Getting the most out of your computer

AHS Computing

Hardware

Air flow (H) • Proper air flow keeps

things running cool • Hard surface under

laptop • Key to remember:

warm air rises

Cleaning (H)

• Shutdown and unplug power! • Remove dust from fans and

case (compressed air can) • Monitor (dry or dampen cloth

with equal ratio distilled water and white vinegar)

• Keyboard/Mouse (cotton bud or toothbrush dampened with rubbing alcohol, or compressed air can)

• Can rinse unplug desktop keyboard under a tap to clean

Pets and food (H/W)

• Try to keep pets away from the computer

• Food can make a mess of your computer that is hard to clean – Distracted eating is

unhealthy

How not to clean • Vacuum • Blow dust toward motherboard • Remove components (unless you are

comfortable doing so) • Rinse with water • Not allowing time to dry

Shutdown (H/W) • Refreshes computers temporarily stored data

and virtual memory • Gives hardware a chance to cool down

Power surges (H/W) • Use a surge protector power bar to protect your

computer from being frying by voltage spikes that may occur

Software/Applications

Backups (H/W) • Necessary to save data

from computer crashes and hard drive failures

• Backup to an external hard drive, USB drive, etc. – Anywhere other than

your main hard drive

Desktop (H/W) • Reduced items = increased speed (especially

with roaming profiles) – Includes file and shortcuts

• Files stored on the desktop are not secure (in plain view to anyone on the computer)

• Files stored on the desktop are part of your profile, so if your profile becomes corrupt you lose the files

Disk cleanup/defragmentation (H)

• Disk cleanup can remove temporary files and empty the recycling bin

• Disk defragmenter applications are very helpful. They rearranges data on the hard drive, allowing your computer to run more efficiently – Data can become fragmented (unorganized) over

time, and disk defrag helps to reallocate the data

Disk errors (H) • Checking for disk errors helps

prevent hard drive crashes and corruption

• Start -> “Computer” -> right-click the drive you want to scan and select “Properties” -> Tools tab -> Under “Error-checking”, click “Check Now” -> check to “Scan for and attempt to recover bad sectors”

• Note: This check will be run the next time you restart your computer.

Disk Utility (H) • Mac’s software

cleaner • Can do disk

cleanup and check for disk errors

• Equivalent to CCleaner

Computer management (H/W) • Clear temporary internet

files/cache (how-to slides provided on next four pages) (H/W)

• Manage which programs run on startup (start -> search “msconfig” -> startup tab) (H) Note: If you do not know what the item is, DO NOT disable it!

Computer management (Google Chrome)

“Wrench” > Settings > Under the Bonnet > Clear browsing data (under privacy)

Computer management (Firefox)

“Firefox” > Options > Options > Privacy tab

Computer management (Internet Explorer)

“Nut” > Internet options > Delete… (under Browsing history)

Google Chrome

Firefox

Internet Explorer

Startup items on a Mac (H) • Apple menu >

System Preferences • Select “Accounts”

then click the “Login Items” tab

• “+” adds programs to the list, “-” removes

Uninstall unused programs/files (H)

• Saves hard drive space • Unused/out-of-date programs can cause

security issues • Secunia is a very good app for keeping

programs up-to-date

How to uninstall (H) • On a Windows PC:

– Start > Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a program (under Programs and Features)

• On a Mac: – Dragging the application to the trash – Install a cleaner app (such as cleanapp) and it will

remove all traces of the application you want to remove

Secunia • Requires your

computers administrator account password to run

• For PC and Mac

Anti-virus software (H/W) • Schedule regular

virus scans • Keep your firewall

running

Symantec Endpoint Protection

Ccleaner (H) • Probably the best all-in-

one application • Disc cleaner, registry

error checker/fixer, program uninstaller, startup program enabler/disabler, system restore management, and a drive wiper

Conclusion • Computers are similar to cars in their need for

regular maintenance and upkeep • There are many things that can be done to

extend the life of your computer. • Having a regularly scheduled “maintenance day”

can help you keep up with the care your computer needs.