If you use a desktop computer, it is a good idea to open it up every 3-6 months and try to get rid of the dust that accumulates, because the dust tends to act as a blanket and makes the cooling less effective. Certain parts that get too hot can break down sooner. So, a clean-up is a good preventive maintenance policy. The same might also be said about the contents of your mass storage devices like the hard disk. Windows uses an internal database that holds information covering your computer system’s configurations. This data covers hardware and software configurations, the alliance between individual driver software files and their related hardware devices. The database also contains your user preferences. Besides these different registry files there is another type of system file that is critical to maintaining your machine’s stability. This type of file is called DLL, short for Dynamic Link Library. It is a bit like a real library in that these types files used by the operating system and other programs whenever they have to perform certain kinds of work; the files are opened, read and later closed. Both the Registry database and these DLL files are very important to ensure unimpeded operation of your computer. These parts of the computer are also vulnerable to being damaged in different ways or being attacked by viruses and other forms of malware. This is a good reason why you ought to have a strong antivirus program running and kept up to date. If the registry database has been corrupted, by some hardware problem or by malware, to a certain extent there are some repairs that might be able to be done by using a registry cleaner program to give you a clean registry. You can download this free program.

Viruses and worms usually cause problems and might damage files and such so that you can’t use the computer properly. A very different type of malware can also infect your computer, and this type of malware tries not to be detected by you in terms of unnatural operation. Your computer may seem to be running normally, but this type of program, called spyware has been created with the express purpose of collecting and transmitting copies of your passwords, security codes, credit card numbers, and other personal info that you usually supply when you make online transactions. These spyware programs can also use the e-mail addresses of your correspondents to send out copies of itself to your friends. When highly personal data is sent out by the spyware and subsequently received by the individual that created the program they can use your data and identity to make illegal purchases with your credit card and might even be able to access your bank account as well. This identity theft is a serious crime that can disrupt your life, so you should take suitable precautions to ensure that your computer does not have any spyware running. Most antivirus programs attempt to detect spyware, but a special spyware remover application is better able to perform this job for you, and it is also another free download.