In today’s society, it is nearly impossible to find a home without a computer. For virtual entrepreneurs, the home computer is the lifeline of business, and keeping it healthy is essential.

As we go about our daily business, using our computers and dare I say taking them for granted, it is important to remember that it is nothing more than a machine. Your computer has several moving parts inside that need occasional maintenance, as well as your file systems.

As your machine ages, there are many things that can cause it to become slow and sluggish. In our daily use of our computers, we depend on the Internet and use it frequently to perform our functions. Unfortunately, our systems can pick up bugs and viruses that overwhelm the processor and memory, making it difficult for the operating system and other applications to run. As well, we fill our hard drives with information which results in the computer continually...Click here to read the rest of this post from Business Darlings.

Business Darlings is authored by various VAF members.


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Thanks for the tips. I am in the process of finding a computer service to take care of my laptop. It's so important to keep your business running smoothly.

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Maryann Matas, Seashore Transcription & Typing Services
Virtually Partnering in Business for Your Success

Thanks again for another great post!

I have to say that I am one of those people that takes her computer for granted. The reality is that I am one who should really know better. In a "past life" I worked on a help desk providing desktop support and spent a few years working in IT support, so I truly know the value of maintenance and system checks. It's the old saying of "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" and yet I find that I fall into the category of the old saying "the plumbers sink is always broken."

I put off some maintenance and pay close attention to others and I do it all inconsistently.

What I do...

1.
I create system restore points whenever I add new software, run an update pushed out by software or occasionally when working on a big project and know that I have run an update/system check or done any maintenance.

2.
I run a program called Windows Cleanup! on a regular basis...generally daily and before I log off for the day. It's the one run by Steven Gould and offered for free although he asks for and accepts donations. It's an all-in-one software to clean up temporary files, temporary folders, registry entries, cookies, browser history, cache, mru's and more. This helps keep down the risk of having a lot of unnecessary disk space used.

3.
I save most important information and bulk of data on an external hard drive. I use Buffalo that comes with LinkStation software so that I can administer it from my desktop. It also comes with software that I schedule to have regular backups run. What I love about this drive is that is it super easy to install (comes with a CD, you connect the cables run the CD and a few clicks it is installed and ready to go), and if something happens to my desktop I take the CD and run it on another computer, it maintains the appropriate settings and will prompt me during the install do I want to keep the same settings (i.e. maintain the drive) or re-initialize? The automatic back up system within the software includes the external drive AND I back up a local folder.


What I don't do
(and at least don't do it often enough is)

1. having regular system maintenance checks and diagnostics.
2. stay on top of the latest trends or pay someone else to take a look at my system on a regular basis.
3. clear off and archive old unused unwanted data




Your post served as a reminder to me that this part of my business is just as important. Especially the part where you said "the computer is the lifeline of your business." It caused me to think about what would I do without my computer and how long would it take for me to get back up and running again.

Thanks again!