KEEPING YOUR COMPUTER CLEAN AND HEALTHY
If your old computer is running slow and you are thinking about replacing it, DON'T! Over time a computer will slow down for a variety of reasons. Most computers are able to be fixed and used for a long time before a replacement is needed. This is good news in today's recession! Not everyone can afford to replace a computer that, not only can be brought back to almost new performance, but can be fixed for FREE if you have a few basic tools and are willing to learn how to do it yourself. That's what this website is all about!
This website is filled with information about and links to free software that can protect your home computer and help you become more productive when you are working from home on your PC. I am always looking for new ways to keep your computer running at an optimum level for the free or for the lowest cost possible.
So let's get going!
First of all, we'll start with a schedule of things you can do on a regular basis to keep your PC clean and malware free.
Daily:
1.Update your spy ware and anti virus definitions. This is a critical part of keeping your computer free of viruses and spy ware. I'll show you where you can get free anti virus and anti spy ware programs on the VIRUS PROTECTION page
2.Backup your data daily. Windows XP users click here to find out how to do a daily backup and/or a full weekly backup. Got Vista? Click Here!You can also click here to go to the video section of my site and see a video tutorial from simpletips on how to backup your computer. You may want to invest in an external hard drive if you have a lot of stuff to back up. There are a lot of free backup programs out there. Click here to go to one source of some good, free backup software.
3.Reboot after a crash. When an application fails it will stop responding and may freeze. Sometime when this happens you can stop the application without restarting the computer but you will still want to restart because failed applications can cause problems with other programs.
Weekly:
1.Do a full virus and spy ware scan. This is very important to keep your PC clean of viruses and spy ware.
2.Do a complete backup of all your data. This will help if your hard drive should fail.
3.Go to the Windows Update website and update your Windows. This does not apply if you are using a Mac or a Linux operating system. If you are using either of these systems you probably don't need any help as these 2 systems rarely have Windows-like problems. Click here to go to the Windows Update page.
4.Use an anti spy ware and anti ad ware program to remove these types of annoyances. For the antivirus page click here. For the anti spyware page click here.
Virus Protection
Monthly:
1.Check vendors website for new drivers. Having the most recent drivers for your devices can help increase the speed and stability of your computer.
2.Update your software programs. You can go to the websites of the vendors of the software on your PC to check if you have the latest updates for that software.
3.Give your computer a check-up with a single CD utility suite if you have one. If you don't have one don't worry there are plenty of free check-up utilities I will tell you about.
Yearly:
1.Clean out your computer case.
2.Wash your Windows! I mean the Windows on your computer. If your PC has gotten to a point where it is bloated with old files and programs it will get sluggish. When this happens you can perform a full backup and use your restore CD to return your computer to it's original state.
3.Do a full hardware check to find faulty components before they go. Use a hardware diagnostic program to scan your computer and tell you the state of your hardware.
If you want to know more about your system you might want to download and run this neat little application from Auslogics
Website links to system information utilities
www.auslogics.com/en/software/system-information
Here is a screenshot of the 'General Information' screen from my system:
http://www.hwinfo.com/ is another helpful site to find a small applicatioin that will help you find out what you want to know about your computer. There are 2 versions of the application. One is for DOS and the other is for Windows. This is shareware with a 14 day free trial, but if you print out all of the information it will give you, you won't need it past the 14 days.
MORE TO FOLLOW. VISIT OFTEN!