Maybe you're a whiz with Microsoft Office, or you can design a spectacular ad campaign with Photoshop, but when it comes to maintaining and repairing your hard drive. you're clueless. Installing more memory sounds like a great idea, but how do you get the tower open? Even more basic than that, how exactly do you defrag a computer, and what the heck is defragging anyway?

Most of us know a whole lot more about running software programs than we do about the physical hardware that allows us to do all the computer-related things we do in a day. Beyond plugging the monitor and printer into the hard drive and making sure the phone line is connected correctly, we'd just as soon leave it to the professionals.

In some instances, leaving it to the pro's is exactly what needs to be done; but having a little knowledge about basic maintenance and repair can save you a lot of time and hassle, as well as give you more confidence about being able to tell when to call the pro's and when you can handle an issue yourself.

The instruction manuals for your computer and peripherals will most likely give you basic troubleshooting information for the most common problems that can arise with the equipment. Beyond that, it makes sense to check out the variety of books available on the subject. The "Dummies" series of books offers Upgrading and Fixing PCs for Dummies (Sixth Edition) by Andy Rathbone, The book covers information on how to add more memory, install a DVD burner, fine-tune your PC to minimize crashes, fix problems caused by viruses, and more. Author Andy Rathbone also offers his own website for more valuable information on hardware. Check out amazon.com or another online bookstore for other computer repair and maintenance books. Just be sure that you check the publication date; computer advances happen at top speed, and it doesn't take long for published material on hardware to become outdated.

Check out your local Borders or another bookstore or magazine stand for magazines dedicated to PCs and Macs as well as various operating systems. These will not only provide you with information on your hardware at levels from beginning to advanced, but often offer the most up-to-date information available.

Also check out colleges, both in your local area and online, for computer repair courses. Lots of colleges now offer basic courses that give you a great overview of the workings of hard drives and peripherals, as well as more advanced courses for students who may want to get into computer maintenance and repair as a profession.

Spending some time and effort educating yourself on your computer hardware will pay off in many ways. You'll undoubtedly save money on simple repairs and upgrades, but, beyond that, when it comes time to replace your computer or add software or more peripherals, you'll be able to make decisions by accessing a solid base of knowledge.