Make your PC .... Easy!. Review on Improving Your Computer's Performance

• I am not an expert but I did learn many things on my own. try these tips and hey if anything does go wrong blame it on microsoft!

I think there are two things that I find really nerve wrecking - jaywalking during peak hour when the traffic is ready to run over anything in its path or redoing a PC after its done for. PC maintenance was a problem until I decided to take matters into my own keyboard and followed the funda'better safe than never'. No wait, that would be for crossing roads. For maintaining a PC it would have to be' prevention is better than cure'. For ensuring that your computer runs properly - a basic understanding always help OR advice like this one and the internet definitely do(or so I hope!)

Maintaining a PC is very easy and needs a bit of tweaking on your part. I did my share of tweaking BUT never with the hardware. Once you screw around with the hardware there is no way to recover it and you will have to shell out the moolahs! Software tweaking is easy and generally for any given system, optimizing the software generally gives you better performance.

Here are some things that I learned(some of them the hard way):

1. For those who prefer assembled computers make sure that every piece of hardware is compatible. I had a 1 GB RAM - made up of 512 MB and two 256 MB modules. Unfortunately the RAM modules werent entirely compatible with one another and this caused physical dump of the hard disk which resulted in my windows getting corrupt! Lot of work which could have been avoided!

   
   




2. Always shutdown the computer properly. Dont give Windows the chance to screw you over!

   
   




3. Always remove software using the Control Panel and add /remove program options. This ensure a clean removal without any of the registry getting affected. Registry changes tend to glitch up the OS.

   
   




4. I follow religiously the process of partitioning any hard disk. I keep generally four partitions - one for the OS, one for the software I need, one for data, and lastly for any data I download from the net. This way if any software starts acting up, my windows doesnt get corrupt, and if windows gets corrupt I dont lose any data. I would also recommend keeping more space for windows so that you can increase virtual memory and increase the speed of your computer - though the degree to which you can remains to be seen.

   
   




5. Keep a handy anti- spyware and anti-virus * even if you dont have an internet connection *. Just today I redid a harddisk which was infected by a disc carrying the VBS.Soraci worm. Its a cardinal sin if you dont.

   
   




6. Defragment your harddisk regularly.

   
   




7. During scandisk(that is Windows start scanning the disk if you dont shut down properly) never let Windows quarantine files. It later results in Windows not being able to find files that were quarantined.

   
   

[ this happened to me a long while ago - dont know if it still happens]

1. Take backups of your data regularly

   
   




2. Always keep a ups and a spike. Connect it with the spike to the mains and the ups on the spike. I once had a ups and it caught fire(some cheap one) and ever since I keep a spike between the mains and the ups - the spike is cheaper!

   
   

THE GOLDEN RULE, HOWEVER, IS IF YOU DONT KNOW FIND OUT!

Damn gotta upgrade my phrase book. Speaking of upgrades keep upgrading your products. Windows comes out with security patches and even though Live Updates suck let them get installed. You dont want anyone taking advantage of vulnerabilites in your OS just because you were too lazy or it was taking a crazy long time now do you? Upgrade whenever possible and also include your multimedia programs and other softwares. With the arrival of a new format of file coming out so often its better to have an updated version so that you dont have to run about.

ANOTHER GOLDEN RULE, NEVER KEEP REMOVING PARTS OUT OF YOUR COMPUTERS! ITS A PC NOT A VEHICLE!

Now moving onto the really tough part- managing the internet and the safety of the PC. Unmanaged internet can be like two monkeys playing god. Dont ask the meaning of the analogy just think of how disastrous it can get. Managing your internet effectively means that you get to do fun stuff on the net(like write reviews on mouthshut, abuse to your hearts content on yahoo or surf porn) while getting good speeds and maintaining the safety of your PC. Below are a set of things I learnt while using extensively the internet.

1. Before using the internet make sure you have a good anti-spyware, anti-virus, and firewall. Think of these as a condom for your computer. Spywares slow down your computer, eat away your bandwidth and just plain irritate you by giving out your personal details(not your vital stats probably just your email address, surfing habits, etc). A good internet security program gives you real time protection, i.e, when it happens(spyware, virus or unauthorized access from another computer) you will know. Also, scan your computer for spyware and viruses regularly. A good firewall also lets you know which software wants access to the net and what are they doing with the access.

   
   




2. Use any browser except Internet Explorer. Opera would be my choice and I feel its one of the best around.

   
   




3. Never download any attachments without scanning it first.

   
   




4. I dont recommend Norton / Symantec programs because they take up too much system resources and scanning your computer takes long enough. McAfee Internet Security Suite 2006 is awesome. It gives you anti-spyware, anti-virus, firewall, spam killer, privacy service, etc.

   
   




5. Always use a third party site to check your firewall. You can google search for testing your bandwidth or go to https://auditmypc.com

   
   




6. Never trust a program or connection if you dont trust it.

   
   




7. Never give out credit card nos. As a rule I dont conduct any credit card transactions on the net. You can never be too safe!

   
   




8. If you are downloading anything of the net make sure it is from a reliable source.

   
   

Treat your PC right and it could be great for you. I pretty much follow these and must say my computer is doing fine(touchwood).  And remember its an ongoing process. If you find something you arent sure about or dont know find out more and then proceed to do it.

And the final tip DONT WASH YOUR KEYBOARD WITH DETTOL'

Finally I thought I would just give you a run down of what my system is like:

• windows xp home edition, microsoft office 2003, mcafee internet security suite 2006, opera 9 beta, iqara broadband 256 kbps, 40 gb hd(4 partitions 12/10/8/8), 512 mb RAM. Any further queries or questions suggestions please do let me know.