Buzz Out Loud Lounge: How much time do you spend on computer maintenance?

computer mainteance

I am forever looking for that little piece of software which will make my computer faster, or safer, or more friendly! If I don't like what I've installed then I just uninstall it! I've had a few problems with some software but I've always managed to sort it out - up to now!
Doing a registry clean is a good idea to get rid of wee bits of files etc.

Mac Hardware

Macs are a pain in the butt to upgrade since the designs are so vain and access to certain parts are obstructed by styling issues. Even their tower cases are overdesigned as to make drive replacements annoying.
I would not think of Macs as performance cars. Okay, probably more now than before since they recently adopted the Intel chips. Even then, the search for aftermarket items are spare since the company has a tight leash on their hardware specs. Maybe Volkswagens are more like it - for the artsy fartsy snobbish crowd. Them's fighting words!

Maintenance? meh. Tinkering?.....

Except for my original TI994A I haven't owned a computer (or many other pieces of gear) that I haven't taken partially apart & often modded. No neon or cool teak panels, just odd scsi cards, ir sensors strange peripherals and all sorts of quirky adjustments to make it entirely unlike what the mfr intended.
I don't work on cars, since a foulup there could lead to death/injury of myself or others. I'm more adventurous where I can do less damage. If I'm home & bored, I'll throw on some music or podcasts & tinker.
At least with computers, the neighbors don't have to see junkers on blocks in the yard.
I would differ on the analogy of a linux box though. Instead of a Classic car, I'd more consider it a kit car, where you get an assorment of standard parts & throw together something generally familiar but quirkily unique - with no owners manual or service docs!

(NT) Agree 100% with your analogy.

Around 25%.

Me.

Much less on Mac than Windows

I switched to Mac about 18 months ago, and I spend much less time on maintenance, even with auto updates from MS. I also consider any repair (such as re-booting after a crash) as maintenance time. The final straw before the switch was that I realized I was spending more time maintaining the computer than using it. To be fair, I was using a Sony Vaio, and about 10% of that time was hardware related.

Car analogies:

Windows - Cheap, smalll car, like an aged Hyundai, with parts easy to find

Mac - Like a BMW, runs smoothly and is fun to drive, parts easy to find, but may need a specialist from time to time

Linux - I agree, a classic which still runs well, but needs TLC from time to time, which the owner is more than happy to do. Parts are hard to find, until you learn where to look (ie, junkyards, second hand shops, etc.)