I've been using PC's since 1984 and at one stage owned a computer rental company, so I've had a bit of experence. In this section I'm going to share some tips I've picked up over the years to help you make your computing experience better.
I actually don't really "like" computers but I love what you can do with them. I treat them as a tool, and just like any other tool you'll get better results and it will last longer if you give it a bit of regular maintenance and learn how to use it properly.
I can't guarantee that these tips will work for everyone but I do know that they work for me and many others.
I hope you find them useful.
If you have questions or your own tips to share please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . I can't guarantee I'll answer your questions or publish your tips but I'll try. Please let me know whether you wish your name to be used or not.
Andrew Parkinson
Security Software is Essential on Your Computer.
You absolutely MUST have some form of security software on your computer. If you don't your computer is already infected with viruses or malware. And you MUST keep that software it up to date, that means ensuring that the automatic update feature is active and working. Out of date security software is almost as bad as none at all as it will give you a false sense of security
All those annoying Spam messages that you get are almost certainly being sent from computers that are infected with a virus or malware. The owners of the computers often have no idea that their PC is part of a "botnet", a group of computers being directed by a third party to do something, very often sending spam. It doesn't appear in their normal email outbox, it is all but invisible and undetectable to you or I without a good tool. Botnets have been intercepted containing millions of computers. In November 2011 the US Department of Justice took down a botnet Dubbed "DNS Changer," the collection of compromised computers numbered over four million machines.
Microsoft Security Essentials is Free
Microsoft's Security Essentials is a perfectly adequate and free anti-virus / anti-malware software. This is what I now use on all my personal computers. You can download and install it for free from here http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/products/security-essentials.
See this link for a comprehensive review of the Microst Security Essentials product from Fred Langa on the Windows Secrets Site.
A very useful tool I've been using for some time now is CCleaner
I run it almost everyday sometimes more than once a day. If any programs are "playing up" or seem to be running slowly I run this and very often my problem is solved.
I urge you to be careful using the Registry Cleaner, always take a backup in case you delete something you need.
Optimization and Cleaning
CCleaner claims to be the number-one tool for cleaning your Windows PC. It protects your privacy online and makes your computer faster and more secure. Easy to use and a small, fast download.
The Software In Your Computer Needs To Be Maintained - Often
Just like a Bloke, a computer software needs to be maintained, spruced up now and again. And, just like a bloke it might try and do it itself but it needs your assistance once in a while (well lets face it ladies, probably closer to once a week but you can let it slide for a month or two unless there's a family occasion, on your side of the family).
Reboot It
With computers the easiest and most painless bits of maintenance is to turn it off and on occassionally, this is know as rebooting (Ladies the former will work wonders for your bloke as well but I wouldn't try the rebooting). I make a point of doing so at least one a day and more often if I'm doing really intensive or important stuff. It just cleans out much of the "stuff" that accumulates in your computers memory as it does what it does.
Updating Your Application Software
Windows is called the "Operating System". Almost every other thing on your Computer is "Application Software" and it is important to keep your application software up to date and "patched".
We all have different software installed on our computers, many have a "Check for Update" option but many don't.
An online tool by Secunia can be found here http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online/ . This is the online cousin of their often recommended free tool Secunia Personal Software Inspector or PSI.
This tool will analyse your computer and check whether there is a new version of the software installed on your computer available and if so help you install it. Note that this is just the bare minimum version. The PSI version you can download does a far more comprehensive job and still free for personal use.
Significantly Improve Your Computer Experience by Cleaning Your Mouse
One of the easiest and fastest ways I've found to improves almost everyone's computing experience is to clean their mouse's bottom. This isn't hard, anyone can do it, but of course first catch your mouse.
Whether you use your mouse directly on your desk or, on a mouse pad, the bottom, the base that sits on the pad/desk, is going to collect dirt that eventually will make it "sticky". When you move the mouse it won't glide smoothly and will "grab" you probably won't notice it as the grime slowly builds up over time.
Using a mouse with a dirty bottom makes the computer feel sluggish and jerky. If you find yourself picking up your mouse and whacking it on the desk, cleaning it might solve your problem.
Surprising How Often A Reboot Solves Computer Problems
I often get calls from colleagues, friends, and family saying "my computer wont work!" Depending on my mood I might say "what do you mean it doesn't work" but my first answer is usually "turn it off and turn it on and then see if it works. Ring me back if it doesn't". Occasionally they will ring back to tell me that fixed it, usually they don't because it has fixed it and they are busy doing whatever it is they were trying to do.
I haven't kept statistics but it sure feels like nine out of ten times this works. If it doesn't, another half the time turning it off and on a second time, after its restarted but before you do anything else, will sort the problem.
Do you care why this works?