A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch
October is Fire Prevention Month. The professionals tell us that the best fire safety is accomplished by preventing the fire in the first place. You should install smoke alarms and replace the batteries every year. Keep your matches away from the kiddies and keep your fires safety plan updated.
I think that is also pretty good advice for keeping your computer running smoothly and free of viruses and trojans. Right now, I have five 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 and error free.
1. Create a System Restore Point: Even though I know I’m pretty close to perfect, I occasionally make a mistake. If I do, I want to be able to go back to my starting point if I have to.
2. 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. It isn’t necessary to install every update to keep your computer running smoothly.
3. 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. Unused programs often also steal from your system resources and cause your computer to run slower. 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 often left on your computer. You can get Revo Uninstaller here.
4. Run Secunia Personal Software Inspector. Secunia PSI is a program that scans your computer and checks your 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 get Secunia PSI here.
5. Run a Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware scan: The program name says it all. Malwarebytes’ has created an easy-to-use, simple, and effective anti-malware application. Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware is extremely effective at finding and removing virus, worm, trojan, rootkit, dialer and spyware programs that infect your computer. I don’t think I’ve ever read a negative review about it. It is free for home use and you can download it here.
6. 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. I use Avast Antivirus (it has my favorite price), but there are many good antivirus programs, both free and fee.
7. Run a SUPERAntiSpyware scan: SUPERAntiSpyware detects and removes spyware and adware. It also removes malware, trojans, dialers, worms, keyloggers, hiJackers, parasites, rootkits, rogue security products and many other types of threats. That’s a lot of free removal that you can get when you download SuperAntiSpyware.
8. 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 get Wise Registry Cleaner here.
9. 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. Almost every technical and geek site recommends it. 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. Lastly, I create another restore point. That way, it I have any problems before my next maintenance day, I know I have a tested safe restore point.
All of the programs I’ve mentioned in this article are either freeware or free for home 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 installed on your computer.
Happy Computing and thanks for reading.