Helpful Tips * Keep your anti-virus software up to date and let it scan your drive at least weekly! It only takes a minute or less and it can be very embarrassing to send a virus to your family, friends, co-workers, or boss. Don't assume you will know when you have a virus. They usually don't march in with a banner. They are usually subtle at first, then they go to work. * If you think your computer is running slow, the cheapest upgrade is RAM. Often it is not feasible to upgrade a processor, but adding more RAM to a computer system can increase the performance. Although this is not a permanent fix in some cases in can lengthen the life of your computer by 6 to 12 months. * All computer will crash or break at some point. It is not a question of "if" it is "when". The most common areas are Hard drives and fans. They both have moving parts spinning up to 15,000 RPM all day every day. This generates a lot of heat and breaks down the components. If your data is important always keep it in at least two places. * Run disk utilities every month. Running each of these at least once a month will keep your computer running at its peak potential. a. Scandisk - Start Menu, Programs, Accessories, System tools b. Disk defragmenter - Start Menu, Programs, Accessories, System tools c. Disk cleanup - Start Menu, Programs, Accessories, System tools - This will let you delete files that Windows did not get rid of on it's own.