TIPS

10 Steps to Efficient Computing 1. Cold re-boot (One of the Greatest tech tips of all time) This is one of the most effective tips we know of and it remedies many PC related problems. There have been too many occasions over the years when we would get a phone call for service and tell the (potential) client to re-boot their computer. We would tell them to call back if that didn’t fix their problem. More times than not, we wouldn’t hear back from them. Talk about mixed emotions….. When your PC seems to be lagging and every action takes 10s of seconds to complete, it may be time for a re-boot. We prefer to “Shut down” (which involves shutting down the PC completely) as opposed to “Re-start” (which simply cycles the operating system through boot-up without removing power). This is also true of all other peripherals (printers, modems, etc.) This is a throw-back to the old days when a cold re-boot was required to clear memory. While the latest advents in software may have resolved this need to remove power completely, we still prefer to shut ‘er all the way down. 2. Microsoft Security Essentials There are many anti-virus programs out there that, for the most part, do a good job of protecting your system from virus attacks. In most cases, however, there is a trade-off. For this protection you will probably pay a price in either memory or CPU usage. While you do not want too many programs running at the same time, we do recommend what we call a 'multi-pronged approach'. What we mean is that it is better to use several different methods to ensure that your PC is virus and mal-ware free. We like Microsoft's offering. We also like to visit WWW.TrendMicro.com for a free online scan. These, in conjunction with Windows Defender have a much better chance of catching any bug that may be in your sytem. 3. Disk Clean-up. Right-click on your "C" drive to get the dialogue shown below. Click on "Properties". (Click for larger view) Click the"Disk Cleanup" button shown below on the resulting dialogue. We do not recommend compressing the hard drive as it will slow the computer. (Click for larger view) It may take a little while for the computer to calculate the disk space you will be able to free, and an indicator will appear as below. (Click for larger view) In the next dialogue, you'll need to select the files to be "cleaned" (removed/erased). (Click for larger view) The only files you may want to save are the MS Office installation files. Leaving them will save you time if you need to add more features to Office and don't want to have to go find the installation CD. 4. Don't fill up your hard drive! IDE hard drives will start to 'bog down' if they are over 90% full. Take your total hard drive size and multiply it by .9 (Period excluded for readability.) If your hard drive is 120 Gbytes (Gigs) and it has 13 Gigs free, then your free space would be 10.8% (13 divided by 120). You are very close to having serious performance issues. IDE hard drives move data around all of the time ("housekeeping"). They use extra space provided by the manufacturers as a sort of 'scratch pad' (swap file). They need to have some room to work, so filling them up over 90% really annoys them and they become obstinate. This can result in 50% to 80% loss in performance. 5. Remove unused/unnecessary web browser toolbars. One of the main reasons web browsers slow down is because they are loading too many toolbars. Each toolbar you have installed acts much like its own web-page. So, if you are running 3 (for example) toolbars in your web browser, you may expect the browser to take as long to open as 3 consecutive web-pages. (Click for larger view) Right-click where indicated in the image above to acquire the dialogue below. (Click for larger view) You will notice the check marks indicating active toolbars, and the lack thereof indicating disabled toolbars. Some toolbars tend to install as a "side offer" that comes along with other software (typically free software). Before long, you can find yourself with 5 or even more toolbars that reduce browser performance and also take up valuable viewing real estate (every active toolbar takes up space that could otherwise be used to view web pages). We recommend disabling all toolbars, then going back in and enabling only the ones you need. 6. Remove unused/unnecessary Windows programs. The most basic Windows installation includes several applications that the general PC user probably has no use for. 7. Avoid (at all cost) the temptation to install "Freeware". You've probably heard the old expression "Nothing's free." It is true in this field too. More times than not, the freeware you install will bring along some 'baggage'. Some of this baggage will be merely annoying while some of it is downright nefarious (think viruses (virii?), trojans, and other malware). There are (few) exceptions to this 'rule' (Yahoo! toolbar, for example has a few useful features as do MS and Google's toolbars). 8. Windows update in automatic mode. Microsoft puts out updates to most all of its software periodically. These updates are generated by MS engineers based on internal studies of each piece of software designed to improve its performance and functionality, as well as user feedback. With updates in automatic mode, you are assured to have the latest fixes for any software issues that may arise. 9. KeepIt.com (online automatic back-up) We like these folks because their coverage is continuous and instant. If you change a file in a directory you have them ‘watching’, it will be updated on their online server. You have to do nothing whatsoever. This is the most efficient way we know of to meet the needs of ‘off-site storage’ requirements. You might be wondering why you need ‘off-site storage’. We can think of two relevant reasons. One, if your PC burns up in a fire, your data (and any back-up media directly connected to it) will be destroyed. With KeepIt.com, it is stored safely at a remote location. Two, if your PC is stolen, they just might take your (connected) back-up device as well. This is not an issue with KeepIt.com. At the time of this writing, KeepIt.com is charging $5/Month for unlimited storage. You can back up your entire PC if you wish and reload it whenever an event might warrant it. The idea behind KeepIt.com is to protect the most important things that you use everyday. Photos and songs can be backed up to other media. On the other hand, at 5 bucks for unlimited storage, back up what you want and don't worry about it. (They do also have a plan for $3.95/month plus $.50/Gbyte for those with multiple PCs). Visit KeepIt.com for more information. 10. Don't run as an administrator unless necessary. Running as an administrator leaves your PC vulnerable to many different types of attack. (More steps to come as they become available.)