A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch
I remember when I bought my new pickup. The salesman remarked that it was unusual to get a trade in with 120,000 miles. I told him that they just don’t make them like they used to, as I put about 200,000 miles on the one prior to that. My youngest grandson and I play almost every day with trains that are about 30 years old. About a year ago, I junked my desktop computer which I bought in 1994. It was working fine but I had no place to put it. It looks like I’m going to be the first male in my family that will ever draw a Social Security check.
What’s my secret to all of that extended usage? Preventive Maintenance.
Last month after I wrote about getting my new laptop ready to compute, a few people asked me about my maintenance routine. Right now, I have six computers on my home network. Every two weeks, I get out my maintenance list and do all my updates and in depth scans. This month, I thought I’d share what I do to keep them all running smoothly.
A. Run Windows Update. One of the things I’ve always disliked about windows is automatic updates. I’ve got mine set to notify me when there is a critical update. I almost always download and install critical updates pretty quickly. For other updates, I wait until my maintenance day. Before I download and install, I do an internet search on the update. If I find that updates cause other users a lot of problems, I usually wait on downloading. All updates aren’t necessary to keep your computer running smoothly.
B. Run Revo Uninstaller. Over the years, I’ve discovered that when you no longer need a program, it’s better to get rid of the darn thing right away. Otherwise, all it will do is take up space on your hard drive. Revo Uninstaller is a freeware program that does an excellent job of removing software from your disk drive. After the program is uninstalled, it searches and removes most files, folders and registry keys that are usually left on your computer. You can download Revo Uninstaller here.
C. Run Secunia Personal Software Inspector. Secunia PSI is a program that scans your computer and checks installed software for updates and patches. Secunia is an easy program to use, but it wants to add itself to the automatic startup every time you run it. To prevent this, go to the advanced section and uncheck the auto start. You can download Secunia PSI here.
D. run a virus scan. What else can I tell you. If you don‘t have a good anti-virus program installed, please don‘t come crying to me when you get infected.
E. Run a spy ware scan. I’ve used the Zone Alarm Security Suite for years. I like it because it’s easy to use and does a good job. Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware is extremely effective at finding and removing virus, worm, trojan, rootkit, dialer and spyware programs that infect your computer. I only recently started using this program which I discovered at the last monthly SIG meeting. This program is extremely fast and is updated daily. You can download Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware here.
F. Run Wise Registry Cleaner. There are two theories about using registry cleaners. Some people think they are great because by getting all of the junk out of your registry your computer will run faster and more effectively. Others think that the gain is not worth the risk. CAUTION! Using programs that change the registry can permanently disable your computer. Make sure you back up the registry before you make any changes. Wise Registry Cleaner is a fairly fast scanner that lists the scan results into two categories: 1) safe to remove, and 2) can remove, but not completely safe. You can download Wise Registry Cleaner here.
G. Run CCleaner. CCleaner is a freeware program that optimizes your PC by combining a system cleaner and a registry cleaner. Simply put, it is about the best program there is for cleaning junk off of your hard drive. It has an easy to use interface. Click on analyze and a few minutes later click on run cleaner. If you use the registry cleaner, it reminds you to backup before making any changes. You can get CCleaner here.
Finally, I shut down my computer and reboot. Then, I open msconfig to make sure that nothing has sneaked into my startup.
All of the programs I’ve mentioned in this article a either freeware or free to use. A word of caution. If you decide to try them, carefully read the installation screens. That way you won’t accidentally have a new toolbar, browser home page, or internet searcher.
By the way, my old laptop was purchased in 2001. It still runs smoothly except for a lot of bad screen pixels. I’m planning to set it up in the train room.
Happy Computing to All!