"The Newbie's Guide to Personal Computer Maintenance"
When you turn on your computer, does it act like it needs a coffee to wake
up? When you surf around the Internet, are you bombarded with pop-up windows?
Does your computer freeze up or turn off for no apparent reason?
Before you decide to throw your monitor out of the nearest window, there may
be a number of solutions to fix these problems that won't require you having
a degree in computer technology.
There are two primary ways to maintain your computer's performance, and the
maintenance should be done once a week or more. First, acquire and use software
that will help you clean and protect your computer, and second, know how to
use the programs already in your computer to keep it's engines running smooth.
SOFTWARE
The software solutions below will not cost you any money, nor will they take
you much of your time to download, understand, and implement:
1) Virus Protection - Avast AntiVirus is an excellent free program to guard
yourself against Trojans, Worms, and Hacks.
2) Spyware - AdAware and Spybot are terrific free programs for eliminating
pop-ups and other wares from your computer. It is recommended that you use them
both, as one may find problems that the other may not ... a great one-two punch
to protect yourself.
3) Registry Cleaners - WinASO Registry Optimizer is a great program for repairing
your computer registry. The free version allows you to clean or repair ten items
at a time, so you will have to re-run it numerous times if you have many problems.
4) Internet Speed - If you use dial-up, or have a computer the size of a calculator,
you may wish to use RamBooster to help give you the best speed possible for
the limitations you have.
Go to http://www.download.com for these and other great resources.
PROGRAMS
Now that you've taken out the garbage, you should keep the place neat and tidy
by using the programs already existing in your computer. Once again, you should
do this once a week:
1) Clear your Internet History
2) Defrag your Computer
3) Use a Firewall
You can find the programs that will do this for you by looking in the System
Tools or Security Center sections of your computer.
Another option for those of you who've got smoke billowing out of the back
of your computer, with no seemingly useful solution in sight; you may wish to
look at the System Restore feature that your computer may have. This allows
you to revert back to a state when your computer actually worked well. It doesn't
work all the time, by it is an option ... and not an end all be all ... use
it only when absolutely necessary.
About the Author:
Austin Culley is the Chief Operating Officer for Oil-Net.Com Inc.
http://www.oil-net.com |
