Gator's Computer Advice
*All programs listed are free. You may have to search the listed website addresses
to find the free versions.

Computer Maintenance Schedule

1. Download antivirus definitions -- daily
2. Download anti-spyware definitions -- weekly
3. Perform a full antivirus scan -- weekly
4. Perform a full anti-spyware scan -- weekly
5. Check firewall software for updates -- monthly
6. Defrag your hard drives -- monthly
7. Check for windows updates -- twice a month
8. Remove the cover from you computer and blow the dust out of the fans and other components to assure proper cooling.-- once a year
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Computer Don'ts

1. DON'T compress the contents of your hard drive to save space. Compression slows down your machine. If you need more space, add another hard drive or replace your existing hard drive with a larger one.
2. DON'T open E-mail attachments from people you don't know.
3. DON'T install and run more than one anti-virus software programs. In this case, more is NOT better. The programs will conflict with each other for resources.
4. DON'T download and install free screen saver and free games from the internet. These FREE programs often contain spyware.
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How To Save Your Data

Older Computer Systems:

Back up ALL important data on floppy disks. I suggest making two (2) copies of ALL important data because floppy disks may deteriorate and you could loose data. Be sure to keep your original software disks for the programs you need if you must restore your data on another computer.

Newer Computer Systems:

Newer computers don't have floppy disk drives. I suggest purchasing a USB Flash drive and use it to back up your important data. Flash drives will hold more data than floppy drives and perform faster. I use a 128M flash drive. Do NOT loose your flash drive, because it could be used by someone else to access your personal data.
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Problem	Solution
How to retrieve and print your Microsoft registration codes from your personal computer	You may have misplaced your Microsoft Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows XP registration code. There is a simple way of finding those codes on your computer. I suggest printing out your codes and put the copy in a safe place. A free (and legal) program can be downloaded so you can retrieve the code information from your computer. Download it from: http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html Return to Index
Prevent Virus Attacks from Email and Web Sites If your anti-virus program doesn't update, try UNINSTALLING Zone Alarm and then reinstall Zone Alarm to correct problem.	Purchase an anti-virus program and keep it updated. If you're on a limited computer budget, you may download and install AVG Anti-Virus software. It works with Windows 98 through Windows XP. It's free to *INDIVIDUAL users only. You may download it from: http://www.grisoft.com The program has an Email scan. The program has a Resident Shield. The program has Update Management. The program has a Scheduler. NEW JANUARY 2007* Another free anti-virus program has just been released from PCTOOLS. Platforms: Windows Vista™, XP and 2000. Protects your PC as you are working, surfing and playing. Detects, quarantines, disinfects and destroys Viruses, Trojans and Worms. OnGuard™ protects your computer against threats in real-time. Automatically checks for frequent updates against the latest threats. You may download it from: http://www.pctools.com/free-antivirus/ Return to Index
Spyware Attacks	Spyware programs can track your surfing habits, abuse your Internet connection by sending this data to a third party, profile your shopping preferences, hijack your browser start page or pages, alter important system files, and can do this without your knowledge or permission. Remove spyware by downloading and installing a good free software program. I suggest Ad-Aware SE. It may be downloaded from: http://www.lavasoftusa.com I recommend installing and running two spyware removing programs on your computer. The second one is Spybot Search & Destroy. It is a free program. It may be downloaded from: http://safer-networking.org Return to Index
No More Pop Ups	If you're tired of Pop Ups, here is the solution. Quit using Microsoft Internet Explorer and replace it with FireFox browser, which is free. FireFox is an open code browser which in my opinion, is superior to Microsoft Internet Explorer. It will work with almost any operating system except Windows 95. The browser BLOCKS popups. I use FireFox. It may be downloaded from: http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/ Return to Index
FIREWALL	If you have online investment accounts, online banking, or purchase products over the internet, install a FIREWALL program. The program helps prevent others from getting into your computer, stealing your passwords and personal information. If you run Windows XP, be sure your Microsoft firewall program is activated. Also, I suggest adding a free firewall program called ZoneAlarm. It may be downloaded from: http://www.zonelabs.com/ Return to Index
Disk Defragmenter	Whenever you operate your computer, your files become fragmented on your hard drive. You can speed up your computer by running the Defrag program in your Windows operating system at least once a month. Here is how: Click on Start. Click on Accessories. Click on System Tools. Click on Disk Defragmenter. Be sure to click on Automatically Fix Errors. Run the program. Return to Index
Disk Clean up	Every time you're on the internet, temporary files are stored on your hard drive. Eventually there may be 100 or more Megs of temporary files taking up space on your drive. I suggest running Disk Clean up once a month. Here is how: Click on Start. Click on Accessories. Click on System Tools. Click on Disk Clean Up. Run the program. Return to Index
Clean Registry & Remove Unnecessary Files	When you update your Windows operating system from Microsoft, old registry files remain on your computer. I suggest an excellent free program to remove the old registry files without damaging your computer. The free software program is Easy Cleaner. It may be downloaded from: http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts/ecleane.htm I suggest ONLY using the program to Clean Registry and Remove Unnecessary Files. Do NOT use the other tools in the program. ______________________ Another excellent program is CCLEANER. Here is what it can do: Cleans Temporary files, URL history, cookies from Internet Explorer and Firefox. Empties Recycle Bin, Recent Documents, Temporary files and Log files from Windows. Cleans Registry. Removes temp files and recent file lists from many applications which are unnecessary. It may be downloaded from: http://www.ccleaner.com Return to Index
Windows Update * Windows XP Update *Important Update for those using pirated* Windows Operating systems. ***How to repair or replace bad Windows XP files	Microsoft continually refines the operating systems, from Windows 98 through Windows XP. Windows 95; Windows 98; and Windows ME are no longer supported. If you use Windows XP, open the Control Panel to run Windows Update. WARNING: You may NOT want to update the Direct X on your computer if you are running a Voodoo Video card. Some of the Voodoo video cards are NO LONGER supported and may not operate properly if you update to the latest Microsoft Direct X drivers file. IMPORTANT: Microsoft will NO LONGER support Windows XP updates UNLESS you install the Windows XP Service Pack 2. The CD can be obtained FREE by going to the Windows Update web site and ordering it. IMPORTANT UPDATE: Microsoft plans to severely curtail the ways in which people running pirated copies of its Windows operating systems. For Windows users to get almost all updates, including security fixes, users must provide proof their Windows copy is genuine. You can authenticate your operating system within the Windows Update web site. **If Your Windows XP is not working properly: You can restore missing or broken XP files by booting off the Windows XP install CD and choosing "Repair Windows XP"* when prompted. Return to Index
Flashing your BIOS	I don't recommend updating your Motherboard BIOS unless you're upgrading your processor or other MAJOR hardware. Do NOT attempt to update your BIOS unless you're confident that you can do it. If you turn off the power during a BIOS update, it will fail and your computer may never run again. Return to Index
Foxit PDF Reader	There is an alternative to the slow Adobe Reader which is used to read PDF files. This program is free and requires no installer. It supports all the most important features of Adobe Reader, yet the startup time is a fraction of Adobe's bloated program. Go to http://goxitsoftware.com and download Foxit Reader. Return to Index
FREE PDF file converter	Have you ever wanted to convert a text file to a PFD file? You could always pay several hundred dollars for the Adobe Reader professional version or save your money by downloading the FREE, easy to use PDFCreator from: http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/ Return to Index