Maintenance of a computer system involves three primary parts: hardware, software, and user management. In order to facilitate proper maintenance of the three components, there are several education agencies that provide training on how to properly maintain the system. Education agencies can be software or hardware based, but all education agencies provide similar training programs. Education agencies can train users on how to troubleshoot hardware issues, common software errors, and user mistakes. Some education agencies also offer classes in computer use so that the computer literacy of their students is improved.
Computer Hardware
When it comes to computer hardware, maintenance is much easier than software. There are only a few basic pieces of hardware that must be repaired or replaced on a regular basis. Therefore, maintaining a computer system is an easy task for most computer users.
Another part of maintaining a computer is keeping network equipment such as routers and switches in good working condition. The network administrator of an organization has ultimate control over network equipment. Therefore, the network administrator must ensure that the equipment is properly taken care of in order to avoid downtime for the organization. Any hardware that cannot be accessed should be placed on a temporary stand-by status until the user is able to access it.
Computer security is another important aspect of maintaining a network. Passwords, encryption keys, and virtual private networks are effective ways of securing wireless networks from unauthorized access. If an employee knows how to mask their IP address when they connect to a secure wireless network, then they have greatly reduced the risk of being caught in an unauthorized network. Therefore, an education agency must teach employees how to perform the necessary steps to secure their networks.
Protecting Your Computer
The final part of the computer maintenance process is using scheduled maintenance to fix any problems that might be slowing down a computer system. For example, a virus or a programming glitch might be causing an agency’s information system to function slowly. If these issues are not identified and fixed, the agency’s customers may experience long processing delays and loss of data. A computer administrator can schedule maintenance to fix problems of this nature.
An important part of any computer maintenance schedule is scheduling the regular use of a computer security tool called a registry cleaner. This software will detect unwanted temporary files stored on a hard drive and delete them. These temporary files take up much of the space on a hard drive and if they are left alone, the hard drive will eventually fill up. The registry cleaner will also repair any damaged registry entries.
