Some Handy Tips To Keep Your Mac Ticking Over

Keep your Mac in a well ventilated area. Blocked air vents can lead to over heating. If using a notebook (Powerbook, MacBook, etc.) be sure not to block the vents at the back of the unit. This often happens when users have notebooks placed on their lap or cushion.

Keep your Mac clean and dust-free. Dust can cause computers to run hot, which can burn out components and can leave you with a faulty power supply or logic. Use a cloth lightly dampened with warm water to clean the outside of your computer at least once a month, wiping around, behind and underneath all equipment. Do not put water directly on to you machine.

Don’t use a vacuum to remove dust from your computer. Vacuums create static electricity, which can instantly destroy the components inside your machine.

When assembling your computer system, use long wiring and cables to connect
everything. This will make it easy to move the equipment around—cleaning over,
under and around it, without having to unplug or detach components. (Turn the
computer off before you move it, of course!) You can purchase inexpensive
extensions for any wiring that is too short

Do not attempt to replace parts in your computer. Many vital parts contain
capacitors and resistors that can be easily damaged, so they should only be
maintained by professionals in a static-controlled environment.