PC
Health
Tips
from Nick Green
May 2008
Are you having problems
connecting to broadband . . ?
-
Check your ADSL
(broadband) router or modem to make sure that the light that shows that
you have a connection to the broadband service is alight. This is
usually marked as “ADSL, DSL, or line”. If it is showing a solid colour,
then you are in synch with your broadband provider. This is good.
-
If the light is flashing
or is non-existent then you may have a faulty router or one of the
micro-filter that go onto every phone socket in the house may be faulty.
-
If the broadband light is
on, but you can not connect the, start by removing the power cable from
the back of the router for 20 seconds. Do not be tempted to switch the
router off at the plug. Plug the power cable back into the router and
wait until all the light come back on. There are usually 3 or 4 light
depending on the make of the router. Those who have a USB modem router
can unplug the USB cable for 10 seconds and re-attach the cable. Wait
for the operating system to tell you that the device has been seen and
is ready.
-
Check and see that all of
the micro-filters are attached in the right order. The very first item
in the phone socket must be the micro-filter and not an extension cable
or socket doubler. All of these go into the filter.
-
Re-start the computer and
see if you can connect to the internet. If you can not connect at this
point, call your service provider to carry out a line check, if this
comes back as OK, then it is best to call a professional computer
engineer.
Remember always back up your
data.
Nick Green of Chalkhill
Systems is a Gold
Member of RH123
contact details
PC
Health
Tips
from Nick Green
March 2008
By now you should all be
familiar with you old or new PC, but did you know that every time you switch
on the PC or laptop Window creates temporary files. The worst offender is
Windows Explorer. Every time you arrive at a web site your computer take a
copy of each page, so that when you return to the page it loads more
quickly.
However all this actively
produces hundreds of megabytes of no-longer needed files. In some cases it
can slow your computer down, but all take up valuable hard disk space.
The good news is that you can
remove some of the temporary files for yourselves. (Always back up your data
before you carry out any kind of maintenance on your computer.)
Here's how:
-
click start
-
click search
-
click “all files and
folders”
-
click “ all or part of a
file name”
-
type “ *.tmp” DO NOT TYPE
THE ( “)
-
click search
-
once the search has
finished, you can select the files that you want to delete and remove
them.
This is a great way to remove
unused files cluttering your system. For a more in depth Spring clean always
contact a reparable PC engineer. They can remove the hidden files at
sometimes contain hijack ware and other nasty’s.
Nick Green of Chalkhill
Systems is a Gold
Member of RH123
contact details
PC
Health
Tips
from Nick Green
January 2008
Happy New Year to you all. By
now, those of you who are lucky enough to have a new PC should be happily
connecting to the internet and receiving emails
But think for a moment; have
you installed your anti virus or anti hijack ware software package, if so
have you updated all the patches and definitions? If not, then do it now,
BEFORE you start to explore the web or receive emails.
If you have a PC or laptop
already, is it slow or locking up when you have a few software applications
running? If it is slow and your computer is more than 2 to 3 years old then
you might want to think about increasing the internal memory to 512mb as a
minimum. Most new computers come with 1gb of memory, more than enough to run
all the current anti virus software.
If your computer is running
slowly and possibly shutting down when you least expect it, and you are
having “popup” boxes stating that “your pc is infected with a virus or spy
ware click here to clean”. Do not attempt to run this software as it is most
likely to be malicious. Call a reputable PC repair company.
If your computer is already
infected with malicious ware or a virus, then no matter how hard you try to
install your new anti virus software the chances are it will not find or
remove it. If you are in any doubt, call a professional computer engineer.
Nick Green of Chalkhill
Systems is a Gold
Member of RH123
contact details
PC
Health
Tips
from Nick Green
November 2007
When buying a new computer,
most people forget to buy anti virus protection. Some PC manufactures bundle
some sort of AV software, but sadly this is usually only a 3 month trial.
The manufactures of the AV software then expects you to upgrade when the
trial period comes to a close. Most people will renew the software online.
When you do this the cost of downloaded the program could cost one third to
a half more (when compared to the over the counter price)and you do not
always get a disk should you need to reload it. The practical way to buy AV
software is to purchase a new full retail product when you by your PC or
laptop.
Most people think that if they
have anti virus software on their Pc then they are safe. Think again!
More computers come through
ChalkHill Systems workshop contaminated with what is known as “Hijack ware,
malicious wear, and Spyware”. This type of threat is far more damaging to
your computer than most viruses. Your anti virus program does not see the
Hijack ware as a threat and lets it through.
If you notice your PC running
slower, unable to start your home page, or my be your computer just stops
working or turns it’s self off, then the chances are you have Hijack ware on
your PC.
Once again when you are buying
your new computer ask the sales person to supply you with some anti Hijack
software. By investing in anti virus and anti Hijack software when the PC is
new, you are protecting your computer as well as all your precious
documents, pictures and music.
Nick Green of Chalkhill
Systems is a Gold
Member of RH123
contact details
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