Computer Help

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Lots of information, tips, hints, pointers, free programs for PCs with Windows - Windows 7, Vista and XP.

The latest statistics show that PCs use operating systems as follows (April 2011):

  • Windows 7 - 32%
  • Windows XP - 32%
  • Windows Vista - 19%
  • OSX (Mac) - 15%
  • Linux - 0.7%

what nextThis site provides advice for XP, Vista and Windows 7.

With a bit of luck, the answer you've been looking for is here. If not, there are links to other similar sites.

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Computer Help on this Site

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Security

Operating Computers

Improving and adding to a Computer

Backing Up

If you get a Virus attack that's really severe, you could lose some or all of your data. You could also lose data if your hard drive "crashes" or you accidentally delete files or your house burns down. To guard against this, you should periodically back-up your computer. You will then at least be able to return to the last backed-up copy.

What should I back up?
You don't need to back up a large portion of your files because your computer came with a collection of disks with the original programs on them. These include Windows, Office, Drivers and Miscellaneous programs. Just make sure you still have these available. The files to be backed up are in the following folders:

  • My Documents - C:\Documents and Settings\<User Name>\My Documents
  • Favorites - C:\Documents and Settings\<User Name>\Favorites
  • Download (if Used) - C:\Documents and Settings\<User Name>\Download
  • Outlook(if you have this program) - C:\Documents and Settings\<User Name>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook (More). For Outlook 2010 in Windows 7, you can find it here: C:\Users\<User Name>\Documents\Outlook Files
  • Outlook Express (if you use this program) - Search for files with a .dbx suffix and back these up.
  • Windows Live Mail (for Windows 7) - the mail files are here: C:\Users\<User Name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail

Note that the folder Local Settings is normally hidden. To see it (and other hidden files and folders), go to My Computer, then Tools>Folder Options>View and under Advanced Settings check Show Hidden Files and Folders instead of Do not Show Hidden Files and Folders.

How should I back up?
Several options:

  1. Use your DVD/CD-RW drive to burn DVD-ROMs or CD-ROMs.
  2. If you have a Network, back up one computer to the other. This is especially easy if all computers are running Windows 7 Professional.
  3. Buy an external hard drive and backup to it.
  4. Use Windows Home Server.
  5. Use a "Cloud" backup

To backup, either simply copy files manually or use Cobian Backup. You can download it here. This is a free program that allows manual or automatic (scheduled) backups of files or folders. I have used it to backup my critical files daily (automatically) to a local disk. If you backup up to a second hard drive, you can set it to run daily (e.g. 2:00am) and then shut down the computer when it's finished. if you buy an external (USB) hard drive, it will usually come with a back up program - although maybe only a demo version if you bought the low cost drive.

Windows Home Server
Microsoft has a software package called Windows Home Server. This is a stand-alone product that runs on a simple computer that would generally have one or more large hard drives. By simple, I mean no monitor, no keyboard, no mouse, no speakers. The catch is that it must be bought via an OEM (e.g. Hewlett Packard). The good news is that it works well and reliably although the cost is about $750Cdn which includes 1000GB of hard drive storage. It automatically does a full backup of all computers (up to 10) on a home network. And restore is very easy. Recommended if you have more than one home computer - especially if they are on a wired network. More here.

System Restore
If you make major changes to your computer, the installation or delete process will change the registry (amongst other things). Although you can back-up the Registry (using regedit), an easier way in Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 is to set a System restore point. Go to Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools then select System Restore. Select Create Restore Point then Next. Enter a relevant name then select Create. To restore, use the same path (using Safe mode if needed) and select Restore and select the restore point you want to restore back to. Note that this will not recover lost documents (e.g. Word files) - it simply resets program installation and registry settings to the restore date/time.

Cloud Backup
There are services available that allow you to backup to a computer located in the Internet "Cloud". You first set up an account and then configure your computer to backup to that account. This of course costs money - usually monthly or annually at around $4/month and up (one option here - but you should check into the many others). The good news is that the storage is "offsite" which provides added security and further, it's available from any location with internet access. The bad news is the ongoing cost - it soon adds up to the cost of an external drive - and you do need to have high speed access. It can quickly eat up your bandwidth quota - especially the first month and if you continually add large files. You can also run out of storage quota - usually in the 5-20GB range so you'll need more at more dollars.

Clean the Registry

When you uninstall or delete certain items, the central registry may retain entries that are not needed. Also, there are other files on your computer that are temporary - or meant to be - that should be deleted to free up disk space and help with privacy. Cleaning up these items (and more) is a useful (but rarely necessary) exercise and there are many utilities available that do this. The best free one available is CCleaner. Download it then install on your computer. However, it comes bundled with the Yahoo toolbar so if you do not want this, be sure to uncheck it during the installation process. When running this utility, be sure to make a new Restore point before you start and be careful when selecting the options. Not recommended for beginners but works well. . Note that many experts now suggest that registry cleaning is unnecessary and I must say I've never noticed any difference after using one. PC World recently reported that extensive testing shows no speed up in performance.

Other Computer Help Sites:

Answer your questions
Ask Bob Rankin - answers questions
Protonic - A forum of technicians willing to answer your specific question(s) - for free
PC Help Forum - another forum that provides free answers
Tech Support Guy - Free Technical Help!

Tips and advice
MalekTips - over 3820 tips on Computers, Digital Cameras, and Technology
Tech Support Alert - a collection of links to sites and programs you might want and a rating
Bob Cerelli's Window's page - How to do common installation, maintenance and network tasks
Compu-Kiss - wide range of subjects - aimed at baby boomers and seniors.
Optimizing Windows - Netherlands based - in English - installing and optimizing Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7.

Downloads
PC-World Magazine - Utilities, downloads, equipment reviews, news etc.
Major Geeks - Downloads for more advanced users