It’s springtime! Time to pull out your cleaning supplies and spruce things up! No, not your house or your apartment, but your computer running any version of Microsoft Windows. Just like with your car or lawnmower, regular maintenance will go a long ways towards keeping your computer running efficiently. Read the rest of this entry »
Uh oh, you caught a computer virus. The good news is, you used tools that you learned from The Computer Psychic or other sites to effectively remove the virus from your system. Congratulations! However, that doesn’t mean you’re done yet. Once you’ve recovered from a virus, there are still steps to be performed to assure that your data is safe and confidential.
Viruses…Spyware…Adware… All of these computer threats can be lumped under the category “Malware”. Any malware in your system is undesirable. Not only can it expose you to further threats, malware is often poorly written and can cause your computer to slow down and even crash.
Commercial antivirus programs will do a good job in removing most viruses. But there’s an additional tool available that will compliment any anti-virus program. That program is called HijackThis. Combined with the online HijackThis File Analyzer, HijackThis will give you exceptional control over what happens in your computer. Read the rest of this entry »
So, the holidays are over, the wrapping is in the recycle bins, and it’s time to get back to a “normal” life. And do you have a brand-shiny-new computer now? Great! Before you do much with that computer, here are a few steps to assure that this new computer is as fast and secure as it can be. Read the rest of this entry »
With all of the resources available to you, you may well ask yourself, “Why do I need a computer expert to maintain my computer?” The short answer is, you don’t. Just like you don’t need a technician to fix your car, repair your furnace, or do any other maintenance or repairs. If you have the knowledge and the time, you can easily repair and maintain your own computer. Read the rest of this entry »
Insurance. Many people find it a necessary evil. But once you need it, you’ll thank your lucky stars that you have it. Insurance can protect you from a catastrophe. Computer backup software is similar. It’s a bother to find a good backup program. Then you have to install it, and then configure it, schedule backups, and lastly verify that the data is backing up correctly. Yes, it’s a bother, but if your computer crashes or you accidental delete a critical file, you’ll breath a sigh of relief that you have a good, current backup. In this article, we will review some quality free backup programs and then discuss a good backup methodology. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s spring! Time to pull out your cleaning supplies and spruce things up! No, not your house or your apartment, but your computer running any version of Microsoft Windows. If you’re like most people, chances are you’ve had your computer for quite some time and have never opened the case and looked inside. Read the rest of this entry »
Viruses, worms, spyware, adbots -all of these nasties fall under the broad category of “malware” – that is, stuff you don’t want on your computer. All of these infect your system, with varying results. Some may simply present a particular banner ad at a website, based on your browsing history. Others may annoy you with unwanted pop-ups. The worst may monitor your keystrokes looking for passwords or credit card info. Much malware is poorly written and interacts badly with your computer, often slowing the entire system down, and in the most severe cases, totally corrupting your Windows installation. Read the rest of this entry »
Take a moment and just look at that desktop! It’s cluttered. I’m surprised you can find anything on it! Look at all that junk. No, I don’t mean the stapler, coffee cups and loose paper clips on your real desktop. I’m talking about all those extra icons on your Windows desktop.
Just in case you don’t know what I’m talking about, the desktop is the screen you see after Windows fully boots up – the one that shows after you close all programs.
While it’s convenient to save items to the desktop, you’ll find that it quickly becomes hard to navigate, due simply to the number of icons on the desktop. So let’s take a moment to clean things up. Read the rest of this entry »
