Secrets to having a boring computer

A: Yes, it includes all attachments, no matter the purported sender. That’s because it’s easy to fake emails so that they seem to come from a legitimate source. Also follow the same “no click” steps if you receive emails that ask you to click on a link.

Q: Our computer has developed a loud and rather high pitched whine. It is working fine but I worry that the hard disk may be going out, based on that loud sound.

Elaine Malone

A: All I can do from a distance is guess, but I think those are more likely symptoms of a bad power supply rather than a failing hard disk. It’s true that a hard disk often makes some mechanically generated sounds when it has problems. But those are usually clanking sounds rather than a whine. And a bad power supply often makes the sound you are describing.

Email Bill Husted at bhusted@bellsouth.net

I embrace boredom. And there’s nothing better than having a boring computer – one that seldom if ever offers the excitement of a frozen screen, some new virus, or a dead Internet connection.

If you’d also like to have a boring computer I can help. The way to create that dull mood for your PC is also boring. I’m talking about the dull task of routine maintenance. Computers are much like your car in that regard – there are tasks that must be done on a regular basis to avoid problems.

There’s nothing at all thrilling about maintenance – after all you aren’t solving a problem, you are preventing one. So today let’s all have a big group yawn and then make a list of what we need to do.

Now we can start.

Take out the trash

Over time computer hard disks begin to resemble an overcrowded closet. There will be programs you don’t use; bulky video and music files you haven’t messed with in months, and other assorted junk that you’ve kept for no reason. Get rid of it all. If you are a digital hoarder there may be a few things that you don’t use, probably will never use, but you still can’t bring yourself to delete them. Copy them off to a DVD or an external hard disk if it will make you feel better about removing them from your hard disk.

But that’s just the start. Your computer is something of a hoarder itself. It creates temporary files and then just can’t stomach deleting them. These are files created by programs or by your web browser that are needed for a specific one-time task. Once that task is done the temporary files hang around.

So do this. Click on the Start button, then go to My Computer, now right click on your main hard disk (usually the C Drive), select properties and then Disk Cleanup. You’ll see a list of recommended deletions. Go through that list and remove the checkbox from any items you want to retain.

Check your backup

I’m going to assume you regularly back up the data on your hard disk. I have to make that assumption so I can maintain my respect for your sanity. Backing up data is a must. But backing up isn’t enough. You must also routinely check your backup to make sure everything is working OK. Here’s what I do, I select a single file from the back-up (usually one that isn’t very important) and then try to restore it. If that works then I make the fairly safe assumption that all the files in the back-up are OK.

Your back-up is critical since, no matter how careful you are, there’s a real possibility that your hard disk will fail at some point. Without a back-up you are left with nothing.

The Windows Registry

The Registry file in Windows is sort of like a super efficient secretary that keeps track of danged near everything about your computer – programs, software, the works. It usually works just fine but on occasion that secretary of yours goes a little nuts and makes a mess of things.

I use a program – it's free – called CCleaner to check and correct any errors in the Registry. You can download that program here: www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download. There's both a free and a for-pay version on that page. I get the free one. But I can make a good case for some of you paying. The commercial version comes with support – if you have problems the company will help. CCleaner is really easy to use once you understand it. But it can be daunting if this is your first time to try it. So don't feel bad if you opt for the security of paid support.

There are many competing products that also promise to repair a registry. I have not found another that I trust. I would rather that you do nothing at all than to use one of these other products.

Smooth things out

If you have and use a UPS – an uninterruptable power supply – you are doing things right. If you aren’t using a UPS there’s good reason for you to change your ways. You probably already know that a UPS will power your computer – not forever, but for long enough to turn it off normally – during an electrical outage. And that is a good thing since you are inviting trouble if you don’t follow the regular shutdown routine. But there’s a benefit that’s even greater. A UPS filters the power that your computer receives, protecting it from jolts that can kill the electronic hardware.

A clean start

Every six months or so I open my computer’s case and blow out the dust that accumulates on the circuit boards. I do that because a deep blanket of dust forms (and that will happen in the cleanest of homes) that dust blanket holds in heat. That heat can destroy your computer.

The process of cleaning is an easy one. Pick up a can of compressed air at a computer or camera store and use it to blow away the dust. Just avoid static shocks that can damage computer components. I do that by touching the metal chassis. Also avoid actually touching the compress air’s nozzle to any of the components … hold it several inches away. This task should be within everyone’s reach. But if you feel nervous about opening up the case, then pay to have a computer technician do the cleaning for you.

Follow my tips and you can have a blessedly boring computer.