When you buy a car, you do not expect it to work well if you do not do regular maintenance. The same is true for the computer. There are many guides available to give you the complete story. I will try to recap the best practices as I see it.
Use a can of compressed air to blow out the dust from your computer and remove all dust from the cords and computer station. Do not spray cleaner directly on your monitor screen. Put cleaner on a soft cloth and wipe the monitor.
If possible you might want to invest in an UPS, uninterruptible power supply. These may be purchased for about $50.00 at a local computer store. It will protect your computer from electrical charges, which may destroy your system’s hard drive. Some believe that it will extend your computer’s lifespan by giving it consistent power every day.
Always try to use the Shut Down button in the Start menu. If this is unavailable because of computer problems, press the Clt. + Alt + Del keys at the same time and this will allow you to close down programs which may be causing trouble. Pressing these keys again will reboot your computer.
However, if your computer is locked up and your hard drive is not running, you may be forced to turn it off using the power source.
It is important to take care of a computer on the inside, in the same way that you cleaned the outside.
Go to: Start> Programs> Accessories> System Tools> Cleanup
Select the drive you want cleaned.
When the program is finished it will give you a choice of what to remove. I always allow it to remove Downloaded programs, which I have installed, Temporary Internet Files, Recycle Bin and Temporary Files.