It happens. Sometimes despite all your love, care, and devotion it happens anyway. You dote on her, always keep her safe and secure, buy her only the best accessories, and then one day seemingly at random, she turns on you and breaks your heart. Over the past 15 years I’ve become something of an expert on the subject.

    Computer system failure is never easy to recover from, but here are 6 warning signs that your relationship is about to turn sour. And just like in real relationships, it’s often a two-way street, so I’ll tell you how to protect against computer betrayal and desertion so the two of you will remain happy together for a long, long time.

    1. Is your computer relationship stagnate? Have you had the same computer for years and years? Time will kill us all. Your computer is no different. Neither you nor your computer have a guaranteed minimum life span, but if you’ve had your computer longer than 3 years, your days of happy computing are numbered and the number is small. Be extra diligent to back up and keep your relationship fresh.

    2. Fear of looking inside. “It’s not love’s going hurts my days, but that it went in little ways.” (Edna St. Vincent Millay) Dust kills little by little. It blocks air flow, insulates components which increases heat and speeds the demise of your computer. Like real relationships, don’t be afraid to look inside and clean house now and then.

    3. An unexpected change in communication. Is your computer making strange noises? Pay close attention to sounds you’ve never heard before–it could be a critical sign that your hard drive is about to kick the bucket. If you computer is strangely quiet, your fan may have stopped working which could result in components overheating and likewise kicking the same bucket.

    4. Erratic behavior. Does your computer restart unexpectedly, freeze in the middle of operation, or display a blue screen with a bunch of text on it from time to time? This could be an indication of a memory or hard drive issue. Your best bet is to see a computer counselor.

    5. You have difficulty turning it on. It used to turn on easily, but now it’s difficult to get it turned on and sometimes it just won’t turn on at all. This can indicate problems with the power supply, bad sectors on the hard drive or simply that it’s been too long since you reinstalled the operating system. A Windows computer should be formatted every 18 – 24 months. If you haven’t done that in awhile, consider doing so to speed boot up time. Getting back to basics is always a good idea in a relationship.

    6. It’s unresponsive. It doesn’t pay attention when you click the mouse or press a key. Your computer is likely distracted, giving its attention to something else. That something else can be software related: malware, spyware, a virus or a misbehaving program. It can also be faulty hardware. If it’s software related, step 5 will cure it, if it’s hardware related, again, your days are numbered.

    Computers, like relationships, need care and attention. Unfortunately, I can only advise you on the computer relationship, you’re completely on your own in the real world. Technically yours.

    Greg’s professional experience includes consulting for Price Waterhouse, working as a Program Manager for Microsoft Corporation, and serving as Chief Technology Officer for several companies. He has a Masters in Software Engineering from the University of Texas and has presented at technical conferences across the world. Bott Technology Solutions helps small to midsize businesses with computer technology needs. Greg may be reached via e-mail at gregbott@bottinc.com or at 601-207-0509.