Computer
maintenance isn't exactly something that most people remember to do. When a
computer doesn't work, most people call for professional help or ask
family members or friends to help fix their slow computer.
Well,
in this short and easy five-step guide I will teach you how to maintain your
computer problem-free for as long as you wish without depending on others for
help! Let's begin:
1. Use CCleaner to Clean
Your System’s Junk
CCleaner removes unused files from
your system allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk
space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet
history and other embarrassing stuff you were watching online.
Operating Instructions:
- After installation, click on the desktop icon to run the program. Look for the brush icon that says Cleaner. Press it once and then click analyse. After analysis click run cleaner.
- Now look for the cube icon that says Registry. Press it once and then click analyse. After analysis click run cleaner. Do not be afraid. The software knows what it is doing.
- Advanced users can check out the other powerful features as well.
- You can install CCleaner Portable on your USB and clean your friends computer as well.
2. Defragment Your Hard
Disk Using Defraggler
Most
defrag tools only allow you to defrag an entire drive. Defraggler lets you
specify one or more files, folders, or the whole drive to defragment.
Defraggler rearranges your scattered files into order and helps Windows run
faster.
Operating Instructions:
After
installation, click on the desktop icon to run the program. You will find all
the drives separately listed. Click on any one. Click the analyse button below.
After analysis, click defragment.
3. Get Rid of Malware
Using Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware
Only the most sophisticated anti-malware
techniques can detect and remove malicious programs from your computer.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free utilizes powerful technology to detect and
remove all traces of malware including worms, trojans, rootkits, rogues,
dialers, spyware and more with lightning fast rapid scanning. Use this program
to scan USB as soon as you insert it into your computer. Use it to complement
the security offered by your anti-virus. Updates are available for the free
version too.
Operating Instructions:
After installation, click on the
desktop icon to run the program. First connect to the internet and install the
latest malware updates. Then select the drives to scan.
You can select any file or USB
stick to scan for malware.
Note: This program can run and complement your existing
anti-virus without any problems as this is not technically an anti-virus program.
The free version does not proactively prevent malware or
virus attacks. Do not worry. The anti-virus I have mentioned below will more
than do that job.
This program is a great additional layer of protection,
just in case.
4. Use a new, faster
browser instead of Internet Explorer
The
main source of trouble for your system is the Internet Explorer (IE) browser
that comes along with Windows. Moreover many web services like Google, Gmail
etc. do not support IE version 6 or even 7. It’s better to use a faster,
feature-rich and secure browser. Here are the best ones categorised according
to speed-
Google Chrome- Download Link
(Beware!
Chrome silently updates the browser without your permission. Go to Control
Panel>Scheduled Tasks and delete the entries related to Google Chrome
updates if you too are irritated like me!)
Firefox- Download
Link
(Great
feature-rich alternative to Internet Explorer. Try out the wide range of free
plugins and extensions available.)
Opera- Download Link
(Comes
with a Turbo mode that speeds up slow internet connections by upto five times!
I use it myself and recommend it!)
If you wish to use Internet Explorer, please update it to IE 8 for
Windows XP and IE 9 for Windows Vista and 7
for your own online security. I find
all the above mentioned browsers faster than Internet Explorer. Microsoft
apparently doesn’t believe in supporting IE 9 for old-fashioned Windows XP
users like me, but Opera, Firefox and Google Chrome, much more feature-rich and
sophisticated browsers, happily do.
5. Use a free but feature-rich anti-virus like Avast
People are very reluctant to
change their anti-virus. Read the
latest anti-virus comparison reports from the most trusted source at
av-comparatives.org.
Two anti-virus programs cannot run together. If you have an antivirus
already installed on your computer, please remove it first before installing
Avast.
Antivirus
programs can be pretty stubborn and may refuse to go away even after being
uninstalled. If you experience a problem, type the name of the old anti-virus
you need to remove and search online for a removal tool (a tiny program that
can completely uninstall the old anti-virus) as shown below on google-
(Antivirus
name) removal tool
For
eg. If your old anti-virus name is Kaspersky, do a Google search for-
Kaspersky
Removal Tool
Run
the program after you download and your previous anti-viruswill be completely
removed. Now you are ready to install Avast.
Here
is the something you need to do to get Avast Free-
- After 30 days you need
to register online to get your free license key
- Your free
license key is sent by email within 24 hours after registration
- Enter the license key
into the program and continue using the program with free updates for a
whole year. Get the free online registration link-
You can always use a paid anti-virus. But if you’re a
normal user like me, you can stick with the free version.
Avast Free will auto-update by default every time you log
on to the Internet.
Other
equally good anti-virus products with similar features that I can recommend
are-
Avira
Free-Antivirus (requires at least Windows XP
Sp 3. Click on Ccleaner to find out if you do not know). Windows Vista and 7 users need not worry.
Microsoft
Security Essentials- If you are
sure you own a genuine licensed Windows Operating System, you can try this.
Just remember, two
anti-virus programs cannot run together .
Some
of the listed programs offer professional or premium versions for a price. I
have tried them myself. However I feel the paid versions just provide some
additional fancy features and are mostly an attempt to recoup the cost of the
free versions. Feel free to buy the paid version. But it’s not necessary or
recommended.
For best results,
install all the five recommended programs and use them at least once a week to
experience the real benefits of a fast, virus-free PC performance.
I’ve been
personally using all the above programs for years without any problem.
Try it out and
share your views.
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