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Community Newsletter: Q&A: Advice for a clean start on a brand-new computer
- 9/21/07 10:37 AM
Essential new-PC utilities and maintenance tips
by jplutchok - 9/8/07 6:06 AM In reply to: Advice for a clean start on a brand-new computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Congratulations on your shiny new computer, Maria. As a specialist in free and cheap utilities (see my blog, "Jonathan's Tool Bar & Grill," on Blogger), I will steer you toward a complete setup at no cost.
You might want to start off with PC Decrapifier, which removes (after asking you) unneeded trial programs and promotional clutter that Dell and other manufacturers install on their new computers.
You were right to install an antivirus program right away; among the best free ones are Avast, AVG, and Avira AntiVir. You can't run more than one antivirus program on a computer. Make sure to update yours frequently.
You'll also need anti-spyware utilities to supplement Windows Defender. None of these is perfect, so I recommend using several. The best-known include Lavasoft Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy, which scan your disk periodically. In addition, run at least one real-time memory-resident anti-spyware program, which constantly monitors your computer for suspicious activity; I use both Spyware Terminator and Spyware Blaster. All of these are free. Update them regularly, too.
You should also install WinPatrol Free, which alerts you to any software that tries to launch itself automatically when you start your computer, to new hidden files, to changed file associations, and more (all malware hallmarks). WinPatrol provides many other valuable functions, including managing all startup programs and scheduled tasks.
Next, make sure you are running a firewall to both prevent intrusions and to catch calls out to the Internet by any malware that slipped through onto your computer. Vista comes with an adequate firewall, but for greatest safety use either ZoneAlarm or Comodo Firewall. Both have excellent free versions. Comodo has a slightly better reputation for effectiveness, but ZoneAlarm is generally a bit easier to use.
Internet Explorer 7 is a good browser, but aficionados generally agree that Firefox and Opera are better, and more secure too.
For ongoing maintenance, you can't do better than Advanced Windows Care Personal, which removes unneeded files, streamlines the registry, and helps identify and fix Windows problems, all for free.
For extra safety, it's a good idea to shut down Windows and completely turn off your computer from time to time. I do it almost every night. Other maintenance tips include occasionally defragmenting the hard disk (try Auslogics Disk Defrag) and, of course, keeping dust and liquids out of the machine and keyboard.
To manage your growing number of files and folders, I strongly recommend using a third-party file management program instead of Windows Explorer. My all-time favorite is xplorer2 lite. And you'll also want a good quick file compression utility; I favor the free ZipGenius, which works with a wide range of archive formats and supports encryption, disk spanning, and many other functions.
You can download all the utilities I have recommended from C|Net's Download.com. If you register with Download.com, it will maintain a "watch list" of programs you have downloaded, and notify you automatically when they are updated. Of course, you'll want to keep your Windows updated from Microsoft. From time to time, run the free Secunia Software Inspector at http://secunia.com/software_inspector to identify other programs that require security updates.
I have reviewed many of these utilities in my blog (http://jonathanstoolbar.blogspot.com), where you also will find recommendations of lots of other useful, but less essential, utilities. (Note: I am not yet a Vista user, so I can't promise that all the utilities I recommend already work under Vista, but I do believe almost all of them do.) Please note that many of these free utilities are "donationware," that is, the publishers accept donations to support their work. I urge you to donate for any software you like and use.
Link not working
by taijade - 9/15/07 7:52 AM In reply to: Essential new-PC utilities and maintenance tips by jplutchokThe link to your blog is not working correctly
Should not be too worrisome
by dknapp - 9/8/07 7:05 AM In reply to: Advice for a clean start on a brand-new computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
1. Keep A/V up to date
2. Keep anti-spy/adware up to date
3. Keep auto updates turned on
4. Stay away from the various "free" sites - ring tones, web layouts, music/video downloads. Free often introduces spyware/ad-ware.
5. Use an external drive for making occasional or even automatic backups. The drives are cheap, big and very useful for the backups you should do regularly.
6. Take the time to understand how installing/uninstalling works, how short cuts work, and how to navigate around in the directory structure.
7. Plug your PC into some sort of voltage spike blocker.
8. If wireless is involved, set up security for it, don't just leave it open to all neighborhood activity.
9. Every month or so, defrag the disk and delete the junk in the temp folder and the temp internet files. Do suggestion 5 first if you are nervous about deleting temp data. You want to delete just the stuff in the folder, not the folder itself.
10. Actual hardware should not need much maintenance. Perhaps once a year, open the case and vacuum out the dust bunnies. Units on desks seem to accumulate less dust than units on the floor. Don't smoke around computers. If you have to smoke, go outside. The cooling fans will suck in smoke and it will deposit on the circut board. That will attract moisture and cause many headaches. We have hundreds of Dell desktops that have been running with absolutely no maintenance 24/7 for over 6 years in a medical lab with no downtime.
11. Don't turn it on and off very often. Just leave it on, use the power saving features as you may wish for the screen. They work fine left on and won't have the cooling/warming cycles that cause more stress on the fragile connections inside. My Dells are almost never off over a 5 year period. The only problem was a bad power supply, which Dell replaced.
Good luck and enjoy.
Maria R.
by videolive - 9/8/07 7:09 AM In reply to: Advice for a clean start on a brand-new computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I would suggest that you download, from Microsoft, the Windows Live OneCare program. It includes all the programs mecessary to keep your computer running well. It will scan and update your computer and help keep it virus free. I have been using it for a long time now and it is easy to use and does not cost much.
Gene
So Sad PC users have to go through this
by rashidtem - 9/8/07 7:54 AM In reply to: Advice for a clean start on a brand-new computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It hurt me to see PC users worry about "Anti Virus" softwares and stuff. I never have to worry about anti virus since I started using Macs (Good over 5 years). Good luck with another PC lady, hopefully it makes your life easier for at least sometime. Next time, buy a mac and dont worry about things that you worried about in PC.
new pc security software to install
by pipam - 9/8/07 12:57 PM In reply to: Advice for a clean start on a brand-new computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
i am pc user since 1998 and only worked with free software without any problem; my guardian angels are:Avira(AntiVir),Comodo pro firewall,Winpatrol,Ad-AdwarePersonel,SpywareBlaster,CCleaner,RegSeeker,Securemaker and MacAfee site adviser.
and never had problems with my first nor second pc (now 4 years old )
Less is Best!
by JerryEl - 9/8/07 1:00 PM In reply to: Advice for a clean start on a brand-new computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The best advice I can give you after 30 years of computing is--Keep it simple. The more crapware you put on your computer "to make it better" is going to do the opposite.
On a new computer or new install I've been going with MS Live OneCare for security. After trying most of the others this seems to work well and seamlessly without taking over your computer like Symantec's products seem to do. Only time will tell but I've been using OneCare since the beta version and then the final release on 4 home networked computers with no problems (2 of them stay on and connected to the Net 24/7).
I use "Diskeeper", a defrag utility from "Diskeeper Corp." that works in the background to keep the hard drives in order. Other than those two programs that is all I use.
No other maintenance programs to jam up the works.
Nothing else needed.
Just watch where you go on the Web and don't automatically click on "OK" or "Install" just because it pops us somewhere. Pay attention before you install anything and make sure it is from a reputable company. Stay away from sites and programs that allow "free" downloads or P2P type deals.
Non-technical advice
by geofbrewer - 9/8/07 3:11 PM In reply to: Advice for a clean start on a brand-new computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Well, you're in better shape than some of the customers I've dealt with in the past while working tech support. Listening and following instructions are two of three keys to keeping your system in good operating condition. The third is trust. You need to be able to trust the people providing you with advice. Are you going to completely avoid problems? No. Will your system crash? Eventually. But Cnet is a safe place to get good advice.
Computer house keeping and budgeting for needed purchases, not all good software utilities are free, are absolutely necessary. With the good advice available, you'll save yourself a lot of grief and maybe a buck or two toward your next system.
Making your cmputer last
by Vince53 - 9/8/07 3:21 PM In reply to: Advice for a clean start on a brand-new computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I fried a few computers before I learned this: OPEN THE CASE AND BLOW OUT THE DUST ONCE IN A WHILE!
Compuet maintenance
by BigEB - 9/8/07 5:59 PM In reply to: Advice for a clean start on a brand-new computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have operated businesses since 1987, I'm not a conputer guru but I spend lots of money hiring them to keep all my business and personal equipment going, I have some desktops but most of the gear is laptops and all the related stuff to go with them. I would highly suggest to stay away from Vista- it needs to be out for quite some time yet so some proper service packs can be used to make it work efficiently- the new computers are so powerful that you may not notice all the massive inefficiencies that they're wallowing through to respond to your commands- after a while some little bits and bytes get misplaced and you get a computer glitch that happens which in most cases can be worked through by someone with limited skill, you could have paid some computer guru to update your old unit and installed a version of XP and you would likely have been much further ahead, next make sure you totally stay away from Symantec products for virus software- it's in your computer and uses far too many resources to do it's job and it can't easily be un-installed- I have to hire my computer guru to get it out of my computer- AVG is much more efficient, next get a computer guru to un-install all the promotional garbage that retailers/computer makers put on there when you buy a new unit- this includes stuff like AOL etc- I recently purchased an HP 9000 series laptop and it was filled with garbage that they wanted me to sign up to- my device manager had 78 processes running (primarily from the garbage sign up programs) even though I subscribed to none of them- they actually steal resources from stuff that I actually need and want to use- after my computer dude was done I only have about 31 running- this is like having a good tune up done on your vehicle- much less glitches will happen.
Starting Software
by aqaer - 9/8/07 7:42 PM In reply to: Advice for a clean start on a brand-new computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I'm sure you are very excited to have purchased a new computer, and am sure that it is a wise investment. Hopefully you will find Windows Vista to be much faster, reliable and easier to use than Windows ME. Your question is not that unfamiliar, as many users are not sure as to which software they should and should not download for their computer.
This is my recommendation:
1) In addition to an antivirus program (which you stated you already have), I recommend downloading an anti-spyware application (Spybot: Search and Destroy is a wonderful example). Spyware is collected on your system and can do a wide range of things to your computer, from recording your keystrokes to watching your files. (It is helpful to know that, while you shouldn't have multiple firewalls running at the same time, it is okay to have multiple anti-spyware programs installed.)
2) Mozilla Firefox. Face it, Internet Explorer isn't that great of a browser. Firefox is fast, free and easy to use.
3) Adobe Reader. This is a no-brainer. Many websites use the .pdf extension and the easiest way to read this file extension is through the use of the free Adobe Reader. The newest version is much faster than previous versions, and thus uses less memory.
4) If not already installed, Adobe Flash Player and Shockwave. Similar to Adobe Reader, many websites use flash and shockwave files, and there is no other way to read them without these two players.
5) WinZip (shareware). You can download a free trial of WinZip 11, a program designed for grouping similar applications and documents together into one small file for easy email attachments. WinZip also allows you to open the common .zip extension, but be advised that this is shareware and must be purchased after the trial if you wish to continue using it.
6) iTunes. Apple's iPod (I believe) uses the best free music organization software available on the Internet today, known as iTunes. In it's 7th version, it has virtually no bugs and works seamlessly with both Macs and PCs running XP and Vista. However you don't need an iPod to use it. If you have a music library of any size, I recommend using iTunes. Version 7 also allows you to import video for playback.
7) Windows Live Messenger. If you have any friends for family that communicate using MSN Messenger, you should download this free instant messaging program.
8) Microsoft Office 2007. If you wish to type up documents, and don't mind shedding $200, Microsoft Office Standard includes a word processing program (Word), a spreadsheet program (Excel), a slideshow program (PowerPoint), and an email client (Outlook). If you don't wish to pay for a program, I recommend OpenOffice, a free counterpart.
9) Google Earth. Want to see your house overhead? How about scale Mount Everest or cross across the Grand Canyon? With a free version of Google Earth, you can do all of these through the comfort of your computer.
10) Any games. Sure this may not be specific, but basically any gaming software that you can find, I'm sure will increase your overall experience with your computer. I recommend Halo 2 for Windows Vista, Half-Life 2, and Gears of War for Windows Vista (when it is released).
I hope you enjoy your new computer!
Setting Up A New Computer
by nomadd74 - 9/8/07 7:44 PM In reply to: Advice for a clean start on a brand-new computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
First of all I suggest that you download Acronis Disc Director. http://www.acronis.com/e and partition your main hard drive into three separate drives.
(A) For Operating Systems
(B) For Small Programs
(C) For Personal Files, music, pictures etc.
Watch this program do what you tell it to do, very quickly.
You will then only need to defrag B & C partitions, which is much easier and quicker.
One per month take a mirror image of the whole of your hard drive. Use. Acronis True Image. http://www.acronis.com.sg/homecomputing/products/trueimage
This only takes a few minutes. Burn a DVD or C.D's of this image.
Next create your email address book and email Inbox and Sent folders that you have saved from your old computer? Tell your Acronis Disc Director which partition you want them kept in?
Check that the names are all Christian or Surnames, and not both!
Place all saved personal folders into partition (C)
Go into Internet Explorer and create your Organised Folders of saved URL's. This will save you time, instead of typing webpage addresses. Add to this folder all webpages you like to use often.
Download all software programs you wish to add? Probably similar to your old PC requirements?
Weekly delete all cookies, Temporary Files, History. via Control Panel/Options.
Monthly defrag partitions (B) and (C).
Depending on your PC, download " Diskeeper Lite" as your main defrag system - very quick and efficient. Far better than the Windows Defrag.
Make sure your Anti-virus and Anti Spyware is automatically updated.
Keep Microsoft updates automatically updated.
Try to keep all your saved emails filed under the appropriate name, such as Joan John etc.
When setting up MY Documents keep everything alphabetical.
Before you file anything set up a filing system A.B.C. underneath the heading. Try to keep correctly alphabetically named, think about it before creating the file name. I use " Wordpad" to create all my documents. much easier and quicker than " Word". An example you wish to have a folder for music - don't use My Music, far better to use Maria's Music!
Keeping a tidy PC is all a matter of thinking beforehand, always imagine you are using a filing cabinet and are seeking a certain folder - where do I look? "Back Up CNET members advice" is under B
"Hard Drive CNET Members Advice" is under H "Monitors CNET Members Advice" is under M
Yes, I copy and paste all wanted CNET members advice into various folders for future reference.
Periodically delete unwanted emails from stored areas.
Do the same with all email programs such as Outlook Express, and web based Yahoo, Hotmail.
Hope this helps.
Nomadd74
Clean out the dust.
by P1h3r1e3d13 - 9/9/07 2:56 AM In reply to: Advice for a clean start on a brand-new computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
There are lots of important things to do, and this one often gets overlooked: from time to time, open up the machine and blow out the dust that collects (preferably with canned air).
I have serviced machines that overheated because they had so much dust in them that it clogged the fans, keeping them from turning.
Remember that a computer is first and foremost a physical device, and if the hardware doesn't work, nothing else will either.
Just a Litle Loving Care
by waytron - 9/14/07 4:17 PM In reply to: Advice for a clean start on a brand-new computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Congratulations for being able to last this long with Windows ME. Most users gave up long ago trying to keep it running. I obviously don’t know the exact type of problems you have had in the past, but I am willing to bet that most of the responsibility lies with the operating system rather than something you were or were not doing.
I am often accused of giving out way too much information filled with over complicated instructions so I have decided to offer both the short and long version. I have always felt that if someone takes the time to ask a question of this forum and is willing to wait a week or two to get all the answers, then they deserve as much information as possible.
THE SHORT STORY
You should be able to enjoy your computer and keep it in good working order for many years by following these 5 simple steps:
1. PROTECTION - Install a good full featured Internet Security Software Package that includes a minimum of Antivirus, Antispyware and Firewall. Always keep an eye on it to make sure it is still working, up-to-date and NEVER let it expire.
2. MAINTENANCE - Once every few months run Disk Clean to clear your computer of unwanted temporary files, install Windows Updates and vacuum or blow out all the dust from the back of your computer once a year.
3. CAUTION - Be very cautious about where you surf, what you download and opening email attachments.
4. SHARING - Do not let anyone else use your computer. This includes family members and especially children and teenagers. Just kidding… Ah, Not really.
5. BACKUP - Come up with some kind of backup strategy that meets your specific needs for preserving your data in case something goes wrong.
THE LONG NOVEL
For those of you who don’t mind getting your hands a little dirty and want to go that extra mile to improve your odds of achieving years of trouble free computing at the maximum performance level.
1. INITIAL CLEANING – Depending on the exact make and model, your new computer probably came with tons of pre-installed trial, free and junk software. All of this stuff can slow down even the fastest computer as well as take up room on your hard drive . Take your time and go through every program that is listed in ALL PROGRAMS and determine what you want and don’t want. Uninstall everything that you do not need. Leave anything that you are not absolutely sure about. Better still, next time consider purchasing a business class computer from someone like Dell Small Business, Fujutsu, Lenovo (IBM) or some other dealer that specializes in selling to the business user. True Business computers do not come with all of the extra junk pre-installed.
2. INITIAL SETUP – The next thing you need to do is decide how and who will be using your new computer. You may want to setup User accounts and passwords, if needed, for everyone that will be using your computer. It is best to setup all children with their own accounts with NON-administrative rights. This way they will be less likely to make changes or install things that might affect the operation of your computer. I you are a forward thinker and like to plan ahead for potential disasters, I might even recommend repartitioning your hard drive to keep data and operating system separated from each other (details for another time). This is also a good time to decide how and who may need to share files and folders as well as make any internet security or privacy settings changes to each account. For example you may want to restrict internet access or filter internet content for children’s accounts. I also normally recommend setting Windows Updates so that I have a choice as to when updates get installed instead of automatically.
3. PROTECTION – You absolutely need some form of security software installed on your computer to protect you from viruses, spyware and other nasties that linger out in cyberspace or come attached to your emails. At the very least you will need a good Antivirus program, however I highly recommend having 1 antivirus, 1 firewall and 3 antispyware programs installed. If you like you can purchase an all-in-one package that includes many levels of protection in one package such as McAfee Total Protection, Norton 360 or even Microsoft Windows Live OneCare. Keep in mind that installing any of these all-in-one packages can really slow down your computer, especially on a slightly older or entry level computers. Chances are that your computer came packaged with some trial version of Norton or McAfee Internet Security. These will normally expire in about 30 days or so and must be renewed to continue protecting your computer. Before you actually fork out any money, check out all the possibilities that may be available to you. Many internet service providers will offer free security software to you just for the asking. Comcast, for example, offers free McAfee to its users. AOL has a free offering as well. Many colleges offer free protection software to their students and many companies offer security software to their employees. Be careful some providers like Verizon may make it sound like they are offering it for free but will charge you a monthly fee tacked on to your bill. If you don’t mind digging in and working a little there are many ways to get free security software as well. You can put together a great security net with Free Programs like Avast, AVG, SpyBot, Microsoft Defender, ZoneAlarm and AdAware. No matter which way you decide to go, the most important thing is to always check to make sure your security software is working, updated and has not expired. Beware of security contracts that will automatically charge your credit card every year for renewal even if you are no longer using their software.
4. MAINTENANCE – You do not need to get totally carried away but a little maintenance can go a long way toward keeping your computer in good working order.
a. Running Disk Cleanup once a month or so.
b. Check Disk with Error Checking every few months.
c. Run Disk Defragmenter about every 6 months.
d. Update and Run any manual spyware scanners each month.
e. Run Windows Update if it is not set to Automatic.
f. Check for other updates for your computer every few months.
g. Clean the dust out of all cooling vents at least once per year.
h. If you plan to keep your computer, I will often recommend replacing the hard drive every 3 or 4 years whether it needs it or not. A new hard drive costs about $100 (that comes out to less than $30 per year). Being one of the few moving parts in a modern computer, it WILL fail at some point. Replacing it while it is still in working condition is much easier than waiting for it to fail. You can Recycle the old drive if you really want by purchasing a USB enclosure for about $29 and using it as a spare backup drive.
5. CAUTION – Always exercise extreme caution when surfing the internet, clicking on links or opening email. All of these have the potential of not only infecting your computer with viruses and spyware but could also result in handing over your personal information to less than desirable people. Take note of any changes to your computer and don’t just automatically click on allow, ok or continue when Windows or your security software is warning you about a system change.
6. SHARING – I know we were all taught to share while growing up, but if you want your computer to stay in tip top shape, DO NOT SHARE YOUR COMPUTER with anyone.
7. BACKUP – I know everyone is sick of hearing about the importance of backing up your data. I you have information on your computer that you don’t want to lose, then back it up. There are so many ways available now to backup, there is simply no excuse anymore for getting caught when a hard drive decides to quit. Enough said!
In briefing through some of the other threads, I notice that I totally forgot to mention the importance of the Surge protector. I guess since you were upgrading from a previous computer, I assumed you already had one. Surge Protectors can go bad over time from repeated surges and should be tested or replaced. But better still is the UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). A UPS is probably one of the best investments you can make for a computer. It contains a surge protector and a battery backup that will take over in the event of a power failure or brownout and continue to power your computer for several minutes or even hours if you purchase a really large one. If your power does not return within a predetermined period of time you can program it to shut down your computer in an orderly fashion thus preventing a possible major disaster. A single event such as loss of power or a lightning strike can cause irreparable damage and data loss if it occurs at just the right time or I should say at just the wrong time. Power surges can have the potential to not only cause immediate damage but can become accumulative and cause what is know as latent failures. This is where each surge stresses some of the components within the computer, weakening them and eventually causing them to fail at a later date. The price of UPS units has fallen over the years and you can get a small one for about $50 that will power your computer and LCD monitor for 10-15 minutes. If you live in an area where power outages are more common, you might want to go for one of the higher end models.
Enjoy your new computer!
Dana
Wayland Computer
I Missed Something
by waytron - 9/11/07 4:44 AM In reply to: Just a Litle Loving Care by waytronIn briefing through some of the other treads, I notice that I totally forgot to mention the importance of the Surge protector. I guess since you were upgrading from a previous computer, I assumed you already had one. Surge Protectors can go bad over time from repeated surges and should be tested or replaced. But better still is the UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). A UPS is probably one of the best investments you can make for a computer. It contains a surge protector and a battery backup that will take over in the event of a power failure or brownout and continue to power your computer for several minutes or even hours if you purchase a really large one. If your power does not return within a predetermined period of time you can program it to shut down your computer in an orderly fashion thus preventing a possible major disaster. A single event such as loss of power or a lightning strike can cause irreparable damage and data loss if it occurs at just the right time or I should say at just the wrong time. Power surges can have the potential to not only cause immediate damage but can become accumulative and cause what is know as latent failures. This is where each surge stresses some of the components within the computer, weakening them and eventually causing them to fail at a later date. The price of UPS units has fallen over the years and you can get a small one for about $50 that will power your computer and LCD monitor for 10-15 minutes. If you live in an area where power outages are more common, you might want to go for one of the higher end models.
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