1. Keep Windows updated – Why? When any software program is released, it is practically impossible for the creators to find and fix every single small error in the programming, especially with a software package as complex as Windows. When Microsoft does discover a security hole in their software, they immediately create and release the fix for that particular error. The people who create viruses to attack Windows then see that there is a security hole, and they can easily create a virus that takes advantage of that vulnerability. If you download all of the necessary updates as soon as they become available, the fix that Microsoft released to fix that problem will essentially block that particular virus from attacking your computer.
How do I update? Click on start, all programs, then click Windows Updates. Be sure and download all critical updates and it is a very good idea to download and install all of the available updates. You need to check this even if you have automatic updates; just to be sure you have them all. XP is not as stable as it could be and to keep it running, this is a must.
2. Have good Anti-Virus Protection – You need to have a good antivirus program that can automatically detect and delete viruses as they come into your computer. Be sure to get this protection BEFORE you have a chance to get a virus. If you try to install virus protection after you already have a virus, chances are the virus will prevent you from installing, and sometimes permanently damage the antivirus program you are trying to install.
What kind of virus program should I get? We generally recommend Norton Antivirus, which can be purchased by itself or as a part of a Norton package. We recommend Norton SystemWorks, as it has a lot of extra utilities for keeping your computer cleaned up, as well as finding and fixing errors. For information about SystemWorks, see the document "Extra Features in Norton SystemWorks." If you don’t want to pay for antivirus protection, or don’t like Norton, there is one free AntiVirus program that we recommend – AVG Antivirus. It can be downloaded from the following website: http://free.grisoft.com
What about updates? New viruses are being created every single day. Some are specific to a certain program, and others are designed to attack large numbers of computers and spread throughout computer networks all over the world in a matter of hours. It is a good idea to update your antivirus program first thing when getting on the internet. Most antivirus programs have an update button on their main screen. For example, Norton Antivirus has a utility called LiveUpdate, which is available on the top of the Norton AntiVirus screen. Both Norton and AVG will automatically check for updates when you are online and download them, but it is still a good idea to manually update to be absolutely sure you are getting the updates.
OK, I’ve got all that…Now what? Run your virus scan at least once per week. Some virus programs are set to run automatically, but if your computer is not on when it is scheduled, it will not run. Most virus programs have a button on their main screen for scanning the entire computer. If you are not sure about your automatic scans, it is a good idea to run this scan weekly. You don’t have to sit at the computer and watch it, so you can start it before you eat dinner and it should be done by the time you are finished. It will notify you on the screen if there were any viruses found, and whether it was able to delete them. If any are detected that it could not delete, get your computer to a technician who can find and get rid of it right away before it does more damage to your computer. If it does enough damage, your system may not operate correctly even after removing the virus.
3. Delete your internet junk – Why? When you are out surfing the world wide web, there are many websites that have advertisements, and a lot of these websites will want to install their own program in your computer to feed you these advertisements. If you like looking at ads popping up all over your screen, you can ignore this section, but for those of us who want to try to prevent this from happening, read on… Some of these programs do not install immediately. Some have to wait until your computer is restarted to embed themselves in your operating system. In the mean time, they store themselves in your Temporary Internet Files.
How do I delete that junk? Each time you are getting ready to close the Internet, click on the tools menu at the top of Internet Explorer. At the bottom of the drop down menu, click on Internet Options. There are three things you need to do in the pop up window: Delete Cookies, delete Temporary Files, and Clear History. After you click each button it will ask if you are sure. Yes, you are sure. This gets rid of most of the junk you pick up on the Internet.
4. Do some general maintenance – Why? General maintenance on your hard drive is a must for two reasons. First, it will help to keep your files from being fragmented, which will help to keep your computer running smoothly. Second, it can detect a possible hard drive failure and allow you to get your data backed up, or get your computer to a technician to be fixed before the hard drive is totally destroyed. If the hard drive quits completely, all of the data stored in your computer will be lost.
Disk Cleanup – It is a good idea to do a disk cleanup once a week. Double click the My Computer icon on your desktop. If you don’t have a My Computer icon on your desktop, click Start, then click My Computer. Left click, and then right click your C drive. When the drop down appears, click on properties. This opens a window with a disk clean up option button. Click this button, it will open another window. Place check marks by Temporary files, Temporary Internet files, and Recycle Bin, and click OK. This sometimes takes awhile but you don’t have to be on the Internet to do it.
Check Disk – It is also a good idea to run Check Disk every two weeks or so. Check Disk cannot fix any errors that it may find while Windows XP is running, but doing this procedure will schedule the check disk to run next time you restart your computer. In the same window you found the Disk Cleanup button, click on the Tools tab at the top. Click the Check Now button, and, on the next screen, check the box that says “Automatically fix file system errors.” When you click OK, it will ask you if you want to schedule the scan for the next time your computer is restarted. Click Yes. Then, shut your computer down and start it back up. It will check your hard drive, and if it finds any errors, will attempt to fix them. If it is able to fix these errors, you will want to run check disk again using the same procedure the next day. If it finds errors again, get your computer to a technician that can copy all the data off of your hard drive immediately before it is lost. IF YOU WAIT TOO LONG TO GET IT FIXED, ALL YOUR DATA WILL BE LOST!
Disk Defragment – It is very common for file fragments to be placed in different places throughout your hard drive, which will cause your computer to react very slowly when trying to retrieve these files. Defragment will take the files that have pieces scattered all over your hard drive and put them all back together, which can improve the speed of your computer. To do a disk defragment, get to the same screen you did to do a Check Disk by right clicking on your hard drive in my computer and clicking properties. Then, go to the Tools tab. The second button down says “Defragment Now.” Click that button, and the Disk Defragmenter window will come up. Click the Defragment button at the bottom to start the process. Depending on the speed of your hard drive, and level of fragmentation, it could take five minutes to two hours to run defrag. If you do this often (every couple of weeks or so), it will probably take 10-15 minutes each time.
Watch your hard drive space – To check and see how much hard drive space you are using, open My Computer. Right click on your C Drive and click Properties. A pie chart will come up showing how much space is used. Generally, blue space on the pie is used space and pink is amount of free space. Windows XP requires about 20% of your hard drive to be free to have room to move around and operate efficiently. If your free space gets below this, it is a good idea to remove some of the programs you are not using to free up some space. (If you do not know the proper procedure for cleaning up programs and files you are not using, please take your computer to a technician that can clean it up for you without damaging your operating system.) If you cannot free up enough space by removing programs, your hard drive can be upgraded to one with a larger capacity to allow you to store more information. A computer technician can install a new hard drive and copy all of the information exactly as it was off of your old hard drive. This would allow you to get more space without losing any data or changing the way you have your programs set up.
5.Other General Tips:
Use common sense – We all know that nothing in life is free. If you come across something on the internet that you want to download, and it claims to be free, be very cautious. It will probably install other unwanted programs that can cause annoying pop-up advertisements, or even damage your computer’s operating system. One of the biggest examples of this that we see is Weatherbug. It is a useful program as far as seeing the weather forecast for your particular zip code, but even though you don’t pay anything for the program, it is NOT FREE. Programs like that are paid for by advertising, and will install their advertisements in your computer, and once they are in there, there is no pop-up blocker on the planet that will stop them.
Pop-ups – A pop-up is a second or third windows that will pop up on your screen when you visit websites on the internet. Pop-ups are one of the most dangerous things on the internet. Not because a popup can damage your computer, but because of what the pop-ups say in them. Most pop-ups say something to the effect of “Your computer is vulnerable. Click here to protect your computer.” or “You have a virus. Click here to remove it.” These pop-ups are simply trying to sell you something, and should be ignored. The most fool-proof way to close a popup without accidentally clicking on it is to hold down the ALT key on the keyboard and tap the F4 key. This is the universal command for closing whichever window is on top on your computer. If you hit ALT + F4, and it closes the window behind the popup, hit it again, and it should then close the popup. It doesn’t matter how enticing it may look, if you click on it, you are opening your computer up to whole host of other advertisements and potential problems.
Keep a sharp eye – Watch your computer for any suspicious activity. If it is doing things at random that you did not ask it to do, it is probably because of some stray program that has installed itself in your computer from the internet without your knowledge. Keep an eye out for any strange icons that appear on your desktop or in your start menu, sometimes these will download and just appear. They can cause problems with your computer and operating system. If you see them, delete them right away. If they come back, it is a good idea to get your computer checked out by a technician to get the malicious software removed right away before it can cause problems with the computer.
Watch for programs running in the background – In the lower right hand corner of your screen to the left of the clock you will see icons for programs that run in the background when your computer starts up. The more programs you have running here, the slower your computer will start up and run. If you have a lot of unnecessary programs running, right click on those that you know you don’t need and see if there is an option to disable them from running on startup.
If you follow these general guidelines while using your computer, you will have a better computing experience. Keep in mind that there is no 100% guaranteed way to keep all viruses, adware, spyware, etc out of your computer, but by taking these steps, you will have much better success at keeping your computer in top shape! If you have your computer for a few years, and it seems to be getting slower, have a technician look at it to see if there are any simple steps that can be taken to speed the computer up.
If you need assistance with any of these items, open the Contact page for information about how to contact BCS Computers for service. No appointment is necessary to bring your computer in for service.