These tune up tips can be used to keep your system in top running condition.
A computer tuneup usually consists of:
* inspect the motherboard for damage, and blow out dust from inside case
* ensure that the system and security programs are up to date.
* if installed, also be sure to update Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Acrobat Reader, your browser, Java, and MS Office. Vulnerabilities in those applications have been exploited in the past, the updates are important.
* delete temporary files and folders
* defragment the hard drive
* optimize internet connection
Complete scans with your security programs should also be part of a tuneup.
It's crucial to keep your anti-virus and anti-spyware programs up to date.
Run scans at regular intervals, weekly or monthly, depending on your browsing and downloading habits.
Avoid installing unneccessary toolbars and downloaded screen savers.
Here are the basic tuneup procedures:
You should periodically open your computer case and inspect your motherboard for signs of damage, and blow out all dust.
Frequency of inspection varies with the environment your computer is in. Computers in dusty locations will obviously require more frequent inspection and cleaning.
Check for signs of liquid leakage around any of the capacitors, or other circuitry.
In extremely dusty conditions, you may want to tape some thin filter material over your case fan(s) and any case air vents. You can buy filter material at hardware stores.
Dust and other debris inside your computer case can create bridges for electrical current to jump to other circuits on the motherboard, causing components to fail.
Before opening the computer case, unplug the power cord first.
When using compressed air in cans, always keep the spray nozzle at least six inches away from the motherboard. Hold the can upright.
Compressed air cans quickly get icy cold when being used, followed by release of freezing liquid which can crack circuitry and ruin your motherboard.
At the first sign of freezing liquid coming out of the air can, stop using the air and allow the can to warm up before continuing with the cleaning.
Holding the air can upside down or sideways will cause the freezing liquid to come out sooner.
Be careful to NEVER drop a screw or other object inside the computer case.
Such objects can easily cause a short circuit when you power on, which will turn your computer into a paperweight.
Critical Updates are issued by Microsoft to patch system vulnerabilities. You need to install those updates as they become available in order to protect your system.
Be sure to keep your system updated. In addition to Windows Update and Automatic Updates, you have 2 options for updating your Windows installation, more information here.
Once a month, or when you notice system slow down and have already checked for disk fragmentation, you can run CrapCleaner, a freeware program.
CrapCleaner deletes old temporary files and other junk, and there are a few other useful tools built into the program.
Run CrapCleaner before defragmenting your hard drive.
Defragment your hard drive regularly using Windows built in Disk Defragmenter.
It doesn't hurt to check for fragmentation once a month, and it only takes a minute or two to check.
If you've just installed MS Office 2007, done a lot of updates, or installed some other large program, you may need to defragment the hard drive.
If you notice gradual slowing of your system, check for fragmentation. You do that by starting Disk Defragmenter and selecting the Analyze option.
Before you run defrag:
* Empty the Recycle Bin
* Run CrapCleaner
Cable and DSL modems build up internal errors, which need to be cleared out periodically.
It is standard procedure to "power cycle" the modem once a month, or when trouble with your internet connection occurs.
To power cycle your modem, turn off the modem.
If you have a router, turn off the router too, then turn it back on after you've completed power cycling the modem.
Wait a minute or two. Then power up the modem and wait a minute or so for it to boot up.
That's it.
If you lose connectivity after power cycling, or are still without net, restart your computer.
You can optimize your internet connection easily with Speedguide's TCP optimizer.
Normally you only need to do this once.
However, you may want to run the TCP Optimizer again after installing any Service Packs on your system, and after resetting TCP/IP.
If you're having trouble connecting to the internet and have exhausted other possibilities, including power cycling your modem, you can try resetting TCP/IP.
Windows Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) can sometimes become corrupted. You can't uninstall or reinstall TCP/IP, but you can reset it to it's original state using the NetShell utility.
To reset TCP/IP, go to the Start menu, select Run, then in the text input box, enter the following command:
netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt
Then click OK or hit Enter.
A DOS window will open as TCP/IP is reset, it closes upon completion of the reset.
A log file of registry and configuration changes is also created when you use that command to clear TCP/IP.
You can clear your DNS cache if your system is running good and only your browsing is slow - and you've already scanned for malware and checked your internet connection's speed.
Every time you visit a web page, your browser has to perform a DNS lookup. Windows stores every DNS lookup in a cache, the purpose of which is to speed up future visits to that web address.
Over time the file size can become rather large, and the DNS cache has the opposite of the intended effect.
Before your browser goes to a web address, the cache is first searched to see if the DNS lookup has already been stored. That slows down your browser when the cache is large.
To clear your DNS cache, go to the Start menu, go to Accessories, then select Command Prompt.
Then enter the following command in the DOS window:
ipconfig/flushdns
Then hit Enter.
After the cache is cleared, you'll get a message telling you that in the DOS window. Then close the window.
If you've defragmented your computer, run CrapCleaner, restarted the computer, and yet are still experiencing slow down, then it's time to start scanning your computer for malware using your anti-virus and anti-spyware programs.
After possible infection is dealt with or ruled out, and your computer is still acting up, then you have to start hardware troubleshooting.
For help troubleshooting, you can use some of the resources in the Useful Links. The forums at Speedguide.net are a great place to find help.
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