9 Tips to keep your Computer Running Smoothly
- Run Windows Update for Windows XP and 2000. Make sure Internet Explorer and other browsers are updated to the latest versions.
- Connect your computer to a hardware firewall. This will ensure that hackers do not intrude your computer using newly discovered Windows vulnerabilities. If you use a hardware-based firewall, make sure that only ports of services you need are enabled.
- Install Adware detection programs, such as Ad-Aware or Spybot: Search and Destroy, which are free for download. Run these at least every other day if you are an active web surfer, constantly doing research or shopping online.
- Run anti-virus software and make sure virus definitions are set to automatically update or you should check for updates, manually and run a virus scan on your system periodically.
- If you have an older computer, investigate any suspicious noises. A hard drive that is making a very loud "whirring" noise may be aging and damaged by heat - consider replacing it soon. Also, make sure that all fans are running properly, inside, and that there are no large collections of dust on the motherboard, PCI cards, or the fans; clogged fans can cause the system to overheat. If any component requires replacement, be very careful in removing it. All power should be turned off, including removal of the power cord, as some motherboards maintain a small charge from the power supply even after the computer is actually turned off. Or better yet, call us and we'll help you make repairs.
- Run the Windows XP / 2000 disk defragmenter once per month. This allows for data files to be stored with each segment next to each other in order, on the disk. Without defragmenting, Windows will store data where it finds space, but many times it will store pieces of a data file in many different areas on a hard drive.
- Make sure programs and drivers are updated
- This is not necessarily related to your computer's health, but before if it ever does get sick, it is good to make sure that you are getting regular backups. Try backing up your My Documents folders and files to a CD every month and carefully label and store it away. If it seems to be too much hassle to burn a CD, try getting a USB memory device and backup your files to this once in awhile, though these are not as reliable as a CD backup (they are prone to problems with static electricity and breakage), they are better than no backup at all.
- Use a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) to ensure that your computer gets good voltage and is not turned off when the power hiccups. Also, make sure you do not turn off your computer abruptly. Always go through the Start button and shutdown or control-alt-delete, click shutdown sequence to ensure that your computer is shut down as graceful as possible.
Links to tools that every user should have.
The very first thing Windows
users should do is to replace Internet Explorer with
an alternate, safer browser. Although Internet Explorer
is a high-quality browser, its status as the most widely
used browser has made it the target of every virus writer,
spyware / malware application on the Interent. To protect
yourself and your computer start using a browser that
puts safety and security at the forefront. Mozilla Firefox
1.5 is now available. Download
If your PC's ailing, are
you really going to let the patient diagnose its own
illness? Ultimate Boot CD lets you run diagnostics from
CD, not from an unwell hard drive or a series of teeny
floppies. You can create a boot CD with any of a variety
of hard drive diagnostics, hard disk management programs,
memory diagnostics, Linux-based rescue discs, and more.
Note: we strongly recommend
that you look at the FAQ
at the vendor's Web site (scroll to the bottom of
the page) before using this program. Download
Running out of bribes to
entice your computer-savvy friend to check on your PC?
This utility's benchmarking, diagnostic, testing, and
tune-up tools gather and report information about your
system's hardware and resources. SANDRA can check components
ranging from your CPU, BIOS, and PCI bus, to your printer,
CD-ROM drive, and modem. A built-in wizard helps you
gather the information to optimize your system. You
can save, print, fax, and e-mail system reports from
within the program.
This latest version adds support
for Intel's 64-bit extended processors. It also has
optimized its support for Advanced Micro Devices' 64-bit
chips, and included support for DDR-2.
Note: The following link takes
you to the vendor's site, where you must click "download"
to have the site select the correct version for your
OS. go
to download site
Microsoft's overhaul of
Windows may have given most people everything they need
to personalize their computing experience, but what
about those of us who want to delve deeper under the
hood? PowerToys for Windows XP is a suite of separately
offered tools that lets you do things like view images
burned to a CD as a slide show and create a Web-ready
slide show of your digital pictures. The useful Alt-Tab
Replacement displays the icon of the application window
you are switching to, as well as a preview of the page.
This is particularly helpful when multiple windows of
an application are open. You can also take pictures
at specified time intervals from a Webcam connected
to your computer and save them to a location that you
designate.
Another tool, Tweak UI, gives
you access to system settings that are not exposed in
the Windows XP default interface, including settings
for the mouse, Explorer, the taskbar, and more. Other
tools let you resize images with a right-click, manage
four virtual desktops, and switch users without going
through the log-on screen.
This suite also lets you magnify
parts of the screen from the taskbar, and to open a
command window (cmd.exe) by pointing to a selected folder.
The Power Calculator can graph and evaluate functions
as well as perform conversions.
Note: Microsoft has tested
PowerToys, but does not offer technical support on them.
go
to download site
If you've come across portable
document format (PDF) files, chances are you're familiar
with Adobe Acrobat. The program is essential to viewing
these files. The reader is free, and you can launch
it from your desktop, or open it from within your browser
(when you install the program, an ActiveX control is
automatically installed in Netscape or Internet Explorer,
whichever you prefer).
This latest version of Acrobat
lets you save copies of files downloaded in your Web
browser.
Note: Acrobat's "Web Buy"
feature, which lets you purchase electronic books, will
transmit information about your PC to online distributors.
go
to download site
The fight against spammers
can sometimes seem a losing battle, but every now and
then there are tools to give you a glimmer of hope.
Sam Spade is a network-query tool that can help you
locate bulk mailers and maybe even make them answer
for their transgressions.
Many server-finding tools, such
as nslookup, whois, and traceroute, have been previously
available, but only from a command line. Sam Spade lets
you use these tools from a graphical interface, and
information found with one tool can be queried using
another. Its SMTP Verify tool helps you check on the
validity of an e-mail address, which is good for finding
out if mail is being sent from that address or forwarded
from another address to cover the spammer's tracks.
Another helpful feature sends
HTTP packets to your ISP's Web server every minute or
so, to keep a dial-up link active. There is also an
included Web browser. An abuse.net query will identify
the e-mail addresses listed at a database maintained
by abuse.net. Download
What do you do when your watch, computer, and telephone
clock show three different times? The free Atomic Clock
Sync utility can help resolve this time confusion by
keeping your computer up-to-date with the exact current
time. The utility references an atomic clock server
to get the current time with the greatest accuracy available,
and then updates your PC's information. You can even
set it to automatically check the time once a day. Download
Detect viruses on your computer
with this free tool, based on McAfee's VirusScan engine.
FreeScan searches for viruses, including the latest
known "in the wild" viruses, and displays
a detailed list of any infected files. Should viruses
be found, FreeScan links to information about the virus
and tells you what you can do to clean your system.
Freescan uses ActiveX components
to initiate scanning. The first time you access FreeScan,
the required ActiveX components are downloaded to your
computer. The user interface is an HTML page. go
to download site
This networking utility
lets you view and control another computer remotely.
VNC is platform independent; for example, a desktop
running on a Linux machine may be displayed on a PC,
a Solaris machine, or any number of other architectures.
There are two parts to this application--a viewer and
a server. The viewer can be run as a stand-alone application
or as a Java applet. VNC is also sharable--one desktop
can be displayed and used by several viewers at once.
go
to download site
It is next to impossible
to keep up with the different ways intruders use to
gain access to a PC. FireEyes lets you know exactly
when your PC is being accessed--and by whom. It doesn't
protect your PC from intrusion, but it gives you the
chance to make up your own mind as to whether a connection
is legitimate or suspect.
After you install FireEyes, it
displays all your PC's connections and listening ports.
You can then watch the ports and be alerted when someone
connects to one. When connections are established, FireEyes
lists the accessor's IP address, which you can then
research. You can also have FireEyes alert you when
specific IP addresses connect to your PC, as well as
when connections are made to specific ports.
Note: This program only
works on Windows 98. Download
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