>> See Cut, Copy, Paste ...
>> Also see New Computer Purchase ...
>> Also see Free Software ...
Here's my 7-point maintenance program to help keep your computer running young:
1) Disk
Cleanup
To perform: Go to Start, My
Computer, then select your C: drive, right-click and select Properties. On the General tab, select Disk
Cleanup and at the prompts, select Okay and Yes.
You may wish to delete your Cookies and Temporary Internet Files: Open Internet Explorer and go to Tools and select Internet Options. On the General tab, click the Delete button, select Temporary Internet Files, Cookies & History then click the Delete button.
2) Disk
Defragmentation
For XP: As before, go to Start, My
Computer, then select your C: drive , right-click and select Properties.
On the Tools tab, select Defragment
Now, then Defragment.
For Vista or Windows 7, defragmentation is scheduled automatically. You may wish to check that it "running on schedule" using the above instructions.
3) Check
Disk/Error-checking
To perform: As before, go to Start, My
Computer, then select C: drive, right-click and select Properties. On the Tools tab,
select Check Now, check both boxes and select Start. You
will receive a pop-up box (you may not see this if it isn't
your main system hard drive) that states roughly that the
utility couldn't perform the task now and would you like
to schedule at the next reboot. Select Yes and reboot.
4) Antivirus
Scan
Open your antivirus program and do a manual Update.
Afterwards, do a Full System Scan.
I recommend Avira Antivirus for home and business. A home/personal use product that may be enough is Avira Antivir Personal - Free Antivirus. Tweaking the scan schedule is recommended. Avira has been leading the pack in proactive and reactive protection -- and is affordably priced.
5) Adware/Spyware/Bugware
Scan
Open your adware/spyware/bugware program and do a manual
update. Afterwards do a Full System Scan and delete any
suspicious looking files and folders found. I recommend the free Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. I also recommend Windows
Defender, that comes preinstalled on Vista & Windows 7 -- and a free download for XP users at microsoft.com. Run separate full system scans with each product.
NOTE: You should have one antivirus & two adware/malware applications ONLY! ... otherwise, performance will be negatively impacted. The above three products work well together; others may or may not.
6) Keep
up with Microsoft Updates
Many of the recent viruses and bugs are alleviated by keeping
your PC patched with free updates and service packs from
Microsoft. Your computer may be receiving these updates
automatically, but it won't hurt to manually check occasionally.
Go to Start, All
Programs, Microsoft or Windows Update; if
not, you should go to update.microsoft.com and
click the "Upgrade to Microsoft Update ..." link and follow the
directions.
7) Backup,
Backup, Backup
Your hard drive will fail. Period. You should have copies of your important data (email messages,
pictures, letters, etc.) saved some other place than just
your hard drive. Almost every computer nowadays has a CD
burner (CDRW) and CDs are cheap. See also: CD Burning Secrets.
External USB Hard Drives are very affordable now (less than $100), are easy to set up, and provide a quick and easy secondary location to store your valuable data.
Flash drives (sometimes called Thumb or Jump drives) are quick and easy, too -- and are very affordable now.
Online Backup is now easy & affordable. You can use Google Docs to share & retrieve your Word & Excel spreadsheets from anywhere; you can use Google's Picasa to share & retrieve your photos from anywhere. For a full, unlimited backup, I recommend Carbonite for a very easy to set up, easy to use and secure service, ... and at $55 a year, I consider it a bargain.
With your original OS and application CDs/DVDs and your data on a backup media (CDs, hard drive, tape, flash drive, online, etc.), you'll be back up and running in no time.
You should perform maintenance once a month. If your computer starts acting "weird" or slow, do all of the above steps. Considering that these steps are free (except possibly cost of the anti virus program) and will keep your computer(s) running young, I suggest you do these on a regular basis. You may well neglect these steps and avoid costly repair bills & loss of data, but speaking from years of experience, it's doubtful. I want you to have a safe, productive and fun computing experience.
Want more speed?
We all like free stuff (check some of my free software recommendations), but be very aware that a heavy toll of adware, spyware and viruses may ensue. The "free" sites are notoriously loaded with "bad ware." You are strongly recommended to check Stopbadware.org before visiting suspicious web sites or installing suspicious programs.
Firewalls are important, but I've seen too many users accidentally lock themselves out of Internet access. Windows XP Service Pack 2, Vista & Windows 7 have a built-in firewall blocking inbound attempts. A good, free, inbound/outbound firewall is available from ZoneAlarm for the home user. Also, some DSL users have a wireless/wired router (if you don't, call for pricing) that provides some firewall protection.
Disclosure: Of the products that I recommend here and elsewhere on this site, I receive nothing in return - no kickbacks, frequent-flyer miles, coupons - nothing, zero, nada, zilch!
If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to contact me .
Charles Rogers Computer Services serves the Dahlonega and surrounding North Georgia areas.
Charles
Rogers Computer Services, Dahlonega, GA
