DIY Maintenance
Take good care of it!
One thing, lots of people are guilty of, is not looking after their computers properly. Fair enough, our office machines get neglected, however…what we all forget is, if we don’t, they are going to break!
So here is a little list to help make sure you give your ‘Personal’ Computer a new lease of life!
Physical Issues…
- DUST, we all hate it, some are even allergic to it…just like your PC! Dust gets everywhere, in the air-flow vents (yes they are there for a reason and not just to look fancy), the cooling fans, all over the components inside the computer! This isn’t a very nice situation is it, imagine being wrapped up in a heavy, woolly, cardigan (just an example people…) in the middle of summer, in say, one of the hottest climates on the planet… You’re not exactly going to perform at your best are you? Nor will your computer.
(Please note, before attempting to move your computer tower, make sure it is turned off, that way your hard drive isn’t spinning and working away, very fragile those are)
Get that vacuum cleaner out, take the nozzle and carefully suck the dust out from all of the air vents. This really is as much as you can do; unless you want go inside the computer, which should be handled by professionals like us! (A-la, cleaning services)
Don’t be a Silly Billy. Keep your computer tower away from sources of heat or cold. So… don’t place it near any radiators, air conditioning units, fridge freezers (you thought that one was a joke didn’t you) and confined spaces – It needs to breathe in a natural atmosphere!
Following on from the last point, don’t block up those airflow vents you cleaned earlier on. Your tower should always be placed on something pretty solid, like a desk, wooden floor etc… Carpet doesn’t do your computer any favours I’m afraid… if it must be placed on the floor with a carpet, try to put a board underneath it to just keep it that little bit raised from those dastardly Dust Bugs and Frilly Carpet bits… that cause heat build up!
Your PC doesn’t like smoking, so please refrain from smoking around it, passive smoking can kill you know. Seriously, smoke causes a build up, a film, which…causes heat, and is a pain to get off!
For this section, we’re nearly done…however, one last thing, don’t put it where there is any moisture. Moisture and Electricity never a good mix, unless you get a professionally fitted water cooling system installed (one of our services I might add, Yes I know, another shameless plug).
Running, Backing Up, Cleansing…
Software cleansing. Isn’t it about time you trawl your Add/Remove programs in the Control Panel? Getting rid of unwanted programs is a benefit; remove those programs you downloaded from the internet to try out, All the un-needed/un-wanted toolbars and all the programs you don’t use. Most things in there are obvious, however if you’re not sure what something is… Ask somebody else!
Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter help as well. They are put there for a reason you know! You’ll most likely find these lovely tools under ‘Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools’.
Disk Cleanup – Perform this about every month, doesn’t take very long and will clear a lot of ‘stuff’ from your machine, temporary files, things of that nature. Tick every box that you can, except the compress old files section…Takes ages, and can cause some confusion down the line.
Disk Defragmenter – So, what this does is move all your files closer together, physically, on the hard drive. (Notice how we put this after uninstalling rubbish) well, there is a good reason for that, when you uninstall something, or delete a file, it leaves…a gap, a blank space. Like bulldozing your house down on the street and leaving it like that…silly, no? As these gaps become more frequent, your hard drive has to work harder, sifting through different blocks, sectors and jumping over blank bits to get to what it needs. Using disk defragmenter works by rearranging all your files together, leaving all the blank space in one block, just like it would be from new! Instead of jumping from one side of the supermarket to the other, it just has to go down the next aisle… saves time, hence…a better performing computer!
This takes quite some time depending on how much data you have saved, lots of people prefer to leave it running over night. As it takes so long, realistically do it every two/three months, and/or when you go on a mission to have a good clear out on your PC.
Backups – These days, there’s not really any reason why you shouldn’t back up your data, Memory Sticks, External Hard Drives… So cheap these days (Hey, we sell them).
Don’t rely on CD/DVDs though OK? Sometimes incompatible with other computers, a faulty write, a faulty disc, so on and so fourth… if it’s all you got, and can’t afford a new toy right now, enable data checking at the end of a burn to ensure all data is verified as A-OK!
Internet and Security
The Big World Wide Web! T’internet, Interweb, Net, Phone Line Thingy, Broadband, No matter what you call it, or what we’ve heard people call it, if your not safe on it, your computer will feel the repercussions from it…
Virus’s, Spyware, Trojans, Worms, Malicious Ware are all names for items that come to your computer primarily via the Internet. Software to eliminate this threat for home users, can be extremely cheap! Rightly so as well we think. AVG is Anti-Virus programs we recommend, Links Here:
AVG Anti-Virus and Spyware Products Click Here
Make sure you have only ONE Anti-Virus program on your PC, More programs doesn’t mean more protection here ;), just means they get confused then try and wipe each other out…(under extreme conditions I might like to add here :p).
Automatic updates must be switched on, Program AND Virus definitions. New Viruses are being published, made, created, born every day! Keep on top of it, before you lose all your data!
Make sure Automatic Updates for XP and Vista are also switched on, Microsoft release specific security patches to prevent hackers and viruses getting to your machine.
Spyware is a little different from Viruses. Viruses tend to infect, delete and cause problems with your machine, whilst Spyware…spies on you! Credit Card Details, Internet Browsing Trends and a host of other things they can spy on you for.
One fantastic program we use and recommend is SpyBot, Search and Destroy!
Download it, Install it, use it, Right now! Use the download/updates button to install the latest patches. Then Immunise your system, click check then click immunise. Then do a Search and Destroy (Sounds good doesn’t it), Fix selected problems and there you go! (Please note we do not accept any responsibility for any damage caused by the improper use/misuse/ ignorant use of Anti-virus/Spyware programs. If in doubt, ASK)
Internet Explorer is the most commonly used Web Browser, With Outlook Express being the most popular choice for E-mails. The problem with this is, being popular, they get attacked. Which isn’t any good for people like you or me, how just want safety. Plus most people use them because they come with Windows as standard.
The most popular open source browser today is called FireFox, Download FireFox Here , Not only is it more secure than Internet Explorer, it’s widely renowned as being user friendly, plus there are lots of little features and add-ons to use, such as Ad Blocker for example. Plus it supports the Open Source initiative.
With your e-mail program you can easily set up rules, filters to stop all that spam coming in. Remember to only add words that cause offence, otherwise you may block important e-mails. You wouldn’t be a target for spam if you hadn’t joined up somewhere or posted your e-mail address on a website. So remember to always check twice before signing up that they won’t sell your e-mail address to third parties and don’t EVER post a direct link to your e-mail address, as web robots can crawl sites and automatically target you! Scary Stuff eh?
A few simple rules for dealing with e-mails:
- Don’t open a spam e-mail or ever click a link inside of one, this will let the person on the other end know it’s a live address, you'll end up getting more!
- Don’t ever open an attachment in a spam e-mail, or any e-mail for that matter unless it is from a verified source/sender. Viruses, Spyware etc can be attached to almost any file type nowadays, so be careful!
- Any E-mail asking for bank details IS SPAM. Banks would never ever ask you to do this. So just delete it.
- Don’t think that by clicking on the Unsubscribe link from an obvious spam e-mail will mean you won’t get anymore. The second you click unsubscribe in that Viagra, Enlargement e-mail. You’ll merely be added to many more ‘Spam Lists’. Just Block the Keywords.
Rules for browsing the internet:
- Please install some type of parental control on your computer system, usually available from your Internet Provider or as a software package from a third party.
- Don’t download plugins and ActiveX controls willy nilly. Have a good look to make sure they are from recognised vendors, such as Macromedia, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems… If it looks dodgy, it probably is.
- Make sure your Windows Firewall or better, is switched on!
-Peer-To-Peer (P2P) Programs, also known as File sharing programs, use specific ports to access the internet, which leave your computer wide open to attack, so use the programs with extra care. You should only use this type of program for lawful/legal uses. Don’t be a ‘Knock off Nigel’.
POWERRRR!
OK, not the power Jeremy Clarkson always talks about but still. It’s always best to use a surge protector for your equipment. A small power surge could easily rip through you house cabling, and bolt right into your computer equipment, rendering it useless. Sometimes beyond cheap repair!
There are so many different types of these devices from a simple 4 Gang socket board to a 6 port battery backup unit, which includes a power source so that in the event of a power failure, you’ll have enough time to save your work and shut down your computer safely. How cool is that?
Switch off your monitor. CRT and TFT displays have a limited life span, depending on the manufacturer. So when you’re not at your computer, or not using your computer, switch it off. Not only will this help improve the longevity of the device, you’re also being Green! Doesn’t that make you feel better?
Peripherals…
Printers, Mice, Keyboards, Scanners…that type of thing!
- If you have a ball mouse, regularly take the ball out, then scrape off the little ring of dirt that will have built up on the rollers inside, this will ensure a smooth operation, don’t you just hate it when your cursor on the screen goes all sticky? Optical mice don’t suffer from this problem; just keep the bottom of the mouse clean, and the mouse mat!
- Keyboards harvest some very dark secrets, so once in a while, tip it upside down and shake it about to get rid of all those Choccy Biscuit crumbs and nasty stuff that has built up. If you want to spend a couple of quid, buy a can of compressed air and shoot it down between the keys…you’ll be surprised!
- Printers, in particular the inkjets get clogged up due to dry old ink. Once every two weeks, print off a test page using a variety of colours, to give the jets a good clearing out.
Phew…Did you take all that in? Why not print out or save a PDF copy of this whole article for easy future reference or to give out to friends?
Although this article covers quite a lot, there are more advanced options that a more specialised person would be able to go through. So, once a year we recommend that you have somebody out, like ourselves to give your PC a thorough clean out and tune up. It doesn’t cost the earth, not from us anyway, and possibly save you lots of hassle.