G
Guest
Everyone who owns there own PC should know by now that PC maintenance is a very important par
of keeping you PC running smoothly. Everyone should follow these few simple steps to keeping the P
clean, safe and running like new.
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Anti-Virus:
Anyone who is online must have anti-virus software. Some viruses are almost harmless, some you won’
even know were there, others will destroy your system and all the information on it. You can purchase a
anti-virus program at any computer store or you can download a free version off the internet.
Here are some good FREE anti-virus programs:
AVG Free Edition -http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php?status=ok&affiliate=&product
AntiVir Personal Edition 6.24.00.07 - http://www.majorgeeks.com/download955.htm
No anti-virus scanner will pick up everything, things will always slip through. For a full system scan you
should use a variety or programs. Some you will have to download, others are web based and easy to use.
A2 -http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free
Panda Avtice Scan -http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/activescan_principal.ht
Trojan Scan - http://www.trojanscan.com
Firewalls:
Hackers are out there, and you must protect yourself against them. The best way to do this is to use a
firewall. Firewalls stop hackers from being able to access you system from an outside source. Som
good free firewall software is out there and some examples are;
Outpost -http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpost
Now i personally like to use sygate pr
Sygate -http://www.sygate.com
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Adware/Spyware:
The major problem high speed internet service is that your computer is always connected; you’re alway
online so your pc is always subject to hijackers, spammers and adware/spyware. There are a few eas
ways to combat this problem. The two best programs for combating this problem are listed bellow.
Download and install the following.
Ad-aware 6.0 : http://www.lavasoftusa.com
Spybot 1.2 : http://www.safer-networking.org/index.php?page=downloa
Spyware Blaster 3.0 - http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.htm
Registry Cleaner:
With use and over time your system registry will get full of invalid entries that can clog your system, a
registry cleaner is your answer to this. This is something I don’t recommend for those of you who ar
not familiar with dealing with the registry. So if you’re not familiar with it leave it alone.
Reg Seeker - http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.ht
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All In One Utilities:
There are some programs on the market that have a wide variety of uses. Some programs can clean th
registry, clear temporary files, restore deleted files, customize your operating system and much more.
‘All In One’ programs are good for novice users because they do not have to hassle around with a lot o
programs. But it’s always better to use a specific program made for a single use. Below are three of the best
‘All In One’ programs.
Norton Utilities - http://www.symantec.com/index.ht
Tune Up Utilities - http://www.tune-up.com/products/tu2004
Ace Utilities - http://www.acelogix.com
Temporary Files
Temporary files are a problem for all users. Though they don’t pose any risk to your system they take u
needed hard drive space. It is very easy to rid your system of these files. Windows comes with ‘Disk Cleanu
’ which can be found in the tools menu. The best temporary file remover is ‘DustBuster XP’ and can be
downloaded for free below.
DustBuster XP - http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=118
MRU Blaster - http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/mrublaster.htm
Unused Programs:
Try to keep track of what programs you download, what programs you installed and what program
you use and don’t use. There is no point in having programs installed on you’re computer that you neve
use. Its clutters you’re system and takes up hard rive space. Getting rid of unused programs if very easy, all
you need to do is go to add/remove programs in the system control panel. Make sure you know what the
program is and that you don’t need it before you uninstall it.
Defragging:
Defragging your hard drive cleans up files and makes programs run faster and more efficiently. Your operating
system will come with a defragging utility. It doesn’t need to be updated but make sure you use it on a regular basis.
Update:
If you use windows make sure you keep it up to date. They make these updates for a reason so use them.
They fix many flaws and help with a lot of things. Windows XP has a very easy to use update system.
Make sure update all other programs on your computer. Make sure you also update Games, Anti-virus software,
P2P, and media payers for optimal performance. Updates are there for a reason. USE THEM!
Conclusion:
Follow this list and your online experience will be a lot more enjoyable. A little maintenance will go along way
to prolonging the life of your PC. It may seem like a lot at first but your PC is a very complicated piece of hardware
and when things get complicated, things go wrong. It’s a small price to pay to protect you investment.
of keeping you PC running smoothly. Everyone should follow these few simple steps to keeping the P
clean, safe and running like new.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anti-Virus:
Anyone who is online must have anti-virus software. Some viruses are almost harmless, some you won’
even know were there, others will destroy your system and all the information on it. You can purchase a
anti-virus program at any computer store or you can download a free version off the internet.
Here are some good FREE anti-virus programs:
AVG Free Edition -http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php?status=ok&affiliate=&product
AntiVir Personal Edition 6.24.00.07 - http://www.majorgeeks.com/download955.htm
No anti-virus scanner will pick up everything, things will always slip through. For a full system scan you
should use a variety or programs. Some you will have to download, others are web based and easy to use.
A2 -http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free
Panda Avtice Scan -http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/activescan_principal.ht
Trojan Scan - http://www.trojanscan.com
Firewalls:
Hackers are out there, and you must protect yourself against them. The best way to do this is to use a
firewall. Firewalls stop hackers from being able to access you system from an outside source. Som
good free firewall software is out there and some examples are;
Outpost -http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpost
Now i personally like to use sygate pr
Sygate -http://www.sygate.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adware/Spyware:
The major problem high speed internet service is that your computer is always connected; you’re alway
online so your pc is always subject to hijackers, spammers and adware/spyware. There are a few eas
ways to combat this problem. The two best programs for combating this problem are listed bellow.
Download and install the following.
Ad-aware 6.0 : http://www.lavasoftusa.com
Spybot 1.2 : http://www.safer-networking.org/index.php?page=downloa
Spyware Blaster 3.0 - http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.htm
Registry Cleaner:
With use and over time your system registry will get full of invalid entries that can clog your system, a
registry cleaner is your answer to this. This is something I don’t recommend for those of you who ar
not familiar with dealing with the registry. So if you’re not familiar with it leave it alone.
Reg Seeker - http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.ht
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All In One Utilities:
There are some programs on the market that have a wide variety of uses. Some programs can clean th
registry, clear temporary files, restore deleted files, customize your operating system and much more.
‘All In One’ programs are good for novice users because they do not have to hassle around with a lot o
programs. But it’s always better to use a specific program made for a single use. Below are three of the best
‘All In One’ programs.
Norton Utilities - http://www.symantec.com/index.ht
Tune Up Utilities - http://www.tune-up.com/products/tu2004
Ace Utilities - http://www.acelogix.com
Temporary Files
Temporary files are a problem for all users. Though they don’t pose any risk to your system they take u
needed hard drive space. It is very easy to rid your system of these files. Windows comes with ‘Disk Cleanu
’ which can be found in the tools menu. The best temporary file remover is ‘DustBuster XP’ and can be
downloaded for free below.
DustBuster XP - http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=118
MRU Blaster - http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/mrublaster.htm
Unused Programs:
Try to keep track of what programs you download, what programs you installed and what program
you use and don’t use. There is no point in having programs installed on you’re computer that you neve
use. Its clutters you’re system and takes up hard rive space. Getting rid of unused programs if very easy, all
you need to do is go to add/remove programs in the system control panel. Make sure you know what the
program is and that you don’t need it before you uninstall it.
Defragging:
Defragging your hard drive cleans up files and makes programs run faster and more efficiently. Your operating
system will come with a defragging utility. It doesn’t need to be updated but make sure you use it on a regular basis.
Update:
If you use windows make sure you keep it up to date. They make these updates for a reason so use them.
They fix many flaws and help with a lot of things. Windows XP has a very easy to use update system.
Make sure update all other programs on your computer. Make sure you also update Games, Anti-virus software,
P2P, and media payers for optimal performance. Updates are there for a reason. USE THEM!
Conclusion:
Follow this list and your online experience will be a lot more enjoyable. A little maintenance will go along way
to prolonging the life of your PC. It may seem like a lot at first but your PC is a very complicated piece of hardware
and when things get complicated, things go wrong. It’s a small price to pay to protect you investment.