Computer tips

I’ve finally decided to use this website for something I actually know something about — computers!  Inspired by my dealings with Windows although I am no longer a Windows user (thank you Ubuntu!)  I realize there are still many that are.  Having said that here are some recommendations for keeping your computer at peak performance:

  1. Virus scan regularly and update your definitions! - The #1 thing people always ask me to do is get rid of viruses or check for them.  This is something easy to prevent and all of the antivirus programs out there offer autoscan features so you can set it and forget about it.  It’s also important that you download regularly the latest definitions for your antivirus program (i.e. updates to find more viruses). What virus program should I use you may ask?  I would NOT recommend Norton or McAfee.  These programs are a thing of the past and have grown into giant behemoth sized programs that not only slow your computer down but are sometimes unable to eliminate some viruses due to their high profile.   There are now actually programmers out there who write viruses to avoid detection from these programs.  If you have money, I wholeheartedly recommend Nod32, it’s a slick, lightweight and very effective program.  If you are like me and have no money then I recommend Avast! Home edition (downloaded at www.avast.com).  Kaspersky is also a nice alternative but also costs money.  Any of these three choices will serve you well.
  2. Defragment! - Windows is notorious for file defragmentation because of the way its filesystem functions.  What is defragmentation?  I’ll use an analogy of a filing cabinet.  As you start files they all fit in one drawer, but as your files grow and run out of space you have to move them to a second or even third drawer.  What Windows does in its infinite wisdom is instead of moving a whole file to the second drawer or free area, it just starts saving your new pieces in that area.  These pieces are known as file fragments or simply pieces of files.  Over time as files grow more and more pieces end up separated from their other halves — or thirds — or fourths  . .. you get the idea.  Defragmentation simply reunites all of these pieces together and reorganizes your filesystem so everything is together.  This is particularly important after installing programs or removing programs, but generally do this every one or two weeks.   My current program of choice is Smart Defrag, found here.  It’s also a freebie.
  3. Clean the **junk** (or choose your expletive) off of your computer- Over time as you browse the internet, delete stuff and just go about the normal tasks of a computer user your computer accumulates **junk**.  This takes up space leading to defragmentation and occupies what could otherwise be used for storing files – photos, music, documents (important stuff).  There are two programs that work well for this – CCleaner (Crap cleaner) and recently I’ve used IOBit’s Advanced System Care basic (same company that makes Smart defrag) which works surprisingly well.  Both are free.  CCleaner can be found here and Advanced System Care Basic here.  I would also advise utilizing the registry fix utilities on these programs.
  4. DO NOT USE Internet Explorer - For every security flaw in Windows, there are two in Internet Explorer.  If you’re familiar with Windows’ track record on security you know that’s a lot of problems.  If you use IE, you are inviting viruses to come and stay in your computer.  For browsing the web, I recommend either Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome.  In addition to security both have plugins and add-ons to help make things much easier to use.
  5. Pray you don’t have Vista - If you have Vista — I’m sorry.  Vista was singlehandedly my top reason for switching to Ubuntu Linux.  It’s just the worst operating system ever.  It’s slow, insecure, incompatible with a lot of applications and has cost Microsoft dearly in marketshare.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Bill Gates got a Christmas card from Steve Jobs after Vista came out since Apple has taken full advantage.  If you are one of the unfortunate ones 1) upgrade to Windows 7 if you can afford it or 2) find a way to get money and then upgrade to Windows 7.  If you can’t get the money to upgrade, there are a couple of tweaks you can use.  The first is disabling Vista’s Aero theme and switching to Vista basic.  You know those pretty transparent windows . .. they are draining the power from your computer and hogging your system resources.  It’s not tricky to do this and if you Google “disable Vista aero theme” you’ll find a step by step guide on how to do this.  You can then switch to the Vista basic theme which looks almost the same but with much better performance.   If you are still living in XP land, it’s your call.  Windows XP is actually a pretty good operating system, so I’d be tempted to stay.  Microsoft is still supporting it and releasing updates for the near future since not all computers meet the minimum requirements for Windows 7.  I’d expect another year or two of support.