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Friday, September 28, 2007
A little life insurance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m selling life insurance today. So I don’t blame you if you throw down the newspaper and run.
But that would be a mistake. This is life insurance for your computer. It comes at a cost in both money and time, but I promise you it’s a bargain.
My insurance policy consists of a few key preventative measures that can stave off future computer ills:
Buy a surge protector: At the very least, install and use a good surge protector. If you can afford it, a UPS - uninterruptable power supply - is even better. I don’t usually mention brands but I’ve been very pleased with the APS brand surge protectors which seem to be available at almost every consumer electronics or computer store.
Most often you’ll find a rating on the UPS package that is hard for consumers to understand. These systems are rated in an electrical measure called volt amps. You’ll see that on the package as VA. Look for a system that offers at least 450 VAs and 650 is even better.
With surge protectors look for a UL (Underwriter Laboratory) rating of 1449. Depending on how the surge protector is described on the package, buy one that offers a surge current protection of 54,000 amperes or more. You may see a rating in joules; I recommend 800 joules or higher.
Install anti-virus software: This is such an obvious bit of preventive medicine that I considered leaving it off my list. But, just because it’s obvious doesn’t mean that everyone uses a good anti-virus program. I like Norton Anti-Virus when it comes to commercial programs and Grisoft AVG among free ones. Whatever you use, make sure you keep it updated.
Practice self-control: A self control isn’t some fancy new gadget, it’s a state of mind. Avoid cluttering up the innards of your computer with every free program you find on the Internet. Many contain spyware or adware that slow down your computer. Some are nastier than that.
Before downloading and installing a free program, do a Web search and read user reviews. In most cases, if a program has bugs - intentional ones or otherwise - you’ll see that mentioned. When I do a search like that I first look just using the name of the free program. Then I do a second search that includes the words spyware and adware, just to be sure that I’m not missing something.
Get over power problems: Many computers, especially inexpensive ones or older models, have power supplies that are just adequate for the equipment installed. Adding accessory cards and other devices that get their power from your computer can burn out the power supply.
So check the manual or the manufacturer’s Web site to see how much power the machine draws. Then check the size of the power supply. If the machine’s power consumption is anywhere close to the size of the power supply, avoid adding new devices or consider replacing the power supply.
Fight adware and spyware: Another obvious tool in preventive maintenance, but an important one. Consider installing Windows Defender, SpyBot Search and Destroy or the free version of Adaware. Just Google on each to find their home sites.
Once you’ve installed them - just as is true with anti-virus programs - keep them up-to-date. The leading cause of a slow computer is adware and spyware.
That’s it for today. I hope you bought my computer insurance. I wish I could offer you a free calendar as a way of thanking you. But I can give you something even better: I promise not to telephone you tonight to see if you’ve considered my sales pitch.
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