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7 Things Your Computer Person Won’t Tell You

Computer experts reveal secrets that don't come in a manual!

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  • Keep it clean. On a PC, run Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter at least once a month. This will store files more efficiently so your system doesn’t slow down. After about four years, your computer is elderly. If you’re shelling out for a blazing-fast Internet connection, pony up for a new model.

  • Check the cables. “People are always shocked that a cable came loose,” says Geek Squad agent Derek Meister. Of course, everything that needs power is plugged into an outlet, right?

  • Got neighbors? If you do, protect your home wireless network with a password. “If a person knows what he’s doing, getting into a computer on a non-encrypted net-work is easy,” says Schildkraut.

  • You backed up your data, right? External hard drives with lots of memory now sell for under $200, and automated programs like Cobian Backup or Apple’s Time Machine make regular backups a no-brainer. Secure online backup services save your data offsite should anything happen to your home.

  • If you travel with your laptop, get a lock. A 2007 survey by the Computer Security Institute found that 50 percent of respondents had a laptop or other mobile device sto-len in the past year. A simple cable lock (starting at about $20) lets you physically secure your laptop anywhere you go.
  • Remember: If your company owns the computer, they own what’s on it, too—even your email in some cases. Act accordingly.
  • Please remember: We didn’t create the problem; we’re just trying to help you fix it.
SEE 13 MORE THINGS YOUR COMPUTER PERSON WON'T TELL YOU

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Jim, try before you speak. Macs use industry standard hardware except for the graphics card and keyboardBy rubaiyat, on 08/31/2008

"Get a Mac"? Seriously? That's VERY situational advice. Telling the average, non-savvy user to get aBy warlocc, on 08/22/2008

We are a computer service company and everyone here agrees that most of these tips are not very goodBy JimBaldwin813, on 08/20/2008


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When I was on duty in the maternity ward, one of my patients was a woman who was having her first child. Because of her medical situation, she had to undergo a cesarean procedure. After the operation, I handed her the newborn child and declared, "Congratulations! You have a healthy baby boy."Still a little groggy from the anesthesia, she responded, "That's great. What's his name?"   

-- Wendy Reynolds