[Oxidopamine]

Mental illness or not, computers can become a real hassle regardless if you struggle to find the keyboard to knowing the ins and outs. The purpose of this thread is to suggest tips for maintaining your computer, both for hardware and software. I'm going to start with just a few really simple things that can help your computer experience be less frustrating and more positive.

1) Routinely clean out cookies and temp Internet files. If you are more tech savvy, you can also clean out your DNS cache files, IIS log files, .dats, etc... . All of this sounds incredibly complex to do manually so the easier and faster way is to use CCleaner. The purpose of doing all this is to clear up the clutter your computer accumulates as you browse the web to make it run a bit faster as well as clearing up some memory space. If you have FireFox, IE, Google Chrome, Safari and other web browsers, you can also set them to automatically clean out some of this each time you close your Internet.

2) Use anti-virus and Internet security programs. One of the most frustrating things to resolve is figuring out how to get rid of malware and spyware. Malware is the technical term for viruses, worms, trojans, etc... . Even though the best anti-virus and Internet security program cannot prevent every single malware or spyware from entering, they certainly reduce the amount. You can either buy one from a store or download online. Here is a link of free ones that are very reputable.

3) Use programs to scan your computer and act as further defense. A tell-tale sign of an infected computer is that the anti-virus program will give some sort of error saying it cannot run (assuming your subscription hasn't run out). Similar to #2, there are a variety of such programs, however, a commonly used one is Malwarebytes (MBAM). Each of these anti-malware programs will produce a log file and they can very troublesome to read for people who aren't tech savvy, such as HijackThis logs. In that case, there are many websites dedicated to helping people with malware problems and interpreting these log files. It takes about 6-7-ish minutes for me to interpret the log file and figure out which files should be removed.

4) Try to avoid using downloadable toolbars for your Internet browser. Many downloadable programs sometimes will ask if a toolbar can be installed and they can create a major hassle. Some of them are well-known to be spyware, meaning they can track your computer and Internet activity then send it to the receiver(s). These toolbars more often than not slow down your Internet browsing and unfortunately, can become a major pain to remove. On the other hand, some toolbars will not slow down your Internet browsing and it's completely up to you whether you wish to use them.

5) Ensure you regularly perform the needed updates for your computer. This is to install any patches (i.e. blocks to specific exploits or hacks) and provide your computer with the necessary drivers that more modern software use. Sometimes you may find your computer's auto-update isn't installing something you want, or just to see if anything is out of date, you can use a program such as Driver Scanner (note this is only for Windows), which can update for non-Microsoft related programs.

6) Try to keep your laptop or desktop cool for it to run more efficiently. If you find your computer is getting quite hot, a possible reason is the fan is blocked or isn't enough. For my laptop, I use a laptop chill mat with built-in fans. You can buy these at any computer store, mine cost just under $40. An added benefit is it tilts the laptop upward a bit to make it more comfortable and reduce likelihood of carpal tunnel syndrome. Another thing you can do is turn off the laptop, open the back up where the fan is and gently blow using a pressurized canister. This can be quite intimidating for non-tech savvy people to do so if you're unsure, bring it to a computer repair shop where it'll take a minute or two. Not sure how much they'll charge for it though .

7) All Windows computers contain a folder called System32 or SYSWOW64 depending if you have 32-bit or 64-bit encryption. This is not a folder to fiddle with unless you know what you're doing because it contains all the files for running Windows. If you download something from the Internet, carefully check the path it's going to use for download. It should be Program Files or Program Files (86x). If it says System32 or SYSWOW64, you either should cancel the installation, re-direct it or ask someone who knows more whether the program should be accessing this folder. If you are going to put files in there, such as .dll or .ocx files, do not put it in one of the sub-folders unless you know it should be there.

8) Every so often, run defragmentation. This is a process where your computer physically organizes files and their components back together. Although computers are highly organized machines, as they repeatedly access files, the components are not always brought back together, so it will take longer for programs to run, files to load and takes up more memory. In severe cases, programs will be unable to run or load. This process is built into every computer, so you don't need to download anything from the Internet unless you are unsure.

The way to do this is go to the Start menu -> Run (or in the search box) type "cmd" without the quotation marks -> Left click on the command prompt icon and type "defrag" without the quotation marks. When you do so, be sure it already says "C:\Users\Yourname" without the quotation marks or when it says "C:\>".

Good tips. I had to remove my fans recently and give everything a good cleaning. I have a PC and it really isn't hard at all. My machine is very outdated and has no temp monitoring program. There is a good program for monitoring temps here: http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php and it's free
If you DL this don't freak if you see the flame icon briefly now and then. And if you have SMART don't change any settings unless you really know what you're doing.
What the OP said about DLing programs can't be stressed enough, Choose custom or advance install if given a choice. Be wary of any progs from CNet. Any progs from P2P should always be scanned before you open them. Scan with mbam and your a-v program.
One more tip... use noscript just to be on the safe side. http://noscript.net/
And this organization has some good progs:
http://www.googlesharing.net/products.php
google sharing prevents google from tracking your every move and do not track+ is good too. Also has a couple of other good privacy progs there if you shop online or use facebook.
And one more...web of trust, though they are still working bugs out there... some false reports and such. http://www.mywot.com/
If you use FF there are some good add-ons here http://nc.ddns.us/MyAddons/MyAddons.htm

[gma45]

Thanks for the tips. Always good to have a reminder to do this!

[krisakira]

I use a q-tip with a tiny bit of water on it to clean my keyboard every now and then. I use a bit of glasses cleaner and a microfiber cloth to clean my monitor.

thanks for the tips.

think i do most of them

[shadowpink]

Thank you. This is very helpful.