Hi everybody. Are still trying to keep your old computer running for a few more years? If so, join the thousands that are trying to do the same. If you still have XP and you don’t want to part with it, maintaining the physical machine will be just as important as maintaining the software. In this post, I will discuss a few of the things you can do to help lengthen the life of your investment.
One of the most important things you need to do to keep the machine running at its best is to make sure it is running as cool as possible. This will help to preserve the hardware enclosed in the case of the machine. The cooler the machine runs, the better it will perform. One thing you can do is to add an additional fan to the case of your machine. If you open the side panel of your desktop computer, look to see if an additional fan has been added. If not, you will most likely see a space where you can mount an extra fan. If so, go to you’re nearest Best Buy or Staples and purchase a case fan for your system. Check your connections to be sure you have an extra 12V connecter to apply to the fan. If not, you might need a splitter so you can get two connections branching out from the one. When you mount your fan, be sure the fan is blowing the air out of the case.
While you are inside the case, be sure to blow away any dust and dirt that might be around the processor fan and heat sink. Dirt acts as an insulator and will keep the temperatures higher then they should be. Also check the fan and heat sink on your video card to be sure it also is clean. One more area to check is the power supply. Your power supply has a built in fan that cools the components of the unit. Be sure the ports are free of dirt and ensure that the fan is running.
Once you finish the above steps, put the case back together and fire up the machine! You should now be ready to get a little more life out of your computer and be able to keep the operating system you know you love, Windows XP.
Author: Joe Zelenak, Owner Advantage Computers
