Get a good Surge Protector – A power surge or lightning strike can destroy your computer and valuable files in an instant. Power surges and lightning strikes are bad news for computers. Surges often go unnoticed, sometimes lasting as little as 1/120th of a second. But they are much more common and destructive than you might think. According to recent studies, your electrical equipment is constantly experiencing surges of varying power. Some of them can be absorbed by your power supply while others can only be handled by a quality surge protector.

Static electricity. If you are going to open you computer casing yourself be extremely cautious of static electricity – this can damage Mother Boards and Hard drives in a fraction of a second, often beyond repair. There are various ways to stop this happening including anti-static wrist bands and bench mats. If in doubt call Geeks-on-Wheels for help.

Shut down before unplugging on plugging in any cables. Doing so with the power on can cause a short circuit in the Mother Board which may damage it beyond repair. This is particularly true of Keyboard and Mouse Ports. USB cables however should be safe. If in doubt shut down first.