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Common
Sense Computer Tips
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Here are some good computer maintenance habits to
develop.
Ten more tips to keep your computer running smoothly:
1) Never, never, turn your computer off with the power switch until Windows
has shut down.
The one exception to this rule is when your computer locks up and your hard
drive is not running (hard drive light is not blinking). In this situation,
you can turn the power off without harmful effects to the hard drive. As
cutting the power can also result in lost data or Windows files, you should
only do this when you have to.
Following this rule will prevent permanent hard drive defects caused by the
hard drive heads contacting the surface of the drive disc, and it will
prevent a host of Windows problems.
Whenever possible, recover from crashes by pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Delete
keys at the same time. Press them twice to reboot your computer.
2. Purchase an UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for your computer. This
will keep your computer from crashing during power outages, and will protect
your computer from low and high voltage occurrences.
An UPS is better than a surge protector and will save your computer from
almost any power type of disaster. (See #1 above for what happens when your
computer crashes.)
3. Backup, backup, backup, any data you cannot afford to lose to at least
two separate physical drives.
So backup data to floppies, Zip disks, CD-RWs etc.
The time to backup is when you create something you
can't afford to lose!
4. Run Scandisk and Defragment at least once a month. This will keep your
hard drive healthy and prevent crashes.
5. Never unplug peripherals from the computer when it is powered up.
Unplugging with the power on can short out the connector socket or the
motherboard.
The only exception to this rule is if you know a peripheral is "hot
pluggable". If you do not know what "hot pluggable" means then ignore this
exception.
6. Do keep at least 100 MBs of your C: drive free for Windows to use. If you
use Windows Me or Windows XP then you should have 200 MBs of free space on
your C: drive.
If you do not have enough free space you will choke Windows and it will
start dumping data to your hard drive, or it will really slow.
Use the ADD/Delete tool in the Windows Control Panel to delete unneeded
programs from your drive.
7. Do not let a lot of programs load up when you start your computer. They
use valuable memory and Windows Resources (Windows internal workspace).
All programs in your Windows System Tray (in the lower corner of your
screen) are running on your computer. Close them if you don't need them or
run them and configure them not to load when you boot up.
Other programs running in the background can be found by pressing Ctrl + Alt
+ Delete at the same time on Xp and newer computers.
8. Do use a virus checker regularly. Everyone should use a virus checker.
The best type of protection is continuous monitoring from a dedicated
anti-virus program.
9. If you have a high speed Internet connection you need a firewall program.
A firewall program keeps those who want to hijack your computer from gaining
access to your system. You really do not want someone else running your
computer.
10. Keep track of the software disks you receive with your computer and new
peripherals. These disks contain valuable software drivers and programs for
Windows and are needed when Windows must be reloaded. Keep these disks and
your Windows software disks in a safe, dry, place -- you never know when you
will need them.
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