Assuming your computer is running under Windows 98, 98SE, ME, 2000, or XP, then you may find these tips useful. These suggestions also assume that you're comfortable doing things in your computer other than opening a document, sending an email message or surfing the Web. If not, find someone who is (I can refer you to good technicians and I can also coach you so you can do it yourself).
Every day
Backup. There are many ways to back up files. If you have a lot of data an external hard drive is one way. I back up my computer by moving files to other computers in my office. You will probably want to compress the files to fit onto your backup media (CD, DVD or external hard drive). Microsoft's built-in backup program works great for this task. Go to My Computer, right-click on your hard drive (probably "C:,") choose Properties, then Tools; there you will see a button for doing a backup. Just click the button and complete the wizard.
It is also important to back up your e-mail each day. Outlook users have it easy; do a search on *.pst to find your Outlook data file. Then you can drag-and-drop the file to your backup media.
Some programs store stuff in places other than the My Documents folder, so if you chose that limited option for backups using the process above, then exploring the Application Data folder would be a good idea. If you do not know where it is, just do a search for it. The Application Data folder contains many sub-folders where programs might store data and personalized settings. If you do not back up the entire hard disk, you should use the drag-and-drop technique to back up the Application Data folder, too.
Don't turn your computer off. If you'll be back on your computer within 12 hours you should keep it running. The most demanding thing your computer does is to power up. It will work better longer if you are not constantly turning it on and off. Instead, go to your Control Panel and choose Display, then Power. Change the setting for hard disks to power down after an hour, or two, of inactivity.
Get rid of the surge suppressor. No sane person would use a power strip for their computer equipment, but if you know someone who does this goes for them, too. This may cost you a few bucks. Get yourself an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). A decent one will cost around $65, but it may be the best money you can spend to protect your hardware. It will not wear out for many years, so it will last through a few generations of new computers. When the power fails the UPS will give you about 10 minutes or more to save your work and power everything down. Some come with software that will do the shut down automatically if you are not there.
When you turn your computer on, power up the monitor and any accessories first, and then power on the PC itself. When you turn the computer off reverse this process--first power down the PC, then the monitor and accessories. Doing this will protect your computer from some types of power spikes that circumvent the UPS.
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