Good computer maintenance advice from Dawn
- From: "Mirza Ghalib" <mghalib01@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 5 Aug 2006 19:13:35 -0700
Does your PC need help?
By Hafsa Ahsan, Dawn Magazine, Aug 5
It is impossible that your PC doesn't act up every once in a while.
Everyone's PC loves to act up - whether it is a problem of the
computer shutting down every five minutes, browsers not working (where
messengers are), pop-up windows appearing every two seconds, the
computer slowing down to an almost agonising speed, and so on.
Those of us who are computer-literate to the point of efficiency can
easily locate the problem and solve it. The majority of us who are not
so fortunate have to dissemble the PC, load it into the car and cart it
off to the nearest computer shop, where we are politely told that our
hard drive will have to be re-formatted for the problem to be solved.
No matter what the problem is, every time the PC has to be
re-formatted. But, is it really so?
If you know the symptoms, then you can easily locate the problem
yourself and hunt down the solution through a search engine. There
isn't any hard and fast course on "Tracking down the symptoms of an
infected PC and dealing with It." But there are loads of websites
which you can visit any time your PC looks like its come down with
something (except when it is facing browser problems). That's when
you'll have to rely on your friend's or library's or computer
lab's PC.
The best website to begin learning more about computers and related
problems is http://computing.net/ . A very comprehensive website, this
one has clearly categorised sections for efficient browsing. If you are
researching certain symptoms your PC is showing, then the best section
to visit first is the forums' section. The different forums are
categorised by the Windows' Operating Systems as well as Linux, Unix,
DOS etc. There are separate rooms for security and virus and gaming as
well. Once you're in the appropriate room, simply scroll through the
messages to determine whether or not your area of concern has been
covered already or not. If it hasn't, you can simply register
yourself as a user, and post your query. And someone will definitely
solve your problem.
If, however, you want to learn a thing or two about computers in
general then the "Articles and Opinions" section containing a range
of the same written by technology experts and analysts will definitely
suffice. Then, there is an extensive how-to section. If you find that
installing or updating certain software caused your PC to 'crash'
then better check out this section, before carrying out any sensitive
action on your PC. How-to articles have been divided into simple and
advanced form for your convenience. A related section is "Novice
Section" where you can access how-to guides related to purchasing PC
stuff, using the Internet and accessing digital music. And finally,
check out the FAQ section to ensure that whatever query you are about
to post on the forums hasn't already been covered.
Another resourceful website is that of CNET Forums at
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-7600_7-5565323-1.html?tag=txt . All you
need to do here is sign up to become a part of a very diverse set of
forums. There are many categories here along with the standard
operating system category. Some of the interesting ones include Digital
Media and Design, General Help and Software. It goes without saying
that if you're stuck with your PC, the best place to point your mouse
and click is the General Help Forum.
Also, there is always the Microsoft Knowledge Base website at
http://search.support.microsoft.com where you can search for any
specific problem or piece of information using a very elaborate input
form. You can also download critical security updates for various
Microsoft products as well as your operating system to avoid any virus
attack or hijack attempts. Moreover, you can access help and support
regarding various Microsoft products as well by poring through the
troubleshooting guide and how-to articles.
A useful search engine to pinpoint problems and locate solutions is
http://answerpoint.ask.com/ . Simply write down your problem in a
phrase and you will be directed to the appropriate websites to get your
PC scanned and download the necessary software. If you already suspect
your PC of being infected with spyware, for instance, you can directly
access http://www.spywareinfo.com/ for remedies, for anti-viruses
check out http://www.antivirus.com - and to fight homepage hijackers
and irritating pop-up windows you can visit
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html.
An important thing to remember at this point is that there are certain
occasions when a hard drive format becomes inevitable. To safeguard
against such a time, when you run the risk of losing your important
data, the best thing is to keep a backup of all the important files.
Here, Yahoo's briefcase at http://briefcase.yahoo.com becomes very
handy. With 30 MB storage and a facility to create folders, you can
easily upload your files there, categorise them in folders and access
them if you lose the same on your hard disk.
For more sophisticated methods of file recovery, you can check out
http://www.filerecovery.org/index.html . This website details the
various different ways in which you stand at risk of losing your data
such as mechanical and environmental factors, and then guides
accordingly as to how to create a backup file and store data. It also
has a comprehensive guide on how to maintain your computer so you stand
at the minimum risk of getting it infected with some unknown problems.
Some of the steps mentioned here include avoiding cluttering up your
hard disk with unnecessary stuff, checking occasionally for viruses and
worms, and shutting down the computer properly.
Hopefully, now you won't have to suffer through loss of important
data and other multimedia stuff unnecessarily. And even when a hard
drive format becomes inevitable, you'll have a backup.
.
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