A brief discussion on computer maintenance including programs and best practices.

1. Lets Talk Tech
Computer Performance and Maintenance
Mark Flavin MCSE + CEH

2. 1 Cleaning the Hardware
• Clean about every 2 months
• Never spray any liquid onto the computer
• Turn off before cleaning
• Canned air or vacuum with nozzle

3. 1 Cleaning the Hardware
• Clean about every 2 months
• Never spray any liquid onto the computer
• Turn off before cleaning
• Canned air or vacuum with nozzle

4. 1 Cleaning Frequency
Every Two
Months
Just a guideline if you have
kids, smoke or eat around
your computer or keep it on
the floor you may have to
clean more frequently

5. 1 Cleaning Frequency
Every Two
Months
Just a guideline if you have
kids, smoke or eat around
your computer or keep it on
the floor you may have to
clean more frequently

6. 1 Computer + Liquid = :(
Avoid Liquids
Use moist towels or wipes
(avoid treated cloths on
screens). Say it with me “I will
not spray cleaning solution
on my computer”.

7. 1 Computers Need Downtime Too
Turn Off & Clean
No government agency is
going to kick in your door if
you forget but sometimes a
nice reboot is what the
system needs. Plus cleaning
with the machine off means
nothing is moving.

8. 1 Computers Need Downtime Too
Turn Off & Clean
No government agency is
going to kick in your door if
you forget but sometimes a
nice reboot is what the
system needs. Plus cleaning
with the machine off means
nothing is moving.

9. 1 Remove the Dust & Free the Speed
Dust Sucks
Literally dust sucks, when
your computer is churning
away pulling up websites or
calculating pi to the nth
power dust is clogging your
fans. Clean the dust and
revive your computer

10. 1 Remove the Dust & Free the Speed
Dust Sucks
Literally dust sucks, when
your computer is churning
away pulling up websites or
calculating pi to the nth
power dust is clogging your
fans. Clean the dust and
revive your computer

11. Computer’s are dust magnets :)
Computers especially those placed on floors or in areas with
high traffic can get dirty quickly. Many times cleaning a dirty
computer is the first step in recovering performance.

12. 2 Update Software
• Check for unused software
• Check for updates
• Remove unneeded startup programs
• Update drivers

13. 2 Update Software
• Check for unused software
• Check for updates
• Remove unneeded startup programs
• Update drivers

14. 2 Unused Software
Just like dust...
We have a tendency to collect
software. Sometimes for
specific one-time uses or
without our knowledge. Do a
software inventory every few
months.

15. 2 Unused Software
Just like dust...
We have a tendency to collect
software. Sometimes for
specific one-time uses or
without our knowledge. Do a
software inventory every few
months.

16. 2 Update Software
Programs have
updates too
Just like windows, program
authors are often updating
their software to fix bugs or
address performance issues.
You could manually check
every software but I prefer
using update checker
http://www.filehippo.com/updatechecker/

17. 2 Update Software
Programs have
updates too
Just like windows, program
authors are often updating
their software to fix bugs or
address performance issues.
You could manually check
every software but I prefer
using update checker
http://www.filehippo.com/updatechecker/

18. 2 Don’t Take Drivers for Granted
Update Drivers
Drivers are the little bits of data
that tell your operating sytem
how to interact with hardware.
Many people either don’t know
about them are take laissez-faire
approach that can lead to
problems down the road.
http://www.driverupdate.net/download.php

19. Is Your Computer Slow?
Slow computers are often the first symptom of either old out
of date software or perhaps drivers that need updating.Your
operating system is constantly being updated so mind your
software as well.

20. 3 Viruses and Malware
• Install an effective virus/malware scanner
• Schedule regular checks
• When in doubt scan it!
• Avoid Internet Explorer

21. 3 Viruses and Malware
• Install an effective virus/malware scanner
• Schedule regular checks
• When in doubt scan it!
• Avoid Internet Explorer

22. 3 Viruses and Malware
• Install an effective virus/malware scanner
• Schedule regular checks
• When in doubt scan it!
• Avoid Internet Explorer

24. 3 Make Sure You Use Protection
Not all scanners
are created equal
Many scanners do way more
than they need to do, from
stalking your every move like a
crazy ex fiancé to preventing
legitimate applications from
running. My personal favorite is
Microsoft Security Essentials.

25. 3 Make Sure You Use Protection
Not all scanners
are created equal
Many scanners do way more
than they need to do, from
stalking your every move like a
crazy ex fiancé to preventing
legitimate applications from
running. My personal favorite is
Microsoft Security Essentials.

26. 3 Schedule Regular Checkups
Enable AutoPilot
Protection does no good if you
don’t use it and nothing is
more tedious than waiting for
a scan to finish. Set your
scanner to scan your
computer at least once a week
when you are asleep or away.

27. 3 When In Doubt Check It Out
Not Everything
Online Is Benign
Ultimately good security starts
with you so if you doubt a file
trust your instincts and scan
it. Usually if you right click the
file you will see an option for
scanning. If you are still not
sure call in the big guns.
https://www.virustotal.com/

28. 3 Friends Don’t Let Friends Use IE
Internet Explorer Is
Not Good For You
From making the lives of
developers around the world
difficult to being slow to
update, cumbersome and
riddled with security holes. IE
is awful, granted IE10 is a lot
better but switch to Chrome
you will be happier.
https://www.google.com/chrome

29. Keep Up to Date and Be Safe
Keeping safe online is the healthy balance of paranoia and
preparation. Make sure your browser, operating system and
software is up to date and avoid high risk areas of the web.
When in doubt scan or delete it.

30. 4 Backup Constantly
• Configure automatic backups
• Leverage the cloud
• Use Previous Versions

31. 4 Backup On Autopilot
Backup plans are
great if follow them
Lets face it life is busy and
while you may have the best
intentions of following a
rigorous backup schedule most
of us will lose interest/
motivation until it is too late.
So don’t trust this to yourself -
schedule and forget
http://mozy.com/home/free/

32. 4 Dropbox = Awesome
I ♥ Dropbox
If you are like me you work
between multiple locations.
Dropbox lets you automatically
sync files between multiple
system including mobile devices.
Plus if you are away from your
computer you can access online.
https://www.dropbox.com/gs

33. 4 Greatest Feature Evah!
Previous Versions
Can Save Your Bacon :)
This scenario may sound
familiar - late at night working
on critical file and you hit save
instead of save as. Prior to
Windows 7 (or some versions
of Vista) you were out of luck
but with previous versions it is
as easy as right click restore.
http://bit.ly/cbiJSs Bonus Dropbox does this also!

34. Use and Abuse the Cloud
From backups to sharing files online by leveraging the cloud
you can increase your productivity and minimize the risk of
complete disaster when something happens to your computer.

35. 5 Tips for Success
• Leave the computer on
• Convert files with ease
• Clean with care
• Get regular tips

36. 5 Just Leave It Running
Let it Sleep
Conventional wisdom says to
turn off the computer when
not using it. But modern
computers are extremely
efficient the most amount of
energy is spent at startup and
shutdown which also can
introduce component wear.
http://bit.ly/qeSY3 Turn off your monitor :)

37. 5 Convert with Ease
Zamzar is Cool
The most common reason people
install a single use software is to
view a specific file. Rather than
installing software you will never
use check out Zamzar and see if
you can convert it to a format
you can read.
http://www.zamzar.com/

38. 5 System Cleaners ~ Use with Care
Just like diet pills
Generally speaking there is no single
click tool that will make your
computer work like new. That said
with proper use and caution
automated cleaners can be a useful
tool. But don’t just download any tool
use ones that are safe, community
supported and if possible open source.
http://www.piriform.com/CCLEANER

39. 5 More Tips for Success
Bay East Tips
We publish a regular series of
tips covering how to keep your
computer running well or
solving common problems.
http://www.youtube.com/user/bayeastvideo

40. Bay East Has You Covered
As a member you get two free computer repairs a year and
access to one of the best service centers in the industry from
Paragon to Powerpoint Bay East has you covered!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwICTrEYTjQ

41. 6 Wrapping it Up
• Clean your computer at least two times a year
• Install a low maintenance virus scanner
• Avoid Internet Explorer
• Backup, Backup, Backup
• Leverage Bay East technical support resources

42. Know When to Upgrade
Computers unlike wine don’t get better with age. If you have
tried the steps discussed and have gotten no relief consider an
upgrade. If you need helping deciding or moving software and
settings contact Bay East we have you covered!

43. Talk to me I Crave Attention
Mark Flavin
Bay East IT Director
markf@bayeast.org
http://fb.com/mark.flavin
http://twitter.com/psynewave