New Years’ Resolutions
Battery Back-up
Almost 63% of hard disk drive failures (crashes) are caused by computer power supply problems. People will spend over a thousand dollars on a computer system, but won’t spend an extra $50.00 to protect against the most common threat to their data. A battery backup unit (also referred to as a UPS – Uninterruptible Power Supply) not only protects you from power surges, but also power outages and “brownouts”. You probably don’t even realize when you have a “brownout”, but your computer does. A “brownout” can cause your hard drive to fail and/or damage your computer’s main board. Usually it causes damage to the on-board voltage regulators and makes isolating the problem can be a difficult task. Most of the latest UPS units come with auto-shutdown software that will safely power down your computer in the event of a prolonged “brownout” or power outage.
Backup, backup, backup
With the price drop of CD and DVD burners, it’s time to install one of the devices to backup your important data and computer settings. Even people that are backing up their “My Documents” folder are probably neglecting some of their most important and difficult to replace settings. What about your Outlook or Outlook Express Address Book? What about all those “Favorite Places” that are saved in Internet Explorer? What about your custom fax cover sheets? What are you forgetting to backup? Make a list of everything you would have to replace if your computer system crashed tomorrow.
Anti-Virus Software
I heard a story about a person that reported that their car was running rough. When the mechanic checked the car, he found that the oil level was too low. When he asked the car owner about the oil level, the owner responded, “I thought they put that in at the factory”. Unfortunately, that is the way many people treat their anti-virus software. Any anti-virus software is only as good as its definitions database. If it isn’t up to date, then you aren’t really protected from the latest viruses, worms, and trojans that are circulating every day. You should also have your anti-virus software scheduled to run full system scans on your computer on a regular basis. Mine is set for every Friday evening.
Spyware Removal
I don’t care where you go on the Internet; you are going to download some form of spyware. Spyware loads when you start your computer, robs you of valuable system resources, gathers information about your Internet usage, and could be responsible for all of those pop-up ads that are on your computer. You should be running an up to date version of either Lavasoft’s Ad-aware of SpyBot Search and Destroy. I prefer the latter since the Advance Mode lets you schedule automatic scans and removal.
Windows XP Users – Important Information
If you have multiple user accounts on your Windows XP based computer, then you should be running your anti-virus and spyware removal software in every user account. Since Windows XP does such a good job of isolating your user files, it also isolates the location of many computer viruses and spyware programs. It’s a good idea to log on to each account and run the removal programs to make sure that your system is “clean”.
Microsoft Anti-Spyware Software (Beta)
Microsoft has responded
to the almost epidemic attack of spyware by releasing a beta version of
their anti-spyware software. It will only work with Windows 2000/XP/Server
2003 operating systems. It offers real-time protection, auto updates, and
scheduled scans. For more information, go to:
(
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx )
You can perform a variety of on-line security checks by going to the One on One Computer Consultants Home page at: ( http://www.1on1cc.com ) and clicking on the link to Symantec Security Check. You can perform a Virus Check, Security Check, and/or Trace a Potential Attack on your computer system.
Every Document Template that you can think of (almost)
If you’re using Microsoft Office products on your computer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and etc.), then you have access to just about every document template that you can think of. Microsoft Office Templates includes a variety of categories including Business Forms, Calendars, Human Resources, Legal, and just too many to name here. Click on a category or use the “Search” function to find related templates. Preview them on your screen and download the ones that you want to customize for your use.
Go to: ( http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/default.aspx ).
Caution – Windows XP SP2 & Roxio (Adaptec) Software
If you are using Roxio (formerly Adaptec) Easy CD Creator v5.0 or earlier, then you might run into problems when you install the latest service pack for the Windows XP operating system. Roxio claims to offer a patch to make their software compatible with Windows XP SP1, but I got nothing but frustration when I tried to download it. First, you’re required to register any existing Roxio product to access the download site. When trying to download the latest patch for Easy CD Creator v5.0, I was just redirected to a page telling me to upgrade to v7.0 for full compatibility with Windows XP. It’s probably cheaper to install a new, higher speed CDRW or DVD burner with Ahead Nero software than to continue using Roxio products that have limited or no support.
For more computer Tips
& Tricks go to the One on One Computer Consultants Tips Page at:
(
http://www.1on1cc.com/tips.htm )