Health Checkup For a Computer: Free Scans That Are Recommended By Robbie T. James At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Your computer in many ways is like a car, a boat, a home or even a person. When it is new, your computer (usually) works pretty darn well. However, over time, little things start happening which can degrade performance if not taken care of.

Just like your car, boat, home or yourself, your computer requires an occasional health checkup to make sure that it's doing okay. A health checkup for a computer is usually accompanied by a tune-up, just to make sure everything is performing the way it should be.

There are three types of health checkups that you should perform at least every 1-3 months, especially if your computer is more than 2 years old. By performing these health checkups, you will help ensure that your computer is running its best.

The three types of checkups you should be performing on your computer are:

1. Registry scan
2. Disk defragmenter
3. Virus scan

Here are some details on each of these types of checkups:

Registry Scan:

Your computer's registry is a database that logs the various settings and options for the Windows operating system. The registry is constantly being updated by the choices that the operator (you) makes, including settings for hardware and software at both the operating system and per-user levels. The registry is a useful and important tool that keeps your computer operating smoothly. However, over time, your computer's registry can build up a number of bad data, omissions (missing data) and other errors. A free registry scan can check to find the number of errors in your computer's registry. The scan usually takes about 5 minutes to perform.

Disk Defragmenter:

The data on your computer's hard drive is constantly being written, deleted, and re-written. Your hard drive is made up of countless sectors, or individual "cells" that store data. When you first start using a new hard drive, each newly-created file gets created neatly next to existing files, sort of like carefully packing your car's trunk before a journey. However, over time, the files on your hard drive start losing any sense of organization, and the space is used less efficiently. When this happens, it is like packing for a trip by hurling your luggage in from 20 feet away and hoping for the best - usually not a good thing. By running your computer utility's built-in disk defragmenter program, you can "re-pack" your hard drive for better efficiency.

Virus scan:

Today, viruses, malware, trojan horses and other digital threats are rampant on the Internet, waiting to infiltrate your computer's systems. Chances are, some of these have already gotten through and reside on your computer, especially if your anti-virus software is not up-to-date. Even if you have not invested in anti-virus software, you can get a free virus scan. Do a search engine search for "free norton internet security scan" and you will find a useful program that can scan your computer for free.

As time goes by and you use your computer more and more, you will find its performance starting to dwindle. Be sure to run these three free health checkups for your computer and keep things running in tip-top shape.

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