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Computer Issues & Maintenance

on 02/17/08 03:19 PM Published by whatifproductionsbiz

As a computer technician and member of Locals Guide I wanted to give members a few important tips to help them with their computers. Most of these tips will be for Windows based machines (sorry Mac users) but the overall info can apply to both.

1. Windows Vista - I hear time and again how bad Windows Vista is. Now I just want to add a bit of advice to this debate. Windows Vista is getting better. Make sure you are on the automatic update because it seems to get more stable each week. The facts are, Vista is here to stay...it has many useful features that you should explore. Hang in there and give it some time...new systems are always hard getting used to and have bugs to be worked out.

2. Important Maintenance Tips

a) Perform a Disk Clean Up on a weekly basis or if possible every other day, especially if you browse the Internet. Temporary files from the internet will clog and slow down your system. Disk clean up is part of your system tools settings and is very easy to do.

b) Perfom a Disk Defrag on a weekly basis. This is very important to re-align your data files. This is also under system maintenance and will improve the efficiency of your system.

c) Keep most programs off when running your system. Those little icons at the bottom right of your screen should be kept to a minimum. This means they are on and are using some of your resources. There are two ways to stop those 1) right click on them and turn off 2) go into msconfig or start up menu and just turn them off. Vista and XP offer help on this. This is something I can give you more advice on if you email me.

3. Upgrades - Modern computers require lots of memory and hard drive space. Make sure you have at least 1 GB of RAM ( 2 GB is best) and, if possible, at least 120 GB of Hard drive space -80 GB minimum. You can upgrade most older computers fairly easy.

Okay hope that helps all of you fun loving computer folks on Local Guide. Feel free to contact me with your questions and comments. Take care.

Brian Heater Whatifproductions.biz

Tags: Computers Repair Maintenance Vista Windows Disk Clean Up Defrag RAM

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Viewing 1 - 3 out of 3 Comments

From: whatifproductionsbiz

02/18/08 09:27 AM

Thanks jody and kyle for your comments. As far as your comment Kyle. Yes keep bugging AFN, etc. for a new node. I have heard from many sources that the internet is slowing down, and will continue to do so, because of all the demand for video and gaming and just the amount of people online. Check out the amount of video uploads on localsguide and You Tube alone ! Interactive gaming is also huge. And these things are not going away, so the industry will have to keep up with it and invest in infrastructure.

One idea for you at least is to try some of the new wireless networks. Beside AFN, which I have heard is so-so out of downtown, there is Clearwire and also most cell phone companies now offer wireless internet for a decent price. It works just like local network wireless and might be tad slower, but it is probably a lot less jammed with signal than what you are experiencing now. Most companies offer you a trial period. Check it out. Good luck. Brian - Whatifproductions.biz

From: jodytoons

02/18/08 09:13 AM Great advice! It's always nice to have friends in "tech" places I'll be sure to contact you if ever I need help. :-) Jody

From: whatifproductionsbiz

02/17/08 05:15 PM

RogueWriter,
I would talk directly to the AFN folks if you haven't already. If you are paying for service and not receiving good quality, then it's customer complaint time. A group of complaints might be best with your neighbors. A tech can come out and test your signal strength...or there are a few signal test programs online. It's possible that your line is also losing signal and needs a booster. AFN can usually install a signal booster, or you can, but if the signal is going in and out that may not help. Type of wiring and connections also make a difference from the node on down. Best of luck and thanks for your comments. Brian whatifproductions.biz