Following a few simple procedures on a regular basis will help keep your computer in good order and minimise your frustration.  Here we take you through the basics of:

 Preventative maintenance checklist

Keep your computer healthy (and your stress levels down) with these simple preventative measures:

Remove junk files - periodically (i.e. weekly) clear your computer of junk files. Many of these are temporary files created by your web browser, applications and by the operating system itself. There are two ways of removing junk files:

• manually by searching for *.tmp, *.chk and files that begin with a tilde (~). Delete .zip files once they've been extracted and empty the contents of your temp and temporary Internet files directories.
• automatically using Windows' 'disk cleanup' utility or other available utilities.

Run ScanDisk and Defrag - by periodically scanning your disk for errors and defragmenting your files you will optimise your hard disk's performance. Always remove junk files and empty the recycle bin before defragmenting the drive. If you leave your computer switched on all day, use the ‘task scheduler’ to automate these tasks during a period when you will not be using your computer, e.g. lunchtime. If you have not defragmented your hard disk before the process may take some time - a sign of how clogged up your hard disc can become.  With regular defragmentation the process becomes much quicker.

Install updates - it is important that your operating system and software is kept up to date with the latest patches, especially security updates. Computer software is very rarely perfect, so each time a flaw is discovered a patch is issued to fix it. Some of these flaws are just irritating, others are major security loopholes which may be exploited by hackers and virus writers. Software patches are usually free and most software can be set to automatically check for and download updates. You should always let software updates complete to ensure the stability and security of your system and data. Again, if you do not update your software frequently the updates may take some time to install; updating on a regular basis considerably reduces the uploading time.

Use a firewall - many Internet routers include a firewall: make sure this is enabled. It is prudent to use a personal firewall in addition to this. If you connect directly to the Internet, the importance of using a personal firewall cannot be more strongly emphasised.

Anti-virus software - use anti-virus software, and keep it up to date. Most anti- virus software can be set to check for updates automatically when your computer is connected to the Internet. Select this option and allow updates to complete.

Check for spyware - many seemingly innocent pieces of software, especially those downloaded from the Internet contain "spyware". Much of this, while not in itself harmful to your computer, will use your computer's resources and slow it down. Too much and your computer will grind to a halt! Use anti-spyware software and keep it current.

Email caution - exercise caution when opening email. Always scan attachments for viruses and don't open attachments from strangers or that you're not expecting.

Wireless LAN - if you use a wireless LAN you must enable its security features. Any wireless LAN set up by us will have security enabled unless there is a specific need for an open network - e.g. for open access in a pub or cafe.

If you have never lost data due to some form of computer failure you are either very lucky or you don't use a computer. If yComputers go wrong - fact!ou have lost data then you know that the consequences are at best frustrating and in a worst case scenario can seriously harm your business. Keeping a backup of your data is essential to avoid falling foul of computer failure. There are various ways of doing this:

Removable media –floppy disk, Zip disk, CDR/CDRW, tape, memory stick. None of these methods are 100% reliable, but using one or more of these dramatically reduces your risk of data loss.

Backup to a file server - if you are connected to a network, keeping backup copies of your data on another workstation or server will reduce your risk of data loss.

Backup to an external hard disk – using an external hard disk can provide a fast, cost effective method of backing up.