Today’s small business owners need their computers to keep business running.  No one can afford to lose time due to a hard drive crash or a computer virus.  Here are a few recommendations we’ve put together to help you keep your computer running as it should.  If you have any questions, please give us a call.

- Best Practices for General PC Maintenance –

1. Anti-Virus and Internet Security

Be sure that you have both an active Anti-virus and a Firewall program installed.  Make sure they update at least once a day.  Check to make sure that it runs a full system scan at least once a week.  We recommend TrendMicro Internet Security Standard or Pro but there are many good ones out there.

2. Get a Second Opinion on Your Anti-Virus

Use another program to check for “malware” aka spyware, adware, viruses and even fake anti-virus programs. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and Spybot S&D are good to use and they’re free.

3. Backup Early and Often

Over the past few years external hard drives have become an inexpensive and easy way to back up your important information, email, pictures, and music.  You can even backup your information online or use a program that takes a snapshot of your hard drive.  Remember that hard drives are cheap, hard drive recovery isn’t.

4. Keep Windows and Internet Browsers Updated

Check to make sure that Windows and Firefox are set to download and install important updates.  This keeps your system up to date and patches security holes.

5. Use the Built-In System Tools

Keep your laptop or desktop clean by running tools that come with Windows.  Disk Defragmenter and Disk Cleanup should be run once a month.  You can find them at Start-menu, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools.

6. Watch out for Piggy-Back Programs

Make sure you carefully read the screen when you install new programs or updates and uncheck any extra programs.  Some software companies have started including these “extras” which can slow down your system or compromise your privacy.

7. Don’t Play With Electricity

Plug your computer, router, printers, and other equipment into a surge protector or even better a battery backup(UPS).  These are great because they keep a power surge from zapping your equipment during a power flicker and provide a few minutes of battery power so you can safely turn off your computer.  They are a little more expensive than a power strip but a lot less expensive than replacing your computer.