Cleaning
As with a car or a home, a computer needs regular maintenance. This ensures that the computer functions at its best. Every user can learn these basic maintenance operations; they are not extremely technical nor difficult to carry out.
Your computer most likely came with a manual! It is always a good idea to look through the manual (no matter how dull it may be *s*). The information it contains is invaluable. And the more you know about your system the better user you will be. Also, if you do call for technical support you'll be able to explain your problem more clearly.
For particulars of each Operating System and Computer System, check your manual, online help sources, ask a knowledgeable computer guru/friend, or call the software/hardware manufacturer's technical support line. (Be aware that there may be a fee involved!!! Yes, you may have to pay for technical support.)
Computers get dirty, both inside and outside. To remove dust from the system, read your manual on how to open the case, purchase a can of air from a local computer supply store or a Radio Shack store, and blow the air out of the case. Be careful not to touch the internal components as you may inadvertently damage something - like burning out the motherboard! - which would not be a good thing. *g*
A damp cloth can be used to wipe the outside of the case and the monitor. For the screen, it is best to use a screen cleaning kit also available at the computer supply store.
Don't forget the keyboard! Dirty hands, dust, and the crumbs from the snack you eat while you check email or chat can all gunk up your keyboard. Cotton swabs dipped in rubbing alcohol for the keycaps and a few goods bursts with the can of air for between the keys will do wonders.
That's about it for cleaning your computer. Not much to it really. *s*
Well, it is a given that your hard drive only has so much space. Don't we all wish we could have a 9 gig drive? *g* But such is not reality, at least not for most of us. So, it becomes important to keep track of what is installed and stored on your drive(s). In Windows 95 the easiest application to use to manage your files is Windows Explorer. Open it up, take a look at what is installed. If you have software installed that you're not using, uninstall or delete it (check the software manual for instructions on uninstallation). Why fill up space unnecessarily? In addition, go to the Windows/Temp directory and delete everything there.
Also, since you are using a browser for your Internet and Web activities, make sure you keep your cache files under control. These can pile up fast!! (I once helped a gentleman who called in to tech support because his browser kept crashing. I checked his cache files and he had over 2,500! Of course the browser kept crashing. *s*) Clearing out the cache varies by browser, i.e., my Netscape Communicator does it automatically every so often. Handy feature! *s* If your browser doesn't have that feature, just use Explorer (or File Manager in Windows 3.x or if you are a hardcore DOS fan --yes, people still use DOS!-- use the DEL command), find the browser directory, then its cache directory and delete those files. One important note (again, for Netscape users), in my cache directory I have a "fat.db" file. I leave that one alone and don't delete it.
Lastly, if you don't know what a file does, where it came from, or why it is on your hard drive----Leave It Alone!!! You don't want to go around deleting files that your system or your software needs! (Another unhappy user I helped in my tech support days mistakenly deleted everything on his c: drive. You can imagine how he was feeling....mighty sorry indeed! *s*
ScanDisk is a system tool that checks the following items on your disk (either floppy or fixed): file allocation tables, file directories and folders, and the actual disk surface. There is also an option to repair any errors that ScanDisk finds. This tool should be used at least once a week for the standard test, and monthly for the advanced/surface test. It doesn't take too much time, and usually fixes the errors it finds (not always, but Windows 95 doesn't "always" do what it is supposed to do....something that veteran users have known since it came out *g*).
Disk Defragmenter (Defrag) is a utility that optimizes your hard drive. After using your system, the files become fragmented. Defrag will make the files contiguous, which speeds up access to your drive. In Windows 95, I recommend running Defrag when the drive is approximately 3% fragmented.
The world isn't always a nice and safe place....the same holds true in the computer industry. Those evil minds bent on destruction of your system create nasty little things called viruses. Your best defense, especially if you get onto the Internet or share floppy disks with others, is an anti-virus program such as Norton or McAfee (though there are others on the market). Load this puppy and let it do its thing. Normally, this would mean running a virus scan each time you boot.
There's no guarantee that your system is 100 % protected all the time. But, at least you know that you have some protection. The old adage being "something is better than nothing". *s*
