Routine Maintenance
 Routine maintenance of your computer is a vital
step in keeping your system running smoothly and efficiently. Problems ranging
from not shutting down to screen freezes are most likely a result of poor
maintenance, NOT hardware problems. So if you think you may have a computer
issue, it may just be a matter of poor maintenance. Here are a few things that you should be doing on a regular basis (put a
reminder in your Outlook or calendar). Print this out for your
convenience. See the Tech Tip at the bottom of this page to learn how to
automate the process! Before you Begin:
Make certain that all programs, especially anti virus software are closed. Look
at the bottom on your task bar (to the left of the clock). If you see
any boxes down there....something is still open. Disregard the small icons just
to the right of the Start...these are "Quicklaunch" shortcuts
and they are not really running. Any icons by the clock ARE
running. You can right click on them and close. The speaker is ok to leave.
Disable
your screensaver temporarily. Right click on your desktop and click on Properties.
You will see a Screensaver tab. Select it and change your current screensaver to
None. You can change it back once you have completed your maintenance.
For best
results do not attempt to use the computer in any way while these utilities are
running.
If you
are have computer issues, also make sure to visit our
Online Support Center.
What is does: Checks for
damaged areas on your hard drive.
How Often: At least every 2
weeks
How:
 Open
My Computer and RIGHT Click on the drive letter.(If you have more than
one hard drive...do one at a time)
 Choose
Properties/Tools ...and click Check Now
 Make sure to check "Automatically fix errors"
and "Scan for and attempt....."
 Click
Start
What is
does: Defragmentation of your hard drive. When using your computer
data become fragmented, or scattered on the hard drive. Defrag organizes
and consolidates the data on the drive so it is stored more inefficiently
allowing your system to run much cleaner and faster.
How Often: At least every week
How:
Open
My Computer and RIGHT Click on the drive letter (If you have more than
one hard drive...do one at a time)
Choose
Properties/Tools ...and click Defragment Now
| Temporary Internet Files: |
What is does:
Every time you visit a website your computer stores that site
temporarily in memory, or "cache". Have you noticed that once you
visit a site, and then click on the BACK button how fast that page pops
right up? You did not have to wait for it to download all over again because a
copy was retained in memory. Well after a while you accumulate sometimes
thousands of these temp files and it is a good idea to purge regularly.
How Often: Once a week
for active Internet users. Once every 2 weeks for intermediate users. Once every
month for occasional users.
How:
On
your desktop, RIGHT Click
Internet Explorer icon and choose Properties
Under
the "Temporary Internet Files" section, click on Delete Files.
Don't worry these are only temporary or junk files which can be safely deleted,
this has nothing to do with any data. Optionally you can choose Delete
offline content and Delete Cookies.
Click
OK on the next window that pops up. Note also that in this same window
you have a Settings button. Here you can specify how much of your hard
drive space is used for JUNK files. You need some space allocated for this but
not much. Unless you are a heavy graphics user or gamer you can set this to
300mb or less. If you find that it is not enough you can always set it higher.
What is does:
When you delete something on your computer it is not actually removed
from your computer until the Recycle Bin is emptied. This means it is also still
taking up valuable hard drive space.
How Often: At least every 2
weeks
How:
On
your desktop you will see the Recycle Bin
Right click on it and choose Empty Recycle Bin
What is does:
Anti virus programs are absolutely useless unless they the virus
definitions are kept updated. Fortunately, the newer versions update
automatically anytime you are connected to the Internet...in the
background....without disturbing you...a beautiful thing. The older versions
that do not update are not worth talking about. Go out and buy the newest
version of Norton's today.
How Often: Every time
you are connected to the Internet.
How:
Automatically
once you have a 2003 or better version of AV software.
What is does:
In a Windows environment if you do not keep your drivers, and
operating system up to date you are asking for trouble. Microsoft comes out with
"security patches" (updates) regularly. You will not be notified when an update is due
unless you set up Automatic Updates which we highly recommend. The Automatic
Update Utility will scan your computer for you and look for any updates to
the operating system, drivers for devices you have installed etc and install for
you. It is important to keep these things up to
date to avoid system crashes, viruses vulnerabilities, or incompatibility issues.
How Often: At least every 2
weeks
How:
Go
to Microsoft's Update page.
Microsoft
will check you system to see which updates you need, download them and install
them Just follow the instructions on the site.
What is does:
Being infected with Spyware, to use an analogy, is like having little
Gremlins in your computer which can cause pop-ups, junk mail, system lock ups,
and various other problems. They can cause your system to malfunction or even
stop if it gets bad enough. Sometimes producing similar symptoms to viruses,
Spyware should be removed on a regular basis. Spyware problems are very commonly
mistaken for a computer problems.
There are many free spyware
programs out there the most common and effective is called Ad-Aware.
This is a free download so there is no excuse not to have it. Stop what you are
doing and download it now if you have not already.
NOTE: that when
you first open the program you must UPDATE to make sure you have the latest data
file. This is similar to updating your antivirus definitions, it must be updated
to be effective. Look for the "Check for
Updates Now" button before scanning for the first time. In fact, click on
this before every scan to make sure you are up to date.
How Often: Once a week
for active Internet users. Once every 2 weeks for intermediate users. Once every
month for occasional users.
How:
Download
and install Ad-Aware from our downloads page.
It will create an icon on your desktop. It will create an icon with a red circle
and the version number (6 or 7 for example). Double click on it to launch the
program.
Click
on Check for Updates now. If there are updates available, click
Connect, allow it to download, then click Finish. If you already have
the latest updates, it will say, "No updated components available", or
something to that effect.
Click
on Start (not your regular start button the one inside this program) to
check your system for spyware. Even one item found is not good so once it completes
you will see a little blinking spider indicating that is is finished scanning.
Click NEXT. Ultimately you will have 0 files infected, but chances are
it will list all of the spyware found. If the items are not already "checked",
simply right click and Select All Objects from the menu then follow the
prompts to remove. Follow the prompts with the default choices, and once this is done it will bring you back to the main screen
and you can X out of the program until your next scan. It will not give you a
message that says it is finished, just close the window and you are done.
What is does:
Contrary to what you may have heard it is VERY important to shut down
your computer regularly (daily is preferred). When using your computer, with
every key stroke you are generating another form of unnecessary temporary files,
called TMP and CHK files among others. The ONLY time these files are
purged out of your system automatically, is DURING the Shut Down process. If you never shut
down this process does not take place and your computer becomes a storage unit
for thousands of temp files which slow your system down. Another reason for
shutting down is logical. Think about the wear and tear on your machine. Would
you leave your car running for days or weeks at a time without shutting it down?
Probably not. Get into the habit of shutting your computer down every night
before you go to bed. It has the chance to purge temporary files and it will
make your system last much longer!
How Often: Every night
How:
If we have to tell you how to do this you are in
trouble...give us a call!
In Windows you have a utility called the Maintenance
Wizard or Scheduled Tasks. (Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools)
It will automate most of the above processes based on a schedule that you set.
Give it a try, it is very easy to do
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