You wouldn't drive your car 3,001 miles without getting an oil change. You can't imagine going without your annual physical at your family doctor. You visit the dentist every six months on the dot. Good for you! So when was the last time you backed-up your files? Have you defragged you hard drive this month? Have you even dusted your monitor?

The average life expectancy of a computer is a mere two years if regular maintenance is not diligently performed. Considering the cost of an entire system and the emotional investment in getting everything set up just the way you like it, that's a pitifully short lifespan.

Computers typically do not die quick and painless deaths. First, they torture you with lost files, slow performance and maddening glitches. Here are some essential but simple, maintenance tasks, which can significantly prolong the life of your computer and keep you sane in the process.

Every Day

Update Your Virus Definitions

New viruses attack computer systems every single day. Thousands of analysts work tirelessly to come up with the patches and downloads necessary to combat these destructive programs. When you pay for an anti-virus program subscription, you are buying a continuing service, not a one-time product. Make sure you get all the protection you can by updating your virus definitions every day. You can also set your program to download new definitions automatically every time you go online. That way, you always have the most up-to-date protection available.

To update your virus definitions:

Make sure you can connect to the internet. Click on your anti-virus software icon. Click on run live update. Or turn the automatic update feature on.

Back-up Valuable Information

As the old saying goes, "You don't know what you've got till it's gone." Computers can lose data for any number of reasons. And there are not always symptoms to warn of impending disaster. CD's are an inexpensive and easy way to back up your important files and documents. Just save any new information on a daily basis, and it won't be a chore. Alternatively, you can purchase an external hard drive and back-up your whole system at once.