Happy New Year! – Time to put your house in order
A PC is a bit like a work-horse. It’ll labour for you day and night, but it needs you to care for it, direct it and steer it away from trouble. Many programs can help you do this but you’re still the one holding the reins. Release the reins and the PC will likely stray off course. Here are some tips to put and keep your PC in good order.
Antivirus & Antispyware
Suggestion: Use AVG Antivirus (It’s FREE). Check it’s the latest version (8.0) and that it’s up-to-date. Run a full scan to ensure your PC is clean.
Backup
Suggestion: Don’t wait until your PC dies! Get a backup setup NOW. You can either use an external USB drive (about £50) and some free backup software such as EZBack-it-up (www.claygatecomputers.co.uk/freebies.htm), burn your data onto DVDs or use an online backup service such as Carbonite (www.carbonite.com, about £35 per year).
Windows Updates
Suggestion: Turn on Automatic Updates. Windows XP Home should now be on Service Pack 3 and Vista on Service Pack 1. Internet Explorer should be on Version 7. Windows updates are FREE and ensure that your computer is more secure.
Wireless Security
Suggestion: Secure your wireless network with a password to prevent unauthorized access. Otherwise, someone outside your house could easily access your network, use your internet connection, view your files and even delete them.
Spring Clean
Suggestion: Uninstall programs you no longer use! They slow your computer down. But be careful not to uninstall something your PC needs to function correctly.
Suggestion: Run Disk Cleanup to clear out temporary files and cache build up.
Consider Installing Memory
If your PC is still slow, it may well need a memory (RAM) upgrade. This is the quickest and cheapest way to speed it up and give it a new lease of life! (RAM can start from about £20 per stick!). How much is your time worth?!
Take the reins - make your PC work for YOU! |
