Category Archives: Personal computing
Just Another Day
It’s just one more, long day at work. It’s just one of the more than 10,000 work days in your life. Nothing special about today … or is there? Take a minute and visit the “ANYDAY” site at www.scopesys.com/anyday. It’s … Continue reading
Some Mental Gymnastics
It’s been a long morning of putting out one IT fire after another. Usually, lunch at your desk might be the time to catch up on what’s happening in the world of technology. However, that just feels too much like … Continue reading
All Work and No Play …
The world of PCs and technology is constantly changing. Recently, it was Windows 7, then the iPad and then Skype for the BlackBerry. It’s one thing after the other in an unending progression. You can spend all your time following … Continue reading
My PC is So Slow Today!
Once in a while, it seems like your PC is taking forever to start up. This does not mean that there is something wrong with your PC. In fact, it may mean that your PC is working correctly and trying … Continue reading
Posted in Computer Advice, PCs, Personal computing
Tagged help, PC, slow, slow start
Leave a comment
Backup Your Data – Step 2
So you’re backing up your data every day and sending backups off-site. Good for you! That’s a good first step. What else should you do? Test your backups! Just because you are making backups, don’t assume that everything is OK. … Continue reading
Posted in Computer Advice, IT Manager 101, Personal computing
Tagged backup, data safety, testing
Leave a comment
Tune Up (6) – Check Your System Files
Your operating system files control how your PC runs. If any of those (hundreds) of files becomes corrupted, your PC could start acting strangely. Fortunately, Microsoft has provided a program that inspects all of your system files and restores damaged … Continue reading
Tune Up (5) – Check Your Disk
As a mechanical device, your hard drive develops imperfections over time. Problems that can develop include bad sectors, directory errors, cross-linked files and lost clusters. Microsoft has provided a utility called CHKDSK (short for “check disk”) that can detect and … Continue reading
Tune Up (4) – Defragmentation
When your hard disk is first formatted, all the system files and program files are recorded in contiguous tracks. This helps your computer to access and read the files quickly. Over time, files are added to, modified and deleted from … Continue reading
Posted in Computer Advice, PCs, Personal computing
Tagged defragmentation, PC, tune-up
Leave a comment
Tune Up (3) – Malware
Malware is the shortened term for “malicious software”. It denotes any software that installs itself on a computer without the owner’s permission. Two types of malware are adware and spyware. Note: Computer viruses are another type of malware. It is … Continue reading
Tune Up (2) – Spyware
A spyware program is a piece of software that sits I memory and monitors what you are doing on your computer. They can record web sites that you have visited as well as your account numbers and passwords. The dangerous … Continue reading
Posted in Computer Advice, PCs, Personal computing
Tagged PC, spybot, spyware, tuneup
Leave a comment