Wayland Computer offers this section to provide users with
Step-by-Step instructions to perform routine maintenance on there own computer.
Use of this section is at your own risk and should only be used after backing up
your data and system settings.
Go directly to Weekly Maintenance
Go directly to Monthly Maintenance
Go directly to Yearly Maintenance
If you are like most of us, all you want is a computer that turns on,
surfs the net, reads email, writes the occasional letter and turns off.
You should not have to put up with errors, crashes, viruses, pop-ups and the
constant calls to some support tech located in India.
Unfortunately, a computer is just like your automobile in that you have
to perform routine maintenance. If you never change your oil, rotate
your tires or bring your car in for service, it will eventually start giving
you trouble. Although you computer does not have oil to change, there
are several maintenance steps you should use to keep your computer running
smoothly and reduce the number of day-to-day headaches.
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Surge Protection
For general reliability, all computers should be plugged into a good
surge protected outlet or better still a UPS. A UPS
(Uninterruptible Power Supply) is a battery
powered outlet that is capable of running your computer in the event of a
power failure. This can greatly reduce the risk of data loss or files
corruption if the power goes out as well as offering some protection against
lightning strikes and power surges. If you are using a telephone line
for your internet service, you should also have a surge protector for that
as well. In general all computer related items should have surge
protection. This includes: Printers, Computer Screens, Cable/DSL
Modems, Routers, Hubs and scanners. Surge protected outlets can be
purchased for as little as $10 and UPS systems can run between $40 and $200
depending on size.
Keep It Running Cool
Overheating due to clogged vents is the number one killer of computers,
especially laptops. Using a vacuum
cleaner, gently vacuum all vents and openings on all your computer equipment
including screen, printer and accessories. Better still, if you feel
comfortable with removing the cover to your computer, you can remove all
dust from inside the computer as well. For laptops, a vacuum cleaner
is usually not enough to dislodge trapped dust. Use compressed or canned air to blow
out the vents. Avoid forcing the fans to spin at high speed with
compressed air because this can cause damage. I highly recommend using a
cooling pad under any laptop to keep it running cool.
Back Up Your Data
I can stress enough the importance of backing up your data. A virus,
power outage or a hard drive failure could wipe out everything in a flash.
Years of photos, music, email and data gone. There are dozens of ways to
backup you data ranging anywhere from simply copying files to a CD to automatic
backup systems. There are even online services that can backup your
computer. Regardless of the method, backing up your computer is critical.
Don't wait until it is too late.
Complete Recovery or Reinstall
Ok, I know that no one wants hear this, but sometimes a complete reinstall of
Windows is the only way to return a computer to full working condition. I
usually perform a fresh install of Windows on all my computers every 2 or 3
years. Some people do this every year and may be the only way to totally
clean out all viruses, spyware, adware, malware and other problems that may have
accumulated. It is a big job and requires that you have your original
Windows and Software CD's as well as good backups of all your data. If you
plan ahead it will be a lot easier, but still can take many hours to perform.
Yearly Maintenance
(click each for instructions)
- Remove Dust From Vents
(inside and Out)
-
Check for loose connections
- Backup Data
- Vacuum Dust
- Check for loose connections
- Major Disk Clean
- Check disk for errors
- Run Virus Scan
- Remove any programs that you do not use
- Check For all updates
- Complete Temp File Removal
- Clear Prefetch Folder
- Clear Cookies
- Clear History
- Clear Recycle Bin
- Run Defrag
Monthly Maintenance
(click each for instructions)
- Backup Data
- Quick Vacuum of External Vents
- Run Disk Cleanup
- Update Windows
- Update Virus Software
- Update and run Spyware removal software
(SpyBot, Adaware)
- Defrag Disk Drive
Weekly Maintenance
(click each for instructions)
- Backup Data
- Run Disk Cleanup
- Check Antivirus Software Status
- Run Virus Scan
- Run Spyware Removal Software (ie.
SpyBot, Adaware)
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Backup
I can not really give you instructions for performing backups because there
are hundreds of ways to do this and many different types of hardware. For those of you who use your computer for nothing more than writing
documents and creating spreadsheets, backing up your data can be as simple as
just copying the entire contents of your My Documents folder to a CD or other
external storage device. For more complex backups, I would recommend using
a complete backup package like NTbackup, Retrospect or Cobian Backup. Some
versions of Windows do include a backup routine. Check under
programs-accessories-system tools to see if you have one. The bottom line
is to have more than one backup of your data. At the very least you should
have a monthly and yearly backup. If your data changes often, then you may
need daily and weekly backups. If you don't want to be bothered with this,
there are many online backup services that you can use, for a fee of course.
For about $49 per year www.carbonite.com
will automatically backup an unlimited amount of data over the internet.
Vacuum Dust and Clean Vents
Overheating is one of the most common problems with all computers, especially
laptops. Over time dust collects and blocks the cooling vents and internal
heat sinks. This can lead to system crashes, premature hard drive failures
as well as other problems. If you don't feel comfortable with opening up
your computer to clean, at the very least you should run a vacuum over all the
outside vents. Using a can of compressed air will also help remove some of
the dust.
Check For Loose Connections
Over time some external and internal cables may become loose due to constant
vibration. Open up the case and check each connection to make sure that
they have not worked their way out. The older large flat ribbon cables
that connect to your hard drives and CD/DVD drives are the most prone to coming
loose. Check all external connections such as power, USB, Mouse and
Keyboard connectors as well. Some cards within the computer may also work
their way out of the slots and may require a slight push to reseat.
Check Disk For Errors
Microsoft has a built-in utility to scan your hard drive for errors and tries
to correct them. As drive errors start to accumulate it can cause slow
performance and missing files. Sometime these errors will even prevent the
computer from booting at all. To scan you drive for errors click on
MY COMPUTER > RIGHT CLICK ON YOUR C: DRIVE > SELECT
PROPERTIES > SELECT THE TOOLS TAB > SELECT "CHECK NOW" under error Checking >
CHECK BOTH BOXES > CLICK ON START. If you are checking your C:
drive, it will now ask you if you want to run this the next time the computer
restarts. Select yes and reboot your computer. Depending on the size
of your hard drive, this could take several hours to complete. You should perform
this routine on each hard drive that you have installed.
Clear Recycle Bin
The Recycle Bin is where Windows stores everything that you have deleted and
it needs to emptied every once and awhile. If you run Disk Cleanup, you
have the option to clean this out at the same time. You can also empty the
Recycle Bin manually by Right Clicking on the Recycle Bin and selecting Empty
Recycle Bin.
Clearing Internet History
You computer keeps track of everywhere that you have visited on the Internet
and starts to accumulate over time. Depending on your Internet Explorer
settings, it could be set to save anywhere from 0 to 999 days of internet
activity. To clear or change this setting start Internet Explorer and
Click on the TOOLS Tab > Select INTERNET OPTIONS > Select
the GENERAL Tab. Down near the bottom of this window you will see
the History Section, You can choose to change the number of days saved as
well as clear the history or even set it to clear the history every time you
exit Internet Explorer.
Clear Internet Cookies
Cookies are small tidbits of information that are placed on your computer by
various websites to perform all kinds of jobs. Sometimes a user name is
placed here so that it is available the next time you return to that site.
Or a place mark to show you what you have looked at on your last visit. If
you surf the net a lot this information can really build up and you may want to
clean these out. Start Internet Explorer and Click on the
TOOLS Tab > Select INTERNET OPTIONS > Select the GENERAL
Tab. Near the middle of this window you will see the Temporary
Internet Files Section, Here you can choose to delete all cookies.
Clear Temporary Internet Files
If you spend a lot of time on the Internet, temporary internet files can grow
in size and you may want to clear these out. Start Internet Explorer and
Click on the TOOLS Tab > Select INTERNET OPTIONS > Select
the GENERAL Tab. Near the middle of this window you will see the
Temporary Internet Files Section, Here you can choose to delete these
files.
Clear Prefetch Folder
The Prefetch is a folder that Windows uses to track where your programs are
so that it can open them more quickly. If this folder gets too big and you
have installed and uninstalled many programs or defragged your drive, it is
probably filled with a bunch of bad entries. This folder is located in
your C:\Windows directory and you can delete
the contents of this folder manually or as I prefer, use a little Free utility
like ATF Cleaner, which will do this for you.
http://www.atribune.org/content/view/19/2/
Check Antivirus Status
It extremely important to check the status of your antivirus software to make
sure it is still enabled, up-to-date and has not expired. Some viruses target these
programs and attempt to disable them, so you have to check this periodically. Double click on the icon that
represents your software brand (yellow Norton icon, red or black McAfee icon).
A status window will pop up. Check the status to make sure every indicator
shows ok. If the definitions file is older than 1 week perform a manual
update. I would click on update anyway, just to double check, because some
updates do not get installed automatically. Make
note of the expiration date as well. If you have not performed a complete
scan in a while, you may want to do this now. Note that it can take an
hour or longer depending on how much data you have.
Defrag Hard Drive
After you have performed all other maintenance, it is time to defragment your
hard drive. Over time, your hard drive becomes fragmented which means that the data that
is stored on you drive is spread out to different locations and takes Windows
longer to find what it needs. It would be similar to taking the contents
of a single folder in your file cabinet and spreading the documents to other
unrelated folders and then taking one document and cutting it in pieces and
placing those pieces in different folders as well. You kept an index of
where you put the pieces as does the computer, but it would still take you for
ever to find that document. Defragging your hard drive puts all those pieces
back together so that you hard drive does not have to work as hard to find what
it needs. To start Defrag, click on START-PROGRAMS-ACCESSORIES-SYSTEM
TOOLS-DISK DEFRAGMENTER. If you have more than one hard drive, run this
program for each drive. NOTE: This routine can take several hours
to run and is best if run last after you have performed all other maintenance.
Disk Cleanup
Disk Cleanup is a small program included with Windows that will help you
clean up some of your computers temporary files and delete the contents of your
recycle bin. Click on START-PROGRAMS-ACCESSORIES-SYSTEM TOOLS-DISK CLEANUP
to start this routine. Note: If you have multiple user accounts on
your computer, you will need to perform Disk Cleanup logging into each account.
There are some other great Free cleanup tools such as ATF Cleaner,
http://www.atribune.org/content/view/19/2/ , which will allow you to clean
up even more junk files.
Run pop-up and spyware software
If you do not have a good pop-up blocker or program to detect spyware, I
would suggest installing versions of either SpyBot or Adaware. You can
download these for FREE from www.download.com.
Some users will install both of these utilities. As with the antivirus
software products, you need to update these products on a regular basis.
Double click on the icon for the product you have installed. Check for
updates and then run a scan by clicking on "Check for Problems" (SpyBot).
You can also download a free pop-up blocker from Google and others that will integrate
with Internet Explorer. Another great program is Microsoft Defender
(replaces Microsoft Antispyware), which is also free at this time from
www.microsoft.com .(go to downloads).
Remove Programs that you
no longer use
Click on START-ALL PROGRAMS and look down through the list for programs that you
never use. Select the program and look for an uninstall option. If
there is no uninstall available, then click on START-CONTROL PANEL-ADD OR REMOVE
PROGRAMS. Select the program you wish to remove. If you are not
absolutely sure about a program, leave it. Restart your computer after
each program is uninstalled before going onto the next. Note: Do not
simply delete program icons to remove them, they must be uninstalled.
Update Windows
You should check Microsoft for updates for both windows as well as office and
other software products that you have installed. If you have turned
on Automatic updates for windows, you will usually receive the most critical
Windows updates automatically. You will still need to update Office
manually to get those updates. However, there may be many other updates available
to you that you may want. Go to
www.windowsupdate.microsoft.com for Windows updates and
www.office.microsoft.com for
office updates. Most all software companies will provide free updates to
their product to fix known problems and bugs as well as patches to potential
security holes.
