Computer Check Up: Stat!

Average computer users find computers touchy, finicky, and most of all a royal pain much of the time. The reason computers appear to act so temperamental is due to lack of maintenance. It is not a difficult chore and most often, it does not require much time. It does take perseverance and dedication to keep one's computer as healthy and free of any problems as possible.

The first order of business is to understand a computer is a machine and as a machine, any errors the computer makes is essentially due to the user, not the machine although when running Microsoft software, that statement can have holes in it for obvious reasons. There was that incident back when the release of Windows 98 made its debut at a technology convention. Bill Gates stood by the computer swearing it would not have any problems yet when he turned the machine on he received what we all do at any given time but most notably in those days - the blue screen of death! The jokes and roasting over the incident are still going around today within the technical circles. Generally as a rule, bad information going in means bad information coming out so allow me the opportunity to help you keep your computer healthy and happy in addition to safe for those who take to tossing computers out windows or off rooftops after the annoyance of making it work brings about pure hatred for the machine.

Weekly scheduled routines should include an upgrade of your anti-virus program. New viruses come out each day, sometimes several times a day. It is always a good idea to allow any antivirus program to download updates automatically as they become available. This saves major heartache later.

For those who work on the computer daily, it is best to set the maintenance scheduling options within antivirus programs to scan the computer during a time when nobody is using it, preferably late at night if you work during the day or during the day if you work nights.

Heavy users should clear out cache files in the software browser. The options are usually available in the tools section of any browser program. The most noted and used browsers are Mozilla's Firefox and Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Clear out those cookies as well.

Monthly Cleaning becomes a bit more intense and time consuming. Again, update that anti-virus program. Run a full deep scan virus check to remove any hidden bugs. If the antivirus program offers a way to send the virus to them to investigate, please do so. It might save someone else later. Run the online free scanware, malware, and anti-virus programs at Trend Micro and Ewido.Net to ensure no ugly pests are lurking around. Both of these pages are available through a google search although remember Ewido.Net must run under Internet Explorer. It will not run on FireFox.

Always take time to clean the hard drives using the clean up feature. Open My Computer. Click on your C drive or whichever drive is the primary one running the operating system. Locate the system properties by right-clicking the mouse or left-clicking for us lefties. Either way, one wants to get into the properties section under general to do some housecleaning. Click on the button that tells you to clean the drive. This will remove unwanted files allowing the computer to run faster without junk files written all over the drive.

Once the clean up completes, it is time to do a windows update. Open your Internet Explorer browser. In the tools area, you will find the updates option. Update all the critical updates. Choose which other updates apply to your system. Update those as well and reboot your computer.

When the computer comes back on and settles on go, it is time for a defragmentation. This is an important part of monthly maintenance. The software built into the windows operating system is a lite version of DiskKeeper. With Diskkeeper Pro, it is possible to set the program to "set it and forget it," allowing the computer program to defrag as necessary. The defrag program may take some time to run depending on the size of the hard drive. If the machine has multiple hard drives, run the same routines on each hard drive.

The latest version of Vista and I believe Windows XP had the option to backup the computer from the properties and tools window. If you do not have anything on your computer worth saving, I would not worry about backing up the computer but if your life is in that machine, it is highly important to backup your files in case of a hard drive or computer meltdown. The new DVD burners are wonderful for backing up data since a single-side disk holds 4.7 gb of data and the double layer disks hold twice that much data. The new Lightscribe disks allow the labeling of each disk by using the laser in the player to label each disk.

Finally, clear browser files including cache files and cookies to clean space on your hard drive just as before. Empty recycle bin to remove all that data from your hard drive.

Every Six Months: Every six months it is a good idea to purchase a couple of cans of compressed air. Open the computer and use the compressed air to remove any dust or debris from dust out of the machine. Pay special attention to cleaning out the fan area. A clogged fan motor can cause a computer to overheat and ruin the system requiring a new motherboard and such. Put the computer back together as it was before the cleaning of the inside.

Remember to repeat these processes at the specific intervals to keep your machine running as smoothly as possible. It is not always perfect but it does make things go much better when the hard drive is clean, defragmented, and dust and grime our out of the computer's insides and fans.

Helpful Software:
Your Uninstaller Pro 2006 - http://www.ursoftware.com/
AVG Free/Paid Versions Anti-Virus Programs - http://www.grisoft.com/
Ewido.Net - http://www.ewido.net