OK, so you want to know about your computer in simple to understand terms without the geek speak jargon. Software, hardware, operating systems it will all be covered. If you have a question submit it on the question page and I'll try and add it as a topic in a future posting.
Plain English Computing
Holiday Stress
Holiday stress happens every year no matter how hard we try to avoid it. One way to help reduce this stress is by backing up your data and your most prized possessions - the hundreds, if not thousands, of digital pictures you have of your family and friends. To me the pictures of my children and grandchildren are priceless. These very special pictures I keep backed up in two locations. I keep one copy on my USB backup hard drive and the other copy is stored at IDrive.
For the USB drive I do a manual backup weekly. The IDrive is an automatic process. After completing the easy setup you select the items you want to backup and the process starts. The folders you select to backup will be automatically backed up when you add new items to the selected folders. IDrive is running a scheduled backup as I type this blog entry.
Regular maintenance keeps things running smoothly and will keep your system up to date and extend the life of your computer. Regular backups put your mind at ease so when your computer does die you have no worries about everything you wanted to keep because it is safe and securely backed up on IDrive. After getting a new computer, restoring your priceless pictures and data is easy.
If you are uneasy about setting up an automated backup, Clark Computer Care can set up your IDrive backups.
Green Computing
The buzz words of “being green” are everywhere we look. Many businesses are trying to find ways to support the global effort of reducing our carbon footprint on mother earth. Being a green company was not something Clark Computer Care started out be, but by business model we are. By performing remote safe and secure routine maintenance on computers helps in this effort by saving energy several ways.
While we work to find ways to reduce our electrical requirements, our process does help to reduce several other green issues. No employees drive anywhere to repair computers so we burn no fossil fuels to repair your computers. Work can be scheduled during non-peek energy usage time periods. As part of our service we can configure your computer to help in your efforts to reduce energy usage by using the tips below.
Energy Saving Tips: All the popular operating systems provide several option to reduce energy usage.
- Hibernation is an option where the computer takes a naps after a period of nonuse that the user can select.
- Turning the monitor off after a selected time-period of nonuse or turning the monitor off manually.
- Computer should be recycled. Yes, there are many stories about the mismanaged efforts in the process, but there are still good reasons to recycle your old computer. Check to see if there is a computer recycle center near you.
- Screen savers are not energy efficient they use the system central processor to generate the screen images.
- Unplug you laptop battery charger when the battery is fully charged. There are other benefits to this process.
- Consider that laptop computers use less energy then desktop systems do, some as much as 50% less.
- Before buying a new computer consider the possible upgrades to your current system.
- Donating your old computer to a local school. Clark Computer Care can remotely prepare your computer for donation.
Home user or small business, if you have the desire to be as earth friendly as possible, Clark Computer Care can configure your systems to save energy and give you the good feeling that you are doing your part.
Operating System Upgrades
While the TV commercials for Windows 7 are about it being simpler, the 31% of users experiencing problems upgrading might not agree with these ads. I have not installed or performed an upgrade to Windows because my XP Pro still satisfies my Windows computing needs. I have one system that runs Vista and, to be honest, it is really not that bad. I have it only to be familiar with it to support users who are using it. Before too long I’ll have to take the plunge into Windows 7 to support customers, but I sure hope I can delay long enough for Microsoft to have fixes for the install / upgrade issues. Apple OS 10.6 had a few upgrade issues, but I have not experienced any of the reported problems on systems that Clark Computer Care performs regular system maintenance on.
The OS 10.6 upgrade for Leopard users is $29.00 for a single user and $49.00 for the family pack of up to 5 systems. The most expensive upgrade is $149.00. Windows 7 upgrades are a bit more pricey with a range from $119.99 to $219.99 for a single computer upgrade. If you shop at Amazon.com they do not list the price until you view your shopping cart.
Clark Computer Care recommends that upgrades only be performed when absolutely needed. Upgrades should be discussed with IT professionals who are well versed with your computer use and needs. The use of computers and their associated equipment should be needs-based not based on what the latest and greatest gizmo on the market. Clark Computer Care is always available to discuss your computing needs.
Operating System Continued
With Apple computers being my primary computer I have become spoiled with operating system updates and upgrades. My computer is mine; it is setup just the way I want it. This is a long process to get it just the way I want it. The ease of updating was one of the reasons I made the switch to MAC. When OS 10.6 was released it was the first OS since system 7 that does not support the PowerPC. Many have commented how this was such a bad thing. System 7 was released May of 1991, not 2007 which is when Vista was released.
While I have not installed Windows 7, I have read many of the reviews about this redesigned operating system. Review after review states there is no straight through upgrade for XP. Please read this carefully because it means you will have to spend a lot of time readjusting all of your settings, and be out more than $100.
Compatibility issues were identified through several sites available to MAC users to check to see if their software was compatible with the new OS 10.6, I have only found the Windows site for checking compatibilities. They lost my trust with Vista and have not shown me enough to switch back.
Operating Systems
With the upcoming release of Windows 7, there is a lot of information about operating systems being published all over the internet and being talked about around the water coolers. Apple released their OS X Snow Leopard, and in a few days, a new version on Ubuntu will also be available. What is one to do? It is a small scale publicity war on which is better, which is safer, and which one is more stable. These are important questions for people who like to debate. Apple and Windows both do the same things, but in different ways. This is just a new version of Ford versus Chevrolet, Coke versus Pepsi, and on and on. I make my living taking care of Windows based systems, not because it is a bad operating system, but because it is an industry standard for both business and home use. In the same breath I’ll tell you for personal use I use Apple computers. Until recently my wife used Windows systems at work and home, but she grew tired of problems with the pesky, inconvenient pop-ups, so I switched her to a MacBook laptop and all is well in our house.
The number one thing to consider when picking an operating system is where and from whom will you get support for it. Some operating systems need more attention than others. This is not an indication of how good it is; all computers need some level of support. Windows is always under attack because of the large number of people who just hate it and wish to damage it. The ironic thing is that most of the Windows haters would not be into computing or have the skills needed to hack it if Windows did not bring the personal computer to its popular status.
Whichever operating system you decide on, make sure you have it set up to have updates automatically downloaded and installed. This should also includes the Anti-Virus program you choose. Another important issue is backing up your computer. Clark Computer Care has partnered with IDrive to make this as simple as possible. A Clark Computer Care technician can take care of all these items remotely, and if you like, we can provide training in these areas.
General Maintenance
| Like other things we own computers need regular maintenance and cleaning. Dust will build up like the picture below. This dust buildup will cause your system to overheat and fail prematurely. The computer should be turned off when cleaning it. I use a 1 1/2 inch old paint brush and a vacuum cleaner. Using the brush that comes with most vacuum cleaners will cause static electricity. If there is a static discharge while cleaning there is a very strong possibility that your computer will be rendered useless. Holding the open end of the vacuum cleaner hose about an inch or two from the dust use the paintbrush to gently sweep the dust and dirt toward the hose. The keyboard also need cleaning. You can get a can of compressed air at just about any store that has computer stuff. Yes, even Wal Mart has it. Attach the nozzle hold the tip of the nozzle about half an inch from the keyboard and puff the air between the rows of keys.
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| Disk Cleanup is the first step of cleaning up your data on the hard drive. You should check all boxes. Use the scroll bar to make sure you check all the boxes. This will delete most of the unneeded files that are on your computer, and it will also compress old files that are still needed. A word of warning if you have owned your computer for over a year and this has never been done it will take a long time. I would start the process before dinner. Sometime after dinner there will be a prompt “are you sure you want to complete these items” Select Yes, it will take several hours to complete. It is not advisable to use the computer while this process is running. Running this process monthly helps to de-clutter your system helping it run at peak performance.
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| Just like the outside of the computer your hard drive needs cleaning also. The green system files never move they will always stay in the same place on your hard drive. The blue files are program files that are still connected to each other. The red files are defragmented or broken. These broken files require your computer to hunt through your hard drive to find all the pieces of a program to run. This slows down your system. The more red the slower programs take to load and run. Performing a Disk Defrag monthly is a key maintenance item to keep you system speed up. One key note to defragmenting your hard drive in to maintain at least 15 percent free space. The Disk Defragmenter program needs 15 percent to run correctly. Keeping large files like pictures on an external USB drive will free up space, so the program will run. Like the Disk Cleanup running this for the first time will take many hours. The Defrag will also fail if there is not the 15 percent free space.
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Leave On or Turn Off
Leave it on or turn it off? This question has been around since desktop and personal computers started to make their way into offices and homes. Computer hardware has improved a lot since the early 1990s. Most of the old procedures really no longer apply, but many hold on to them. Many insurance policies now have electrical surge protection provided. One of my customers in Florida has just received $500 for an electrical surge that burned many components inside her computer.
Apple computers run maintenance procedures once a night, once a week and once a month. Knowing this, I put my Apple computers to “sleep” every night when I am done with them for the day. Every Sunday I shut them off for several hours then boot them.
Computers running Windows like to be turned off. Depending on which Windows operating systems you are using, Windows 95, Millennium, 2000, XP home, XP Pro, or Vista each perform different procedures when they are turned off. At the end of the day I turn all computers with Windows off.
Laptops need their batteries exercised to help the battery last as long as possible. Once a week unplug your laptop and use the computer until 2 percent is left. At this point save all your work and turn the computer off. Let the battery rest for several hours then plug it in. Let it charge overnight if possible. This allows the battery to charge the rest and recover from being used.
The bottom line is that both side of this question can be supported. If you are a desktop user do what you think is best for your situation. If you are a laptop user you need to exercise the battery.
On & Off
On and off are the only two things a computer knows. It works like Morse Code dots are off signals (0) the dashes are the on signals (1). When you click your mouse button or press a key you simply send a series of 0s and 1s to send the code and the action happens.