The chances are that you do all kinds of things and take many kinds of precautions when it comes to keeping your PC, whether at home or at work , running as smoothly as possible. But it is what you are probably not doing that may eventually slow it down to crawl or stop it working all together.
Most people run a daily virus check and many purchase additional software designed to maximize their computer’s daily function and prevent problems like crashing, freezing and data loss. There is no doubt that certain computer viruses or spyware can indeed wreak havoc on a computer’s operating system, but they do not damage the hardware itself. Most PCs can be restored after a virus has invaded but there is a bigger danger to your PC's health and it can cause far more damage. Dust.
Dust is the number one cause of PC hardware failure. It is also a major reason why even the most expensive and sophisticated machine will eventually begin to misbehave. When our computers begin to run slowly, freeze in the middle of a task or shut down unexpectedly most people look for a cause within the computer's software and operating system first, when in many cases it is a PC filled with unseen dust bunnies that is causing all the weirdness.
Whatever environment a computer is in it is surrounded by dust in the air all around it. This dust is drawn into the computer by its fans, which work continuously to keep the machine, especially the CPU, functioning properly. As the months go by layers of dust settle onto all the exposed workings inside the computer. This "blanket" acts as an insulator and often components begin to overheat and malfunction. Electrical components can short circuit, causing damage that can cost hundreds of dollars to repair, not to mention a damaging loss of potentially precious data.
Now that you understand just how badly dust can affect your computer you’ll probably want to do something about it. The first step is to give your machine a good internal spring cleaning. There are a number of great videos online that can guide you step by step through this process, but if you are nervous about doing it yourself most computer repair persons will do it for you for a small fee.
Once you have a clean machine you will need to keep it that way. You can purchase plastic covers for your computer and its accessories, but they are a fairly expensive solution and not always that effective. Since a computer needs to "breathe", they cannot be tight fitting so dust can still enter the computer to a certain degree.
A very economical and easy way to prevent as much dust as possible from entering your computer is to purchase a filter that affixes over the air intakes and traps the dust before it can enter the machine to begin causing damage. A filter like this is simple to install, it is simply a case of stick and forget. The cost for protecting a single computer is less than $5, a very small price to pay to protect your PC for up to 6 months before it needs replacing.
