close
DesktopLaptop

7 Things You Should Never do to Your Computer

no thumb

Most computers have a long lasting life. But that is not always the case if used improperly. In this article we’ll give you a few tips to keep your computer running smoothly and reduce any type of misuse (damage) risk.

7 things you should not do:

1. Never turn off the computer while it’s still in operation.
First you must close all programs and then proceed to shutdown properly. Usually this can be accomplished by going to “Start –> Shut Down.”
Shutting down a computer incorrectly can cause problems, because operating systems need to close all open programs and store all documents and system files.

2. Do not delete unknown files.
Many people spend time deleting folders and files. This is a good method for cleaning and freeing disk space. But this “cleaning” should not be done by randomly deleting files, since there are files that perform important functions for the proper functioning of programs and some hardware. Doing so would cause major problems to your PC.

Sick Computer
3. Never install suspicious programs.
The pirated software, copying, or of unknown origin, often carry viruses that can wreak havoc your computer. It some cases, they can even cause the PC to completely stop working.
Before downloading a program and installing them, you should perform a security scan. To scan any new software, you simply need to right click on the file or folder and select Scan with Norton, AVG or whichever security program is installed on your computer.

4. Do not format the hard disk.
This completely erases all information stored and should only be done if really necessary needed. Such as in the case that a very malicious virus has infected the disk and you weren’t able to remove it. Remember to back up your data before formatting and that it’s done by a professional technician.

5. Never install a new program without creating a restore point.
Before installing the software, make sure to set a restore point in case the new program generates problems. That way you can retrieve all information through a system restore.

6. Do not forget to verify your anti-virus software weekly.
The best recommendation is to perform a full scan, deep, better known as “Full” and check for weekly and verify daily updates of the anti-virus program or set it up so that it’s done automatically.

7. Never use the CD tray for carrying objects.
It may sound crazy, but there are people who use it for that purpose. It is not recommended to eat, drink and much less smoke while operating the machine. Food can generate crumbs that go inside the keyboard, mouse, CPU and ca alter their function. Fluids can cause much worse damage than that caused by solids and the smoke from tobacco may delay the inner functions of fans, generating faults in the components.

Tags : desktopHow-To TipslaptopProductivitySecurity
Gustavo

The author Gustavo

Gustavo is a Senior SEM Manager, Freelancer and Blogger. He is the man behind the Gizmos Hub blog. His areas of interest are Computers, Technology and Internet Marketing. He does freelance work, offering online marketing and SEO at Space City SEO.

12 Comments

  1. I occasionally do number 1 when my computer hangs. What is the best thing to do when my computer hangs without turning off my computer?

    1. That has happened to me and I had to force my PC to shut down as well. I don’t think there’s a solution when the computer completely freezes.

      But you should try to avoid shutting the computer that way, unless that happens. That’s probably the only exception that one should shut the computer that way.

  2. As raymund, I do the same when PC freezes, which happens occasionally. You can try going into Task Manager and stopping process but sometimes that fails. In my experience, if a frozen PC is a regular problem it can mean there’s someting wrong with the HD.

    1. I’ve had that problem (HD failure) before and then it completely died. When that happened I lost all my data and documents because I didn’t had a backup.

      My suggestion to everyone is to make a backup of all your documents and data if you have to force your PC to shut down constantly.

  3. 1.) Using the Shutdown function is always preferred to a manual shutdown, which is holding the power button. If you’re routinely getting hung up when trying to shut down, contact a free online tech support forum for suggestions. It could be something simple like removing an unnecessary program, installing a small program to cleanup the account profile, or writing a batch file with the “force program close” command that you use instead of the typical Shutdown function. It’s likely to be a software problem and not hardware related. Computers, like people, can also have bad days and just not want to work right.

    2.) Always use the (un)installation wizards to remove programs instead of just deleting the program files and folders. Some programs, like Norton and McAfee, have special uninstall programs that should be used because their (un)installation wizards don’t do the job well enough. Unless it’s a “portable” program, software typically install files in numerous places around your computer, not just in Program Files.

    3.) Formatting a hard drive technically doesn’t remove files. It creates a new file system table so the hard drive thinks it’s blank. Then as you add files, the files on the old file system table get overwritten. There are programs to recover deleted files and even recover whole file system tables. There are times when formatting the drive is necessary, but I typically consider it a last when fighting malware. A general rule of thumb, if you’re trying to recover something deleted, completely stop using the drive. The more you do, the less likely you’ll successfully recover the files as the new overwrite the old.

    An overall good article that I enjoyed reading, Gustavo. Thank you for following me on Twitter and drawing my attention to your site. =)

  4. You have got some great piece of information in this post. I think i need read this over again as I can;t help but appreciate the information. Great work.

  5. Creating restore point on every new software installation would be tricky, users should always install softwares from reputed providers. But, yes while installing unknown softwares they should create an restore point for safety. That would be much more feasible.

Leave a Reply to Richard Chidike Cancel reply