How to... Service your computer

A guide to keeping your computer running efficiently

Author:  Tina Landers

In other articles in this site we've discussed the various ways that your computer can get "dirty" and "untidy" on the inside. You can read a more detailed article about your computer here. Unwanted files and programs can leave "fragments" in your files, programs and Hard Disk Drive - some of them harmless and others potentially harmful. Regardless, over time these fragments and unwanted files build-up and, at very least, begin to hinder the performance and efficiency of your computer.

It's not difficult to keep your computer maintained and serviced so that it continues performing the way it did when it was new. All it takes is a little time and effort on your part. Not only is it something you should do, maintaining and servicing your computer is something you must do to protect yourself, your privacy and of course the computer itself.

Here's a guide to help you.

Remove temporary and "junk" files:  Each time you "surf" the web and/or visit various sites, various temporary files are stored on your computer. This happens whether you "download" files or not. You see, every time you look at a web page, you are "downloading" that page. Additionally, in the course of your regular computer usage, files and fragments accumulate in your computer. As time goes on, your computer gets "choked" and performance begins declining.

At least weekly you should run some sort of "cleaning" utility which removes the excessive "junk" accumulating in your computer. Usually, it only takes a few minutes. If you don't have a cleaning utility, you can get a free utility such as CCleaner, which works well. You can visit the website and find out more about it here. If you'd like to know how to download and install software, you can read a more detailed article here. Because we're on the Internet every day, we run our cleaner daily.

What do we use to clean our computers? We use System Cleaner 5, an excellent and highly recommended software utility which cleans our computers as well as fixing and removing problem files and Registry entries. It's reasonably priced and does an excellent job of keeping our computers running efficiently. You can find out more and/or download a trial version here.

Run a Virus Scan:  Regardless of how cautious you are, you are always in danger of inadvertently getting a virus on your computer. Your anti-virus software can only protect you to a point. There are new viruses and tricks to get them on your computer being released every day. They are vicious and not selective. The only way to beat them is to find them as soon as you can and remove them.

At least fortnightly you should run your anti-virus software's scanner. It takes a while so run it overnight. If you need a free anti-virus utility, the free version of AVG Anti-Virus is a good start. You can find out more and download the free version here. If you'd like to know how to download and install software, you can read a more detailed article here. Because of our computing habits, we run an anti-virus scan around twice a week.

Which anti virus software do we use? We use McAfee Anti-virus. It's an "industrial strength" anti-virus used by the world's largest companies. It's very reasonably priced for home users and we highly recommend it. You can find out more about it here.

Run an Adware/Spyware Scan:  You will be targeted, no matter how careful or cautious you are. Adware and Spware are not selective and will somehow find their way on to your computer.

At least fortnightly you should run an anti-adware/anti-spyware scan. It may take a while so it's advisable to run it overnight until you figure out a routine. If you don't have any anti-adware/anti-spyware protection, you can find  a free versions of Ad-Aware here, and SpyBot Search & Destroy here. If you're wondering which to choose, I'd download, install and run both. It's our experience that each picks-up what the other misses. If you'd like to know how to download and install software, you can read a more detailed article here. Again, because of our computing habits, we run our anti-adware and anti-spyware programs around twice a week.

Which Adware/Spyware remover do we use? We use NoAdware, an excellent and reliable Adware/Spyware remover and blocker. It's well priced, fast, easy to use and updated regularly. It has a very convenient option to run scans according to a schedule that the user sets. It also seems to find "malware" that the others miss. We highly recommend this product. You can find out more and trial it here.

Keep your Operating System up to date:  Microsoft regularly releases updates for Windows XP. These updates typically address security issues as soon as they become known. If your computer is not set-up to automatically receive these updates, you should visit the Microsoft update site and check your computer's status at least monthly. If updates have been made available, you should download and install them. If you use Internet Explorer as your Web Browser, these security updates are often critical for your browsing safety.

You can visit the Microsoft update site here. My computer is set-up to automatically download and install updates as soon as they are released.  If you need to set your computer up to receive updates automatically, go to Start, select Control Panel, select Automatic Updates and check the appropriate options.

Run a Disk Cleaner and Disk Defragmenter:  Your Hard Disk Drive is your computer's filing cabinet. It stores everything you save and often things you didn't intend to save. Over time, just like a filing cabinet, your Hard Disk Drive becomes cluttered with unwanted files and fragments that hinder its performance. Genuine files become more difficult to access and your computer gradually begins to slow down. You can read a more detailed article about Hard Disk Drives here.

You should aim to "clean" and defragment your Hard Disk Drive every couple of months. Always "clean" before you defragment. The defragment process takes a while so run it overnight. If you don't have a software utility which does it for you, Windows XP has both, a cleaning utility as well as a defragmenting utility. To find them go to Start, select All Programs, Select Accessories, and then select System Tools. Under System Tools you will find the Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter programs. We defragment our Hard Disk Drives every 3 weeks or so.

Which Cleaner do we use? We use System Cleaner 5, an "all in one" software utility which cleans as well as finding and fixing problems. We highly recommend this software. You can find out more about and/or download a trial version here.

Backup your information:  It's a good and recommended habit to backup the contents of your entire Hard Disk Drive periodically. To backup your computer simply means to keep a second copy of the contents of your Hard Disk Drive. You simply never know if your computer is going to break-down, crash, get stolen or destroyed. In any event, you'll most likely find that replacing the computer becomes the easy part, replacing all your lost information is far more difficult if not impossible. A backup provides some insurance and peace of mind.

At very least, you should copy your information files and folders (including your email and photo files) to an external medium such as CD or Hard Disk. You may be able to re-install your programs but you can't re-load information files that you don't have.

How often you run a backup depends on how often your information files change. We backup our system files weekly and our information files daily. The backup process takes a while so run it overnight.

Which Backup software do we use? We use Zip Backup. It is reasonably priced, fast, easy to use and meets all our needs. You can find out more about it here.

Keep everything up to date:  Just like your Operating System, all of your cleaning, anti-virus, anti-adware and anti-spyware must be kept up to date. Each of their developers' regularly release updates to the software and to the definitions of the parasites that they are designed to detect. Without regular updating, the software will not be able to detect and remove any newer parasites. Some software regularly updates itself, other software requires you to initiate the process. Check your software's help file or manual for further information.