Just like maintenance on your car, house or even your own body, routine computer maintenance can provide tremendous benefits while saving time and money.

Computer preventive maintenance means the operating system is more likely to be cleaned, fine-tuned and better prepared for the unexpected. If routinely scheduled maintenance tasks are not implemented, computers become infected, tweaked and not ready for whatever happens. While every mishap cannot be avoided, even small efforts made in this area increase a computer operating system's performance. Therefore, the investment versus payback ratio alone makes preventive maintenance important.

Running scheduled tasks such as Defragmentation and Disk Cleanup can make a computer run faster. Do not wait for a disastrous event such as a system failure due to an overloaded volume on the hard drive disk. Instead, remove excess files on a timely schedule so that there will always be enough room. Fewer computer slowdowns will result from taking these preventive measures.

When updating drivers are a task included in a preventive maintenance plan, the computer systems are running at their best with the latest compatibility hardware and software drivers installed. Selecting "Automatic Updates" and checking manufacturers' websites regularly for updates also help in these efforts.