There comes a time in every PC’s life when it needs a bit of virtual botox — a little something to smooth out those creases created by continual crashes and over-zealous owners. Sometimes you can use quick tricks to maximise the remaining life in your trusty home computer, but in some cases, the only thing you can do is trade that old beige box in for a flash new model. We’ll talk you through the right solutions to common problems encountered by computer users everywhere.

“My computer is so slow”

Perhaps you’re using your computer for different things now we’ve hit the digital age. If you’re playing complex games, using the internet for video, editing home movies or storing photos, you could have reached the poor old PC’s limits — in which case you should consider buying a new one. Before you do, try a few housekeeping measures to see if you can get it going again.

• Clear disk space by uninstalling old programs (using the Control Panel’s Add/Remove Programs function).
• Empty the Recycle Bin (use your right mouse button to click on it and choose “Empty” from the shortcut menu).
• Delete unused files in My Documents
• Delete old Temporary Internet Files. In Internet Explorer, go to the Tools menu and choose “Internet Options”. Click “Delete Files”, then “OK”.
• Check you’ve got at least 256MB of RAM
• Use Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter in the System Tools folder, under Accessories on the desktop’s Start Menu.

“Help, my hard drive’s chockers”

Programs and personal files are stored on the hard drive, or hard disk drive (HDD). New PCs typically come with a whopping 80GB+ (gigabyte) HDD versus the old standard of 20GB.

To put this in perspective, your average digital photo will be about 50 kilobytes (KB) while a word document is about half of that. These days we’re using programs that take up a lot more memory than they used to (the newest version of Windows, XP, needs at least 1.5GB of hard drive space, and that’s only for the most basic version), making 20GB so last year.

It’s quite an operation to replace one hard drive with another. An easier method is to buy an external hard drive. These handy boxes plug into your computer’s USB port and cost about $130 for 140GB of space. Another, slightly more complicated option is to have a second hard drive installed in your computer. This might be a bit cheaper to do, but will also require the services of a qualified technician.

“How do I get all this new stuff to work?”

You might learn a lot by trying to install RAM, hard drives, and CD/DVD drives yourself, but you might also end up seriously damaging your computer. If you aren’t confident, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Unplug everything and take your computer (minus monitor keyboard, etc) to your nearest retailer or repair shop for the upgrade. It shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes to install, so make sure the technician charges in small blocks, rather than an hourly rate.

“Is my PC beyond repair?”

If your upgrade costs are hovering above $500, it’s time to consider buying a new computer. If you keep your existing monitor, keyboard, mouse and printer, the system unit can be quite cheap — less than $800. Even so, given basic packages with the works start at less than $1000 for both desktop and laptop computers, it might be worth going for the whole lot. Often you can find deals where a printer or digital camera is included, so shop around online and at your local retail shops.

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