Technology And Computer|

Everyone with a computer will encounter some type of error or unexplained crash. There are many instances when a user will consider enlisting the services of a computer maintenance expert to fix their problem. Before calling a computer technician, there are a number of things you can try to resolve the error. If the following repair measures do not resolve the problem, you should contact a computer maintenance expert:

1) If you are having a connection problem, your internet provider may be having problems. Check your own connections to make sure a cable is not unplugged. Unplug each of your devices and reconnect each cable to make sure you have a good connection.

2) A message saying your computer is low on memory does not always mean you have to buy more memory. Click on the Task Manager and close hidden programs to free memory.

3) If you have memory errors, run a current virus checker.

4) If your computer crashes, reboot it, and run ScanDisk to see if there is an error. The scandisk will fix the error. You can also defragment your computer. It will put files back in order and free up disk space.

5) If your computer crashes before you have saved your file, use autorecovery to retrieve the lost file. The file may also be located in a temporary file folder. Check your temporary file folder to see if the file is there.

6) If your computer freezes, enter Ctrl-Alt-Del. It will bring up a list of running programs. Check to see if a program is not responding. Click on the program and choose ‘end program’. You can also reboot your computer to see if it resolves the problem

When you see a message that says you have a motherboard failure, you need to contact a computer maintenance expert. After trying all measures to resolve the problem with no success, you should contact a computer maintenance expert. They will work remotely from their own computer, come to your home or office, or you can take your computer to their office. Maintain a record outlining everything you have tried so they don’t have to repeat them.

Computer maintenance experts provide the following services:

- Replacing missing or corrupt driver files
- Updating and reconfiguring a motherboard system
- Performing hardware diagnostic on hard drives, memory, CPU, and motherboard systems
- Hard disk optimization and defragmentation
- Downloading and installing updated driver files
- Antivirus checks to locate potentially dangerous dormant viruses within your system. They will remove the viruses from your computer
- Updating your system with the latest software
- Checking for communication conflicts
- Cleaning up old files

- Identifying corrupt or missing driver files
- Checking and repairing your computer registry
- Resolving computer fatal errors
- Repairing invalid system boot configurations.
- Reinstalling or repairing operating systems.
- Small network installation and configuration
- Scanning hard disk for boot record problems
- Restoring slow computers to their original performing speed.
- Repairing , restoring, and troubleshooting the internet connection
- Recovering and extracting data from faulty computers
- Computer setup and security

This is just a small list of the many services a computer maintenance expert provides. In order to help keep your computer free of serious errors, you should clean your equipment regularly. You should also back up your data so you do not lose important documents in the event of a serious computer crash.

Computer maintenance experts are qualified to deal with any computer issue. They are certified from accredited schools and experienced in all computer areas. If you find yourself in a situation where you have had no success resolving your problem, your best option is to contact a computer maintenance expert.

With all of the resources available to you, you may well ask yourself, “Why do I need a computer expert to maintain my computer?” The short answer is, you don’t. Just like you don’t need a technician to fix your car, repair your furnace, or do any other maintenance or repairs. If you have the knowledge and the time, you can easily repair and maintain your own computer.

But be warned, there are several potential “gotchas” involved in maintaining your own computer. If you decide to repair your own automobile, a company won’t sell you a carburetor what will break your car. Unfortunately, that’s not true of computer maintenance. There are many programs out there that either don’t do what they purport to do, perform unnecessary functions, or are just plain dangerous to install. It’s up to you, the computer maintenance technician, to determine what programs you can safely use in what manner.

In this article, we’ll discuss some of the programs out there and what the do-it-yourselfer needs to watch out for.

Registry Cleaners Websites such as Finally Fast.com and Double My Speed.com have been promoting themselves heavily of late. These (and other) sites offer products to download and install that purport to improve your computer’s performance. These programs are mostly registry cleaners. The Windows registry is simply a database that the operating system uses to store everything it needs to know to run as per your specifications. In addition, it’s available to any other program to write their information in there as well. Since Windows 95, the registry has been the recommended repository for user preferences, settings, and any other variables a program has to remember.

Over time the Windows registry will become cluttered with unneeded information, most frequently caused by uninstallation programs not removing all of the data they should. The concept of a registry cleaner is that it will detect and remove these orphan settings, frequently improving computer performance.

The problem with registry cleaners is that they will often incorrectly detect a setting as unneeded and delete it, causing problems with either installed programs or the Windows operating system itself. Registry cleaners are good, but you should never blindly take their advice as to what to delete. You should always review each entry to verify that it can be deleted safely.

And keep in mind there are freeware applications that do an excellent job of cleaning your Windows registry. Ccleaner is the one recommended by The Computer Psychic. (Go to Google and search for ccleaner.)

Anti-Malware Applications Malware (spyware and virus) cleanup and prevention is one of the most important aspects of computer maintenance. If you catch a virus on your system, you leave yourself open to all sorts of mischief – including having files deleted, getting your address book scammed and spam e-mails being sent in your name, and even having your credit card and banking information stolen! Spyware can be just as bad – it typically “watches” what you do on your computer, down to even logging keystrokes, and thus stealing your passwords. In addition to these problems, spyware and viruses are often poorly written, causing performance problems in your system.

There are dozens of applications on the market that claim to remove malware from your system. And many of them do a good job. But here’s the rub – many programs that present themselves as anti-virus or anti-spyware are, themselves, viruses and spyware! The Computer Psychic has seen all too many systems where the owner has – with the best of intentions – installed an anti-malware app into their system, only to see the floodgates opened; they find themselves with more popup ads and performance problems than they’ve ever seen before.

So how do you make sure you don’t install one of these #$%& programs? First of all, if you get a pop-up message telling you that your computer is infected with viruses and click here to download a virus cleaner, don’t do it! Without exception, these programs are scams. Downloading one of these apps will introduce your system to more viruses than you thought existed. In fact, when you see this window, you’ll be presented with an OK and Cancel button. Don’t click either one! If you click Cancel, it will still install a virus. Instead, click on the little X in the upper right-hand corner to close the window.

Secondly, if you use a search engine looking for anti-malware programs, be careful what links you follow. Malware creators will name their applications very similar to – or even exactly the same as – legitimate programs, hoping to confuse you into downloading theirs instead of the good one. For example, if you wanted to download Spybot Search and Destroy (an excellent anti-spyware program) and searched for it in Yahoo, the very first result you’ll find purports itself to be Spybot. Clicking their link takes you to a page that says it’s Spybot Search and Destroy, but is actually an application that acts as a gateway to allow viruses into your system.

So, again, you need to take the time to learn what is and what isn’t safe to install. The Computer Psychic has a very easy recommendation. Microsoft has a vested interest in keeping your computer malware-free. If they do a good job of preventing viruses from getting into your system, then that’s one less thing that Apple can beat them up over. Towards that end, in September of 2009, Microsoft released an excellent free anti-malware program named Microsoft Security Essentials (www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials). In the past, The Computer Psychic has recommended against all-in-one solutions, arguing that no one application can catch everything. But Microsoft Security Essentials is just that good. It does as good a job as – or better than – any other application, or combination of apps, in blocking any type of spyware or virus.

Startup Monitors While not as popular as the other system maintenance programs, proper use of a startup monitor can dramatically speed up your computer. A startup monitor will tell you just what programs, drivers and processes load when you start your computer.

When you boot up your computer, the operating system will also auto-start many other components – possibly a fax application, printer elements, video or mouse drivers, to name a few. These are good – they are essential for the proper operation of your computer. However, many applications add themselves to the auto-run settings for their own convenience – not yours.

For example, programs such as Adobe Reader and Microsoft Office will tell the operating system to pre-load some of their components as Windows starts up. This allows their software to open more quickly when needed. The downside of this is, even if you aren’t actively using their software, your computer is using memory running those components. Better to not pre-load those components; let the software take a second or two longer to load, and speed up your entire system.

Another popular use for the startup is for auto-update programs. These apps will periodically check the internet looking for updates. If one is found, the program will present you with a window telling you an update is available. Not only do these apps consume computer resources, they can be an annoyance.

In order to easily prevent unwanted software from running automatically, The Computer Psychic recommends a Microsoft application called AutoRuns (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx). Using Autoruns you can decide just what apps you want to run when starting your computer. Once again, though, don’t blindly turn of all apps. Make sure you know what you’re disabling.

Summary

As you can see, using the tools recommended in this article makes it quite possible for anyone to maintain their computer’s health. But as with anything technical, make sure you know what you’re doing before just tinkering away.