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Your Computer: From Clunker to Corvette in Eight Easy Steps

Want your computer to keep up with you? Follow the steps below to take it from zero to sixty. Two OIT Help Desk experts dish out their best tips: Jeanne Gregor, the Macintosh maven, and Eric Byrd, the PC pro.

Delete Spyware on Personal Computers
If you use a PC, you should remove your computer’s spyware. When you install programs or engage in file-sharing, you could be installing spyware, which collects personal information (including credit card numbers and passwords) about you for advertisers. Go to www.lavasoftusa.com to get Ad-Aware for free or visit www.download.com and enter “Spybot” in the search window. You can download it for free.

Restart Your Computer and Empty the Trash
You should turn your computer off at least weekly and empty your trash bin.

Clear Web Browser Caches
Over time, the Web sites you use accumulate in your cache and take up space, so clear your Web browser cache monthly or at least every semester. Different browsers require different steps so if you cannot figure out how to do this, call the OIT Help Desk at 301.405.1500.

Toss Out Old Files
Delete the files you will not use again. Some students report a therapeutic benefit from deleting files they used in classes that they did not want souvenirs from. Make sure that you will not need the information later. Remember to empty your trash bin.

Remove Dead Weight Software
Only delete the programs that you recognize, such as Napster. Many programs like nvidia (your videocard) are crucial and you will not recognize them. Remember to empty your trash bin.

• PC: To delete unused software, click on Start at the bottom of your screen and select Control Panel. Click on the Add/Remove Programs icon. You will need to wait for about a minute while your computer locates its programs.

• Macintosh: Click on the Go menu and select Applications. Drag unused software programs to your trash bin.

Reorganize Your Computer’s Files on Personal Computers
Mac users, you’re in luck. Your operating system is so efficient that you can skip this step. If you use a PC, read on.

Opening and closing a computer file is like taking your favorite shirt off the hanger and then throwing it back in the closet. Over time, you have to wade through the pile to get to that shirt again. By defragmenting, your computer will take less time to open the files you want.

Defragmenting takes a few hours. Turn off your screen saver if you use one and close all programs because they interrupt the process. Open My Computer. Right click on your C drive and select Properties. Click the Tools tab and select Defragment Now.

Take Steps Before and After Software and Hardware Additions for Macintoshes
As a Mac user, you should fix file permissions before and after every software update. In your applications folder, select the Utility folder and select the Disk Utility folder. Then select the First Aid tab and repair file permissions.

You should set up your computer to automatically check for updates weekly by clicking on the Apple menu and selecting System Preferences. A window will pop up with several icons. Click the Software Update icon. Place a check next to Check for Updates and select Weekly from the drop-down menu.

You should also reset the parameters for your computer while it starts up by holding down the following keys until the computer chimes four times: Command (apple key), Option, P, and R.

Tattoo Your Computer and Ward Off Smiling Assassins

You’ve removed spyware and downloaded virus protection, but what about computer threats that occur in your physical environment? Below are strategies to protect your computer’s physical safety.

Give It A Tattoo
Two thousand computers are taken or lost every day. You can protect your computer by joining the STOP program at www.stoptheft.com. For about $25, you get a security plate and tattoo on your computer in addition to a red police identifiable warning sticker. The permanent tattoo renders your computer useless to thieves who will not be able to resell it. Each security plate warns thieves that the police can trace the property through a permanent tattoo that is etched into the computer. The plate identifies your tracking information and includes a toll-free number in case someone finds your lost or stolen computer. The red sticker informs police that they can run identity checks on suspects’ computers to ensure that they did not steal them. The program works best as a theft deterrent; however, if someone steals your computer, STOP will work with the police and FBI to find it and send it to you. More than 2,000 companies that have adopted the STOP program have decreased their computer losses by 90 percent.

Ward Off Smiling Assassins
Do you know the people who are nice to your face, but act otherwise behind your back? These smiling assassins can also be sneaky with your computer. Avoid the following missteps:

• Storing your passwords on your computer, keeping a list of them next to your computer, or putting them in your top drawer where a snooping visitor can find them

• Using the same password for every account so if one is cracked, they’re all cracked

• Using cool passwords like “skydive” since you love to skydive instead of using a combination of numbers and capital and lowercase letters, which prevents hacking programs that can identify any word in the dictionary from guessing your password

• Telling your friends your passwords to impress them with your cleverness

• Never changing your passwords

• Leaving yourself logged into computer stations or Web sites so others can use your identity for mischievous activities

Buy More Memory
If your computer uses more than 90 percent of your hard disk space after following these steps, you should purchase additional memory (known as RAM) from your local computer store. Thirty-two MB of memory costs about $60 and 256 MB of memory costs about $100 from Best Buy.

Now that your computer is up to speed, you can wrap up your work while your roommate rants at her leopard-print desktop.