The New Year is always a good time to reflect and make new year resolutions. Whilst we normally want to eat less, exercise more, work less hours, quit smoking or make self improvements you can also make your computer habits a happier and safer experience with our Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Computer Users
1 – BACK UP MY DATA
When was the last time you made a copy of your precious photos or your important documents?
We should all back up our data regularly but unfortunately this often gets overlooked. Its only after losing something important or irreplaceable that we learn! I recommend backing up your valuable data to at least two different places and keeping one of the backups in a different location to your computer (preferably in a different building).
There are many ways you can back up your data:
- Burn to DVD / CD
- Copy to a USB Stick
- Buy an external hard disk drive
- Save to the cloud (we recommend carbonite)
2 – CLEAN OUT THE JUNK
Its time to spring clean your hard disk drive… Over time your computer collects rubbish which includes programs that you install and don’t use, downloaded files that are not needed, websites you visit etc. To do this yourself simply open Windows Explorer, right click the hard disk drive icon and select “Properties”.
3 – UPDATE MY WEAK PASSWORDS
The worse password of 2012 was “password”. It wont take long for a hacker to gain access to any of your websites / computer (and hopefully not) your bank if your password is an easy to guess, dictionary based word.
4 – UPDATE MY SOFTWARE
Its important to keep your software up to date because this not only ensure the security of your computer, but also includes bug fixes and new features. Automatic software updates should not be ignored include your normal Windows operating system updates, your anti-virus software, Adobe Flash Player updates (this normally is to fix security vulnerabilities and bugs) etc. You can also check the software’s website for new versions at least once every few months.
If manual checks are too tiresome (which I agree it is!) then I recommend Filehippo Update Checker which scans your installed software and lets you know when a new version is available.
5 – PROTECT MY COMPUTER AGAINST VIRUSES AND MALWARE
Virus and Malware lurks on almost all computers we repair, even if you have anti-virus software installed it is likely your computer may harvest some form of malware or spyware. It is a good idea to ensure your Anti-Virus software is up to date with the latest virus definitions and you do at least one full (or deep) scan every week. I recommend you run the quick scan daily.
Our recommendation of the best free anti-virus software is Microsoft Security Essentials which comes built in with Windows 8 or can be downloaded from here.
If you are looking for ultimate protection and security for your entire family then we recommendKaspersky Internet Security. You can save £10 if you purchased from us for only £39.99 for the 3PC 1 Year (rrp £49.99). Download your free trial from here and if you are 100% happy with it, contact us to purchase your license.
6 – DEFRAG AND OPTIMIZE MY OPERATING SYSTEM
To defrag your hard disk drive is probably one of the most important things you can do to your computer. This re-organises how your files are stored which means your operating system spends less time looking for files and programs which will improve the speed of your computer. To defrag your hard disk drive, open up Explorer, right click the hard disk (C:\ drive) and select properties. Click the tools tab, then select Defrag (windows xp, vista and 7) or Optimize (Windows 8). Run the defrag (the first time you run this it will take a long time to complete).
7 – UPGRADE TO WINDOWS 8
Take up Microsoft’s £24.99 promotional Windows 8 Professional Upgrade before it ends on the 31st January 2013. After this time, Windows 8 will return back to the normal prices (Windows 8 Home around £90, Window 8 Professional around £180). For only £24.99 you can upgrade any Microsoft operating system including your old Windows XP (if you are still using it!). Its a cheap way to get the latest Windows 8 operating system. Visit Microsofts upgrade page here to purchase it.
If your computer is still running Windows XP and Windows Vista then it is time for you to upgrade your operating system to a more up-to-date and secure one. Windows XP is over 11 years old, Windows Vista is 6 years old! Old operating systems like these will start to have less and less software support by their vendors who will concentrate on offering updates for the latest Windows 7 and Windows 8 systems, leaving old systems with security vulnerabilities. Microsoft have extended their support for XP for one more year but this time next year there be no more security updates which means your computer will be vulnerable to new malicious attacks and viruses.
If you prefer not to do this yourself, then this will be no problem for The Laptop Fixers. While the Microsoft Windows 8 Upgrade Promotion is running (until 31st Jan 2013) we will upgrade your operating system and give your computer a full health check for only £74.99. For an additional £25 will can also upgrade your memory so that your computer runs even quicker (we can assess if your computer needs a memory upgrade at the time of the Windows 8 upgrade).
8 – CLEAN OUT MY INBOX
Its a dirty, boring job, but needs to be done! How I do this myself is to create few of folders in my email client called “Keep”, “To Do” then I go through my inbox and either delete the junk or move the ones I want to keep out of my Inbox into my Keep or To Do box. This way, my inbox remains uncluttered and I have a list of what my To Do emails are without having to dig around my inbox looking for that message sitting among all the junk mail!
If you are using an email client like Outlook Express (Windows XP) then this is very important to do because once your email inbox hits 2GB in size then your email will stop working and you will miss out on new emails. I recommend removing any email with large attachments as this normally causes your email inbox to clog up.
Remember, a tidy inbox is piece of mind!
9 – SECURE MY WIRELESS NETWORK
Allowing anyone access to your wireless network could be a major security issue – not only can they access your network and all your files, anyone who uses your connection will be seen using YOUR IP address. This means that anyone using your internet connection illegally will be traced back to YOU!
I often read stories of raids on homes where it was thought the occupants were downloading illegal images only to find their wi-fi was hi-jacked by a neighbor! Read this interesting story of a US home owner being awoken by an armed police raid!
10 – SPEND TIME AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTER
Easier said than done… (for me anyway as I often will work 16 hours flat out with just a 30 mins break for dinner without noticing how much time has passed!).
However, if I am to do what I preach then I would allow at least 10 minute break for every 1 hour you sit in front of your computer… even if you just go to make a cup of tea or do a bit of admin work (away from the computer!). Its important that you give your eyes a rest from the screen and that you regularly stretch your legs and do some exercises to help prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
This Article was written by Paul Betteridge from The Laptop Fixers in the UK.
