Computer maintenance are based on some basic features that needs to be kept. Computers are based on hardware and software. The hardware equipment build the computer itself and enable its capabilities to perform computer tasks and the software enable us to run the applications we need onto those hardware equipment.

Since the software basics that needs to be kept are starting with the operating system (either Microsoft Windows, Linux, Macintosh etc…), an Anti-Virus software and a solid firewall that will keep out system safe from harm. Also, since we work with the computer, on a daily basis, some garbage is being piled up, like when you delete files, move files, cut and paste files etc… the way the data is stored on the system gets many gaps that needs to be maintained in order for us not to lose the performance we had when we first started. Like anything else in life, everything needs some maintenance, like cars, our houses (clean dust, wash floors etc…), like if we won’t wash the dishes in our sink, we won’t be able to use the sink anymore eventually, so it needs to be cleaned to be re-used 🙂

I will specify some tips for keep your computer maintained, so let’s get to it.

Scheduled maintenance tips on Microsoft Windows OS: (Windows 7 Example)

• Click Start
• Click All Programs
• Click Accessories
• Click System Tools
• Click Disk Cleanup (If there are more hard drives than one, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.

Disk cleanup does some calculations and estimations of the files on the hard-disk and will pop-up a window that will enable you to choose which type of files to clean.

* Then press the “CLEAN UP SYSTEM FILES“. (On Windows XP, it works almost in the same way).

The Disk Defragmenter – Windows 7:

The disk defragmenter is fixing those gaps that are being caused due to moves and re-installation of applications, the programs are not sitting on the same continuous spaces, so the derangement binds those program together so they will sit in the same storage space.

• Click Start
• Click All Programs
• Click Accessories
• Click System Tools
• Click Disk Defragmenter

* Choose the drive you want to defragment and then let it run till it finishes, end the system will run quicker.
* You should let it analyze first – to know how much in percentage needs to be defragmented. If the percentage is high, then it is worthwhile to let it run.

Cleaning the computer from DUST: (Once a Month or at least every yearly quarter)

Every household has dust and our computers suffer from dust as well. The computer has ventilation fans that keep it cool, and shoves those dust particles into the computer.

Eventually the dust will cover the motherboard electronics, and the fans in such manner that might either harm the operation of the motherboard electronic units, and the speed and smoothness of the fans operation, which might slow them down, and effect their efficiency in cooling our computer systems.
So clean dust from your computer – shut the computer down – open the side door and use a small brush to brush those dust particles off the electronics, the motherboard, the cables and connections and from the fans… (better start from the fans). When the dust is settle on the bottom, you can either vacuum it or just brush it out of your computer box.

Detect and repair hard-disk errors:
You can run the error checking program, which will scan and check the hard-disks, to see if it needs repair, if it does find a reason to run the repair procedure, let it run and fix your hard disk.

• Click Start
• Click My computer
• Right click the hard-disks – and choose Properties
• Click the Tools tab
• Click the Check now (In windows 7 it is called Error-Checking).

Basically keep an eye for your computer performance, even though with the computers today being so quick and efficient, it is harder to see the changes in performance, but if the system loads slower then you where used to, or opening windows, office applications, browsers etc… takes time (well more then you where used to) then just do these procedures, it should get better.

I don’t know if you have ever stepped into a computer store, or just checked the internet to seek for a new computer, and you have seen so many options out there to choose from, you got overwhelmed. So how can we know which computer do we need? Which computer do we want?
Well, there are some simple questions that need to be answered in order to get you focused on the computer most suitable for you.

One more thing: Purchasing a computer is an expense that not everyone can afford. The choice of if to buy a computer now is very simple.
If you need a computer right now, buy it, otherwise wait for it, since there will always be a newer more powerful computer coming out as they get improved every day. If you will always wait for the best computer, you will never buy a computer:).

# First question is “Why do you want a computer? What is the purpose?”

• Think of what do you need the computer for? Do you need it to be portable (Laptop) or will a desktop computer suffices? Will you be playing games with it? Write a book? Browse the Internet? Use it for college work? (Documents etc…), Maybe just for watching movies and presentations? Maybe you want all of these functions to be running on the same computer?
• When you answered all of these questions, you can move to the next question.

# Second question is “Which software you will need on your computer”?

• When you know the purpose of your computer, you can find out which kind of software will be the best suit your needs. Think about which operating system will suit you best, if it is the open-source free Linux operating system or Microsoft Windows OS, or the Macintosh OS. Some examples: A student will need the Microsoft Office suite (Documents, Excel, PowerPoint etc…), A Video designer,
  will need Video editing programs like the CyberLink PowerDirector 8 Deluxe etc…

# Third question is “What type of hardware do we need?”

• This will help us choose the package we need. The hardware part includes the Hard-Disk, amount of memory, the graphic card, screen size etc… This question when answered will assist you in choosing the suitable computer configuration and additional hardware as needed.

Let’s go into choosing a computer. A basic issue I have always believed in, (when you’re not really tight with money) is to buy the best or at least the most advanced computer model since a computer purchase should last between 3-5 years, you will need it to be able to cope with new developments along the way, s
o it will be able to run new and updated features.

Whether you choose a Laptop or a Desktop computer it is pretty clear, the main question to be asked is “Do you need the computer to be mobile? Do you need to move it around with you?” If the answer is yes, then buy a Laptop, if not you can buy a Desktop computer.

So now that we have found a way to narrow down the choices of the computer we need and want, now we can start thinking about how to choose the right computer. I will divide it into Desktop & laptop since they are slightly different.

Laptops:

I am not going to start recommending specific types, I just want to give you some idea on what to focus on when going to buy a new laptop, according to the requirements that you have defined before (on the previous stages).

• Comment: Don’t rush your purchase, check and test the laptops you see, get a feel of it, a
  nd make sure you’re comfortable with it.
• What comes with the laptop: Check what else comes with your laptop, like warranty (how long – search for 3 years at least), where can you service your computer in case it needs a tech lab? Etc… any additional devices.
• Hard-Disk capacity: Make sure the hard-disk that comes with the laptop is enough for your needs, since not like on desktops, mostly you will not be able to do serious upgrades on the laptop, other than adding memory.
• Graphic Card Resolution: Check the resolution capacity – Good laptops have larger resolutions, which for the futuristic applications is more suitable, there are onboard graphic cards, and separate more advanced graphic cards. A larger resolution means sharper imagery.
• Laptop Screen: I would recommend a Wide Screen laptop, but it will be your call of course.
• Laptop Features: Make sure it has all of the features a laptop needs, like WIFI (Wireless connection), Blue-Tooth, Enough USB sockets, DVD/RW, Maybe Fire-wire connection (faster data connection), External Screen socket (VGA or DVI or HDMI), etc…
• Memory Capacity: Check memory capacity – better to start with at least 2GB RAM.
• CPU – The processor is one of the core parts that are in charge of the computer’s performance. You might want to look at new CPU models like the i7, which is new and strong.

Desktop Computers:

Again, I can’t recommend specific desktop computers on this article, but I will give some points on what to look for when you go and buy/configure your new desktop computer.

• • • Desktop Computer Covers: Desktop computer comes in a Case– the Cover of those desktop computers is just as important since it is the cover that holds all of those expensive devices you insert into it. So that box needs to be able to keep those electronic devices cool. Make sure there is a good flow of air/cooling systems, so the electronics will survive for a long time. Also, there are computer covers which are lightweight made of aluminum, so you won’t break your back.
    • CPU: The CPU is in charge of the performance among other things. The faster the processing procedure is being done the faster your computer will perform. CPUs on desktop computers come in Duo (2 CPUs) and Quad (4 CPUs) on the same CPU chip. If you need a Gamer’s computer or a strong graphic machine, you might want to consider investing in a Quad CPU.

   

  • Hard-Disk capacity: Today with the broad bandwidth, and the internet where you can download an enormous amount of files, programs, games, etc… to your computer, you will need a proper Hard-disk with suitable capacity. Make sure that if you are a gamer, movie watcher or need a lot of files to store, that you have the proper hard-disk. Their prices are not that high, so just start with a 1TB Hard-disk and see how to go from there, you can always add another one on the new computers :).
  • Graphics Card:

The graphic card is responsible for the graphics on the computer. If your planning to use a Windows/Mac operating system, you will need a good graphic card, with large memory on board. If you’re a gamer you will need a really good graphic card, a professional one with large amount of memory and advance rendering to be able to run all of those amazing new games with great graphics and motions.

• DVD Player: A DVD player is required, first to be able to play a DVD that you get. Choose a DVD/RW so you will be able to burn DVDs as well. There are Blu-Ray DVDs, which are a bit expensive still, but if you’re buying a new computer, you might want to consider buying a Blu-ray DVD/RW, so when the Blu-ray media will get cheaper, you will be able to use them more commonly.
• Power Supply: The power supply doesn’t usually get the proper attention, but it is the sole power of your computer system. You might want to invest in a really strong and reliable one for a strong computer.
• Connection Sockets: Make sure you have enough connection sockets, on your computer’s motherboard and the computer cover (that connects to the motherboard) like the commonly used USB2 sockets, FireWire, HDMI, DVI, etc…
• Computer Screen: LCD screen today needs to be at least 22 Inch (they are not as expensive as they used to be), preferred WIDE. Make sure their refresh rate is high enough to endure your computer performance, so you will still get the best performance out of your computer and see it.

These are the basic things you need to look for, just be patient, make the proper survey, and find the most suitable computer that will answer all of your needs.

Computer performance issues are a well-known fact that many computer users experience from time to time, especially with the Windows operating systems. The Windows operating systems work in such a way that in order to enable it to work smoother and faster (Without going too deep into it), it uses temp files to store information to enable quicker responses. An example for it is the browser, holding pages you have visited, so that the next time you load a similar page, it will load faster. Now there are certain files that do not get deleted.

Now the problematic issue with that technique is that the temp folder is getting filled with more and more files, and eventually the amount of files is so huge, that even the operating system needs to take a short while to locate the temp files it needs from the huge amount of temp files. Eventually, that slows down the system. There are more issues similar to that which are not temp files related, but the overall picture is the same or nearly the same only with different sections of the Windows operating system.

Let’s go over some of the main issues that affect Windows performance:

• [] Hard-Disk Errors:  [once a week]

the hard disks get written many times, every day and such hectic actions tend in time to affect the structure of the hard-disk, like the de-fragmentation and errors on the hard-disk. In order to keep those issues in the order you can do the following at least once a week:

* (This will be done on the next reboot of the system).

• Start –> My Computer
• Right-click the “c:\” drive and select properties
• Choose the “Tools tab”, and click the “Check Now” in the error-checking.
• Tag both checkboxes – and let it run
• Then reboot the system, and the check will occur on startup

• [] Removing temp files: [ once a week ]

* (This will be done on the next reboot of the system).

• Start –> My Computer
• Right-click the “c:\” drive and select properties
• On the “General tab”, and click the “Disk Cleanup”.
• From the window that opens – Tag the check-boxes which are relevant for you – and let it run.
• Many forget to empty the “Recycle Bin” – so please do it often.

• [] Rearranging files on the hard-disks – “Defragmentation”: [ once a month ]

* This process rearranges the files, so the same files will be arranged at the same blocks of data, which boosts the performance since there is no need to jump from block to block to collect the full info needed.

• Start –> My Computer
• Right-click the “c:\” drive and select properties
• Choose the “Tools tab”, and click the “Defragment Now”
• Do “Analyze Disk” – then you will be able to “Defragment Disk”.

• [] Spy-ware Free – You need to keep your computer spy-ware free, spy-ware spying around on your computer will slow it down.

• You can perform a free scan by Microsoft at: http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm
• Spy-Sweeper – is considered a really good spyware removal/prevention program, but it is shareware and will cost around 25$.
• SpyBot Search & destroy – A completely free anti-spyware program, try it out.
• Windows Defender – Freeware by Microsoft, to keep your computer spy-ware safe.
• Ad-Aware – Ad-Aware is one of the oldest, and a well known one, you can download a free trial will give some protection, but the Plus version will give better coverage for extra pay.
• Spy-ware Terminator – This one gives fair protection for free, check it out.
• Spy-ware Blaster – Another free option, check it out and see how it works for you.

These are basic tools anyone can use, in order to assist your computer to go a bit quicker, and more efficient.

We probably stumble upon cases where the computer we were using was working so slow, it could only irritate us to the scale where we just couldn’t work properly. Computers tend to get slow for different reasons. Some are due to the fatigue of the hardware units, they just get old or full of dust, and they just can’t perform anymore with either the resources the operating system requires from it, or just it fails to work properly. Some other reasons might be the amount of running processes/programs at the same time. The operating system might not be able to contain the amount of running processes at the same time, which causes the slowness.

The Microsoft windows operating systems, has some issues with their “Temp” directories. The operating system writes temp files on a temp directory to be able to work faster, and some applications do the same, like your internet browsers which are using internet temp folders, mostly it is due to an assumption that if you visit a website, you might visit it more than once, that assumption is a bit far-fetched. True there are some websites we will visit on a daily basis, but some we might just visit and never go back to. The operating system or the applications will not delete those temp files, and eventually the amount of temp files on those temp directories will affect the computer, and cause it to work slower than it used to.

So, what can we do to either prevent it from happening, or just perform preventive actions to ensure our computer won’t become slow again?

The procedures you might consider taking are:

1. Free disk space – I explained above that the Windows operating system and applications tend to keep temp files for their work. Those temp files slowly increase in size and might cause a lack of space on your system hard drive. In case the system disk becomes full (So there won’t be free space on it, or a very small size of free space) the computer (even on a Linux system) might stop wor
   king, and the system might not load on the next reboot.a.    Remove temporary internet files (Usually it will be on your profile directory – “C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files”) – You can remove all of the files from there (use SHIFT+DELETE – it won’t go through the recycle bin). b.    Empty the Recycle Bin from time to time – (Right Click it, and choose empty recycle bin).c.    Add-Remove Programs you are not using – (Through the “Control Panel”).d.    Remove unused restore-points – which you do not need anymore.

• Automatic processes for keeping temp files off your computer, you can use a local application on your Windows operating system – like “Disk Cleanup” or an external program. (right click the hard-disk of your choice – click the “Disk Cleanup”.

• Once a Week – run hard-disk “check disk”
•     Double click my-computer
•     Choose drive C\
•     Right click + properties
•     Select the “TOOLS” tab
•     Press the “check now” button

• Once a Month – De-fragmentation – it is recommended, since all of our work, removing files and copying files from place to place, causes blank spaces between data which causes the OS to work slower, unless we defrag and combine all of the data files, into a continued space, in one bunch.2.    Upgrade hardware components – In case your computer is a bit old, you might want to consider upgrading some hardware parts of it.a.    CPU – A better more updated CPU will increase performance greatly, there are Dual CPU’s or QUAD CPU’s and of course just faster CPU’s. The processing will become much faster and will boost your operating system performance greatly.b.    RAM – An increase in RAM will enable programs to load into RAM instead of using hard-disk as a place to store temp data for their resources. Larger amount of RAM enable larger blocks of data to be stored in the memory, which boosts processing procedures, and increase performance.c.    Faster Hard-Disk – Faster hard-disk will increase performance as well, most activities on a windows operating system, are writing/reading from the hard-disk. The applications are using the Hard-Disk as a resource for their activity.d.    Graphic Card – Replacing the graphic card with a more efficient and more advanced one, will increase your operating system, especially if it is a GUI one. The Windows operating systems by Microsoft are GUI operating systems, and replacing the Graphic Card, that will be more advanced, and with more RAM on it, will increase performance.3.    Replacing The Operating System – New operating systems are being published from time to time, as they get better, get upgraded, or just replace the old operating system that was in the market. Mostly they are better, more efficient, and will work faster with the resources you have, so you might consider replacing your old operating system, with a more efficient one.

Almost all of us are using computers and computers like other equipment tend to give us some troubles, malfunctions or other problems that prevent us from working on them properly. Since computers are modular and combined from many different hardware devices, the most important tip is to be able to understand what might cause the problem, isolate the problem to identify the cause. We can replace the supposed problematic device with another working one, to see if the problem is solved or not, then move to another symptom and doing the same thing.

Network Problems & Internet:

When we have problems surfing the internet, or connecting to our other computer on our local network (At home or at work) we can:

1. Check the cables are connected properly.

2. Reset our router & modem (those might get stuck and reset renew their connection and IP’s).

3. Check the dialer on your Computer/Router (The dialer connects to the ISP, maybe it got erased, or password had changed for some reason).

Computer Doesn’t Start:
When computers do not start it can be a couple of things that need to be checked.

1. First, unplug the electrical cable from the Power Supply and then re-connect the electricity cable to the Power Supply. (Power supply has a fuse that gets locked in case of overload to keep the power supply from burning up – when unplug and re-plug the electricity cable, you release that fuse and the power supply can work again).

2. The next stage in case the 1st one doesn’t work is to find/buy another working Power Supply, and replace the one that you currently have – to see if now it will work (it’s good to have a spare Power Supply anyway).

3. Then if the previous options do not work and the computer still doesn’t start – it might be a motherboard issue (the motherboard might be burned), so you need to take it to the computer lab, to replace the motherboard. (Replacing the motherboard should effect you saved information and replacing it will enable the computer to work as it worked before, with all of your information, operating system and data intact).

The computer is a lot of noise: Loud annoying noises from the computer usually means that the computer parts are either too old and got fatigued, or the computer is full of dust.

* Open the side of the computer, and look inside. The parts that might cause noises are usually the computer fans, there are fans that cool the whole computer and all of its parts, and they are usually on the back, top, and side of the computer – you can easily see them.
The other noise fan might be the fan above the CPU which will mostly be in a center of the motherboard and of course, some graphic cards have fans to cool them down, so it might be on the side of your graphic card – which will be connected to the

white slots on the motherboard – with a side going out of the back (so you could connect your screen cables).

** Check if everything is dusty:
a. Dusty:

1. Take a small brush (small painters clean brush), and use it slowly to remove the dust from the dusty fans, you will be amazed how quiet the computer will become once you have cleaned all of the dust off from the fans (they will be able to work smoothly and easily).

b. No Dust:

1. This means that the noisy fan is fatigue, and needs to be replaced.
2. Buy a new fan – same size – and replace the noisy fan (you will need to open the 4 screws from the 4 corners of the fan – that simple).

The screen doesn’t work:
When you notice your computer works, but you can’t see anything on your screen, there is a couple of troubleshooting you can do:

1. Check the cable connections between the screen and the computer’s graphic card (make sure it is fastened and connected properly).
2. Verify the electric cable to the screen is in the electric socket – then unplug the electric cable from the screen – then re-plug the electric cable to the screen making sure it went into the socket all the way in.
3. Another option might be related to a screen resolution – if you are setting a resolution that doesn’t fit the screen – it will remain blank. So, you can reboot the computer (when the computer loads – you should be able to see the DOS (black screen) showing the loading commands – then press “F8” and choose to load in safe mode – (the computer will load windows in a low resolution – then log in to your computer – set the screen resolution to a low one – and reboot the computer – then re-try to fit the resolution that is compatible with your screen).

When we talk about repairing our computer, not always repairing means that the computer broke down and there is a serious hardware problem that requires us to go to the computer lab and place our computer so it could be fixed. We might be able to either maintain our computers better and fix/repair them ourselves.

Here are some tips, that will enable us to repair our computers, and do some simple tasks to increase it’s operational life before it will really break down 🙂

The Tips:

• Dust: There is something that we really need to remember, since like everything else computers also tend to collect “Dust”, and as we clean our homes, offices, etc… from that dust which is everywhere we should also from time to time, shut down our computers, open them up, and clean the dust off them. Cleaning the dust should mostly include,  the “cooling FANS“, there are the computer fans, on the back and on the sides. There is a fan on the power supply, and there is usually a fan on the motherboard CPU (to cool it down). If we will clean those, we will increase the computer’s life, since if the fans work smoothly they will work more efficiently and better cool the computer.  Also, if there is dust on the motherboard, you can take a small brush and just remove the dust from the motherboard and let it breathe.

• The computer doesn’t start: Well there are some situations that prevent a computer from starting, but mostly the first one is that if there is an electricity short the power supply might freeze up, you just unplug (take out) the electricity cable from the power supply, and re-connect it. What it does is free a short fuse that gets stuck to prevent the power supply from burning up. This will most likely let you turn the computer back on :). Other cases might relate to real hardware issues, that might require a technician, but sometimes a bad memory card might cause a problem, so if you have more than one you can unplug one of them to check if they are the cause, if not replace between them and re-check if it works, then one of them is damaged.

• Sometimes in Windows, you might stumble upon a situation when your computer operating system doesn’t start. The effect will be that you can see the windows load, and almost start and then reboot itself, and so you can’t access your computer. The options you might be able to do are:

1. You can load into safe-mode, while the computer reboots, you can press F8, and choose to load into safe mode. The safe mode state loads only very minimal resources that the operating system needs, and so if the problem is not a very serious one that crashed the operating system the safe mode will enable you to access your computer, and maintain your computer or check why it doesn’t load.
2. Sometimes people do not pay attention to the capacity of their C:> drive, and when it lacks enough space, the operating system won’t load.
3. If those options still can’t enable you to access your computer, you can do these actions:3.1 If you have the same operating system (disc) that you initially installed, then you can re-install it on the same hard-disk as the operating system that crashed, and either do a “repair” installation trying to repair the damaged operating system, or just make a full installation without formatting the operating system’s hard-disk. (this will overwrite the system files and so you will have all of the files of the operating system back as they should have been before any of them got damaged.3.2 If your hard-disk has enough space, you can load a new operating system, and when installing choose manual-installation, so you could choose which hard-disk will contain the operating system, and of course if there is space, you can create a separate space (new partition) from the original system disk, so you can install a clean operating system installation without damaging the original system partition.

Anyone who uses a computer wants to connect to something. Either another employees computer, or the company’s file server to be able to use the company’s shared
resources and files, and of course use the computer to connect to the most largest informational network in the world, called the INTERNET. To connect to the internet you can use either a regular network cable line, or use your laptop wireless connection device to connect to the internet wireless router, and be able to get an internet connection without the limitation of being connected to the network cable, and wonder around your house or office without being bound and limited to the network cable length.

The basic things to know about network, is that networks work on addresses. The network is defined by the LAN (local area network) and the WAN (Wide area network).
The LAN is your office, your home, where your computers are connected and the WAN is the outside network, outside your office or home. The internet is the most common WAN out there since today the internet is a vital network that everyone needs to use, since it has an almost limitless information on any subject out there, like a really huge and limitless library of information at the tip of your fingers (using a keyboard or mouse of course).

Now, since we all use the network connection one way or the other, we need some basic understanding of what and how we can use the network.

The basics on a Windows operating system, is the network communication devices. There you can find your LAN network connection and your WIRELESS network connection. At each network tool, you can either use automatic configuration (which will automatically work when you connect to the network) or you can manually define the network IP’s (addresses) and use them as constant unchanging addresses in case it is important for the computer/server not to change addresses so you will be able to reach it from outside using a constant IP from the internet provider.

Sometimes when we connect to the internet or to any other network, we might have difficulties to each the resources we need, like for some reason the internet is not working. So we will want to know if we got the IP (address) we needed that fits the network we are connected to. So we can use simple commands on a command (CMD) screen.

Press the “start” –> “run” and type in “cmd” then Enter.

A black screen will open with a cursor that enables you to type in commands.
type “ipconfig /all” –
You will get a list of addresses:

• The IP is your computer IP
• Subnet mask is the network structure (pool of allowed addresses on the network)
• Gateway – is the IP of the gateway – which is the IP that connects you to the outside network.
• DNSs are the IP’s of the local or outside list of websites that connects the name of a website into an IP and let you reach the websites and browse them. (without DNS you can’t browse the internet unless you know every website’s IP 🙂 ).

When we want to buy a new computer, what should we pay attention to? what should we know before purchasing a computer? There are some things to know before purchasing a computer, I will give some of the main issues to take into consideration when we go to buy a computer. Some computer buying tips can’t hurt, we will make better choices, and benefit in the long run.

The first stage of buying a computer is deciding what type of computer do we need. By choosing the type of computer (I am talking about a desktop computer in this article). We need to think about what do we need/want to do with the computer, do we need it for computer games? or just for browsing the internet and working with an office package, meaning writing documents, or calculating using excel. Depending on the type of use you need from your computer, the choice of configuration is made, and accordingly, you will get the most suitable price offer that will suit your needs.

Desktop computer for basic needs – browsing and document writings:
When you need your computer to just serve for some document writing and browsing the internet, you can choose a simple desktop computer, with all of its sockets on-board (it means the motherboard comes with all of the sockets on it). This will make the desktop computer’s price cheaper since you don’t need a sophisticated with great performance graphic card, an on-board graphic card is more than suitable for your needs.

Recommendation on what to include in the simple desktop computer:
1. RAM memory – should be at least 2GB (but a better choice for the long run would be 4GB).
2. USB sockets – make sure you have at least 4 USB sockets – (the more the merrier) and it is preferred to have some more, as we have more and more devices that use USB sockets, in case you want to connect them all to your computer.
3. CPU – depends on how much do you want to spend, but a basic DUO (dual-core) will be more than enough for this simple computer.
4. Motherboard – Again choice of how much do we want to spend, but a basic motherboard would be enough.
5. Hard Disk capacity – Well, the most basic ones are more than enough for browsing and document writing, the basic ones are most likely 160GB, if you want to download many files, maybe play some movies, you might need larger hard-disks – the cost of hard-disks are not too expensive so a 500GB or 1TB (1000 GB) will be suffice.
6. Sound – the on-board sound card should be enough for playing some music, or listening to online movies or even playing movies. But if you want a more powerful sound, with bass boosting, you can always add a better sound card on one of the motherboard slots (PCI).

Desktop computer for gaming or watching high definition movies:
When you want to buy a stronger computer, for computer games, playing high definition movies, and enjoy a more advanced performance, you will need a stronger computer, with a separate graphic card – which will sit on one of the motherboard slot and will boost your performance since more graphic performance will be taken care by the graphic card, and your computer. Graphic cards have many options for better performance, it depends on how much would you like to spend.

Recommendation on what to include in the simple desktop computer:
1. RAM – should be at least 4GB, if you have the budget, increasing RAM will help to multitask and run the computer games much easier.
2. USB sockets – You should have at least 6 USB sockets, and better have 8 USB sockets since if you’re like me, you will want to connect a mouse, keyboard, joystick, a racing wheel (if you like racing games), which just those will occupy 4 USB slots.
3. CPU – I would recommend at least QUAD CPU (4 CPU processors within one processor), it will increase processing and boost performance.
4. Graphic Card – There are many good graphic cards our there – choose a graphic card with at least 500MB RAM on the graphic card – and 1GB RAM on the graphic card, will be better. The RAM on the graphic card enables more stored data to process on the graphic card instead of the computer, which enables faster graphic changes at a quicker pace.
5. Hard-disk capacity – You will need a large capacity hard-disks since they do not cost too much I would recommend at least 1TB (the computer games of today occupy much storage space and they increase in size as they include more graphics and more quality).
6. Sound card – Invest at a good quality sound card – so you can enjoy the sound effects that games have today.
7. Motherboard – Choose a motherboard that can enable you to plug in all of your expected tools, so it will have enough space for graphics cards, sound cards and any other improvement you might want to insert in the future.

There are many security risks while we use our computers. Since the internet becomes a common and most usable interface, as we use the internet on a daily basis, we are open to risks that are just out there on the web. We continuously either receive e-mails, browse the web visit different websites, download files, play movies, press publicity banners, etc… We might connect a USB device that might contain an infected file.

All of those subjects I have reviewed in that last paragraph are risks to our computers, there are different type of risks on the internet, some are while just browsing a risky virus-infected website that might try to install a spy type of application onto your computer, or install plug-in into your browser. You might receive e-mails that if opened might install a damaging application into your computer and you might just want to copy a file from someone’s USB memory stick, and that memory stick might have some infected files on it, that might infect your computer.

So to avoid, or at least minimize the risk to your computer there are some basic rules to maintain. The basic one is a Firewall, which yo

u might use a router that you might know how to configure to enable its a firewall and by that build the Firewall WALL that will guard your computer against outside threats. You can also use a software firewall, that will be as a default in the operating system (like the Windows OS offers a built-in firewall), or just install an external firewall software, which there are many types out there, you just need to make sure you choose a well known one, that, of course, gets daily updates, so it will be always updated with the newest threats and update its guarding mechanism against those threats.

The idea behind the firewall is a separation between the WAN (wide area network) and the LAN (local area network), so external sources can’t access your local network.

The other risk prevention way is to install Anti-Virus software on your computer, that will guard any changes or harmful software that might try to install itself onto your computer. The anti-virus software needs to get daily updates and be most updated against the newest risks that might appear, and there are many viruses that are being built on

a daily basis, and the updated system will be able to guard your computer for those viruses. The anti-virus system can either prevent the virus from installing itself automatically, or you might just choose to get a warning and enable you to choose the steps you want to take with the anti-virus warning (if you trust the software you’re trying to install which might get a warning from the anti-virus system you will be able to enable it to install).

Basically, if you have those two basic features, the Firewall and the Anti-Virus on your computer, you will be protected against dangerous occurrences that might occur on your computer, and prevent them from spreading and damaging your computer, and your important information that you would like to keep safe :-).

Be aware of the warning I have specified above, and keep your computer safe.

There are many tips with computers, they are in different areas and different categories. I am going to list those tips which do not fall into a certain category, like general knowledge, something that is useful to know about, which will ease your use with computers, or just improve your computer experience and make it easier.

AXCRYPT – A free program to encrypt files: This program runs on a windows operating system (compatible versions: 95,98,ME,NT,2K,XP) environment. It is a very simple program, you just download it from their website, (very small program) install it (just follow the next stages) and your all set. The operation of the program is pretty simple, you just right click over a file, and choose from the window that pops up the “encrypt” and you will be asked to type in your chosen password, and the file is
encrypted. When you will double click the file to open it a popup asking for the password will come up, and after typing the password the file will open. The file without the AxCrypt program installed will not be accessible. You can also DeCrypt the file, and get it back to its unsecured form, as it was before.

Another thing to know about the program is that it uses a AES encryption with 128-bit keys and it supports both 32bit & 64bit operating systems.

Windows 7 – Virtual XP Mode: For anyone who is a bit worried about moving to windows 7, here is a small tip to ease your mind. Windows 7 contains a built-in support for running windows XP virtually. What this means is on your windows 7 you can install a virtual server (do not worry, you don’t really need to install it in the way your accustomed to, the application is already built-in as I mentioned earlier) that will enable you to run windows XP while running windows 7 (it will be more accurate to say that we will be running windows XP within windows 7). This means that if you have an application that for some reason will not run correctly on Windows 7, you will be able to install it on the Windows XP which runs within windows 7, as if you where running a Windows XP operating system, so you will be able to use your old applications. Just to ease your mind further, Windows 7 is a very flexible operating system, and will probably be running your Windows XP application easily.  There are instruction on how to use the virtual XP mode and you can easily find it on the internet.

Google Translate – Free: This software is a very cool one, that enables you to translate either a word or a whole paragraph, with simple clicks of a keyboard key on your keyboard. Those of you who were used to use the “Babylon” language translator (which isn’t free) will be glad to hear that Google Transl
ate is a worthy replacement, and it is of course free. You set a key (usually the CTRL key) and you just tag a word (mark the word you want to translate) double click the CTRL key and a popup window is coming up with a part in the language you wanted to translate and the other with the language you wanted to translate to.

To make changes and customizations to the Google Translate you just right click on its icon from the active tasks bar (which will be there symbolized with the letter “G” after you install the application) and a menu will rise to enable you to customize it, either by pressing the “language” (to choose the languages which to translate from and which to translate to), or pressing the “settings” to reach other options and configurations, like configuring which key to use, if you will double click it, or not etc… Check it out, it is really good.

Computer maintenance is exactly the same as maintaining anything else, your car, your house, etc… everything is breaking down in time and we need to maintain them in order to keep them in shape.

Anyone who used computers with a Windows operating system for a while knows that eventually there is a time where the computer starts to work slowly or to do weird things like boot itself up, or get stuck, or just make noises from its hardware. You can maintain your computer with a couple of techniques and some additional tools, to keep it in good shape and for longer time periods.

Computer maintenance tips:

1. Purchasing a UPS unit – I have to recommend using a UPS for your computer + screen + your network equipment. The UPS unit will keep your computer from suffering from abrupt electric currents, electricity flickering,  or power down (which will enable you to shut down your computer properly before it shuts down immediately while your applications are open), those things I mentioned tend to shorten your hardware device’s life.

2. Backup – if you have very important information on your computer, the best way to keep it safe is to keep a copy of it elsewhere, on another computer or another device. If your data information is at large capacity, you can buy at a very reasonable price an external hard disk with 1TB (1000 GB), and backup your information to it, either by just copying it yourself from time to time (like every week or once a month, your choice) or you can install a sync program that will sync the information on an automatically scheduled time periods.

3. Those of you who use Windows operating systems, just schedule two tasks that preserve your hard disk (which keeps all of your important data) and tweak it’s performance thus keeping the computer perform at its best and those tasks are the “Scandisk” and the “De-fragmentation” tasks. Those tasks should run at least once a month. The “De-fragmentation” application is running through your hard disk bits and bytes and arrange the data so it will be grouped together (when you copy, move, delete etc… the data is being moved and kept separately on different areas of the hard disk and there are gaps in their location on the hard disk, so the De-fragmentation collects them and makes them sit together on the same space, and even though as a windows operator you can’t see the gaps between data, since your files seem to be ok, in the background the fact that they are being at the same space increases performance since the computer doesn’t need to jump the gap to reach the rest of the information (I hope this simple down to earth explanation was simple enough to understand without getting too technical). The “scan disk” application is scanning the hard disks for defects and problems and fixes them as it scans all of the hard disk, those bugs/defects on the hard disk can create a real delay when the hard disk is working and trying to read your data information.

4. When working with windows, it is highly recommended to keep at least 500MB of free space on your system hard disk (the one that contains your operating system) even though I would recommend keeping at least 1GB of free hard disk space. The reason for it is that the windows operating system uses the main system hard drive to conduct some actions, like writing temp files, or using space on the hard disk to be able to compensate on a low memory computer, so it does need some space to work on. If the capacity will be lower than 100MB your computer might not be able to load

at all, so keep an eye on the free space of your operating system disk.

5. There are programs that are being loaded on start-up (which means when the computer is starting and loading the operating system). If you don’t need those programs to load automatically when the computer boots, I would suggest to remove them from the startup (otherwise the computer will load very slowly) and it will take it a while before you will be able to start working with your applications and using your computer.

To remove applications from booting on startup, you can use two main techniques:
1. do start –> programs –> startup (checking if the programs you can remove are there, you can just delete them from there and they will not load on the next startup).
2. do start –> run, and on the run field type “MSConfig” this will open a window which will have a tab called “start-up”. By choosing the startup tab, you will see a list of programs that are all loading on boot (on start-up), removing the “v” from the check-box will prevent the program to boot on start-up. At the end of the change, when you press “OK” you will be asked to reboot your system since those changes affect the operating system.

WARNING: Only remove the tags from the check-boxes of the programs you are recognizing, and that you know that they are the ones

you do not want to load on the next startup, if you will remove a system application that windows need to operate properly, you will have a problem loading your operating system on the next time the computer will boot. So be careful (if you’re not sure, don’t touch anything).