An
Ounce of Prevention
by
Jeni Mundl
We have all heard the
cliché "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of
cure." This is true when it comes to your computer as well
as your health. You can avoid many computer problems, including
slowdowns, crashes, and hardware failures, by performing regular
system maintenance. The upkeep of your Windows environment and
hardware components can be almost effortless, particularly when
compared to the extreme time consumption and frustration involved
with solving trouble not maintaining your system causes.
More importantly, adaptive equipment needs to be working on an efficient
computer. Not having your computer adaptations available is worrisome
and worse than taking the time for maintenance.
Temporary Files: If you've
been a Windows user for any length of time, you know that this
operating system doesn't take very good care of itself. In fact,
some of its directories can become clogged with useless files that
bog down your system's speed and even cause occasional crashes.
Temporary files and folders are not always temporary. Some files
will hide on your hard drive without removing themselves. It is important
to delete them on a regular basis as they may slow down your computer
significantly. The easiest method for cleaning temporary information
is by using Disk Cleanup Utility. To access this utility, click Start,
All Programs, Accessories, System Tools then finally Disk Cleanup.
This launches a small utility which allows you to select files to
delete, including temporary files, temporary Internet files, downloaded
program files, and more. Place a check mark beside each item that
you would like deleted.
Cookies are Not Always a Sweet Dessert:
Many of the larger sites on the Web collect information about you.
They do this for the best of commercial reasons. A cookie is a
small file containing an identity code. Your computer accepts the
cookie and stores it. Next time you visit the site, it's retrieved
and your identity is established. It's a controversial practice
because of the privacy implications, but it's extremely common.
Most of the major sites on the Internet, including search engines
and portals, send cookies.
To delete cookies, open the program Internet Explorer. Next you
must choose tools on the menu, followed by Internet options. There
is a button on the dialog box called delete cookies. Simply click
it and the cookies are deleted.
Take out the Trash: The
Recycle Bin can also grow excessively full over time, which eats
system resources. You can address this problem in one of two ways,
depending on what type of user you are. If you're diligent, simply
empty your Recycle Bin daily and/or after you've deleted a significant
number of files or folders. To empty your Recycle Bin, right-click
the Recycle Bin icon on your Desktop and click Empty Recycle Bin.
Realize, after you perform this task, the files are permanently
deleted and you are unable to retrieve them. So, before doing this,
BE SURE there is nothing in the Recycling Bin which you might need
in the future.
Speeding up Your Hard
Drive through Defragmentation: Files and folders stored on your
hard drive typically appear well-organized within Windows Explorer,
which might lead you to believe that your hard drive is similarly
tidy. In reality, quite the opposite is often the case.
Although Windows attempts
to store data in logical fashion, over time it scatters data throughout
different sections of your hard drive. Known as fragmentation,
this phenomenon can cause severe slowdowns in system performance
because Windows must work harder to find various pieces of data.
If you've ever heard your hard drive thrashing for long periods
while Windows tries to perform a simple task, your hard drive probably
needs you to defragment it.
Casual computer users should defragment their hard drives monthly,
but if you use your computer daily, weekly defragmentation is a better
idea. Because no programs (including your screen saver) should run
while a utility defragments your drive(s), some users might want
to set the process so it runs overnight.
Searching for Errors:
Before defragging your hard drive, you should scan your drive to
search for and correct any errors. To do this, click Start, Programs,
Accessories, System Tools, and ScanDisk. Select the drive you'd
like to scan, select the radio button next to Standard under Type
Of Test, and click Start.
Check For Updates: To
keep your computer in peak condition, it's smart to check for Windows
and virus definition updates on a monthly basis. To update Windows
and other Microsoft products, click Windows Update from your Start
menu (or visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com) and click Scan
For Updates. Download and install any recommended updates for your
system.
Most antivirus software
also has automatic updating features, but if your software doesn't,
consult its manual or Help files to determine how to update your
program. In addition, you can typically visit the software company's
website to download updated virus definitions.
Get Out The Elbow Grease:
As witnessed, regular computer maintenance is simple and well worth
the effort if you appreciate a fast, trouble-free system (and who
doesn't). Don't wait until your system performance degrades before
you implement routine maintenance tasks. Computers are intricate
machines that need constant care, and if you don't provide it,
they'll complain in several nasty ways.
