Computers in a Monthly Fashion

Many average users of the computer only use it for email, browsing the internet, and sometimes chatting and paying bills. But sometimes when just doing your normal routine, your computer may start to slow down or have errors.

Some users will immediately call up their most technically inclined friend for assistance. But sometimes even then, they won't know the solution to the problem. So they call up the local computer shop and geek crew for an estimate. Once quoted $70-140 per hour, they immediately hang up and have to make a tough decision: Let the problem persist and hope it goes away after a few restarts, or get ready to open their wallets as far as they will go.

Fortunately, there are people out there who can help you solve your problem for only $40 per hour, but even then you get pretty lucky the person is who they say they are. I am that person. I am an honest individual who is what many call a geek and can fix almost anything when it comes to personal computers and small business networks. But this article isn't about me, it's about some of the things I do and am willing to tell you about the procedures for you to do it yourself and keep your computer running smoothly and hopefully without as many errors as before.

Now, after normal wear and tear of computers being used day in and out, the computer guts will sometimes wear out. This is normal, just like the human body getting old, except computers only last anywhere from 2 seconds (when something must have gone wrong in the factory build of the computer), all the way up to years and years on end and sometimes even up to 20 years these days!

But occasionally, computers will slow down. Sometimes it's a user error when people get used to such a fast speed that when their computer is run for so long, people often see it as getting slower and slower. Truth is that you are just getting used to the speed. Why not install some more memory or upgrade the CPU? Sounds complex huh? It can be.

Here are some normal and typical things you can do to keep your computer running healthy, safer, and more enjoyable knowing you are taking care of it and keeping out a lot of bad things.

Your Computer Run and Perform Faster

A high performing computer is a must these days. With internet connection going faster and new programs being developed, our computers may not be able to handle them all. That is why it is essential that we know how to make our PC perform faster.

First off, doing these methods won't make your old computer faster than it ever was when you first bought it. The steps provided below will make your computer organized and run faster than it does now. People who are already knowledgeable about computers knows these simple, yet, effective steps already.

Do a disk cleanup - Each time you use your computer, either running programs, opening files, browsing the internet, downloading various things, your computer saves a record. In time, all of these saved files and records will take up a lot of space in your hard disk, preventing your computer from finding the program you have commanded to open.

Its like looking for a needle in a haystack, the more hay there is, the slower the computer can find the needle so to speak. When you do a disk cleanup, the computer would ask for your permission to delete some of these files which have been left unused for a period of time.

To do a disk cleanup, click Start, then go to all programs, accessories, system tools then click on disk cleanup. A box will pop out asking you which drive to do a clean up on, in case you have several partitions or more than one hard drive). Click OK, then another box will pop out showing which files you can delete. Choose carefully and if you're not sure, don't erase the file.

Defrag your PC - Defragmenting your computer means organizing and arranging your files to follow a certain order and maximize the space available. It's like putting order in a room. This way, the computer can easily find the files or programs that it needs to access, thus making your computer perform faster.

Better Safe Than Sorry

If you're lucky, you will never have a computer that is struck by lightening, affected by a power surge, or data that is corrupted beyond repair. But if anything like this happens to you and you aren't prepared, it can be devastating.

Make sure your computer, monitor, and modem/router are plugged into a surge protector, not just a plain power strip. In the event of a power surge in the wiring in your house, a surge protector will protect your electronics from getting "fried". There are even surge protectors on the market that allow you to plug your phone line or cable co-axial line in them instead of directly into the computer or modem. For dial-up users, this offers protection against power surges coming into your computer via the phone line. For cable users, this can 'ground' your electrical circuit even if the wiring is your house is older and therefore not already grounded.

Also, make sure to back up your personal data and documents. If you followed the first tip about getting your CDs and information organized, reinstalling your software shouldn't pose a problem if need be. But what about your spreadsheets, the book you've been writing, the five years worth of digital pictures of your family? If you don't back up these types of items, they could be lost in the event of hardware or software failure.

There are many options available to you when it comes to backing up your information. You might choose to burn items to CD, copy documents to an external hard drive or flash drive, or move copies to an online storage service. Depending on the importance of the documents you're dealing with, you might want to choose more than one. Start by backing up information once a week, but find a back-up schedule that works for you and is reasonable.

If you decide to copy items to another hard drive or a flash drive, consider using synchronization or backup software to make the job a little easier. SyncBack is a freeware program that allows you to set-up profiles each with their own back-up or synchronization strategy. For instance, you could have a 'Photo' profile that would copy all the items in your 'My Pictures' folder to an external hard drive and a 'Work' profile that would synchronize files between your flash drive and your desktop, keeping only the newest version of each file.

For those wanting to try an online storage service, Box.net offers a basic plan free of charge. It includes 1GB of storage space and allows files as large as 10MB. Just bear in mind that even the most reputable online storage service is at risk of being hacked, so consider carefully before you use such a service for sensitive information.