RADIFIED
Computer Maintenance

Posted:
05.May.2005

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PC Computer Maintenance

By request, here is a list of things I do to keep my computer running tip-top. Except for an occasional hard drive dying (which I can't control), I've had no downtime in years.

The order of the following items isn't important, long as you defrag and image your system drive last. A quick note of thanks to all the readers who wrote in to contribute their own little tricks. Here we go.

  1. 1. If you're going to do anything that might hose your system, such as installing a major service pack, first create a back-up image, so you'll be able to restore your system should something go horribly wrong.

  2. 2. Update your Ad protection, scan your system & remove whatever nastys are found (such as: malware, scumware, browser hijackers, parasites, dialers, trojans, data-miners, tracking components, etc.)

    I use & recommend Adaware. It's freeware. I do this ~every other week.

    Some of these nastys are particularly difficult to eradicate. If you have a problem getting rid of some of them, try disabling their function in the browser. For example, a friend had these 3 persistent critters I couldn't eliminate any other way:

    WildTangent
    ohb Class
    MiniBug Transporter Xclass

    They were hi-jacking her browser and generating pop-ups, especially when she tried to search for something. One of them also coded its own colored-links into her browser's pages. (She claims she has no idea how this software got onto her system.)

    These browser plug-ins can be disabled in Internet Explorer by navigating to:
    Tools > Internet Option > Programs tab > Manage Add-ons button...
    Show: Add-ons that have been used by Internet Explorer
    After disabling them, you'll need to restart Internet Explorer (not Windows).

  3. Update your spyware protection, scan your system & remove whatever nastys it finds. I use & recommend Spybot Search & Destroy. It's also freeware. If you use Spybot, don't forget to inoculate. Every other week I do this.

  4. Check for updates to you spam-filtering software. Every other month or so.

  5. Download and install updated drivers for your specific computer hardware, especially for your video card. Every other month.

    Note: once you find the links to the sites (web pages) that host the updates to the drivers for your various hardware components, you can create a shortcut to those pages [in Internet Explorer: File > Send > Shortcut to Desktop] ..

    .. and put them all in a folder on your desktop labeled "DRIVERS" (or you can simply bookmark them all & put these bookmarks in a separate folder labeled Drivers. This will make it easy the next time you do the same.

  6. Download & install updates for your Microsoft Windows operating system. This often involves a reboot afterwards. Most people configure Windows for this to occur automatically. If not, weekly.

  7. Check to see if your firewall has a new version available. If it does, download & install it. I use & recommend ZoneAlarm, but Sygate (acquired by Symantec on 10.October.2005) & others firewalls are also good. ZoneAlarm is usually hosted at Download.com. I configure my firewall to check for updates automatically and notify me when a new one is available.

Updated:
09.Apr.2007

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