Does it feel like your computer needs constant attention to run well? Do you feel nervous about getting on your computer? Does it scare you to think about making changes to it? Is your computer comfortable like the family vehicle or testy like a race car?

It’s probably due to the fact that I recently returned from the Indianapolis 500. Or maybe it’s my lifelong interest in auto racing. But, despite the popular Bill Gates vs. The Big Three Automakers jokes, PCs and cars truly are a lot a like.

See if this sounds familiar. Race drivers spend hours before each race trying to find just the right set up for their cars. They tweak wings, inflate tires and adjust the suspension. Once they have it running like they want it for the particular race, the lock in that set up. Any chance will make the car drive differently. Even the slightest change to the wrong component can send a driver sliding off the track.

Most PCs act the same way. Each one is uniquely set up based on the equipment inside, the software installed and the way it’s used. Little changes can have a profound effect on computers. Install the wrong software, delete the wrong files or hit the wrong key, and you, well, “crash” your machine.

I drove 14 hours in my minivan to and from Indy without changing anything and without worrying whether the vehicle was up to the trip. Then, I watched a race where teams were hoping to keep their cars together for just 500 miles. Wouldn’t it be great if computers were more like street cars. They would run the way you expect them to run, and they’d do it reliably.

There are several factors behind the “every PC a race car” challenge. First is our cultural obsession with “bigger, better, faster.” Racing wouldn’t be popular if we didn’t desire to see faster cars than we can drive. In the PC, it’s bigger hard drives, better graphics, faster processors. Lower costs meant that moving up the performance scale is cheaper and cheaper every year, while complexity grows too. If cars were computers, we’d all be able to drive a new Ford GT for the cost of a Ford Focus.

The second root cause is that the PC has become a multi-use platform. It’s part communications center, part file cabinet, part DVD player, part stereo, part game machine, part photo album and part checkbook. It does much of these well, but not each best. As a car, we’d be driving a Porsche Cayenne (think track-tuned SUV) with an 18 foot semi trailer, snow blade, ham radio, changeable tires/snowtrack/pontoons, and an 84 inch plasma dash display.

Finally, PC manufacturers themselves ship machines that are each unique. Never mind the dizzying array of options that you can pick in a new PC, even seemingly identical machines can be quite different. Some manufacturers look for the cheapest suppliers for particular parts, so that some machines sold on different days may have different components in them. Imagine the challenges if every Chevy Malibu off the assembly line had a different combination of parts in it.

Some business have standardized the software and set up their computers to reduce the complexity of individual machines. But, what is a home user to do?

Some folks will simply have to recognize the fact that they are like race drivers and want to keep fine tuning their machines. Those folks probably know who they are.

A lot of us, however, need to look at how we use our computers. Do we try to make it do too much? Are we expecting too much from older or under-powered PCs? Are there other devices that can do some of the tasks better, like a good stereo or DVD player? Think about it. When was the last time you saw a Yugo competing in the Indy 500?