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Do It Yourself Computer Maintenance
        Anti-Virus 
        Overall people are doing a good job at this. A couple of years ago, every 
        second computer coming into a shop were filled with viruses. Get good 
        quality anti-virus software, stay away from free stuff.  
         
        Spyware 
        "Spyware is programming that is put in someone's computer to secretly 
        gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other 
        interested parties." As such, spyware is cause for public concern 
        about privacy on the Internet. Use a good quality spyware remover or get 
        a shop to remove them for you. DO NOT respond to “pop-ups saying 
        you have spyware, would you like it removed?” 
         
        Cool your computer 
        Heat will shorten the life of a computer. The motherboard will cook its 
        capacitors. Do not park it up against a desk so it can’t circulate 
        its air. Cat hair and dust will clog the vents. Blow it out yourself or 
        ask someone who knows how to do it 
      Firewall 
        You have anti-virus, you have anti-spyware, but the enemy can still get 
        in. Hackers can “ping” you address and “share” 
        your hard drive 
      Upgrades and Memory 
        There are only 2 types of valid upgrades: more memory or a full motherboard/processor 
        replacement. With a few exceptions, computers will always benefit from 
        more memory. When you do a full motherboard/processor replacement you 
        need to match up a processor, motherboard, memory and power supply and 
        then install these components into your system. Everything matches and 
        everything runs smoothly. 
       
       
 
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