A little EXTRA life for your computer!
Follow these guide lines told to me by and EX Geek Squad member to let your computer live a little longer
1) Keep all your data backed up. Put it on a disc, external HDD, upload it to a data safe website, another computer, somewhere! One place is NO GOOD, two places is OK, but once one fails, you need to create another second spot. This will save you from $99- $149 when you bring your computer in to Geek Squad right off the bat. NO manufacturer warranty covers your data, you need to do it yourself. Back up your pictures, contacts, documents, taxes, music and ANY business information you have.
2) Have recovery discs for each computer you have. This is your licensed copy of your Operating System (for most of us it is some form Windows or Mac IOS. These are specific to your computer’s guts (processor, mother board, sound and graphics cards). They have the drivers needed for your computer to use itself. Burn them right away when you get your computer on to DVDs and put them somewhere safe. It will take from 1-3 hours to do. If you lose them you can order them from your manufacturer for between $15-$50, depending on the brand. HP is usually cheaper, Sony is wicked expensive. They take about 2 or 3 weeks to get in if you end up needing them when you replace a hard drive or need to fix windows. If you don’t get them that way, you can purchase a full copy of snow leopard (a different type of an operating system) for about $30, or windows 7 for about $200.
3) One at a time… Two Anti- viruses at a time is like pushing fat pigs through a dog door, neither can get inside correctly and they block each other from functioning properly. They can tear nasty holes in your operating system depending on which ones you’re trying to combine or at least SLOW YOU DOWN TO A CRAWL because two systems are trying to scan your every move as well as each other’s moves. More than one is usually LESS protection than one good one. Remove the old ones, even if they’re expired they’ll get in the way. YOUR COMPUTER CAME WITH A TRIAL OF SOMETHING, take it off if that’s not the one you’re gonna use! Most antivirus is 40 dollars for a year, but if you buy 2 or 3 licenses you usually get a deal.
4) One tool bar is more than enough people! You don’t need 5 of them, they take up most of the screen and will end up effecting performance.
5) FREE!! I mean time to buy a new computer software Free games, movies, music taken from torrent sites, as well as pornography sites and even free social networking sites are riddled with viruses. Virus removal is $129-$199. Be safe and smart on the internet. If you get a virus, it’s your own fault. Viruses are a software issue, and are considered private data, not covered by any warranties. There’s a reason why stuff is free most of the time.
6) Computers are hydrophobic? This includes water, coke, beer, soup, bodily fluids and excessive cleaners. Don’t spray screen cleaner directly on your screen, spray it on your cleaning cloth and then wipe. A stream of any liquid can cause damage. Computers also don’t like gravity or being punched. This will probably cause lots more damage and not fix a speed issue.
7) No computer is immortal. Technology changes at an extremely fast rate. Average computer life span is 2-3 years for a laptop or closer to 4 for a desktop. This makes sense, because laptops undergo more stress: movement, impact, temperature changes, and are prone to overheating on a lap. Your computer takes electricity, and circulates through lots of things and gets hot. They burn out sometimes, but if you have your data backed up, you’ll be up and ready on a new one in no time.
