You say it’s your best friend but by the looks of it, you don’t really know how to take good care of your PC. The only time it looked shiny was the day you bought it, and it was dusty ever since. Here are some basic cleaning and educating information on being a responsible PC owner. Here are some basic tender loving care tips for your rig.

Clean it. Duh, even those things you use everyday can get really dusty so why not grab a damp cloth and start wiping your PC’s surface? Use clean water for this. Don’t experiment by using a formula with chemicals because it might damage to your unit. Arm yourself with some compressed air or contact cleaners to blast dusty areas clean.

Your unit would be better off in an air-conditioned room. If you’re not sure about yourself doing the whole cleaning, bring your PC to an authorized store and let their technical staff clean it for you. This way, you can be sure that your hardware is properly handled.

Maintenance. Protect your computer files from getting corrupted by installing an anti-virus program and updating it when a new version comes up. Some people get a nervous breakdown when their files get unexpectedly corrupted — ok, exaggerated. But still, think of your important files! Be aware of errors your system is showing. If you don’t know what to do about it, seek the help of a service center. And remember to shutdown properly.
Backup. Ah, how many times have we been grateful of a backup? Make sure that you backup your important files. You can use a rewritable CD/DVD which is probably the cheapest means of backup. However, if you’re more serious on your data backup, buy one of those external hard drives whose storage capability are said to be more long-lasting than that of a CD/DVD.

Accessories. When buying accessories for your PC, always think of its compatibility with your hardware. It should be detected by your operating system but if it isn’t that easy there should be drivers available for it. Check the warranty the product offers so that you’ll know you can return it should there be a problem with the unit.