What are some things to do that will help my pc last longer?

Question

Does it make a difference if i turn it off every night or leave it on all the time? Any general tips would be great.

Answer 1

Well, I'd agree with everyone that's been said before: clear the intake vents of dust.
On the hardware front, your main concern is your hard drive. [HDD]
The HDD is the most critical moving part in your PC. Like any moving part, it has a finite lifespan. Because every bit of information that is important to you is on this spinning disk, it is crucial that you 1.) Perform backups regularly, and 2.) Stop the disk from spinning when not in use. That will prolong its lifespan.

I personally dislike long bootup times, so rather than shutting my PC down all the way, I have it set to go into Standby when I'm not using it. After a while, if I still don't use it, it's set to Hibernate. That way, I have the advantage of stopping the HDD from spinning, saving on my power bill, and I avoid the long startup times of Windows. I only do a full Shut Down or Restart once a week (in WinXP, if you have an older OS you'll want to do this more frequently)

Answer 2

Leaving your PC on is just going to give you a higher energy bill. Turning it off is just as safe. When I went to Computer College, I tested the myths that were out thier and found that most myths were false and exagerated.
Blowing the dust out of your PC is not a bad idea.
Upgrading every 12 months is always good (Adding Memory if you can).
Changing cables every couple of years.
Backing up all of your files every 3 months.
Try to keep up with technology.
People think that buying a $299.99 Dell will be good for a few years. They fail to upgrade (if they can). Then when a new piece of software or hardware comes out, the're PC will not conform. It all makes sense.

John
A + Certified Professional

Answer 3

of the computers i've seen/had, the ones that got turned off lasted longer and had fewer problems (imho, this is because power saving doesn't work or harms the computer.)

in general, the best thing to do is clean it. make sure air vents are clear of dust (make sure to check the bottoms! usually, the top vents are always clear because the hot air goes up, and cool air gets sucked in from the bottom.) You may want to dust your case fans too. Don't touch anything that looks like an exposed wire or circuitboard.

cleaning the mouse and keyboard makes them work better, but in my experience, that doesn't help them last longer.