Protecting Your Computer

This month’s article details some tips for protecting your computer and maximizing the life. In these tight economic times few of us have fund available for replacing, and in many cases even repairing, a computer. Our reliance on computers continues to grow as more and more functions move to the internet. As companies seek to reduce cost you can expect this to accelerate in the coming years. Thus protecting your computer from damage or attack from virus or spyware will become increasingly important. This article includes links to two very useful utilities for security and temperature monitoring.

Virus And Spyware Attack

There is no free lunch when it comes to protecting your computer from virus or spyware attack. On my main page at reidyonline you will find several videos which shows just how undependable some products currently in use are. (To View The Videos click here)

Let me repeat : If you do not protect your computer properly from virus or spyware attack you will eventually fall victim to one of the plethora of scams on the internet. The cost to you can be anything from €80 up to thousands of euros.



Security


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At a minimum you should password protect your computer, at both the bios and operating system levels. Sensitive data should be encrypted thus ensuring if your machine is stolen you will not become a victim of identity theft. Download the “free encryption utility” by clicking here or visit http://www.reidyonline.com/downutils.htm

Never, ever dump a computer with the hard disk installed. Remove the hard drive and keep it in the house or have it destroyed professionally. Hitting it with a hammer can result in serious injury so get professional assistance!

Safe Surfing
No, I repeat no anti-virus program that I am aware of can fully protect you on the internet unless you use commonsense when it comes to browsing the internet. Use the internet with caution and be aware that there are numerous sites out there specifically targeted at hitting you. Thus random surfing for holidays, and the like is not recommended nor is any attempt to download illegal content such as music.

Operation And Environment
I recently had a customer lose a perfectly good machine, which was less than three years old, to dampness. Be careful where you locate your computer and if the room is damp use a dehumidifier or better still move it to a warmer area in the house.

Electricity and Heat
All electronic components of value should be protected by a surge protector. I recommend Belkin or Apc, both leaders in the field, and do not recommend using "no name" brands. It will cost you around 10-25 euro to protect your devices and is a very reasonable investment. Surge protection is not a panacea for electrical problems and if your area is prone to electrical problems then you should invest in a small ups(uninterruptible power system) which will properly protect your valuable electronics. A ups contains a backup battery so that when power fails it provides emergency power to your devices until you can safely shut them down. A small ups will run you around 100 euro but is a life saver if you experience frequent power interruptions.

Many laptops are subject to heat problems and you should carefully monitor them for overheating. Avoid leaving them on overnight and disconnect from the mains when not in use. If you are not using the battery remove it to reduce heat build up. This free utility monitors both your computer and hard disk’s temperature. To Download click here or visit http://www.reidyonline.com/downutils.htm