Increasing Your Computer's Lifespan

Here are a few tips to increase the useable life of your computer system:

Add more RAM.  RAM or Random Access Memory is probably the quickest and most cost effective way to give your computer that new PC feeling. Inadequate RAM is one of the leading causes of a sluggish PC.

Upgrade to a bigger, faster hard drive.  For about $60 you can buy a 500 gigabyte 7200 rpm drive to dramatically improve your system performance and increase storage.

Clean out your system.  Most computers come preloaded with a plethora of unused software, so go through your installed programs in the control panel and remove what you don't use.
De-fragment your hard drive to reorganize all of your files. Archive any documents you don’t plan on using to CD or DVD and store in a safe place.

Maintain Your Computer.  Perform periodic software updates, keep antivirus/anti spyware updated, run a system checker to locate any trouble spots that maybe be bogging you down.

Don't be an early adopter.  You shouldn't be the first on the block to have new operating systems and shouldn't rush out to buy Windows 7 for your high school or college student. (Most Windows Vista and Mac Snow Leopard buyers will attest to this)

Buy a high capacity battery.  Laptop batteries wear out over time, so buying a new battery that has a higher capacity can bring new life to your laptop. Buy generic batteries and search online for the best prices.

Give it four years.  Generally speaking a computer system should last around to three to four years, but a year or two may be stretched with a good upgrade and good maintenance.