COMPUTER MAINTENANCE TIPS

Running Scan Disk on your computer's hard drive.

Running Scan Disk is recommended once a month.  Scan Disk helps keep your hard drive healthy and determines if you are going to have problems with your drive.  If you are getting many errors on your computer it would be best to run this utility to determine what may be wrong with your hard drive.  When you are running Scan Disk and it is displaying lost segments messages, you may want to have a computer technician take a look at your computer.  It may be time to replace the hard drive or the computer itself, if you have an older computer system.  To run Scan Disk follow the instructions below.

1)  Click on Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, then Scan Disk.
2)  You will then be prompted with a window similar to the one below.  Make sure Thorough is selected and Automatically fix errors has a check mark next to it.

3)  Click on Start to begin the Scan Disk process.
4)  Once the scan if finished you will see a similar message shown below that gives you some important information about your hard drive.  You may want to pay close attention to the bad sectors.  When you start to see bad sectors it may be time to buy a new hard drive for your computer.

5)  Click on Close to close out Scan Disk.

Running Defrag on your computer's hard drive.

When your computer starts slowing down, you may want to try Defrag to see if that speeds things up.  Defrag is recommended twice a month to put all the files that have been scattered on the hard drive back together where they belong.  This will prolong the life of your hard drive because as files get scattered around the hard drive needs to work harder to find them.  To run Defrag follow the instructions below.

1)  Click on Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, then Disk Defragmenter.
2)  You will then see a window similar to the one below.  If you are using Windows 95 you will need to click on the Start button which is where the Stop button is shown below.  Windows 98 will automatically start the defrag process.

3)  Once the Disk Defragmenter is finished, it will ask you if you would like to quit Disk Defragmenter.  Click on Yes to finish the process.

Removing Temporary Internet Files in Internet Explorer.

1)  Once you have opened Internet Explorer, on the Menu Bar click on Tools, then Internet Options.

2)  You will see a window similar the one below.  Half way down the window you will see Temporary Internet Files.  Click on the Delete Files button.

3)  You will then receive a window prompting you to delete all offline content.  Make sure there is a check mark next to Delete all offline content, then click Ok.  Depending on the last time this has been performed, this can take a while to remove the files.

4)  You will be brought back to Internet Options window.  Click Ok to close this window.

Removing Temporary Internet Files in Netscape.

1)  Once you have Netscape open, on the Menu Bar click on Edit, then Preferences.

2)  The Preferences window will open.  On the left double click on Advanced, then click Cache.  

3)  Click on the Clear Memory Cache button.  You will receive a window similar to the one below asking you to continue with removing the files.  Click on Yes.

4)  Next click on the Clear Disk Cache button.  You will receive a window similar to the one below asking you to continue with removing the files.  Click on Yes.

5)  At the Preferences windows click Ok to finish clearing the files.

Mouse Cleaning

Why? A dirty optical-mechanical mouse can cause the mouse to be difficult to move as well as cause strange mouse movement.

Procedure: To clean the rollers of an optical-mechanical mouse you must first remove the bottom cover of the mouse. To do this examine the bottom of the mouse to see which direction the mouse cover should be rotated. As you can see on the below illustration the mouse cover must be moved counter clockwise.  Place two fingers on the mouse cover and push in the direction of the arrows.

Once the cover has rotated about an inch rotate the mouse into its normal position covering the bottom of the mouse with one hand and the bottom should fall off including the mouse ball. If this does not occur attempt to shake the mouse gently.

Once the bottom cover and the ball are removed you should be able to see three rollers located within the mouse. Use your finger and/or finger nail and move in a horizontal direction of the rollers. Usually there will be a small line of hair and or dirt in the middle of the roller, remove this dirt and or hair as much as possible.

Once you have removed as much dirt and hair as possible place the ball back within the mouse and place the cover back on.

If the mouse still appears to be having the same issue repeat the above process, if after several attempts the mouse is still having the same issue it could be a possibility your mouse may have a hardware issue at which time it would be recommended to replace your mouse.

Software Patches

Be sure to check often for software patches and updates, especially for your operating system, web browsers, email programs and virus software. A good place to start is http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com.   If you're not certain which Microsoft updates to install, at least install the updates identified as critical. You should have your anti-virus software configured to automatically update its virus definitions at least weekly.

Install & Update AntiVirus Software

There are thousands of computer virus that can be caught from downloads and e-mails.  It is recommended that you install AntiVirus software such as Norton AntiVirus, McAfee VirusScan, or InoculateIT Personal Edition.  Make sure that you update your AntiVirus software at least once a week to keep the software current. Check out our specials on Norton SystemWorks 2002 and 2003 as well as Norton Internet Security. All three of these software packages include AntiVirus software and are being offered at a special price.

Surge Protection.

It is a good idea to make sure your computers are plugged into surge protectors especially during the storm seasons.  Power outages are the main cause for computer equipment damage.  A good surge protector can help prevent computers from being damaged during a power outage.  Also check to make sure your electrical outlets are not being overloaded with surge protectors.  It is recommended that your surge protectors are not chained together.  This could also overload the electrical outlet. GroLen offers surge protectors with phone/modem protection, for as little as $14.95.