I posted a question yesterday and a smart-@ss replied that I ';shouldn't be surfing the internet if I didn't know how to maintain my computer';...well...duh,sorry I don't know what to do...I'd like to know!! What exactly is it that I should be doing to properly take care of my computer? These are the only things I use it for: Email,yahoo messenger,read on-line newspapers,Myspace,post frequently on a pregnancy message board,and look up random things for informational purposes. What should I be doing exactly and when for maintenance?
Thank you!Advice,computer smart-guys?
Never mind, we all learned the hard way, we surfed and get infection, cleaned up the PC and start again more carefully.
Yet it's important to install a good antivirus program to keep you away from viral trouble.
Important, If you have sensitive and private files on your PC, then you should backup them into CDs so that you are safe even if a virus formatted your PC.
Regards,
:)Advice,computer smart-guys?
Nothing much.
All you should do is:
- do a virus scan and spyware scan every week or two to prevent anything bad from happening. If you know you haven't been on any virus-lurking websites, maybe you can do one every 3 weeks.
- Update windows every two months. This will help you keep your Windows new and makes it stronger against any nasties on the web.
- Update your anti-virus program and anti-spyware program often. This will help it track down more viruses in your computer.
- Defragment your computer every month or so to speed it up slightly.
- Clean out any useless files (Temporary internet files, history etc.) to speed up your computer and prevent any errors.
Well, I think that's about it to healthy computer maintenance.
Use few tips From Below...
Free Up Disk Space
By freeing disk space, you can improve the performance of your computer. The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.
Use Disk Cleanup to
Remove temporary Internet files.
Remove downloaded program files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets).
Empty the Recycle Bin.
Remove Windows temporary files.
Remove optional Windows components that you don't use.
Remove installed programs that you no longer use.
Tip: Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later.
To use Disk Cleanup
1.Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.
Disk Cleanup dialog box
Disk Cleanup calculates the amount of space you will be able to free.
2.In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list.
Disk Cleanup for dialog box
Choose the files that you want to delete.
3.Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK.
4.When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click Yes.
After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner and performing better.
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Speed Up Access to Data
Disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk when the file is opened to piece it back together. The response time can be significantly longer.
Disk Defragmenter is a Windows utility that consolidates fragmented files and folders on your computer's hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the disk. With your files stored neatly end-to-end, without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up.
When to Run Disk Defragmenter
In addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals, optimally monthly, certain events warrant running the utility outside of the monthly rule of thumb.
You should run Disk Defragmenter under the following circumstances:
You add a large number of files.
Your free disk space nears 15 percent.
You install new programs or a new version of Windows.
To use Disk Defragmenter:
1.Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
Disk Defragmenter dialog box
Click Analyze to start the Disk Defragmenter.
2.In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, click the drives that you want to defragment, and then click the Analyze button.
After the disk is analyzed, a dialog box appears, letting you know whether you should defragment the analyzed drives.
Tip: You should analyze a volume before defragmenting it to get an estimate of how long the defragmentation process will take.
3.To defragment the selected drive or drives, click the Defragment button.
After the defragmentation is complete, Disk Defragmenter displays the results.
4.To display detailed information about the defragmented disk or partition, click View Report.
5.To close the View Report dialog box, click Close.
6.To close the Disk Defragmenter utility, click the Close button on the title bar of the window.
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Detect and Repair Disk Errors
In addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.
As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files or folders are misplaced.
If you use your computer daily, you should try to run this utility weekly to help prevent data loss.
To run the Error Checking utility:
Important: Be sure to close all files before running the Error-Checking utility.
1.Click Start, and then click My Computer.
2.In the My Computer window, right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.
3.In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.
4.Click the Check Now button.
5.In the Check Disk dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.
Check Disk dialog box
In most circumstances, select Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.
6.If bad sectors are found, choose to fix them.
Tip: Only select the Automatically fix file system errors check box if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.
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Protect Your Computer Against Spyware
Spyware collects personal information without letting you know and without asking for permission. The information that spyware collects ranges from a list of Web sites that you visit to usernames and passwords. In addition to privacy concerns, spyware can hamper your computer's performance
The important thing when surfing the internet is to use common sense. If it seems to good to be true, it is.
People will try to trick you if they can.
Etc on my space, if people you don't know send you any links, delete and block then.
Don't click links you don't know what is, don't install any of those fancy tools bars, animated cursors or funny msn smiley's
Make sure you have a antivirus program, that updates it self, so you always have the latest signatures.
Run a weakly virus scan, and adware scan ( http://www.safer-networking.org )
If your using Windows XP, make sure the firewall is enabled
Start -%26gt; settings -%26gt; Network connection -%26gt; Right click your connection and choose, properties -%26gt; advanced -%26gt; Settings.
The XP firewall is more then enough, and doesn't use any extra resources.
When you install freeware programs, always make sure you don't install any of the sponsors software, as it's always adware.
Common sense will get you a long way, help you stay safe.
You should have a good firewall, make sure you update your antivirus definitions regularly and run scans, install some anti-spyware products and run them regularly and use both a pop-up blocker and spyware blocker.
Below are some free products for your perusal.
ZoneAlarm Free Firewall
http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/c…
Kerio Free Firewall
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Home-Hom…
(Note: Use only one firewall)
====================
This is free and requires you to check for and enable updates manually once a week or so. It uses no system resources. It blocks spyware before it installs.
SpywareBlaster (inoculates, not a spyware removal tool)
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareb…
====================
SuperAntispyware
http://superantispyware.com/
Spybot S%26amp;D (free version requires manual updating)
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/downl…
AVG AntiSpyware
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/20/lng/us/tp…
Adaware from Lavasoft (free version requires automatic updating)
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_a…
(These programs can be run in Safe Mode after installation and updating)
Note: Adaware2007 for Vista is not due to be released until August 2007)
=====================
ATF Cleaner (An easy program to use to clear all old history, cookies, Java cache, etc.)
http://www.atribune.org/content/view/19/…
=====================
AVG 7.5 AntiVirus (Vista Compatible)
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1
Avast Home Antivirus (Vista Compatible)
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.ht…
AntiVir PE (Vista Compatible)
http://www.free-av.com/
( Note: Only use one anti-virus product. Running more than one can cause conflicts thus rendering each ineffective.
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nav… )
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