Often one can come across a problem on their computer, where things run smooth or not, then suddenly nothing: It freezes, stalls, or some unreadable error code. So what next? Other than panicking you..Get advice from a knowledgeable person? Call up your local computer repair shop? Get access to another internet enabled computer to search on Google for help? This has happened to me due to the lack of maintenance, a huge amount of software programs (Many which were rarely used - there were a total of around 36, 000 files! that constituted or rather compromised the programs present), incorrect use by others (e.g. the young ones deleting files), and the hidden files of annoyance- worms, malware, adware, etc...
What I did was rush of to the computer stall then get them to fix it - rather reformat my PC. I asked what was wrong and how it was fixed, but he did not really want to any give specifics, only to say the pc was unstable. So 50 dollars later, then reinstalling several software programs and driver discs, with hours of updating (re-updating) windows, adware, anti virus, etc - All which was a pain. So I went on a mission to learn how to first prevent and then to fix future major hassles. This was achieved by learning how to back up folders and then images on a removable drive. Then to use the XP disc to fresh install or repair sections of windows, e.g. the boot sector. Then all good - back to the beginning of a healthy computer...
But I wanted to know more - free useful maintenance programs, latest help articles, forums, blogs, maintenance, strategies and so on - all just for a personal PC. But perhaps like no other..It is used heavily - the kids internet games and browsing, editing music files (ripping from vinyl, removing noise, adding reverb, etc), creating web sites, extensive gaming, music management(burning, ripping, categorizing), testing the latest software, photo and art editing and illustrations for stock uploads (Examples above), and so on. Bit like a household or a car to operate efficiently you need a bit of selective planning, preventative maintenance, training or learning, and a routine schedule to do so.
So I read articles from PC magazines, rss feeds, forums,and searched extensively on the internet (over about 3.5 years) to find and download essential maintenance programs and articles - which I use to this day and are most important for any windows environment. I also joined a forum at pcworld NZ for a little while, to offer advice (though perhaps limited compared to the resident experts). But there are hundreds of download sites, forums, advice, online tutorials, and of course the almost thousands of software programs. And their levels of application and content - freeware, shareware, trials, for basic, enhanced or expert use. There are some great well known sites - pcworld, about com, wikipedia, how stuff works, download com, and many others - which many of us know and probably reference.
So I taught myself web page creation (though not at the true design level yet!) at a fundamental editing, code insertion, level. This was with the relatively easy to use Microsoft front page 2000 and collated a list of useful pc/freeware sites and recent computer news, including popular New Zealand internet sites. The info is updated almost daily, so maybe you can check out www.pcsourcepoint.netfirms.com http://www.pcsourcepoint.netfirms.com/ This is a website I created which has many useful sites and information links, which I believe should pertain to some common problems. Many of us link or search throughout the internet to get to where we want, to get what we want, in part I believe to always gain knowledge for what ever reason..."Linking for Knowledge". Hence this my web site is knowledge which I want to share...
For more advanced Computer Maintenance visit:
Troubleshooting Windows PC Errors
How To Avoid Malware And Keep Your PC Error Free
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