 Computing Services - Student Helpdesk |
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Computer Operating System and Program Maintenance Update and use your spyware scan software: More info here Update and use your antivirus software regularly: More info here Updating the Windows software. Patching Windows is the most important thing you can do to protect against computer attacks. This is an easy process done from the Windows Update website. Instructions on how to do this are available here.Get a surge protector. Power surges destroy electronic equipment. We recommend getting a surge protector that has a port to plug in your Ethernet cable and get two Ethernet cables. This will cost a little extra, but in the case of a surge, you're protected. Back up your data. Hard drives are mechanical devices and everything mechanical will fail eventually. When that happens, your data is probably gone. There are places that can retrieve data, but at a thousand dollars or more, you have to ask yourself: Is it worth it? It is good practice to keep an extra copy somewhere, burn stuff to a disk every few weeks or so so you don't lose as much in case of failure, get an online email account with a decent storage limit (CU email accounts allow 2 gigs of space) and email it to yourself, anything to avoid having only one copy of data that's important to you.Be careful what you download. Avoiding spyware and viruses takes some discipline and practice. When downloading and installing programs (especially free programs) you must read each of the installation screens carefully. Many times, spyware-laden programs are installed with other programs we download. For example, for several years, Weatherbug (spyware!) was installed with AOL Instant Messenger if you did not change the default installation settings. You must carefully read each of the screens when installing new software. Currently, Instant Messenger will add the AOL toolbar and change your homepage to AOL unless you take the time to read each installation screen and change the default settings. Additionally, you should only download programs from reputable sites. We recommend using Google to try to find out if a program is spyware BEFORE installing it. For Example: If you Google the phrase smiley central spyware you will notice that many of the hits indicate that the program is spyware or installs spyware components. Delete useless files - Over time, all computers accumulate files that are no longer needed. These files are created while you are on the internet, when you add or delete programs and when Windows does not properly remove operating system files. These files can take up lots of space on your computer. These files can slow down virus scans, spyware scans and also your daily computer activities. There are several free programs available to get rid of these files. Two that we use and recommend at the helpdesk are:
Defragmenting your computer - After getting rid of all of the
useless files on your computer you will have freed up a lot of space on
your computer. Your next step should be defragmenting the hard drive.
It is very easy to defrag your computer using the following instructions: Click on Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter. You will be presented with a window similar to that shown below. Your window may look a little different. In the example below, there is only one hard drive present, but some machines may have more than one hard drive.
To begin the Defragmentation, click on Defragment. There is also an analyze button which can be used to display a visual representation of your hard drive's level of fragmentation. If you use the analyze button, you may receive a message that states that you do not have to defrag. Generally, it is best to ignore this message and defrag anyway. You can continue using the computer while the defrag process is running. However, we do recommend restarting the machine when the defrag process is complete.
Remove items from starting automatically- Many times, when you install new programs, the default settings of the software allow the program to automatically start each and every time you start Windows. As time goes on and you install additional programs, this list of programs starting automatically can become very long. If you look down at your taskbar next to the time, you may notice a group of icons similar to the image below. Each one of those icons represents a running program. All of these programs are running and using system memory resources! Many of these running programs are not necessary and can very easily be turned off.
For example: When you install AOL Instant Messenger, it automatically configures itself to start at windows startup. If you do not use IM very often it does not make sense for you to have it running all the time. It is very easy to change the settings. In the Buddy window, click on Setup, Preferences, Sign On/Off and uncheck Start AIM when Windows starts. Many other programs have similar options for controlling how they start. Generally, you can right-click on an icon to gain access to the preferences or options. An additional place to find programs that start up automatically is the Start Up group under the All Program list. Many of these programs are not needed and can stopped from loading automatically by right-clicking the icon in the start up list and choosing delete. This does not delete the program, it just stops it from loading automatically each time you start Windows.
Restoring your computer - When all else fails and your computer just runs too slow, you can reformat the hard drive and restore your computer back to the original condition it was in when you bought it. This is a drastic measure and takes some planning, but sometimes this is your best option. Before using this option, there are several things you should do to ensure that you have everything you need to rebuild your operating system.
Other Notes: Why Defrag
- geekgirls.com. A good explanation of file fragmentation. Contact Info: |
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Note:
Although we use these programs regularly at the helpdesk and on our
personal computers, we are not responsible for any damage they may do to
your machine if you choose to use them. Occasionally, machines which are
severely infested with viruses and/or spyware may be damaged by using
these products. 
