Maintaning you computer... Need Help

[Seijin]

What are some things that I can do to keep my computer in top condition? Like how often should I do chkdsk, defragment the hard drive and update drivers for the computer. I want to keep my system in top shape so I have fewer problems in the future.

Thank you for your help and have a great day.

Seijin

 

[Swilo]

Update drivers whenever a new version is released.
Scandsik/defrag about once every 1-2 weeks.
Format about once every few months.

 

[Wargasm]

check the inside of your puter for dust.
do not place your comp on the floor or near central heating units.
use a viri scanner .

 

[Grimlock]

why format every few months? All it does is write random data to the disk to cover old data, it's shouldn't make that much difference. Just un-install anything you don't use and run disk cleanup afterwards.

 

[Seijin]

Format every few months? Do you mean delete everything on your hard drive every few months and then load it all back on again? That seems more of a hassel then anything. If you don't mind me asking, but why format your hard drive every few months?

Seijin

 

[Wargasm]

i format once a year .
make nice image with nortons ghost .
30 minutes later you got your most used programs back with a complete reinstall and working computer .
then the rest is just taken from backup's

MS operating systems have this tendency to become slower and slower over time .

 

[Seijin]

You might be right.

About a month ago I bought the GeForce4 MX video card to upgrade from my Nvidia RIVA TNT card that I have right now. When I installed the card myself my system would not accept it and I tried everything to get it to work. So finally I took it to the store to have them install the card for me. First they tell me to get a GeForce3 Ti, since it is still top of the line and compatible with all systems, then they tell me that they need to format the whole HD because there is just a ton of crap, as the guy said, on the machine. So I take it home and back up everything important then I took it back they installed the card. I am going to pick it up in about an hour and see how well it works now, I can't wait.

So maybe formating the HD isn't such a bad idea.

My laptop that I am posting on is a 1.4GHZ, 240RAM, 30GB HD, S3 Graphic ProSavageDDR Videa Card, VIA AC'97 Enhanced Au dio Controller Sound Card. I like this computer.

 

[cloudberry]

I reformat my computer at least once every two months. It's been almost two months now, and it's definitely slowing down...

 

[Grimlock]

I can't be bothered with all that, and I haven't noticed it slowing down. Then again, I don't exactly put much strain on it, it does no more that my old Athlon 750, and that never complained at me having 30 + windows open at once.

 

[shaggy735]

Use Ad Aware to get rid of spyware

Keep your virus scanner up to date.

Format is not needed unless you are having MAJOR issues.

 

[Guest]

Originally posted by shaggy735
Use Ad Aware to get rid of spyware

Keep your virus scanner up to date.

Format is not needed unless you are having MAJOR issues.

Sorry to ask this question, but what is spyware never heard of it before.

Thats what I thought about format. Don't need to do it unless something major happens.

Seijin

 

[cloudberry]

Spyware is what we call small programs, that collects information about you, your habits etc. If you have older Kazaa versions installed, you most definitely have installed spyware aswell. The problem with spyware is not only the invasion of your privacy, it's also that the spyware takes some system resources.

Use the Ad Aware program mentioned above to clean your computer.

 

[Wargasm]

and they steal bandwidth also
and they are annoying

http://www.abtons-shed.com/
try tweakall a very good program
or check http://www.majorgeeks.com they have tons of freeware programs to clean up your pc

 

[theshambler]

I also format every 2-4 months. It is also good to (if you have Norton Utillities) update them at least once a week, and run speed disk (an optimized version of windows defrag) at least once a week. defrag is a must very often for keeping your computer optimized. Ad-aware is great, if you have dial up....yeah i know i suck, like me, using ad-aware helps prevent spyware from eating your bandwidth.

 

[Grimlock]

The sad truth is all I use my computer for is playing Half-life mods, checking these forums, my e-mail, and watching the occasional DVD, and I use the old Athlon 750 for that too, what I use the P166, the P60 and my celery 500 laptop for, well not a lot currently.