Good thing I didn't write this article when spring officially started. March just didn't feel like spring...

Garage sales are now in full swing and people are cleaning, but one of the easiest spring cleaning areas to forget is your computer. Your poor computer has been quietly toiling away all winter – now it needs a break and a clean-up.

1. With all those little fans running in your computer, it becomes an expensive air filter. Each year, it is important to open the case of your computer and carefully vacuum out any dust. You may be shocked to see how much has accumulated. Turn OFF the computer first and vacuum very carefully, so as to not touch any components. You can also used compressed air to blow away the dust, but I'd suggest taking it outside first.

2. Check your hard drive. With Windows XP & Vista, the classic ScanDisk and Defrag steps are not nearly as important as they used to be, but still worth doing once per year. Open My Computer, right-click on your C: drive, select Properties and you will see the Tools tab. Scandisk and Defrag are located on this tab. Click on one to get started and let the computer walk you through the rest. Be aware: these processes will take some time. (Note: these processes are generally not required for Macintosh computers.)

3. Update your antivirus and antispyware programs. It is amazing how many people let this area slide. There are several free antivirus solutions - check out http://free.grisoft.com. For spyware, visit www.download.com and search for Spybot Search & Destroy.

4. Clean up your temporary Internet files. In any Internet Explorer window, click on Tools > Internet Options. Under the General tab in the section on Temporary Internet Files, you'll see the options to Delete Files and Delete Cookies. This will clean up old 'cookies' and give your browsing a clean slate. Actually, you could do this once a month. If you use something other than Internet Explorer, such as Safari or Firefox, the names of the tabs might be different, but the process is pretty much the same.

Just a few minutes doing some spring cleaning will be well worth your time, and your computer will be better for it.

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