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on One Computer Consultants UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) a.k.a. Battery Backup - Over 60% of computer hard drive crashes are due to line voltage problems. A surge suppressor does just that, and only that. It suppresses a surge voltage, like a lightning strike. It does nothing for power outages or "brown-outs". During a "brown-out", the UPS will keep a constant voltage level to your computer and "warn" you if the voltage drops too low for safe operation. In the case of a power outage, you'll get precious minutes to safely shutdown your system and protect your data . Some units even come with software that will do it for you. APC (American Power Conversion) offers a "free" UPS Selector that you can use to determine your UPS needs. Never plug a laser printer into your UPS! Install an Anti-Virus Program and update the virus definitions on a regular basis. Using an Anti-virus program is a must, but it's not totally effective unless you keep your virus definitions up to date. Make a set of "clean" boot disks that can be used to start your system and scan for any possible virus. Click here for a list of Anti-Virus Software Vendors. There are a couple of "free" anti-virus programs that you can download. Backup, Backup, Backup - How much data can you afford to lose? Develop a backup strategy that fits your needs. Rotate your backup media, like for days of the week, so if one is defective, you won't be losing your whole backup. And, don't store your backup next to your computer. What good is a backup if it's destroyed, along with your system, in some catastrophic event? Run Scandisk (Standard) option (CHKDSK for Windows NT, 2000, and XP) and Disk Defragmenter at least once a week. And, Scandisk (Thorough) option at least once a month. I have set up the Windows Task Scheduler to run the utilities every night, so if I forget to leave my computer on one night, it will run the next night that I leave my system running. I suggest that you run both Scandisk and Disk Defragmenter before installing or updating any software. Click Here for more tips on increasing performance Make a System Startup Disk for your computer. It will allow you to
"boot" from a floppy disk and do some minor "repair" work, if
needed. Get rid of that wallpaper on your computer desktop screen if you're running Windows 95/98/ME. Sure, it looks nice but your computer "thinks" that it has to "refresh" that wallpaper and that wastes valuable processor time. Removing a Program? - Use the original program software or "Add/Remove Programs" (Control Panel) to remove a software application from your computer. It will usually delete references to the software from your computer's system files (System.ini, Win.ini, Autoexec.bat, Config.sys, Registry, etc.) If you're removing more than one application, remove one, restart your computer, then remove the next. In other words, restart your computer after each removal. Top of PageSome other sites that may be of interest or help
Microsoft
Office On-Line offers a wide variety of information,
including interactive training for Microsoft products. Check the site every
month for new courses, special offers, and lots of information. ExtremeTech offers help for the "advanced" computer user. But, there is useful information for everyone at this site. Top of Page
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