Spring Cleaning for your Computer
by BIG Mike McDaniel
Published on this site: April 5th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month...
At least once a year, better if you do it twice, take a few minutes
to clean your computer. Inside and out.
First, make a backup of every possible data file. No need to backup
programs if you have the original disks. If you downloaded programs,
you should have the original download (before installation) saved
on a disk or burned on a CD.
This step is here because most folks don't do backups. The
day will come (so many of us know the feeling) when it all
goes KaPow! and you realize how long ago or incomplete the
backs were. Backups are a tough habit to build, so much time
sitting in front of the monitor with a creeping blue line.
There are a number of very efficient backup programs out there
that will make copies while you sleep. My personal favorite is Smart
Sync Pro. You can find it at http://www.smsync.com/
On to spring cleaning Dust can kill your computer, and with it,
valuable nformation you thought you had backed up.
At least twice a year clean your drives with an inexpensive
cleaning kit. Vacuum any dirt off your cooling fan in the
back. Clean the keyboard with a new paintbrush, get the gook
out from between the keys. Clean the monitor screen as per
directions in the monitor book (Caution: some window cleaners
can damage the surface).
While you are at it, reorganize your hard drive for greater efficiency.
Run De-Frag (Start> Accessories> System Tools> Disk Defragmenter).
Search for files that haven't been modified in the last six months
or year. If they're not being used, get them off your hard drive.
Put this project on a schedule and do it at the time change each
year. That’s April and October.
For more about your computer, get my article "10 Ways to Fight
Spam" by sending a blank eMail MailTo:[email protected]
Aaron Turpen is the proprietor of Aaronz WebWorkz and the
author of several informative e-books, including "The Layman's
Handbook To Doing Business Online." His books and free, weekly
newsletter are available from his website: http://www.AaronzWebWorkz.com
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