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Every computer’s maintenance

Having a computer may make your life more interesting and easier. Maintenance is usually not fun but it’s essential to make your computer life last longer and perform better.

For every computer’s maintainance, there should be periodic:

1. Clearing temporary & unwanted files

Unwanted files in Temp, Temporary Internet Files, Recycle bin, files that are in *.tmp format. Sometimes temporary files are invisible like saving MS Word documents. You can see them by selecting Show hidden files and folders invisible or system files options to see such files in any folder > Tools > View.

There maybe some programs that you do not need or use anymore. Just uninstall it to use the space and memory for something else. For safe uninstall, don’t just click Delete on the *.exe.

Click on the uninstall for the program if it’s available. Alternatively, you can go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs. Locate the program and click uninstall.

There maybe some files undeleted and if you don’t intend to use it in the future, you can go to the folder manually and delete them. Or you can use Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup > select the disk drive to delete the unwanted files. It will scan the drive and you can select which applications/files you want to delete.

2. No history

Better yet, just save a few days instead of the default 20 days of history if you don’t need history of your surfing sites in your browser.

I save none because I bookmark the ones that I want or need in online bookmarking, into browser’s bookmarks/Favorites and as webpage into computer to refer in the future. The lesser history, the more space you have for other things, the faster your computer performs.

In IE, you can set this by clicking Tools > Internet Options > General > History: # of days.

For Firefox, it’s under Tools > Options > Privacy.

3. Selective Updates

Update of OS (Operating System like Windows XP, Vista, Apple, Linux) and frequently used/important applications like Microsoft Office, Outlook, Real Player.

The update icon usually appears in the Time/Date bar. Select Notify but don’t auto download in Automatic Settings for updates if you don’t use some of the default programs and would like to have the choice which updates to download. Like, I don’t use Windows Media Player anymore so I don’t want to download updates for it - it would waste my space.

However, if it’s critical security update, then you’ll have to decide if the risk is too high if you don’t update it.

4. Security Updates

Update of Anti-Virus, Firewall, Anti-Spyware/Malware/Adware/that-kind-of-shit Software. You’d never know when your computer could be attacked. It could be random or you’ve made an enemy that made you a target.

Just because you’ve installed security programs do not mean you are safe. Some of my friends install it but doesn’t select real time updates and run in the background (all the time when you on your computer). Some run it real time but do not periodically check for updates and scan computer.

I read somewhere that it’s better to disable Hide extensions for known file types during scanning for such baddies as some files may deceive others with double extension like “image.jpg.pif“.

Also, set the folders to display hidden files - this is to enable you to see where the infected files are so that you’ll take more precaution later. Sometimes users get infected from the same file all over again after cleaning up because the users go back to the same website and access the same file again. Porn surfers would know.

After these updates, there should be real time protection or at least scanning your computer once in a week or so if you use the computer everyday to access porn/download files. Yessssss, I wrote this a few sentences above. It’s VERY important! :p

5. Defragmentation

After clearing unwanted files, then you should defrag your disks to rearrange the files into own ‘group’ for faster & easier access. See, for a huge program/application, there are MANY files.

The files maybe written from North to South (hence, fragmented, as in separated) in your disks and each ‘piece’ of data contains a link to the next data so that the computer knows where to find the next data. Get it? So when you are blogging, reading blogs, checking emails, chatting, installing and uninstall programs, all these info are written (some temporarily during the session, permanent if you save it) into your computer and stored in wherever there’s space - not necessarily next to each other in sequential manner.

It’s like your aunt is sent to the last house in your row, your cousin next to your house while your grandfather is sent to the other block. So when you have a party (want to launch an application), everyone has to gather at your house - you have to pick them up (the application will call and fetch all the components needed) from their houses to your house for the party (launch the application). Then if they take away some food from your party to their home (change of info), they’ll add food into their fridge (application needs to update info on their own cell). You thought it was so easy?

The next post will be a utility on Defragmentation. I may add an utility to clean up registry after you’ve installed a new or uninstalled program. Stay tuned.