into a CD/ROM drive.  It was not able to supply adequate power to all the components in the computer so it browned out, or as the user would say, just rebooted without warning.  Power supplies are common to fail, if you are comfortable in opening your computer and replacing your power supply, we recommend “PC Power & Cooling” brand power supplies.

If you have any of these symptoms, it would be a good idea to have the system checked out. Frequent power supply failures will ultimately lead to further system damage and/or data corruption, which will cost you more hard earned dollars in the long run.

Rechargeable Batteries: Which One to Buy, Differences?

Rechargeable batteries come in many shapes sizes and types.  In this article we will cover the surface of the different types of batteries, their common use, when they should be replaced, and what to replace them with.

Batteries are used everyday in any portable electronic device.  So far, there is no other energy source on the the market yet to power our energy hungry equipment.  They are in devices from calculators to  laptops.  We depend on them dearly, however as a consumer know very little about them.  Below is a list of the different common types of batteries that are used in consumer electronics.

•  NiCd:  Nickel Cadmium is found commonly in household batteries such as AA, AAA, 9v, etc.  While this type of battery holds a charge longer, they don’t typically have the voltage that is needed for power hungry electronics such as it’s counterpart NiMh battery.

•  NiMh:  Nickel Medal Hidride is also found in common household batteries as the NiCd batteries, however they have a much higher and needed voltage output for electronics with the trade of a quicker power drainage.  NiMh is the recommended battery of choice for devices such as CD players, mp3 players, wireless devices such as mice, keyboards, etc.

•  Lithium-Ion:  These batteries are used in laptops, cell phones, iPods, iPhones, etc.  These batteries have a long lasting energy drain and don’t discharge as quickly while sitting idle.  Unfortunately, they also don’t come in standard flavors such as the AA & AAA type batteries.  So you will likely see these batteries found in proprietary devices such as listed above.

Common Battery Questions

Do rechargeable batteries ever lose the ability to hold a charge?

Yes, in time, they will hold less of a charge due to the chemicals inside not reacting as they once did when they were new.

My batteries don’t seem to last long in my device is there anything I can do to lengthen the life of the battery?

All rechargeable batteries have a mah rating (Milliampere Hour).  The higher the rating on the battery, the longer it will last.  Be warned however, if your battery charger is only rated to be able to charge up to say a 1800mah, and you buy 2500mah batteries, your charger will either take a much longer time to charge the batteries or not charge them at all.  Be sure to have an adequate battery charger  before or while purchasing new rechargeable batteries.

How long do rechargeable batteries last?

Depends on use, and example would be if you use the batteries in an mp3 player consistently day in and out, charging them once or every other day, then you may get a year or two out of them.  On the other hand, if they are not used as hard, they could have much more longevity.

What should I do with my old batteries?

Recycle them at your local recycling center.  Major retail chains have drop offs that don’t charge to recycle used batteries.  Check you local Yellow Pages for listings in your area.  Some laptop manufacturers in the past have had exchange programs when sending in old laptop batteries for the new one, be sure to check into this as well if you are replacing your laptop battery.  The same applies for cell phones.

Can I mix battery types?

No, always go with the recommended battery type for your device.  Do not deviate from the manufacturer requirements and recommendations.

Can’t I just recharge my normal lithium or alkaline batteries?

Never!  Not only will they not recharge, but you take an extreme risk of fire and explosions.  Just stay away from this thought altogether.

Is fully discharging a battery and recharging bad for a battery?

While the Lithium-Ion batteries are not effected by this, it is recommended for the NiCd and NiMh types.  Fully charging, then discharging will help with there longevity and achieve maximum battery power storage.  However in time they will wear out.

Care for Existing Batteries:

•  New batteries normally come in a discharged or barely charged condition.  Be sure to read the manufacturers recommendation on charging them for the first time.  This is critical to get started off on the right foot with your investment and to get the most life out of them.

•  If you don’t plan to use the battery for more than a month, remove the battery from the device or charger, then place it is a dry, cool, and clean environment for storage.  Rechargeable batteries lose charge when unused.  So, when it is installed back into its device, it may require to be recharged back to capacity.

•  Keep moisture and excessive extreme heat away from batteries.  Heat will cause a battery to explode, potentially causing, bodily harm, burns, fire, or even in some cases death.

•  Dropping and physically damaging batteries is really bad, for it can expose the inner cells and acids to the surface.  Disregard any damaged batteries.

When purchasing new rechargeable batteries, they can be purchased at just about any retail chain.  However, if you are buying a new Lithium-Ion (laptop, iPod, cell phone, etc.) battery, always go with the manufacturer brand for that make and model of device.  Only deviate from the same battery if it is recommended by the manufacturer.  Off brands are fine for as long as they are authentic and guaranteed.

Computer Beep Codes: What do They Mean?

Have you ever noticed that when a computer is turned on there is a single quick beep before you see the screen load?  There is a reason for this other than knowing the computer is on.  It is to let you know that all the functions of the Power On Self Test passed or POST.  In the BIOS of the computer’s motherboard there are many different things that need to be recognized before the computer will will function as a whole such as the CPU, Hard Drive, Video Card, and more.  When a computer sounds off more than one beep or a series of long and short beeps, then that means there is something wrong with the hardware.  Below is a generic general translation of the beep codes.

No Beep:

•  There is likely a short circuit, no power, or possibly loose cards/peripherals.

One Beep:

•  All is well, nothing to worry about.

Two Beeps:

•  There is an error in the BIOS/CMOS.  This will depend on the error message on screen, as to what it is yelling at you for.

One Long Beep and One Short Beep:

•  There is a problem on the motherboard.  This can be related to blown or failing capacitors.

Two Short (Sometimes three Short):

•  Video Card:  If you card is on-board, you may need to replace the motherboard unless there is a slot for a card to be installed.  If you have a video card, try re-seating the card or cleaning out any dust around the slot before re-seating.  Otherwise, it just likely you have a failed/broken video card.

Three Long Beeps:

•  Keyboard Error:  Check for stuck keys, or altogether just replace the keyboard.

Repeated Long Beeps:

•  Memory Error:  Memory has died or is failing.  Replace with new memory.

Continuous H-Lo Beeps (Sounds Like a Siren):

•  Computer Processor Unit is over heating or heated.  Turn system off immediately.  Check thermal compound between CPU and heat-sink, apply new if needed.  Check the fan on the heat-sink to be sure it is spinning.  This can be done after the computer has cooled down for at least 30 minutes.  Briefly turn system on, and see if the fan is running and then turn it back off.

Remember, not all beeps are the same.  They can very from manufacturer to manufacturer.  Checking with your manufacturer’s motherboard manual may be a little more descriptive if the beep error code isn’t listed above.

Computer Loses Track of Time?

It is true, all computers have small internal batteries. These batteries are very much like a watch battery and can be purchased at your local electronics store. Desktop & laptop computers both have a little thing called a BIOS (or also known as Basic Instruction Operating System). This is where your computer understands it has a hard drive,CD-ROM, floppy, and all other electronic parts. It reports to this information to your operating system (Microsoft Windows, Linux, etc.)  From time to time these little guy loose their charge and cause havoc on your computer’s functionality. The system time will not keep, your operating system may not start up are just a couple of items.

In laptops, often the large system battery will not charge properly. These little batteries are not difficult to replace and are often inexpensive to replace. I you are a daring person to fix this on your own, there are a couple of things to remember: first turn off the computer and unplug it for at least 15 minutes, second after opening the case, locate the batter. If the computer is within the last five to eight years it will most likely have a socket it is sitting in. Often it can be popped out with a small flat head screw driver. Do not forget to ground yourself by resting your arm or holding a metal part of the case before you touch any internal components. When you replace the battery, you will need to re-setup the BIOS settings. Most computers ask you at the beginning of booting up to press Del (delete) or F2, etc to enter setup. There are many settings in the BIOS that is user friendly, but there are also advanced settings that may confuse the user. Consult your user manual or call us for assistance.

Tips For Uninstalling Windows PreLoaded Software

New computers, especially the branded ones, often come loaded with several trial software programs. Many Windows computers also come with trial versions of Microsoft products such as the latest Microsoft Office. These preloaded software programs, usually included for promotional reasons, not only clutter your Desktop and Start menu with unwanted shortcuts, but also fill up your hard disk with their files, eat up system resources, and as a result, considerably slow down your computer.

This article lists various methods that you can use to get rid of these unwanted programs and speed up your computer.

The simplest method to remove unwanted programs from computer is to use the Add or Remove Programs utility that is shipped with your Windows computer. To remove programs using this utility, perform the following steps:

1. Open Control Panel, and then select the Add or Remove Programs link.

2. Next, scroll down the Currently installed programs list, and identify the programs you want to remove. For example, to remove AOL from your computer, select the AOL uninstall option from this list.

3. Select one of them, and then click the Remove or Change/Remove button to launch the program uninstall dialog box.

4. Next, follow the screen instructions to proceed with the uninstallation.

5. If prompted, restart you computer and repeat the process until you have removed all the unwanted programs you had identified earlier.

Note: If you want to remove a particular Microsoft update, for example if you want to uninstall Windows Media Player update or Internet Explorer update to resolve some problem, you will have to select the Show Updates check box located at the top of the Add or Remove Programs dialog box. When you select the check box, all hidden Microsoft update entries appear in the Currently installed programs list. After this, you can select and uninstall the updates you do not require.

There are certain Windows components that cannot be uninstalled using the Add or Remove Programs utility. For example, you may not able to remove Windows XP Firewall using this method. In order to uninstall XP firewall, you first need to stop and disable the firewall service from the Services (services.msc) window and then at Start > Run type the following command and press Enter to remove the program.  sc delete Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)

Sometimes, it is difficult to completely remove all information related to a program, especially if it is quite large in size. In order to take care of this problem, software manufacturers create program uninstallers. For example, to perform a complete and clean Office 2007 uninstall, you can download and use its uninstaller program available at the Microsoft Website.

There are several third-party tools also available today that you can use to detect any stubborn spyware and adware programs installed on your PC and get rid of all information related to them.

Finally, it is recommended that after you have uninstalled a program, you use a registry cleaner tool to scan and remove any left behind orphan keys. Additionally, it is always a good idea to follow up program uninstalls and the registry cleanup process with a registry defrag, because this task helps in removing any left behind empty registry keys and helps in compressing and thus speeding up the registry and your computer.

Understanding the Basics of the Windows Registry

The Windows Vista registry is a large, complex, and tree–like database built up of keys, subkeys, and their individual values. These keys and values are used to store  onfiguration data linked with user preferences, hardware and software setup, and system settings.

Similar to older Windows operating systems, the Windows Vista registry consists of the following five root keys:

•  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM): Contains configuration information related to all hardware devices and software programs that are installed on your system.

•  HKEY_USERS (HKU): Contains information related to all user profiles configured on the system. HKEY_USERS key has a template, which is used by your system to generate new user profiles with default configuration.

•  HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT (HKCR): Stores information about file types and extensions, protocols, and classes registered on your computer.  This key is user-specific and extracts user-specific data from the HKLM key.  The  information displayed in the HKCR subtree is obtained from the HKLMSOFTWAREClasses and HKCUSOFTWAREClasses keys.

•  HKEY_CURRENT_USER (HKCU): HKEY_CURRENT_USER key contains information related to desktop settings, variables, variables, environment user folders, and other user-specific settings for the current user. Like HKCR, this key extracts user-specific information from the HKU key. The information displayed by this key is pulled out from the HKUSecurity ID key of the user logged in on the system.

•  HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG (HKCC): This key contains information about hardware configuration for the current user. This key extracts relevant information from the HKLMSYSTEM CurrentControlSet CurrentControlSetHardware Profiles key.

Causes of Vista Registry Problems

Registry problems occur due to the accumulation of a large amount of unwanted data within it that cause the registry to inflate to a very large size. The registry of a PC may inflate, if you:

• Install new programs on regular basis

When you install a new program, many entries are added to the system’s registry. Therefore, if you install multiple programs on your system, the data in the registry will also grow, which is likely to inflate the registry.

•  Leave orphan keys on the system

Even when you uninstall large applications from your system, they may leave behind many orphan keys in the registry increasing the number of obsolete and unwanted keys in the Windows registry.

•  Perform registry cleaning

When you perform registry cleaning and uninstall programs, registry holes or empty placeholders of the removed key may be left behind. These keys may keep adding up, slowing down the registry and thus deteriorating the performance of your system.

•  Use Internet, e-mails

Many malicious and corrupt entries are added to the registry by malware programs, such as virus, worms, spyware, Trojans, and adware with regular usage of the Internet or e-mails.

•  System-breakdowns

When a system breakdown occurs, it may corrupt many registry entries. It also damages various faulty applications, DLLs, ActiveX components, device drivers, and other files.

A system’s registry is likely to bloat due to the above-listed factors, and hence may get damaged. This may make your system unstable and cause frequent system crashes.

Registry Tips:  Fixes and Maintenance

Although it is possible to manually fix registry problems by using the “regedit” tool to some extent, it is not easy and foolproof. Therefore, if you are looking for a less tedious and simple registry cleaning procedure, you are recommended to use a reliable registry cleaner tool.

It is possible to perform several registry maintenance tasks by using a registry cleaner tool. The tool enables you to thoroughly scan the entire registry of your system to identify and delete undesired information. There are many benefits of a clean registry. If you scan and repair your registry regularly, you can fix DLL errors, runtime errors, driver errors, and several other computer-related errors. In addition, you can also enhance the performance your computer by maintaining a healthy registry.

You can also defrag your registry by using a registry cleaning tool. A defragged registry offers you quick access and enhances your computing experience. You can also make regular registry backups by using this tool as well as restore the files if your system’s registry crashes.

Computer Recovery Disks: How to Create

These days manufacturers are cutting cost everywhere they can.  One of them is not shipping the recovery discs with the computer that you may have just purchased.  Sadly, most consumers don’t know or realize this until it is too late and the computer has crashed.  In this article we will discuss some of the expectations of a recovery disc, how to create them yourself, and other alternative methods.

If you have purchased recently a new computer and it doesn’t have a set of recovery discs in the packaging, it is already on your hard drive in a special partition.  Normally this partition may me named something to the effect of “restore” or “recovery.”  Now is a really good idea to create a couple of recovery discs to put away somewhere you can find them later should you need them.  If you don’t create these discs, and find yourself with a crashed system, you will be shelling out $15.00 to $40.00 dollars for shipping and handling.  The manufacturers say these discs are “free,” however I find it hard to swallow that mailing a couple of DVD’s are that expensive.  Anyway, onto how to create your own recovery discs.

Every manufactured computer, be it Dell, Gateway, HP, Sony, etc. all have a special partition created on the hard drive of the computer.  This partition contains the recovery data that would restore the computer back to factory defaults as when you first turned it on.  Creating these discs are fairly simple, although you may need more than a few DVD’s to complete the take.  If you have a Windows operating system, and have not uninstalled it, you will find a program to create the restore discs.  Below is a list of the current names of some major manufacturers restore programs to create the recovery discs.

• Dell:  Click on Start, All Programs, then Dell Accessories, and Dell OS Recovery CD.
• HP:  Click on Start, All Programs, PC Help & Tools, and then Recovery Disk Creation.
• Gateway:  Click on Start, All Programs, System Recovery, and then Recovery Media Creator.
• Sony:  On the desktop, press F1 key to bring up Windows Help & Support, Locate Sony Recovery Center Icon and press, then select create recovery discs.
• Windows 8 or newer:  On start screen type:  Recovery, options should appear to right.

Be warned that all the programs above will create recovery discs that do not save any personal data.  These discs will restore a computer back to the factory default as when you first purchased it.  It is recommended to backup all your data to another media, if you have a broadband Internet connection, we recommend backblaze.com for online backup.  It is easy and painless.  If you prefer to use other media such as DVD’s, cd’s, flash drives, then go for it, but please backup your data before proceeding with a restore.  The restore process will wipe out all data currently on the computer.

Alternatively, instead of using the system restore disc creation, you could always just just an authentic operating system disc using your OEM Certificate of Authenticity key on your computer’s chassis.  Doing it this way is starting from scratch, meaning that you will be installing everything manually such as drivers and programs.  This method could take up to 8 hours depending on your technical knowledge.  We would not recommend the average user going this route in restoring a computer, however it is the best route for a clean installation.

How to Prevent Your Computer From Crashing

Computer crashes are a major cause of trouble for many computer users. These crashes not only affect your schedule but may also cause data loss, damage your system and data files, and at times, may even leave your system unbootable. Computer crashes can occur due to several reasons. Commonly they occur when a certain temporary situation arises on a functional computer due to program conflicts or data transmission jams. When this occurs, you may be able to recover easily just by rebooting your system.

However, at times, computer crashes may occur due to user negligence that may result in virus infections, a damaged registry, or hard disk problems. You can easily prevent computer freeze problems due to this, by performing regular PC maintenance. Let us have look at some of the tasks that you can perform to prevent and recover from computer crashes.

Check Your PC for Virus and Spyware Infections

If you notice an abrupt decline in your computer’s performance, it is quite probable that the system is infected by a malware program. Malicious programs, such as viruses and Trojans infiltrate your system and start replicating at a fast space. They also add malicious codes to your applications and corrupt the registry entries. On the other hand, spyware and adware programs add several unwanted programs to your computer that eat up your system resources, steal your personal and confidential information and display pop-ads on the system without your consent.

To combat these infections and to prevent them in the first place, you must configure reliable antivirus and antispyware programs on your system. You must turn on their real-time protection feature to ensure that you are protected against these programs at all times. Additionally, keep these programs updated with the latest signatures and schedule them to run periodic full system scans on your computer.

Maintain your Registry

A damaged and corrupt registry can also cause system freezes and crashes.  Registry problems are usually triggered by digital junk, pertaining to obsolete, invalid, and malicious entries accumulated within the registry. This unnecessary information causes registry bloating, which in turn, causes system errors and freezes. To prevent computer freeze problems, in this case, you must maintain your registry and regularly scan it to repair and remove registry problems. You can do this with help of a registry cleaner tool. Some of the registry maintenance tasks that you can perform using a registry cleaner tool are:

•  Scan and remove registry errors.

•  Repair several computer errors caused due erroneous or corrupt registry entries.

•  Defrag the registry to speed it up and enhance the performance of your Windows system.

•  Back up the registry easily so that if you encounter a problem, you can easily restore the registry from the backup.

Maintain your Hard Disk

To maintain a healthy computer it is also important for you to maintain a healthy hard disk. You can do this easily with the help of Disk Clean Up and Disk Defragmenter tools that come with Windows operating system. Where Disk Cleanup helps in cleaning up the junk files cluttering the hard disk, Disk Defragmenter helps in consolidating the hard disk data and optimizes it for better performance.

If, despite all the maintenance activities listed above, your computer continues to crash, it is quite possible that a recent change in configuration might be causing conflicts on the system. In this case, you can use the Windows  computer crash recovery  tool, System Restore, to revert your system back to its last known error-free working condition.

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~ and many other possibilities.

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Why Do Computers Lockup, Freeze?

Computers are our friends for as long as they work, right?  We all expect them to work when we turn them on, but why do they lockup occasionally or become unstable?  In short, think of a computer a complicated traffic center.  It is directing electrical current all over the place to give you a picture you see on the screen.  When there is a traffic jam, there is a crash (you may know it as the blue screen of death.)   In this article we will discuss some (not all of course) the reasons why a computer freezes or locks up, sometimes causing it to cease from working or functioning normally.

Most Common Reason for Lockups:

•  Bad system software/drivers

•  Spyware/Virus infections

•  Hardware failure or failing

•  Heat

•  Dirty electricity

•  Loose connections

Computers need clean working software and system drivers (software that runs your hardware) to run smoothly.  If a driver is corrupted you could be getting blue screens or automatic restarts.  Like the software, if the computer gets a virus, spyware, or any other kind of infection, then this will bring it to a creeping if not dead halt.  When hardware begins to act up, it will cause all kinds of errors to pop up.  Hard drives, when they begin to fail may delete files without your consent, and/or not allow your system to start.  Power supplies when failing may allow you to use your computer until you play a game or access another device like a DVD drive before the system just turns off or restarts.  Heat is a computer killer.  Be sure all vents and heat sinks are dust free and no clogs.  Most forget that computers are mainly electrical bits of data, if the electricity coming into your computer is “dirty” then so will be the computer.  Power spikes, outages, and bad house wiring will harm a computer in time.  Lastly, loose connections are all too common.  Be sure to check your cables on the back side of your computer as well as on the inside.  If you do this, be sure to do this while your computer is powered off and unplugged from the wall, along with grounding yourself preventing static discharge.

So what do we recommend:

•  Stay up-to date on all patches and updates for your computer from Microsoft and your PC vendor.

•  Keep a periodic backup of your system data easily with BackBlaze Backup.

•  Keep your system software & registry running smooth daily with Registry Booster

•  Never let your computer go unprotected without an Anti-Virus/Firewall.

•  Surge protectors and battery backups keep electrical spikes at bay.

A well built system should last an average of 3 – 5 years depending on environment and maintenance.  If you treat your computer poorly, it will treat you the same right back.  Protect your investment!