Take care of your computer before it crashes to

Shut down your computer completely if you need to step away from it for more than an hour or two. Although your computer doesn't use any battery when it 'sleeps,' its memory nonetheless remains frozen where you left it when you put it to sleep. Letting a computer sleep for hours or days on end places a strain on its memory. Close all applications you aren't actively using. Applications continue to occupy a computer's resources, even if you they aren't maximized on your screen. Remove programs you never use from your computer completely. Avoid eating and drinking around the computer. In addition to the potential superficial defects grease smudges cause, water can get into and destroy your hard drive or your battery. Avoid using your computer on soft surfaces such as a bed or your lap if you use a laptop. Such surfaces prevent the computer's built-in fan from circulating cool air into the laptop body, which can result in overheating of the laptop and damage to its internal components over time. Run daily virus and spyware scans with your virus protection software to prevent crashes resulting from malicious software. Viruses strike any computer, regardless of its age or condition, so regular scans are necessary no matter your situation. How to Care for a Lithium Ion Battery for a PC Notebook Most laptop computers now run on lithium batteries. This is because lithium batteries hold charges longer and can provide continuous power longer. However, to ensure that a battery holds its peak performance you need to take special care of it. You can do this without any special tools or programs. Shut down the notebook computer when you are not using it. Leaving the laptop computer on at all times is going to shorten the overall life of the battery. Allow the battery to run all the way down before performing a charge. If your lithium ion battery becomes accustomed to charging when the battery is only half full it will start to forgo using the second half of the battery, shrinking the charge time of your battery. Keep the laptop and the lithium ion battery out of extreme heat and cold. This can wreak havoc on the battery and cause it to malfunction. Using the laptop battery in the cold can also quickly reduce the charge. Power down the computer when the battery begins to overheat. This typically occurs while watching DVD movies and playing video games. Overheating the lithium ion battery can permanently damage it.