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These are some basic tips and rules to follow to keep your computer safe and clean and running most efficiently that I have learned in over eight years of work as a professional i.t. tech.

Virus Protection:

In the vast lawlessness of cyberspace and with the number of new viruses being sent out every day you should never be online without up-to-date virus protection software.

First, make sure you have virus protection software; I can't tell you the number of people whose computers we've had to bring back from a virus-ridden death because the owner's thought they had virus protection. If Norton or something similar came with your pc (personal computer) and you haven't paid a yearly rate to keep it running, then you do not have virus protection on your system! Norton & McAfee are not free virus protection programs; if you've never sent them a cent then they are not protecting your pc, regardless of whether or not the programs are downloaded to your computer. You may have gotten a "trial run" when you first purchased your pc, but this runs out and if you don't renew/create a membership with them and send money then you are no longer protected.

Once you are sure you have anti-virus protection, or have gotten some for your system, make sure your virus definitions are up-to-date for your virus protection software. Make sure to always keep this updated; most anti-virus programs will allow you to setup automatic updates so you don't even have to worry about it.

You should also run periodic virus scans on your pc. I have my computer set to run a complete virus scan every Tuesday morning at 2am, the least likely time for me to be on it. You should do at least a weekly scan for viruses; monthly at the most.

Clean-up:

You do maintenance on your car, why not on your computer? Run Disk Cleanup, Disk Check & Defrag on your system at least once a month. This keeps the computer clean and running smoothly.

This is essential for keeping your pc running and in the best shape possible. Folders such as "Cache", "Temp" and "Temporary Internet Files" fill up quickly and eventually begin to take up valuable room in your system which can slow down performance. It is recommended that you clean these out often using Disk Cleanup.

Spy/adware:

A lot of people don't realize the amount of malicious software that is downloaded to their computer while they idly surf the web. 99% of the personal computers that are brought to me to fix are running slow or not-at-all because there are literally hundreds

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