Will games hurt my PC?

Q:
I love to play games on my computer, but I'm always worried I'm going to mess something up. Can you please tell me some things I should do before I start playing? Thanks for your help!

A:
Oooh, what a great game question! If you're a big gamer (or maybe someone else in your household is), you probably get so excited every time you get a new game. You anticipate being able to play it and you just can't wait for the installation process to finish so that you can get started! Well, not to burst your bubble, but there are some things you should do even before you start installing the new game on your computer. Bummer, huh? But I promise it will help you in the long run. Let's see what we've got!

Before you even get the game near your computer, you should first run a disk cleanup. To do that, double click on your My Computer icon and then right click on your C: drive. Select Properties and then click on the Disk Cleanup button. That will remove some unnecessary files on your system in order to make room for your new game. Next, you should run a ScanDisk (called Error Checking in XP). For XP, right click on your C: drive again and choose Properties, Tools tab. Just hit the Check Now button and you'll be all set. Other versions can get there by going to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, ScanDisk. That will help fix any errors that lie within your system. (Click here to learn how to do a disk cleanup in Windows Vista).

Once that's done, you should run a defrag on your system. We've talked about this several times in the past, but if you're still not sure how to do it, click here to learn how. Or, if you're using Vista, use this link. Finally, before you put your new game in to install, make sure you close any other programs you have open. You can use the Task Manager to easily close those out. Just hit Ctrl + Alt + Del on your keyboard and close them one by one.

If you perform all of those cautionary tasks before you install a new game on your computer, the game will run much smoother and without any freeze ups. You'll also have a better chance of a clean and proper install. You'll probably combat any error messages that may have popped up before as well. So, now that you know your computer is ready, let the games begin!

~ Erin