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Always have another login account
on your PC as a backup.
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Always install programs for all
users on your system, when given the opportunity.
-
Always load more than one browser
on your system in case of malware attacks.
-
Always run both an Anti Virus and
Anti Spyware program on your system.
-
You really need to be running some
sort of disaster recovery program weekly.
-
Store your disaster recovery backup
in two places. Internal hard drive and external USB drive.
-
You should schedule your favorite
garbage cleaner program to run weekly.
-
You should schedule your favorite
defrag program to run weekly.
-
Schedule Ad-aware, Spybot and
Antivirus
to run daily on your system.
-
Check your video card's driver
version periodically. New cards get updates almost every month.
-
Check your BIOS version
periodically as well. The newer the Mobo the more likely you'll
need one.
-
Keep an emergency Anti Virus boot
CD around and update it every so often.
-
Dirt and heat are your PCs biggest
offenders. Anything you can do to help will lengthen it's life.
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Always use some sort of surge
protector, or UPS if possible.
-
Have more than one email address.
One for friends and business and one for everything else.
-
Don't throw out old PCs, keep them
around for troubleshooting. At least save the parts.
-
Never just power off your PC. This
is a sure way to corrupt Windows. Perform a graceful shutdown.
-
If you're big on beta testing
software, try and have another PC just around for testing. Over
time Windows will slow down.
-
Make sure you run Window's update
periodically. Leave Auto Updates off and verify for yourself
what is being installed.
-
Always run a firewall if your PC is
connected to the net all the time.
-
Keep a notebook around with your
serial numbers and registration keys for your PC and all
software.
-
Make note of all special BIOS
changes. Doesn't hurt to backup your BIOS either.
-
Make duplicates or ISO's of your
important CDs. Contrary to popular belief, they do not last
forever!
-
Schedule a daily reboot of your PC.
-
Shut your computer off during
thunder storms. Stay off land lines as well.
-
Save all your PC receipts either in
scanned form or original paper form.
-
Stay informed. Pick a tech magazine
and read it faithfully.
-
Export your browser favorites from
time to time to a safe place.
-
Subscribe to a free online storage
service and save some of your more important data.
-
Subscribe to a free online bookmark
service and save your favorites.
-
Have your troubleshooting
procedures written down for when your PC crashes.
-
Wireless networks should always
have the WAP enabled.
-
When using online banking make sure
you see the encryption icon in the lower right corner. Same for
shopping.
-
Keep a separate low limit credit
card around just for online shopping.
-
Never store your credit card
numbers in password managers, such as Roboform or online.
-
Always look for freeware first
before shelling out big money. A little extra work could save
you big bucks.
-
Never skimp on RAM. PC performance
depends on this one factor more than anything else.
-
You don't need your ISP's software
loaded to connect to the net, just the DNS numbers.
-
Remember to backup your emails
periodically.
-
Sync your phone's data with your PC
and save the data periodically.
-
Never use water to clean your LCD
screens. Use specially designed cloths.
-
Every 6 months blow the dust out
from your PC. Be very thorough and spray everywhere. Do it
outside!
-
Use a quality piece of software to
clean out your registry every couple of months. Defrag it as
well.
-
Leave Window's Restore on unless
you are an advanced user and need to shut it down.
-
After your Virus scanner scans your
music & video collection, have it skip these dir in the future
to save scan time.
-
Periodically check your spam folder
on your web based email accounts for emails you have missed.
-
Run a speed check on your ISP
periodically. Make sure it's consistent from month to month.
-
Clean up your task bar of unwanted
startup programs periodically. New ones always manage to sneak
in.
-
Join a computer help forum and
start reading some of the issues from time to time. Develop a
presence there.
-
Don't use all CAPS in your chat /
email. That indicates that you are shouting.
-
Organize ALL your data under one
master folder for easy backups.
-
Store all your passwords in a safe
place. Write them down in your PC notebook.
-
Carry around a flash drive, just in
case. Load it with Portable Apps.
-
Keep high frequency devices (
phones) away
from your computer and monitor, when possible.
-
Keep a "Live Boot Rescue CD" handy
in case Windows will not boot to recover your data.
-
Set your monitor's refresh rate to
the highest allowed to help avoid flicker and a better viewing
experience.
-
Some mice perform better without a
mouse pad, try it.
-
Keep your Windows Product key
sticker on your PC. Write it down in your PC notebook as well.
-
Keep an online Family Calendar with
Google and give update rights to the entire family. Use it for
work too!
-
You really should be monitoring
your case's internal temperature as well as your CPU's temp via
software.
-
Don't leave Limewire, or any other
P2P software, running n the background on your PC.
-
Export your entire registry and
save it. You might need to restore certain settings or the whole
thing some day.
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