The,Trials,and,Tribulations,Co computer The Trials and Tribulations of A Confused Computer

----------------------------------------------------------Permission is granted for the below article to forward,reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website,offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as longas no changes a Gone are those times when the companies and the organisations didn't need a hi-tech system to handle them. Owing to the considerable increase in the business sector and thus, an enormous increase in the complexity of the organisational struc

During a recent period of the fretted PC breakdown,Icameto realize that I took my computer for granted.Ithought the high tech machine would never let me downand I wasnever further from the truth. Just when I thoughtthings were going smoothly,"BANG",I was in deeptrouble.Home-based businesses should be aware that computerdown time can and will mess up your schedule.After onlya week,I was behind and a bit discouraged to say theleast. I was lucky enough to be able to fix my pcmyself,but this isn't always the case. Sometimes ittakes an expert to bail you out and it can be costly.Professionals charge $50.00 per hour,and up, to findand correct problems. It may be wise to stash a bit inthe bank for such an occasion.I found backing up your files is of the utmostimportance.Store your important pieces on floppy or Cd-Rom.Do not wait too long and be sure to format thosefloppies.I stored information on a floppy and found after I wasback to normal, the floppy was no good and would notopen my files.Never store a program on a floppy, it will not workproperly when you try it. Programs must be reinstalled.A good example is Aureate Group Mail or something youdownloaded online.If you have an opt-in list,that can be saved to floppy.Think you know your computer? Take a look at itscontents. Go to my computer, C drive, Wow,I was amazedat the contents and the worst of it was I did not knowwhat everything was.Another great place to see the internal contents ofyour computer is the Control Panel, Go to mycomputer,control panel,system, and device manager. Thisplace is a maze of high tech content. Do not changeanything unless you know what you are doing. Theresults can be disastrous.I have had my share of problems with down time,rangingfrom installing anew Cd-rom, to blowing dust from mytower. Yes, dust is a common culprit! Fans get cloggedwith dust quickly,and the result is overheatedcomponents and leads to computer failure.I blow out thedust using a vacuum cleaner and also being careful notto disturb delicate parts.PC problems sometimes develop from a loose connection.It may be a cord or a circuit board within the tower.Gently pushing in a loose connection may solve aproblem.Booting into the safe mode is a safe way to fixproblems.When booting, after the start up screen,pressing Ctrl,puts the pc in this mode with internet access, and manyprograms disabled, so the problem can be found andcorrected.Running disc cleanup, scandisk and defragmenterregularly is a must.Keep your recycle bin emptied, and the cache of yourbrowsers cleaned.Downloading too many programs and files can be ahazard. Games the kids like to play require alot ofhard drive with their special effects,graphics andcolors.Updating programs help out alot and often results infaster load time, and keeps up with technology.Windows updates are included in the start menu. Manyprograms have updates files included.Another important update is the antivirus software. Newviruses are discovered every day and your antivirusprogram needs to cover new and potentially harmfulviruses. This is another great way to lose importantdata and wipe out your whole system.Email is the culprit for unwanted viruses. Never openan email if you do not know where/who it is from andbeware of attachments. Alwaysscan your mail before opening,if your unsure of thecontent....DELETE IT!Starting from scratch is not fun and may take severaldays to accomplish. Reloading programs back into thecomputer is time consuming and usually requirestechnical assistance. Check your warranty foradditional information. If you are out of warranty, youmay have to pay for repairs.Additional hardware cause problems too, such as abackup unit for power outages,scanners, and printers.Be sure to service these often,check for wear andupgrade when needed.I have an additional comment for those of you that wantto save money, be aware those universal ink printerrefills for any printer may not work for your printer.I thought I was saving money and the results were adamaged printer,thus repairs. In my case, not only didI get ink allover my hands, ink leaked into my printer from thecartridge and caused the damage. You are much betteroff paying for the cartridge that goes with theprinter, than trying to save money and end up paying 3times the cost in repairs.Last but not least....again...Never, ever think yourcomputer is not vulnerable to sickness..Some neverrecover!