Top 3 Tips to Avoid the PC Repair Shop As someone who worked nearly 10 years behind the tech bench in a computer repair shop I saw literally thousands of issues. Looking back although each case was completely different, (which was one of the things I loved about PC repair) there were always 3 glaring areas where I felt many of the PC's that crossed my desk could have avoided that fate. (Not to mention saved their owners a ton of cash) Let's take a look at a few and I invite you to share your thoughts at www.beyourownit.com where I try to share a little of what I have learned over the past decade.

Browse Safely Do I mean to carry a small can of pepper spray next to your mouse pad? No. What I am talking about is being smart about how you browse the internet. So many issues are caused by what I would call careless browsing. Viewing sites that offer free software, music, videos, and more often leads to unwanted virus and spyware infections. Stay out of the dark spots of the web and you should be safe. Also remember, there is no such thing as free in most cases, and maybe paying the $30 for a piece of software is better than illegally downloading it, picking up a virus and having to spend $200 fixing it. Run and Keep Updated a Virus Protection Program Running a virus scan is important. Keeping it up to date is more important. As long as you use any mainstream virus protection program, it should automatically update, but make sure it does. I recommend using AVG since it's free and you can't really beat that. Not to mention it is one of the best programs I have ever used, and doesn't bog down your system. No matter what you choose to run, make sure you run at least something, and keep it up to date. That will make a world of difference for you.   Keep Your Computer Clean (yes clean) Now I'm not talking about keeping the programs you install managed although that does help. Nor am I talking about your desktop. What I am really talking about is physically. Now keeping the outside of your tower and monitor clean is nice keeping the inside clean is also super important. I can't count the number of times that I opened the side of some customer's computer and clumps of dust literally fell out. Why is this important? Fans I tell you Fans! Dust clogs them in both the power supply and CPU causing all sorts of issues related with cooling. Things overheat, and then go bad, and then people cry. Avoid crying, open the side of your computer once or twice a year, take a can of air and clean it out. I hope this helps you out. Did I miss something, I am sure I did post your thoughts to help the community. Jeremy Hambly- www.beyourownit.com

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2. Repair Windows XP Installation
3. Vista Backup and Restore Center
4. Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool
5. How to Uninstall Vista
6. Remove Microsoft Updates in XP and Vista
7. Different Windows Vista Versions
8. Command Line Utilities
9. Vista Network Center
10. Data Backup Options
11. View Startup Programs Using Software Explorer
12. Vista Performance Rating and Monitoring
13. Internet Explorer 7 Security Features
14. Network Access Protection
15. Migrate Settings Using Windows Easy Transfer
16. Parental Controls in Windows Vista
17. Use ReadyBoost to Speed up Your Computer
18. Vista BitLocker Drive Encryption
19. Recover Windows Product Key
20. DirectX Management Tool
21. User Account Control
22. Last Known Good Configuration
23. The Pro Way to Install XP Pro
24. How to Customize MMC and Schedule a System Log
25. Improve Windows Vista Performance
26. Enable Internet Explorer 7 Protected Mode
27. How to Download Flash