How To Fix A Computer
The most common problem now days with computers is the growing potential for viruses and hacker attempts while on the internet. These pose many serious threats such as information theft, software malfunction, and some times catastrophic failure of the computer. It can be a daunting task to keep a computer safe from such cyber attacks. In the event of being hacked, a person can gain personal information and potentially take over a users computer. The first step to avoiding this is to have a firewall. If a computer has a firewall included with the operating system, it can be turned on by going to the control panel and selecting the firewall option. Sometimes this is not enough though. Using a search engine one might find many other software firewalls available to use as a stand alone or in conjunction with the built in firewall. This should be the first step a user takes if a computer begins to exhibit abnormal behavior.
As stated previously, viruses can be detrimental to a computer. Files and the operating system can become corrupted when attacked by a virus and leave the victim in devastation due to the losses. Some operating systems (such as Windows) comes with built in antivirus protection. While this can help with minimizing the threat, it still isn’t enough sometimes. Computer owners will find on many occasions that their computer becomes slow to respond and begins to act strangely when the internet is active. This is usually a sign of a virus and may be fixed by running an anti-virus scan. Additionally, one might consider purchasing an outside anti-virus software that is compatible with the operating systems built in virus protection. The additional software can be pricey but well worth it when it comes to the integrity of the operating system and important files.
In this age of internet there are multiple threats and some solutions to these threats. Sometimes though it is too late and the damage is done. It is important that a user makes a back-up disk when the computer is new before any other use has been put to it. This ensures a way to be able to install a clean copy of the operating system in the event of catastrophic failure. Windows users have the ability to back up the system rather easily and should be done frequently. An occasional back-up of recent files can also be useful to fix minor damage such a file corruption from viruses. A back-up ensures the user that the computer can be salvaged in the event of any malicious attempt or user related error. A good rule is to back-up the system once a week for daily users and no less than every two weeks for the casual user.
In the event that a computer remains sluggish there could be another set of problems other than viruses. Usually, an anti-virus program will catch most attempts by viruses. Occasionally it will miss somethings. Cookies are a way for a computer to store information for later use so that the computer does not have to repeatedly look for the same information. A user that frequents a site might find that the site has stored some information in a specific location of the computer to minimize request of information from one to the other. Usually, the user can right click on the internet service (ex..Internet Explorer) and go to the properties and choose to clear the stored history, cookies, and other pertinent information. This can help to decrease information taking up space and slowing down the machine. Also, a good anti-virus program can help clean up hidden cookies that can track information about you. It is worth the time to clean these files up every few days or so.
A computer can also decrease performance with age. Parts become out-dated and worn causing the machine to no perform as well. Most of the time a small amount of money can purchase a few simple fixes for this problem (provided you can install the parts yourself). As a computer ages the amount of available RAM (Random Access Memory) can be decreased by corrupt sectors. The RAM essentially stores frequented files until the computer is turned off. This allows for quicker response times of applications and such. Searching the internet for compatible RAM for a computer is rather simple these day and the price can vary depending on the age of the machine. Adding RAM to a computer can give it more space for temporary storage and allow more files to be opened simultaneously. Depending on the computer, installation can be rather simple as well (always check the user manual and warranty information so as not to void the warranty). Also, hard-drives can become worn and slow as well. These to have come down in price and a newer drive could be faster in response than the older one in the machine now. Files can be transferred onto the newer drive once the operating system has been installed and the computer is running on the new drive. This can greatly increase the performance of a machine and help to extend the life of it. The addition of a secondary hard-drive can also help to decrease the initial usage of the primary drive thus increasing both drives lifespan. Use this knowledge to become empowered. Stay safe, stay alert, and stay up to date so a computer can last for quite a few years before needing replaced.