Computer Maintenance - Recommended FREE Software
Tips For Austin PC Solutions Customers
Computer Maintenance Tips
A computer needs regular maintenance just like an automobile. Here is a list of recommended maintenance tasks and helpful tips to keep your PC running like new.
- Check Windows Update regularly and ensure all critical updates are installed.
- Keep good anti-virus software installed, keep the virus pattern files or “definitions” updated, and scan your computer for viruses regularly. New virus definitions are updated at least weekly, and sometimes even daily. At the very minimum, perform weekly virus scans of the entire system.
- Use a program that removes spy-ware applications from your computer. Keep it updated, as new spy-ware is discovered almost as often as viruses. Scan for spy-ware about once per week to keep your system running its best and to protect your privacy. The best spyware removal programs are free, but there are many imposters out there that are actually spyware themselves. Austin PC Solutions recommends two, and we recommend using both of them...Ad-Aware, and Spybot Search & Destroy. Links to these free downloads are found at the bottom of this page.
- Run the Windows disk clean-up utility two or three times per year. Check all of the options except “Compress Old Files” to remove unnecessary files from your hard drive that are wasting space.
- Avoid software packages that claim to be “registry cleaners”, “duplicate file cleaners”, or “installation managers”. These applications can seriously damage your operating system and applications. Unless you are an advanced user capable of undoing any improper actions these programs might take, it is just best not to use them.
- Avoid installing software that is "shareware" or "free" as much as possible. A lot of free software is crammed full of spyware applications that invade your privacy and use your PC to deliver advertisements to you. Read the license agreements on any free software you may install. If you must install a free software application, do so only when the website guarantees the downloads are spyware or adware free, like www.download.com.
- De-fragment your hard drive with the Windows disk defragmenter two or three times per year. Prior to performing this action, be sure to run the disk clean-up utility, then disable any screen savers, close all running software, disconnect from the Internet, and temporarily disable your anti-virus software.
- Your computer should always be plugged into a power-surge protector. Any cables used to connect your system to the Internet should also run through a surge protector. DSL and dial-up users should ensure their phone cord runs through a standard RJ-11 phone jack that is part of the surge protector, and cable users should purchase surge protectors that include coax connectors on them.
- If you live in an area where power surges and low-voltages are frequent, consider using an UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) rather than just a surge protector.
- Make sure your computer can “breathe”. The computer needs adequate air space, especially at the rear, to allow proper cooling of the internal components.
- Open your computer at least once per year (after unplugging it) and use an inexpensive can of compressed air to blow out the dust that has accumulated inside the PC. If your computer is standing on the floor, perform this task more often than once per year. Compressed air can be picked up in supermarkets, office supply stores, and major discount retailers.
- Avoid installing software that isn’t specifically designed for the version of Windows you are using on your computer. Look for Microsoft logos on the software box that specifically say “Made for” or “Designed for” or “Compatible” with your Windows version.
- Keep important software packages updated by visiting the vendor’s website and obtaining patches, bug fixes, and software enhancements.
- When you install a new operating system on your computer, upgrade to the newest available version of anti-virus software. Older AV programs tend to cause major problems in newer operating systems.
- Don’t update your computer’s BIOS or your hardware drivers unless you have specific problems with the operation of the PC that you believe may be solved by applying these updates. Updating a BIOS or driver just because a newer one is available can sometimes cause other problems, so unless you have a problem to fix, it is better to leave well enough alone.
- Never attempt to free-up space on your computer’s hard drive by just deleting files from “Windows Explorer” or “My Computer” unless you know exactly what you are deleting. Instead, use the disk cleanup utility mentioned in item #4 that was installed with your version of Microsoft Windows.
- Never attempt to un-install a program by deleting its folder in Windows Explorer or My Computer. Go into the Windows Control Panel, open Add/Remove Programs, locate the application you wish to remove from the computer, and un-install it from there.
- If children regularly use your computer, consider using an operating system like Windows Vista, Windows XP Professional, or Windows 2000 so you can limit the “user rights” of children. This will prevent any accidental file deletions that may occur when they are learning to use the computer.
Recommended Software For Austin PC Solutions Customers
Computer software is expensive. Just a copy of Windows and Microsoft Office alone typically cost as much or more than an entire computer. GOOD, free software was once available only to Linux users. Things have changed over the last few years. Following is a list of highly useful, FREE software that you should absolutely try. Most of these programs are staples on our own personal computers.
FREE Memory Test Tool
- Memtest86+ -
If your computer is acting strange...reboots, crashes, lock-ups, long delays...or when you download files they end up being corrupt archives, you may have a problem with your RAM. Memtest86+ is the best software memory testing tool available to test the reliability of your computer memory. Follow the provided link and download either the "Pre-compiled Bootable ISO" to make a CD, or the "Pre-compiled package for Floppy" to make a diskette. To guarantee your memory is running reliably, allow Memtest86+ to run for several hours. It will continuously stress and test your RAM until you restart your computer. If errors are found, give us a call at 512-573-3821 so we can help you fix the problem.
FREE PDF (Adobe) File Reader
- Foxit PDF Reader -
Foxit Reader is a free PDF document viewer and printer, with incredible small size (only 2.55 M download size), breezing-fast launch speed and rich feature set. Foxit Reader supports Windows Me/2000/XP/2003/Vista. Adobe Acrobat Reader has become big, slow, and very annoying with its regular updates popping up all the time. Try this little replacement and put your PDF reader back where it belongs, closed and inactive until you need to read a PDF file.
FREE PDF (Adobe) File Maker
- Bullzip PDF Printer - Utilities to read a PDF document have always been free, but the full version of Adobe Acrobat that lets you create your own PDF documents has always been out of the price range of home and small office computer users. Today, there are several applications that are inexpensive or free that allow you to create PDFs. Bullzip PDF Printer installs a printer driver on your system. Once Bullzip is installed, you can go into virtually ANY application, open the document you want to turn into a PDF, and print the document to the Bullzip printer. Select your filename and save the file in the path of your choice. That's all there is to it! Not only is Bullzip PDF Printer completely FREE, it is Windows Vista compatible.
FREE File Compression Utility
- ALZip – For all your file compression needs, ALZip opens virtually every archive format imaginable. From ALZ and ACE to ZIP and ZOO, it even opens CD images too. This compressions utility is FREE for home users. ALZip is fast, Vista compatible, and has a great user interface. A great alternative to annoying Winzip purchase reminders and the price of Winrar.
FREE Spy Software Removal Programs
- Lavasoft Ad-Aware - The first, and still the best spy software removal application. Ad-Aware set the standard and continues raising the bar for all of its competitors with each new release. There is a paid version that adds additional features, like a resident spyware scanner and the capability to schedule scans of the system. The free version is perfectly fine if you make yourself use it at least once per week to scan your computer for adware and spyware infections.
- Spybot Search & Destroy - The second best and also FREE spyware removal application. We recommend using Ad-Aware and Spybot on the same system, as they each seem to detect some things differently and remove different parts of infections, so they work best in tandem.
FREE Virus Protection / Antivirus Software
- AVG Antivirus – This easy-to-use antivirus application uses very little of your computer’s resources (unlike Norton, McAfee, and the other major names in this class) and there is even a completely FREE version! The free version of AVG is the most downloaded free application on the CNET software site, www.download.com . We can say with certainty it works as well as most all other antivirus solutions, and it won’t turn your computer into a sluggish mess like so many of the competitive software packages. New updates are released daily and downloaded automatically, so you always stay protected. AVG products are running on over 70 million computers worldwide.
- Avast! Antivirus - A multi-award winning solution to virus protection, with anti-spyware and anti-rootkit software built in for added security. It is available FREE for non-commercial, home use and with its fast, automatic updates avast! antivirus is already being used by more than 50 million users worldwide to provide continuous protection against all forms of malicious software (malware).
FREE Personal Firewall Software
- Zone Alarm - A well-establish, easy-to-use software firewall. If you are new to software firewalls or don't want to have to configure the software yourself, this is the best firewall you are likely to find for FREE.
- PCTools Firewall Plus – If you are a little more of an advanced user, this is the best free firewall available today. This firewall includes stateful packet inspection, stealth mode, plus the ability to customize the existing rules or even create new ones, and even the ability to change the default behavior of a rule to either block or allow traffic.
FREE FTP Client & Server Software
- ALFTP - FREE for home users, ALFTP is an easy FTP client for beginners with a speedy interface for power-users. And with the built in ALFTP FTP Server, you can easily share files with friends and family.
- Cerberus - Cerberus FTP ServerTM provides industrial strength secure SSL/TLS encryption and powerful FTP server performance without sacrificing ease-of-use. Designed to use very little CPU and memory, Cerberus features a user-friendly interface that can be easily hidden or accessed from the system tray. Cerberus is FREE for home users.
FREE Media Player Software
- ALShow - FREE MEDIA PLAYER FOR EVERYONE! ALShow is the easiest free media player on the Internet. With codecs already built in, it's the only download you'll ever need!
FREE Microsoft Office Compatible Office Suite
- OpenOffice.org Suite - OpenOffice.org is both an Open Source product and a project. The product is a multi-platform office productivity suite. It includes the key desktop applications, such as a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager, and drawing program, with a user interface and feature set similar to other office suites’. Sophisticated and flexible, OpenOffice.org also works transparently with a variety of file formats, including those of Microsoft Office. Best of all, it is completely FREE. Open Source software comes with no formal technical support, but the open source user community has newsgroups available for anyone wishing to find solutions for common problems....just ask other users of OpenOffice.org Suite for help! When you consider that Microsoft Office or Corel Office can cost as much as $500, this is a great alternative. Best of all, you can still save your work as .doc, .xls, etc., and they can still be opened by users of Microsoft Office.
FREE Hard Disk Imaging Utility
- SelfImage - SelfImage is capable of making an image file of a hard disk or hard disk partition, and can restore an image back to any drive or partition that doesn't have open files. Useful for making backups. Unlike dd for Windows (or cygwin), SelfImage is capable of creating an image of a partition that is currently in use. SelfImage can even create images of partitions that Windows doesn't recognize (partitions that Windows doesn't have mounted on a drive letter). This is perfect for the dual-boot system, you can create an image backup of a Linux partition directly from Windows. This utility is the closest thing to a free Norton Ghost that can be found, and it works faster than Ghost.
FREE Backup Utility
- Cobian Backup - Cobian Backup is a backup and restore utility that can backup your files and directories to another directory or drive on the same computer or to another computer on your network. It also supports FTP backup. You can compress and encrypt your backups. Standalone decompression and decryption utilities are also available so that if you wish, you can recover your files without having to use the backup program. Included with the backup program is a scheduler, so that you can schedule your backups to occur, say, every night when you are not using the computer. The program also supports remote backups.
FREE CD/DVD Burning Utility
- CD Burner XP Pro - CDBurnerXP is a free application to burn CDs and DVDs, including Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs. It also includes the feature to burn and create ISOs, as well as a multilanguage interface. Everyone, even companies, can use it for free. It does not include adware or similar malicious components.