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DEL.ICIO.USPC Maintenance - no tools required
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Even folks who get nervous around a screwdriver can take care of some preventive maintenance tasks that will keep a computer healthy.
Just as your car will last longer and run better with good tires, oil changes and tuneups, your computer will profit from some tender loving care.
None of these basic tasks requires that you open the hood. So even the timid can dive right in. Toward the end, I’ll list a few tips for advanced mechanics - but don’t feel bad if you skip that part.
A good backup plan
Maybe you don’t think backing up a computer’s hard drive up is part of a maintenance plan. But it’s the equivalent of making sure you’re driving with a good spare tire and the tools to mount it. With a backup safely stored on an external hard disk, DVDs or CDs, you can restore things to normal even after some of the worst disasters.
Both Windows XP and Vista come with backup programs. Just type the word “backup” into the Windows help menu to get directions.
Interior cleaning
Hard disks are like closets. We tend to save things that we’ll never need again. That includes programs that we haven’t used in years, 214 photographs of the family dog, tunes that you don’t like and videos from YouTube that don’t seem funny anymore.
Start by deleting the stuff you know is trash. If you’re in doubt, copy the data to a disk. But my guess is that you’ll be able to recognize the things that can go.
Hard disk tuneup
Windows has an adequate defragmenting program. You’ll find it under the System Tools category. Unless you add and remove programs and data every day, you don’t need to defragment your hard disk more than once every three months or so.
Defragmenting is just what it sounds like; it takes fragments of data - scattered around the hard disk - and reunites them. That lets you retrieve data faster. But there’s another more important reason for defragmenting.
If your hard disk does crash, then you’ll have the best chance of recovering data from a disk that’s in reasonably good shape. One way to check the health of your hard disk is to use tools that are built into Windows.
Virus prevention
Viruses can literally destroy your data. Adware and spyware are the most common cause of a slow computer. While you’re at it, make sure that the firewall that comes with Windows XP and Vista is enabled. If you need directions, just type the word “firewall” in the help menu.
If you wish, you can use free programs for these chores. I like Grisoft’s Free AVG. I have several favorites when it comes to adware and spyware, but Windows Defender, available at the http;//www.microsoft.com Web site, is a safe choice.
For advanced mechanics
OK. The rest of you can go home now. There’s one more step to take in our maintenance plan. But this one is just for the old and the bold.
Open up your computer’s case and use a can of compressed air - available at almost any photography shop and most computer stores - to blow out the dust. Dust? Yeah, there will be plenty of it inside your computer if it’s a year old or more.
The dust that blankets the circuit board is like the blanket on your bed: an insulator that holds in heat. And heat kills when it comes to computers. Just be careful that you don’t actually touch any of the computer’s innards with the metal tip of the air can.
That can cause a spark of static electricity to jump to a component and fry it.
If you follow my tips, even if you skip the last one, your PC should be good for another 10,000 Web sites.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment | Categories: Columns
Comments
By Lawrence
September 3, 2007 1:28 AM | Link to this
In my opinion, if the computer is used heavily, then defragging should be done a bit more frequently, say, every two weeks. This is because frequent creation and modification of files creates fragments which may reduce performance.
These days, there are also automatic defragmenters such as Diskeeper that will automatically defragment the drive in the background as necessary, without any user involvement. An elegant and convenient solution for those who can’t be bothered to defragment periodically.
By raman
September 3, 2007 5:28 AM | Link to this
I totally agree that proactive maintenance is the key to a smooth and fast system. The tasks mentioned here are most often overlooked or ignored by most users. None bother to clean their cases regularly, similarly drive maintenance is neglected. Some people dont run cleanups or check fragmentation for years which makes the drive highly susceptible to diseases that slow down data access and the system in general. My drive was so badly fragmented that the startup would take atleast 5 minutes. A thorough cleaning session worked wonders. As mentioned here, its also important to have regular backups.
By DIZZY5DEAN
September 4, 2007 7:00 AM | Link to this
what is a computer ram, and HD? Why is it a hardrive and not a softdrive?
By LInda
September 6, 2007 2:59 PM | Link to this
I fear we waited too long to clean the dust from the interior of our PC! Or could there be another problem?? When we power up the computer, it remains on for about 2-3 seconds, then immediately turns off. We blew the dust out, but that did not help. Does this mean the hard disk is gone or could we have a power supply problem? Any ideas?
By PatrckB
September 11, 2007 9:55 PM | Link to this
Linda,
It could be the power supply, it could be the mother board, it could be a memory card, it could even be one of the cards plugged into the mother board.
I once had a modem card that took a lightening surge through the phone line that fried the modem. The modem card actually caused the whole system not to come on at all. I replaced the power supply and still no light. I finally removed each board off the mother board and when the modem was removed, it all powered up successfully. Oh, so that’s the reason there are phone jacks on the surge protector. Silly me didn’t have the phone line connected through the power surge protector. If it has a modem, just try removing that card and see if it helps.
Otherwise, I think you have two options and they depend upon the age of the system. If it is less than three of four years old then it might be worth the investment to take it to Best Buy (Geek Squad) or Circuit City (Fire Dog) and pay them to troubleshoot it.
If it is older than that, you might think about replacing it with a new(er) system. You could buy a techie friend dinner and ask them to help you choose a newish one on E-bay. Or go ahead and buy a new system. Again one of the above services can remove your data from the old system and transfer it to the new system for a fee.
HTH, (tech-speak for Hope That Helps) Patrick