Articles and Information
by Members for Members

Tune Up Your Computer

by Lizzz Russell

Things that you should do on a regular basis

Feel the back top of your computer to make sure that it is not hot. If it is hot, this means that your computer is not getting enough ventilation, and it could mean that your power supply fan has stopped turning. If it is hot, turn it off and have it checked. It could save your computer from sudden death.

Listen to the sounds your computer is making. If you hear clanking or screeching, get it serviced. A clanking noise could indicate a hard drive starting to fail. A screeching noise could indicate that the processor fan is failing. Either one is bad.

Clean the inside of your computer or have it cleaned at least once a year. Use compressed, high pressure, desiccated air, not a vacuum. Check the inside every four months. If you live on or near a gravel road, clean it at least twice a year. DO NOT EVER USE WD40 INSIDE YOUR COMPUTER.

Do not put any energized equipment next to curtains, especially CRT monitors. Monitors sometimes fail when you least expect it, and one little spark can burn your house down.

Adding RAM to your computer.

RAM is Random Access Memory. It is what your computer uses as a virtual blackboard.

When you run a program, the processor causes the program to be copied from storage (usually your hard drive) onto the blackboard (RAM). The bigger the blackboard, the more you can write without having to erase it. In many cases, adding memory to your computer can speed it up considerably.

You can tell how much memory your computer has by right-clicking on My Computer and then left-clicking on Properties. The amount of memory will be displayed in the bottom right-hand corner.

Next, check your computer documentation or with the manufacturer to see how much memory your computer can have total and what kind of memory you need.

There are many types of memory, SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory), RDRAM (Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory), DDR SDRAM (Double Data Rate SDRAM), SODIMM (Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module). Within this major types, there are many more variations, most of which have to do with speed and built-in error checking such as parity and ECC).

You usually cannot tell what kind you have by just looking at it. The better way is to find out if you can increase your RAM by contacting the manufacturer of your computer, one of the major vendors that sells by computer brands, such as www.Kingston.com or www.Crucial.com, or to take it to a technician. The standard amount of memory today is 256 MB, and it is moving towards 512 MB. Some people are using Gigabytes. The more the better.

Programs that Start With Your Computer

For all versions of Windows, except 2000 and 95, you can tell what programs are starting with your computer by left-clicking on Start, left-clicking on Run, typing MSCONFIG and then left-clicking on OK.

The screen that comes up has a bunch of tabs that are displayed across the top.

Left-click on the one that says “Startup.”

Typical startup programs include antivirus, antispyware, and firewall programs, Windows maintenance programs (scanregw, pchealth, and others), sound, modem, mouse, and printer control programs, messenger services, and others.

You can usually tell what a program is by the name. If it has a weird name like “vzyQ1234," chances are excellent that the program is a virus. The one exception to the weird name rule a Windows Update patch called KB891711.exe. If you're not sure what a particular program is or does, you can always search for it on Google by typing in “What is KZQ1773."

Some really bad ones that are rampant right now are “Winup2date and TVMedia.”

Programs That You Should Be Running on Your PC, if you ever connect to the Internet

•  Antivirus

My personal recommendation is AVG from Grisoft.

It is free for personal use. For business use, it costs just over $33, which includes two years of updates. If you have more than one machine, the cost is less.

You can also purchase the Professional edition it for personal use. The advantage is that your downloads are quicker because they use more machines to service

their paying customers.

You can download AVG from or from www.grisoft.com.

WARNING!!! If you have any version of Norton Antivirus prior to 2005, I recommend switching to another program immediately because the earlier

versions are NOT catching the worms.

•  Antispyware

If you are running Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Windows 2003 Server edition, you need to be running Microsoft Antispyware. It is currently in beta testing (you get to use it before it is officially released). I give it two thumbs up, especially because it runs in real time and keeps your browser from being hijacked (somebody changes your website of choice to their website of choice.). Microsoft did an excellent job on this one. I hope the rumors about their

developing an antivirus program are true!!!!!

You can download it from www.microsoft.com/downloads.

Hint! If the Antispyware bull's eye icon turns blue in the taskbar, there is

something that requires your attention.

Microsoft Antispyware by itself is not enough. For starters, it does not remove Microsoft's spyware, known as Alexa. It also doesn't catch everything.

As Plan B, I recommend Lavasoft's Ad-Aware SE. It's easy to use, and it's free for personal use. For business use, there is Lavasoft Ad-Aware Plus. It costs $26.95 for one year. It also doesn't catch everything, but it catches an awful lot (and I mean that literally).

Another program I like and recommend is Spybot Search and Destroy from It has a feature called “Immunize” which blocks over 2000 advertising and porn websites from accessing your computer. If you don't use any other feature from this program, use this one. It's a free program for all users.

You can download Ad-aware and Spybot from links on MUG's Free Stuff page.

•  Firewall

If you're running Windows XP, make sure that you have Service Pack 2 installed. It comes with a firewall, which is adequate for the average user. To tell what version of Windows you have, right-click on My Computer, then left-click on Properties.

If you're not running Windows XP, then I recommend Zone Lab's Zone Alarm Free edition (free for personal use only). You can get it from You will get many matches because there are many variations of this program. Look for the one that says “Free.”

•  Microsoft Windows Update

Windows Update will look different, depending on which version of Windows you are running.

For Windows 2000, XP, and 2003 users, the updates should be being installed automatically, but you should run it manually once a month or so.

For Windows 95, 98, 98 Second Edition, Millenium Edition, Windows Update must be run manually unless you downloaded the automatic update update.

To run it manually, left-click on START, left-click on Programs, and then left-click on Windows Update.

  When the Windows Update screen appears, left-click on Custom Install.

This will allow you to see updates that are not critical, such as Windows Media Player upgrades and hardware driver updates.

Any updates that are not critical must be selected by left-clicking on the category and then left-clicking on the check box(es) for the updates.

Then, left-click on install updates and left-click on the Install button when it appears.

•  Anti-SPAM

If you are being slammed with SPAM, you might want to try a download of ChoiceMail Free 2.66 (free) or MailFrontier Desktop (free to try, $29.95). Another alternative is to clean all the spyware off your computer and then change your email address.

•  Popup Blocker

If you're not using Windows XP or a service with a built-in popup stopper, you can download a free one from called Popup Stopper.

Programs To Avoid!!!!!

  Kazaa, Bear Share, Morpheus, P2P Networking, Bullseye Network, iMesh, AG Satellite,

  Newdotnet, LimeWire, Napster (older versions), and other file sharing software

These programs almost guarantee that your computer will be hit by viruses and spyware.

Another one to be avoided is ICQ, for much spyware seems to be getting in through that door.

I also recommend not using GoBack. Even though the GoBack feature is very nice, it changes the hard drive partition table and makes it extremely difficult to recover data if your hard drive ever crashes because of a virus or mechanical failure.