PC Maitenance

Daily Maintenance

1. Update Your Virus Definitions: Update Your Virus Definitions: New viruses attack computer systems every single day. Thousands of analysts work tirelessly to come up with the patches and downloads necessary to combat these destructive programs. When you pay for an anti-virus program subscription, you are buying a continuing service, not a one-time product. Make sure you get all the protection you can by updating your virus definitions every day. You can also set your program to download new definitions automatically every time you go online. That way, you always have the most up-to-date protection available. - Make sure you can connect to the internet. Click on your anti-virus software icon. Click on run live update. Or turn the automatic update feature on.

2. To update your virus definitions: Make sure you can connect to the internet. Click on your anti-virus software icon. Click on run live update. Or turn the automatic update feature on.

3. Back-up Valuable Information: As the old saying goes, "You don't know what you've got till it's gone." Computers can lose data for any number of reasons. And there are not always symptoms to warn of impending disaster. CD's and DVD's are an inexpensive and easy way to back up your important files and documents. Just save any new information on a daily basis, and it won't be a chore. You can purchase one of our external hard drive's and back-up your whole system at once - Click HERE.

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Weekly Maintenance

1. Scan Entire System for Viruses: Viruses are sneaky critters. They can attach themselves to email, common downloaded programs or files, even disks you buy at the store and use every day. You should have your anti-virus software set up so it performs a cursory scan every time you turn the machine on. However, it's also a good idea to run a system-wide check once a week, just to be sure you don't have any stow-aways lurking in the corners. This task can take a long time, depending on how much information you have on your hard drive. So, it's best to run a system scan while you're busy doing something else. You can even set up your program to automatically run a system scan at regular intervals.

2. To scan your system for viruses: Click on your anti-virus software icon. Then click on run full system scan. While you're there, make sure the auto protect and email scanning features are turned on.

3. Check for Program Updates: The basic programs that run your computer often have updates available online. Downloading these updates will keep everything running smoothly and fix any annoying bugs that have been discovered since the program went on the market. Your system can check for updates automatically and either tell you they are available or download them immediately. To set up your system to check for updates, go to control panel and click on performance and maintenance. Then click on system properties and automatic updates. Check the appropriate boxes. Or go to "Help" and search for updates.

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Monthly Maintenance

1. Clean your Hardware: Some computer experts say that dust is a computer's number one enemy. Even in the cleanest environment, thick layers of dust build up around the cracks and crevices in your computer and monitor. The cooling fan and case fan's are the most vulnerable. If a blanket of dust builds up, heat can build up and destroy sensitive components. Start by making sure the PC is turned off, unplugging your computer and monitor from the electric wall outlet, and vacuum the back of the tower where the cords plug in. Use the crevice attachment on your household vacuum, or a special vacuum made for cleaning small spaces. Then open any covered ports and disk drives and vacuum them thoroughly. Don't put the vacuum inside the computer, just hold it in front of the opening. Finally, find the vents where the fan exhausts heat and vacuum that out, too. There's no need to open up the computer as long as you clean it regularly. Once you finish with the vacuum, you can use a can of compressed air to blow out any remaining dust in the cracks and crevices, especially in the keyboard. Don't use the compressed air before you vacuum, though, or you will just push the heavy dust further into the system.

2. Defragment Your Hard Drive: Over time, data on your hard drive can become fragmented. Files and programs that should be stored close together end up all over the place, slowing things down. It's like trying to bake a cake, but you've stored the flour in the bathroom, the butter and eggs in the garage, and the sugar up in the attic. The defrag program brings all your ingredients together and stores them within easy reach of each other. This makes your baking, retrieving files, and surfing the internet, considerably faster. Defragmenting takes a long time, especially if you haven't done it in a while. Pick a day each month and run your defrag while you are busy doing something away from your computer.

3. Run the Disk Clean up Program: Disk cleanup analyzes files and folders to find unused or temporary data that can be deleted to free up space. A simple disk cleanup can speed up your computer's performance significantly.

4. To clean your files: Windows users can click on control panel and then performance and maintenance. You will be asked to pick a task. Click on free up space on your hard disk. Or go to Help and search for disk cleanup.

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