...But thinking back to my years in retail...I always got nervous when they claimed "this is something that will make things easier." Invariably, it turned out to be the opposite.
Exactly, my friend!
It brings
ME back to my years in computer assembly and customer's assistance!
Anything that was supposed
"to make things easier", (
I recall a great one: the infamous "Microsoft Genuine Advange" which, all of a sudden, turned all non-MS drivers into a bunch of illegal aliens, in machines that were running fine up until a second before this crappy update came in automatically) created sheer hell among technician and resellers.
Obviously, customers didn't give a hoot about MS commercial policies. The dude, who in all good faith sold you your kid's computer, was the only reachable target to shoot at when the newly purchased pc started going beserk!
The first thing that happened when Vista was released was that any driver became instantly obsolete! Pc's started throwing up error messages about unknown SATA hard drives, inexisting video cards, scanners and/or printers totally dead, ethernet network cards going on strike.......it was just about when I got involved with teaching computer courses,
no more customer assistance!
The best definition of newer Windows versions I ever heard came from a good friend/colleague of mine,
"Windows? The easy made complicated through the useless!"
One more thing I kept forgetting in my replies here: as our good Bearcat241 always pointed out, your pc nemesis is heat. If I may add, not only installing a good cooling system, which include cooling fans for the HDD, too, but keeping your machine clean internally will also help prolonging your baby's life.
As soon as the warm season starts, I routinely open my pc and basically disassemble it to clean all fans, heat sinks, processor, components and assorted circuitry from the fine dust that blankets everything after few months of normal operation.
Dust acts as insulation and dust covered components are liable to overheat faster than when they are clean. Where does it come from? Your cooling fans suck it in, even in machines, like mine, that are equipped with dust filters on the cooling air intakes. Not only, removing internal cards and memory banks, unplugging the HDDs and peripherals will clear the electrical contacts from possible oxidation when you put them back, ensuring perfect contacts among the various components.
I remove the cooling fan from the CPU, I clean the processor heat sink plus the fan blades with a soft paint brush and compressed air, remove all fans and gently brush their blades, I even open up the power unit brushing n' blowing its fans and the internal circuits. I am just about to do it again for this year! Believe me, the amount of fine dust I find every other year inside of my pc always amazes me!
I bought my pc in 2005 and it still delivers as it was meant originally, I believe thanks also to this spring cleanup every year.
Cheers!
KH 
