Learn the 7 easy steps to keep your computer running smoothly. By following these simple steps, you will avoid most of the problems that cause you to visit your computer dealer for repairs.
1. Backups
Too many people who come into our office with a dead hard drive ask “…doesn’t a dying hard drive give you a warning?” Computers are being made cheaper and computers are forced to last longer. Drives do fail. Back up data that you don’t want to lose. There is no need to backup software. Backup daily, weekly, as often as what you don’t want to re-type. Store it away from the computer to protect from fire. You can use:
• Diskette
• CD or DVD burners
• Tape drives
• Removable hard drives
• Memory Key
2. Anti-Virus
Overall people are doing a good job at this. A couple of years ago, every second computer coming in to the shop was filled with viruses and viruses like the LOVE virus were in the news every week. Get good quality anti-virus software, stay away from free stuff. There are two parts to the software – the program and the virus signatures. Update the signatures weekly. Do full scans weekly. Make sure it is turned on for “Real Time Scanning”. Do not expect you network provider to do this job for you!
3. Spyware
Currently the biggest problem we see. Definition: A technology that assists in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. On the Internet, “Spyware is programming that is put in someone’s computer to secretly gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties.” As such, spyware is cause for public concern about privacy on the Internet. Use good quality spyware removers – notice I used plural – use more than one. DO NOT respond to “pop-ups saying you have spyware, would you like it removed?”. These will remove some but then add their own spyware programs. Sample solutions are: Spyware Eliminator, Spy Sweeper, Spyware Doctor, Pest Patrol, McAfee Antispyware, Ad-Aware and many more. Run full scans “as often as you need to” or if you notice your system is running slower”. Some common spy’s are: DoubleClick, Adserver, Gator and FastClick.
4. Cool your computer
As stated before, computers are being made cheaper and computers are forced to last longer. Heat will shorten the life of a computer. The motherboard will cook its capacitors. Turn it off if you are not going to use it for an extended period. I turn it off on the weekend but I know I will pay the price of killing my motherboard. Put extra cooling fans into your system. Do not park it up against a desk so it can’t circulate its air. Cat hair and dust will clog the vents. Blow it out yourself or ask someone who knows how to do it
5. Firewall
You have anti-virus, you have anti-spyware, but the enemy can still get in. Hackers can “ping” you address and “share” your hard drive. Get a software firewall or use the firewall on your router. Again, do not expect you network provider to do this job for you!
6. Software Updates
The software on your computer was developed by companies and those companies are continuously updating their software. Keep up to date with their improvements. A good PC dealer, like CCS, will update your software when you bring your computer in. You can also do it yourself. One exception: Microsoft’s Windows XP Service Pack 2. It was created to fix many of the “holes” in Windows that spyware and viruses use to get in. The key problem is that it is too restrictive. It tends to hang computers that have other software installed. New computers that already have it are not as affected. This is the one pitch I’ll make for all PC dealers – let us install SP2.
7. Upgrades and Memory
We often get people coming in asking if they can upgrade their 1.0Ghz processor to a 3.2 processor or upgrade their Windows 98 to XP Home. Don’t. Motherboards are designed with a particular family of processors in mind. A motherboard with a 1.0Ghz processor would have been designed to only accept processors ranging from 800Mhz to 1.1Ghz. The memory is also matched to the motherboard’s internal speed. Don’t upgrade a computer from Windows 98 to XP. A PC with 128MB of memory and 600Mhz processor is not powerful enough to properly run XP. Stay on 98 or throw it out and buy a new one with XP installed.
At CCS we recommend only 2 types of upgrades: more memory or a full “heart transplant”. With a few exceptions, computers will always benefit from more memory. Minimum for XP is 256MB, 512 is better. A well known manufacturer of PCs used to offer PCs with XP and only 128MB – frankly that was disgraceful. The one exception: Windows 98 was designed when computers had 32MB of memory. It doesn’t have the ability to properly utilize 256MB of memory. When we do a “heart transplant” we match up a processor, motherboard, memory and power supply and then install these components into your system. Everything matches and everything runs smoothly.
This article was authored by Andy Butler of Compatible Computer Services; (902) 420-1212. CCS provides sales and service support for PCs and Restaurant & Retail Point of Sales systems and develops client-specific custom-built business software applications.