PC Maintenance 101

PC Maintenance 101

Your computer, like your home, requires a certain amount of periodic care and security: cleaning & organizing, locking the doors & windows, and so forth.  Your computer actually has two “homes,” one being the “physical home,” the case, and the other being a “virtual home,” the hard drive where information is stored.  This article will describe how to care for both… and why.

 The Case
1.)        Clean
2.)        Check connections

Clean – The case should be cleaned inside by vacuuming and using canned air to blow where the vacuum can’t reach.

Why?  The components inside the PC can get very hot; when dust accumulates inside, and on the fan blades, the fans may not be able to keep things cool enough.  This can lead to the premature failure of devices or automatic system shutdowns/restarts for no apparent reason.  The cleaning frequency will depend on how quickly your system accumulates dust & dirt, and the only way to know, is to start a cleaning routine.  Once a month is a good starting point; if it seems very dirty every time with this schedule, make it twice a month.  If there is little dust when checked monthly, increase the span gradually – you may be able to go as long as once a year.

**Caution** While cleaning, be sure to protect your system from static electricity damage by using a ground strap (preferred) or by touching a metal part of the case while you’re working (not as effective as the strap).

Check Connections – After you’ve finished cleaning, make sure all connections inside the case going to the motherboard and devices are firmly seated.  Note: there will most likely be several connectors coming from the power supply that are not connected to anything – this is normal, they are there for upgrades, so don’t panic and think something wrong.  Once you’ve closed the case back up, check all the connections on the back to make sure they are firmly in place as well.

Why?  While cleaning, you may have accidentally jarred something loose.  Also, connections sometimes work loose just from normal vibration.  It’s best to check now rather than opening it up again if you find something isn’t working.

Peripherals
You may wish to include cleaning some peripherals in your routine.

Monitor – DO NOT open the case of the monitor, clean the outside by vacuuming and/or dusting and, if necessary, an aerosol spray for electronics.  Spray the cleaner on a cloth, not directly on the monitor.

Keyboard – Vacuum, turn it upside-down and shake it, and then vacuum again.

Standard Mouse – (The kind with the ball) Remove the ball and clean it with rubbing alcohol.  Use a cotton swab (Q-Tip) with rubbing alcohol to clean the rollers and guides inside the mouse that the ball rotates against.  Let everything dry (about a minute), and then reassemble it.

The Hard Disk Drive (aka HDD, Hard Drive)
1.)        Backup
2.)        Update
3.)        Clean & Organize
4.)        Check for Problems
5.)        Prevention & Protection

Backup – at least once a week, back up all your important data (files, pictures, browser favorites, everything that is important to you).

Why?  Eventually disaster will strike, either your HDD will fail, the Operating System (OS) will become corrupted or infected and not boot up, or the files themselves can become corrupted or even deleted accidentally.  It will happen – so be prepared.

How?  Copy them onto removable media (many options exist such as floppy, Jazz, Zip, tape drive, CD’s, DVD’s, flash drive, and memory cards), onto another HDD (internal or external).  Another partition on the same drive is okay for temporary backup, but if the drive itself fails, it won’t do you much good.

Update – At least once a week (or set them to automatic) update your Windows and anti-virus programs.  If you don’t have an anti-virus program yet, get one!  (Nod32 is the best, followed by BitDefender.)

Why update Windows?  All operating systems have “security holes” which make them vulnerable to Crackers (the correct term for what most people call hackers).  Microsoft products get the most attention from Crackers because they want to make as big an impact as possible, so they naturally attack the systems which are most popular: Windows.  When a flaw is discovered, Microsoft will create a patch and release it where it can be downloaded by users at Windows Update.  The Critical Updates are necessary.  Often there will also be updates for software and drivers for hardware in your system that you can download to help keep everything running at optimum levels; it is best to review the list and install only the items you really need.

Why have an anti-virus program?  While viruses can’t physically damage any of your computer’s hardware, they can wreak havoc on your operating system, drivers, software, and personal files.  They can, and often do, work without you even knowing they’re there.

Why update the anti-virus program?  Anti-virus programs work by comparing a list of known virus “signatures” or “thumbprints” to what is on your HDD.  Since new viruses are constantly being released (a dozen or so every day), updates are required in order to keep the signature data base current.

Clean and Organize
At least once a week, use Disk Cleanup, empty the Recycle Bin, and clear your temporary folders.

Why?  Disk Cleanup will remove most temporary files from your computer; others need to be cleared manually.  Doing this will give you more usable space and reduce the number of files that need to be searched by the computer when it is trying to access a certain one.  In addition, many viruses and spyware like to hide in temporary folders; if you empty them frequently, you decrease your chances of being infected.  Other folders to empty include Temp, Temporary Internet Files, and History.

How?  The easy answer is to use a program made for this such as CCleaner (which I use on a daily basis), but it can be done manually: (you will need to do this for each user profile on the computer) To access the temporary folders, go to Documents and Settings, open the User’s folder, open the Local Settings folder (“Show hidden files and folders” needs to be enabled to see this).  Open each of the temporary folders and delete the contents (you can create shortcuts to make this easier for future use).  To clear the browser files (in Internet Explorer), click Tools, Internet Options, and then, on the General tab, Delete Cookies, Delete Files, and Clear History.

Once a week Defrag the hard drive.

Why?  As your computer writes information, it will put as much information as it can into the first available space it finds; if this space isn’t large enough, it will move on the next one and continue.  This results in bits of files being scattered throughout the HDD, making the disk work harder then necessary and increasing the time required to find and run files.  Defragging puts all the related files together and also places them in the most efficient place on the disk.  If defragging is done often, it only takes a few minutes; if it isn’t done frequently, it can take hours.

Once a year, check your programs list for any software, that you no longer need or use and remove them.

Why?  It will give you more space for things you actually use, and the HDD won’t have to work as hard (search through as many files) to access what you do use.

How?  Use the Add/Remove Programs feature to remove them.

Note: If Defragment or Scandisk keep restarting, use Ctrl-Alt-Del and close any programs that are running (including anti-virus and screen saver).  If they continue to restart, try running them in Safe Mode.

Check your Startup Menu occasionally.

Why?  To monitor the programs that start up automatically when you turn on your computer.  The more you have, the longer it will take the computer to start.  More resources will also be in use so it is best to have only the programs you really need to start automatically.

How?  Click on Start, point to Programs, point to Startup.  If there are any programs there you don’t want starting up automatically, right-click on it and click on Delete.

Check for Problems
Once a month run Scandisk (error-checking).

Why?  Scandisk is a utility that checks the HDD for defects such as lost clusters (that are sometimes created when a program aborts) and physical damage; it is able to correct some of these errors automatically.  Sometimes, while running Defragment, you will get a message saying that an error has been found and asking you to run Scandisk.  Some people say it is best to run Scandisk before running Defragment, but I think it’s a personal choice.  If you don’t run Scandisk first, however, and get that message, then you’ve wasted the time spent defragging before the message came up.

At least weekly Scan for viruses with your anti-virus program.

Why?  New viruses are coming out daily and old ones keep spreading.  No matter how well your system is protected, something will probably get in sometime.  Following the guidelines in this article will minimize your chances of infection.

Every week Scan for adware and spyware.

Why?  Adware is a nuisance and can even take control of your browser, leading you to sites you don’t want to go to and preventing you from accessing the ones you do.  Spyware can track your internet activity and even log your keystrokes to get passwords, account numbers, and other personal information.

How?  “Ad-Aware” and “Spybot – Search and Destroy” are two excellent programs for removal of these items and they are available via free downloads.

Prevention & Protection
Steps to take to prevent malware infections:

Firewalls – As the name suggests, these are barriers that prevent unauthorized access to your computer.  There are basically two types, a hardware firewall and a software firewall.

Everyone should have at least a software firewall; this program is installed onto your HDD and is designed to keep intruders out.  If you use a dial-up connection, this is probably adequate.

A hardware firewall is an actual piece of hardware that is installed between the modem and the computer (it can also be an integrated part of a modem or router).  As with the software firewall, it is designed to keep intruders out, but with an additional layer of security.  If you use any connection other than dial-up, you should have a hardware firewall.

Restrict access to your browser – There are programs (such as SpyWare Blaster) that will add a list of known intruders to your browsers Restricted Zone to help prevent their access.  Update it when you do your other updates.

Just as locking the doors and windows of your house will not prevent someone who really wants to get in from breaking a window to gain access, none of these “locks” will keep everyone/everything out; what they will do is protect you from the majority of breaches.

If you have an operating system that supports Restore Points, set one every week so you have a recent place to go back to should problems arise.  Don’t set a Restore Point when you are experiencing problems with your system.

{This document is intended to be printed so it can be kept close to the computer as a reminder, and you may want to put a copy on your hard drive as well so you can access the links.  It’s pretty long (4-5 pages) because I wanted to make it as thorough and comprehensible as possible.  If you need more specific help with any of these procedures, feel free to contact me at dlh6213@yahoo.com.}

Resources:

Smart Computing Magazine, September 2003, Vol. 14, Iss. 9

http://netsquirrel.com/fabfive/

http://www.putergeek.com/scandisk_defrag/index.shtml

http://langa.com/backups/backups.htm

Most of the programs I’ve mentioned can be downloaded for free (or at least a free trial) from:

http://www.download.com/windows/