Keep It Clean! 

Routine Maintenance on Your Computer

May 2017

Anti-malware programs

• Always keep your firewall, anti-virus, and anti-spyware products up to date!

• There are many good commercial products available, such as:

  • Norton

  • McAfee

  • Kaspersky

  • Vipre
    
    

• There are several free options as well, including:

  • Avast!

  • AVG

  • Microsoft Security Essentials (Win 7) and Windows Defender (Win 8 – 10)
    
    

• Make sure to run a full scan of your computer on a regular basis. Automatic scans usually can be set up.

• Pick your scheduled scan time when you do not usually perform “computing-intensive’ tasks.

• Set your security software to download and install updates automatically. Choose how often update checks should be made.

• Firewall software also is a good idea, especially if you use your computer on the road a lot. 

  • Firewall software prevents unwanted access to/from a network.

• Beware of insecurity software – you’re browsing along, and suddenly you see something like this:

• Clicking on buttons such as OK or Click here to fix the problems may load malware onto your computer; some of this malware may force purchase of the infiltrator’s product before it can be removed. (“Ransomware”)

Automatic updates

• Set your computer to download and install operating system updates automatically.

• This will assure that you have the latest security and performance fixes as soon as Microsoft or Apple releases them.

Disk space

• When your internal disk reaches 70% - 75% full, you may see performance begin to drop.

• One answer to this problem: Create more space!

  • Install a 2nd (or 3rd?) internal drive, and move your data files from your system drive to the new drive.

  • Installing a solid-state drive (SSD) will have the further advantage of speeding up your system.

• An easier solution: clear the clutter!

  • Uninstall programs that you no longer use.

    • This is done from the control panel in Windows. (Never just delete the app’s folder.)

    • You can simply delete the app’s folder in MacOS, for the most part.

  • Copy data files to an external drive, and then delete them from your internal disk. (See Mayfield’s law #1.)

  • If you are using Outlook or some other non-Web email client, delete unneeded emails.

Disk Fragmentation

• Over time, hard disks become fragmented, which means that files are broken up into small pieces that are stored across the disk rather than being stored as a single unit.

• You can perform a defrag operation to get a little more speed.

• Be sure to back up your system before defragmenting!

• Defragmenting an external drive takes a lot of time.

• DO NOT defrag a SSD! They work differently than a hard drive.

Disk Organization

• Keep your files well-organized into folders and subfolders to make it easier to find what you want.

• Name your files in such a way that it is apparent what the file is, and so that you can search folders or drives using the tools built into your Windows or MacOS.

The Desktop 

• Windows and Mac OS run faster with uncluttered desktops.

• Have you ever spent too much time looking for a particular shortcut or file on a crowded desktop?
  
  

• Suggestions:

  • Move documents to the Documents folder or another logical location.

  • Pin frequently used apps to the Start menu, Start page, or put them on the taskbar.

  • Use the Windows search box or MacOS Spotlight to find apps and other files.

Web browsers

• There are a number of good browsers available:

  • Microsoft Edge

  • Mozilla Firefox

  • Google Chrome

  • Apple Safari

  • Opera
    
    

• You may find that you can navigate better/faster using a different browser than you currently are using.

• You can have multiple browsers installed on your computer simultaneously.

• Occasionally clearing out certain data from browsers may also improve browser performance. For example, in Edge:

  • Select the three dots at the upper-right corner of the browser.

  • Click on Settings.

  • Under Clear Browsing Data, click on Choose what to clear.

  • Choose the items you wish to clear; cached data and files is a good choice.

  • Click on the Clear button.
    
    

• Use a product such as Delicious or Pinboard to manage your bookmarks.

  • These products store your bookmarks in the cloud and permit you to access those bookmarks from any browser on any computer.

Startup programs

• Sometimes when you install an app, it puts items into the Startup folder.

• The apps that are located in that folder are executed automatically when Windows or MacOS starts.

• Check the folder from time to time to see if there are any items you can safely remove. • When some apps are installed, they install other, “hidden” apps. These don’t appear in the Startup folder, but they also are run when Windows starts.

  • These apps tend to continue running once started, using up time and other resources on your computer.

  • Some of these programs are useful, but others are not, and they could even include spyware or other forms of malware.

• There is a utility named msconfig that can be run to look at and remove such apps. DO NOT RUN MSCONFIG UNLESS YOU ARE SURE OF ITS USE!

Power issues

• Always use a surge protector with your computer and related equipment.

• If you are concerned about power losses, consider purchasing an uninterruptable power supply (UPS).

  • Purchase a UPS with enough capacity to power your computer &monitor for a few minutes.

  • A UPS is not needed when using a laptop, unless your battery is bad.

• Change the power options (from the control panel) to put the monitor, hard disk, and computer into low-power modes during extended periods of inactivity.

Other suggestions

• Don’t start too many applications at the same time.

• Don’t just switch off your computer’s power (unless it’s really frozen). Shut it down instead.

• Occasionally use a registry cleaning app.

  • There are both commercial and freeware versions available.

  • Here is a list of 38 free registry cleaners: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/tp/free-registrycleaner-programs.htm

  • Always back up your system before using a registry cleaner! • Empty the recycle bin.

Some of Mayfield’s Laws

1. If your data is important, keep a current backup.

• Corollaries:

  • Keep your current backup current.

  • If your data is really important, keep two current backups.

  • If you keep multiple backups, keep them in different locations.

  • Rotate between at least two sets of backup media.

2. It’s seldom a good idea to purchase leading-edge computer technology. Going back even one generation can save you big dollars.

• Besides, in three to six months, the leading-edge technology for which you paid extra no longer will be leading edge.