TEN USEFUL PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR MAINTAINING YOUR SYSTEM
One sure way of getting value from your computer equipment is by
taking preventive measures. Here is a list of 10 such useful measures.
Note that some of these measures can only be carried out a service
engineer.
1. Files Backup
Files backups are very important for all types of PC user. By creating
a copy of your files, you can restore and continue working in the
event of disaster.
2. Clean the Mouse
Like the keyboard, mouse is susceptible to dust and debris, which
are contacted from the mouse pad up to the mouse ball and roller.
Dry the mouse thoroughly and use a clean cloth, dampened with ammonia
/ mentholated spirit.
3. Clean the Floppy Drive
Clean the drive with a disk cleaner.
4. Check Memory (ONLY TO BE CARRIED OUT BY A SERVICE ENGINEER)
Loose memory can cause serious startup problem for the PC.
5. Check the CPU (ONLY TO BE CARRIED OUT BY A SERVICE ENGINEER)
The CPU is the single largest IC on the motherboard. Examine the
CPU to see if it is evenly inserted in its socket/slot. Also check
the CPU fan / heat sink for proper cooling.
6. Update the Boot Disk
Your PC should always have a boot disk, which can start the system
from a floppy in the event of an emergency system failure. Basically
for most Operating systems-Win95/98/2000 etc. use this procedure
to create startup disk
*Label a blank formatted floppy diskette and insert it in your floppy
Drive
*Click start, Settings, Control Panel
*Double Click Add/Remove Programs icon
*Select Startup Disk Tab
*Click Create Disk
*The utility will remind you to insert your diskette
7. Blow the Printer
Unplug the printer for 10 to 15 minutes allowing the capacitor to
completely discharge, blow the printer to remove dust and particles
that often cause paper jam.
8. Clean the CD Lens
As the floppy/hard disk drives read/write head contact dust CD lens
is not excluded. Use CD lens cleaner
9. Run Scandisk
The Scandisk utility is designed to check your drives for file problems.
It also marks any bad sector and copy files to a good sector during
the operation
A:\> Scandisk
From Windows:
* Click Start, Run,
* Type Scandisk
10. Update Anti-virus Software
Precisely, new viruses are created nearly every week. For efficient
virus protection the Anti-virus software needs to be updated on
a regular basis
.
This piece was written By Femi Adefeso, A+/Computer Engineering
Professional at Jidaw Systems. Contact him on email: femi@jidaw.com
The
Ten Immutable Laws of Security
Law #1: If a bad guy can persuade you to run his program on your
computer, it's not your computer anymore.
Law #2: If a bad guy can alter the operating system on your computer,
it's not your computer anymore.
Law #3: If a bad guy has unrestricted physical access to your computer,
it's not your computer anymore.
Law #4: If you allow a bad guy to upload programs to your web site,
it's not your web site any more.
Law #5: Weak passwords trump strong security.
Law #6: A machine is only as secure as the administrator is trustworthy.
Law #7: Encrypted data is only as secure as the decryption key.
Law #8: An out of date virus scanner is only marginally better than
no virus scanner at all.
Law #9: Absolute anonymity isn't practical, in real life or on the
web.
Law #10: Technology is not a panacea.
These are the 10 immutable laws of security, developed by the Microsoft
Security Response Center, based on thousands of security reports
that are investigated every year.
If you are interested in significantly improving the security of
your systems, get further details of these by clicking this link:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/columns/security/essays/10imlaws.asp
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