Tips to Help Your Computers Performance

1. First things first: BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP - It cannot be stressed enough about how important backups are if your computer has a major malfunction.  We get asked a lot, how often should I backup my computer and files? The answer to that question depends on how often your files change. If you create or modify documents and data everyday you may want to backup those files daily. If they don't change much maybe once a week or even once a month. We recommend that any financial files get backup every time you change them. I once hear someone say "Backups are like car insurance, it just isn't worth anything until you need it."

2. Perform Windows Updates on your computer. Believe it or not your computer is not perfect (it was designed and built by humans), by performing Windows updates regularly you help insure that your system is protected from viruses and problems are fixed. If you are running Microsoft Windows XP, we recommend that you turn on automatic updates. Not sure how to run Windows Updates, if you can't find a link on the start menu of your computer you can always go to www.microsoft.com and click on Windows Updates on the left side of the main page.

3. Clean our your temporary internet files and cookies - Clean out the what and eat what? No, No, No. The temporary internet folder is where your browser stores files every time you access a web page. Have you ever noticed that the first time you go to a web page it seems to load slower than the next time you return? Well that is because the picture files and other files are already on your computer and your browser doesn't have to download them again. So you may ask why clean out this file, good question. Over time these files just keep piling up in this folder and can slow you down when you surf the internet. Cookies are files that web sites use to identify you among other things. Have you ever gone to a web site and it say hello welcome YOUR NAME? Well they knew your name because when you gave it to them they put the information in a cookie and loaded on your computer. Cookies can be a good thing but some people have found ways to use the cookies to track where you surf, what you buy and other use it to send you spam mail. So now that you know what the files are how to delete them. Open internet explorer (the big blue e), click on tools at the top of the window, select internet options, click on the delete cookies button, when the hour glass goes away click on the delete files button (Note: Each button may take a while to finish depending on how long it has been since you cleaned out the files). If you don't see the delete cookies and delete files button you need to go back to step 2. How often should you clean out these files? Again it depends on what kind of internet user you are but once a month or every other month should be fine for your basic internet users. If you have a high speed internet connection (like DSL, cable modem, etc) there is a setting where you can delete these files every time you close your browser. If you are interested in this setting then just contact us and let us know that you want to know how to delete temporary files every time you close your browser.

4. Get Ride of Spyware - Pop Ups are those adds that open when you close a site, pop ups are usually caused by programs called spyware. Spyware programs can cause major problems with your computer and its performance. So how do these spyware programs get on your computer, usually you install them. Yes you do! You know that free game you downloaded or that neat program, well spyware is sometimes installed with these programs. You know what is really funny? You said it was okay to do so. Do you remember that license agreement that you just clicked on I Agree? Well in that agreement you said it was okay to install the ad software. Okay so now you know, but how do you get ride of it. Well there are some really great programs out there that are free. Microsoft has a new program called Windows Defender that is really good and can be downloaded here http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=435bfce7-da2b-4a6a-afa4-f7f14e605a0d&displaylang=en Windows Defender is in beta, which is like the testing phase, but works very well. If you are not sure that you want to use a beta program then there is a program called ad-aware that can be downloaded from this site http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/ , there is another program called Spybot that can be downloaded from this site http://spybot.safer-networking.de/en/download/index.html  Although both these programs are free they do ask for donations and we ask that you please donate money so that they will continue to be free. There are many other programs that are available, just go to a search engine like www.google.com and put in spyware removers.

5. Install a Pop Up Blocker - There are a number of good pop up blockers but one of the best free ones that we have found it the google toolbar. You can get the google toolbar here http://toolbar.google.com/?promo=mor-tb-en The google toolbar is easy to see and use and you can tell it not to block a window that you might want to see (which all good pop up blockers should do).

6. Install and Update your Antivirus software - Viruses are getting smarter and smarter (I guess it is the hackers that write them) but now you don't have to do anything and you can get infected. There is a company called Grisoft that has a free antivirus. The free version is basic but works well. Try the free version and if you like it we recommend that you purchase a full version. You can download the free version here http://free.grisoft.com/doc/Get+AVG+FREE/lng/us/tpl/v5

Well those are six basic steps that we greatly help improve the importance of your computer. Of course these six are not the only things you can do to improve the performance of your computer so if you would like more information or would like for CTS to clean up your computer please contact us.