Computer Maintenance
Checklist:
1. Have your antivirus software
automatically update itself.
Also, either change the settings to
have it automatically scan once a week, or once a week manually tell
it to scan.
2. Update and Run Ad-Aware once a
week.
3. Run Windows Updates once a week.
4. Run Empty-Temp Folders once a
week.
5. Defrag your computer once a month.
Optional:
6. Delete your Cache files in Netscape.
7. Delete your temporary internet files in
Internet Explorer.
Ad-Aware
Ad-aware comprehensively scans your memory, registry, hard, removable
and optical drives for known datamining, aggressive advertising,
and tracking components. For more information, visit Ad-Aware's website
at http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
1. You need to make sure you have Ad-Aware version SE.
To determine what version you have and to uninstall an old version:
A. Go to Start - Settings - Control Panel
B. Click on the icon labeled Add/Remove Programs
C. If you have Ad-Aware installed, you will see it in the list of
installed programs.
If your Ad-Aware version is anything besides SE, then highlight
Ad-Aware and click on the button that says Change/Remove.
2. Update and Run Ad-Aware
Once again, follow the directions on Charlie's website for directions on how to update and
run Ad-Aware.
ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE
Help protect your computer files and e-mail by using and updating
your anti-virus software. If your computer is not protected, you
are at great risk of getting a virus and of spreading the virus to
others.
1. Make sure you have AntiVirus Software.
A. Go to Start - Settings - Control Panel
B. Click on the icon labeled Add/Remove Programs
C. Make sure in the list of installed software, that there is either
McAfee or Norton.
If it does not have either listed, you need to install McAfee.
To Install McAfee, go to Charlie's
website directions.
2. Update McAfee or Norton
To update Norton:
Start - programs - Norton Antivirus - LiveUpdate - Norton Antivirus
At the LiveUpdate window, click Next
To update McAfee, go to Charlie's
website directions .
3. Scan
To Scan using McAfee:
Go to Start - Programs - Network Associates - Virus Scan
Make sure All Files is selected, then click on the button
labeled Scan Now.
Wait while it scans. It can take an hour or so to scan if you have
many files.
When it finishes scanning, it will say "No infected items were
found" if there were no viruses on the machine.
Close out of McAfee.
Defrag
Hard drive fragmentation occurs when files are deleted, leaving
physical spaces between the remaining files. While the operating
system is designed to consider it a priority to write each file as
contiguous data, it also is designed to use any available area to
the drive's full capacity. Consequently, files are written piecemeal
to various small available areas scattered throughout the drive.
After a period of use, many files are thus "fragmented." - Gateway
For more information, please visit Gateway's
website.
It will take your computer a while to defragment (about a half hour),
and the time it takes depends on the size of your hard-drive. Your
screensaver will prevent the defragger from running, so you need to
disable this. However, since I know you have followed the
security
directions and set up a screen-saver password, you can not walk
away from your computer for this amount of time without a password.
So, I recommend defragmenting while doing paperwork. After all, you
can click on the Pause button on the defragmenting program in case
you need to use your computer. Get rid of any processes running
in the background. Running processes like your firewall, anti-virus
utility (visible processes) or spool32.exe, pstores.exe (hidden processes)
interrupt the defrag process. Thus the defrag will take longer time
in best case or completely stop in worst case.
2. Follow the step-by-step directions on Gateway's
website.
Note: Do not do anything while defragmenting. The
defragmenting program will stop each time a process is run.
If you need to do something, click on the Pause button and
do what you need to do.
Then click on the Resume button to have the defragmentatioin
program continue.
Delete cache
in Netscape
It is recommended to occasionally clear the cached files in Netscape.
The cache is the area in memory or your hard disk storing recently
retrieved file.
Netscape can clear it for you, but this will cause performance delays.
Open Netscape
Click on Edit - Preferences
Click on Advanced on the left side of the window
Click on Cache on the left side of the window
Click on "Clear Disk Cache" and "Clear
Memory Cache"
The computer will pause while it is cleaning out the cache files
Click OK to close out of the preferences window
Delete stuff
in Internet Explorer
The Temporary Internet Files (or cache) folder contains Web page
content that is stored on your
hard disk for quick viewing. This cache permits Internet Explorer
or MSN Explorer to download
only the content that has changed since you last viewed a Web page,
instead of downloading all
the content for a page every time it is displayed.
(Explanation above from Microsoft.)
To delete the files in the Temporary Internet Files folder, follow
these steps:
Open Internet Explorer
Click on Tools - Internet Options
Click "Delete Files".
Select "Delete all offline content" and click OK
Note: Because doing this does not delete cookies, I recommend
also installing "Empty Temp Folders" program which
will delete cookies. You can find more information below.)
Run empty-temp
folders program
We install a program to help empty temp folders, which take up space
on your computer. This program is especially helpful for users of
Windows 2000 and Windows XP, since Windows likes to set up a temp
folder for every user.
For directions on how to install this program, go to Charlie's
website.
Run Windows
Updates or ask for the updates CD in M103
For notes and instructions on updating windows, go to Charlie's
website.
Click here to go to
Microsoft's Windows updates site.
- Once at the Windows updates site, click on the link Scan for
updates.
- Several disclaimer and securitly-related windows will come up,
and just say yes or I accept to all of them.
Then follow Charlie's directions on Charlie's
website.
More information about updating windows can be found on Microsoft's website.