“Get a Personal Trainer for Your Computer!”^©

SOME THINGS are better left to professionals.  Editing the registry or manually removing viruses from the system files come to mind.  BUT general maintenance is a necessary responsibility that comes with computer ownership.  Preventive maintenance should be done on your computer every thirty days or so.  It takes only a little while and can save you time and expense in the future.  Here are my recommendations for a “security baseline” for the average computer (all links are for free software programs).  Generally, a security baseline should at a minimum include the following:  A firewall, anti-malware and anti-virus software, a secure Web browser and a process for keeping applications frequently updated. You will notice that I opt for a best-of-breed approach, i.e. each program (anti-virus, anti-malware, spam fighter, pop-up blocker, rootkit remover, firewall) is the best at what it does and usually  does only one thing, but does it extremely well.   It doesn’t try to be a “jack of all trades, master of none,” possibly slowing down your PC in the process:

1.  First, remove all temporary and cached files and empty the Recycle Bin.  There’s no sense wasting time scanning files that have to be removed anyway. [Try CLEAN UP] NOTE:  You might not want to remove any cookies that might be used by your online banking site or similar sites, since in a few cases the passwords are stored in those cookies, otherwise you might have to re-set your browser.

2.  Second, run a complete disk scan with your anti-virus and repair or quarantine any viruses found.  [NOTE:  If virus notifications continue to appear, then you may have worms or dialers that are more complex that cannot be removed by normal anti-virus programs and will require professional help for manual removal from your operating system.]  An excellent, free, anti-virus is AVG from Grisoft, which is simple to use and does not take up extensive system resources as some of the larger programs do [try AVG].  But, just like a flu shot isn’t a 100% guarantee that you won’t get the flu, even the best anti-virus software won’t prevent an infection.

3.  Next, scan for spyware.  A program like AdAware from Lavasoft, or Spy Sweeper from Webroot do the job nicely.  Remove all recommended spyware at the conclusion of the scan. [Try AdAware, Spy Sweeper or MalwareBytes.]  In addition, there are available numerous programs that remove specific spyware, many of which are quite complicated.

4.  If you feel competent, run Hijack This to remove browser hijackers and unnecessary BHOs from your browser. [Try Hijack This]

5.  Run CW Shredder by Trend Micro to remove any Cool Web search variants. [Try CWShredder]  You don’t see much CW, but it can’t hurt.

6.  Go into the Control Panel, then Add and Remove Programs, and go through the entire list, removing unnecessary programs, trial programs, spyware and toolbars that you don’t want.

7.  If you feel competent, run MSCONFIG from the Command Line, and disable any programs that you don’t want running in background when starting up, which will increase your available RAM.

8.  If you feel really adventurous, check out the Windows updates (Internet Explorer> Tools> Windows Updates)  and see if you want to install any specific updates or security patches.  Same for Java and Flash updates, because that’s how most of the more recent infections get through to your computer these days.

9.  Check your software to make sure you have the very latest versions of Internet Explorer or Firefox add-ons, Flash player, Quick-time, Adobe Reader or other PDF Viewer and the like, as more and more viruses and intrusions are using these programs to enter your computer, completely without any active engagement on the user’s part.  You might also want to check to see if you have the latest firmware for your hardware, such as routers, while you’re at it.  (See discussions in Security.)

10.  Make sure that your Windows Firewall is enabled, even if you have a hardware firewall in your router.  This protection against uninvited intruders is essential.

11.  Finally, defragment the hard drive.  It may give you more space on a crowded drive, and may make it run faster and, even though the new drives are faster, it’ll still help  reduce overall drive wear, increase the probability of recovering a lost file and reduce noise and heat from the drive.  Find defrag at Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools.

12.  Remember, if you’re not positive about what you’re eliminating, don’t do it.  Err on the side of caution.  Contrary to popular belief, System Restore does not restore everything on your system or even in Windows and, if misused, can permanently corrupt your system and prevent future repairs.  See this LINK for more information.  You can always call a professional, but it’s not easy to restore a mistake that crashes your system...

MURPHY’S LAWS OF COMPUTING #3:  He who laughs last probably made a backup.

SEE ALSO, the LINKS page for additional utilities and other useful or interesting sites...

RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE...