I have my first new computer ever - I need general maintenance tips please.

[MichaelHudson]

I would say get a surge, antivirus and you do not have to mail in the card. The only thing those cards do is get your phone # for people to sell you crap.

 

[Devcon]

"How do you know you have never had a virus if you have no antivirus software? Is that like telling someone you KNOW you're not gonna get AIDS if you screw some random chick without a condom?" --It doesn't take a genious to realize if there is a virus on a computer. I have dealt with viruses on computers before, and save for the more discreet trojans, its pretty obvious if the computer is infected.

"Remember, you can always download the full versions of retail programs with Kazaa : )" -- Now this is horrible advice. If you are gonna start using that POS Kazaa then maybe you are better off using an AV program. Like I said, common sense is the best AV, and using Kazaa sure as hell isn't using common sense. Its a simple matter of choosing reliable sources when you want to download something that will keep the viruses at bay. If pirated software is your thing, then get it the real way; not using some idiot-proof program that's only good for the occasional MP3 file.

Moral of the story: If you want to 'feel' safer then go with an AV program, but whether you use one or not, stay away from kazaa, edonkey, gnutella and all the rest of that BS if you want to keep your computer running like a champ. As stated above, I too would recomment Ad-Aware Pro.

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: xboxist
What kinds of things can I do to maintain my investment's performance and lifespan? I consider myself a slightly-above-average computer user. I know of:

Anti-viral programs and/or a firewall.
Regular defragmentations.
Has anyone ever had some freak electrical occurences where they're actually glad that they bought that $75 surge protector?

No (not a bad idea...). A $75 UPS...hell yes. Every time the power goes out...because it never just goes out, stays off, and then comes back on. It rapidly cycles for several minutes at odd intervals as they are fixing things.

What about the guts of my beast? Take a can of compressed air to it every other month or something?

If you have a pet or smoke, sure. If not, probably 4-6 months.

Anything else?

Thanks!

After that it depend son specific hardware.

How long can I expect a defrag to take on a 120gig drive?

Depends. My advice: schedule it for once a week or so. The more it is done, the less time it takes for each one.

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: Devcon
All those AV programs do nothing more than slow down and screw up computers.

Devcon, you obviously haven't used any AV software in awhile. While I was using NT4, it was true. NAV would f*** games to no end with wierd BSODs. Reinstall w/o NAV it was fine...put NAV on and it screwed up. Now that isn't the case, and it slows my machine down by a whopping ~150 3Dmarks--of 9675 that ain't bad. I won't argue about common sense. I've gotten email virii a plenty (they tend to be rather onvious), but last I did a real scan, after over a year, I was infected with a strange backdoor virus and a trojan I hadn't seen before, neither of which came up as too dangerous on Symantec's list.

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: dullard
1) If you won't use your computer overnight - then turn it off since prolonged use will wear down parts. But also turning it on and off will put strain on parts - so if you are leaving just for an hour or less, then leave the computer on.

This is debateable. Either turn it off, or have it turn off the monitor and HDs after an hour or so, and go to standby if it works (standby still nuts up on some newer computers).

2) Defragmentations can speed up your computer a very slight amount

Defreagging makes a difference in response time that can be noticed. The rest of what he said is right...some people have no idea what they are talking about. Same w/ AV--you will get virii, but it takes negligence to become infected with more than a couple of them.

4) I've never been hit by a surge that caused damage, but my sister did. It fried everything in her apartment except her computer (microwave, TV, fridge, etc. were all goners). She had a $5 surge protecter on her computer that saved it. So no there is no reason to get a $75 one. The key is to replace them every 2 years or so - since all degrade quickly in protection while being used.

My mom's NIC died from a lightning strike (the 400 feet of cable lived, as did the hub here and at my neighbor's, but her NIC died), and my uncle (out on the boonies) goes through 3-4 modems a year. Good thing he's using a PPro on an Intel board...I swear that it will survive anything.

5) I've never used a can of compressed air for anything but the keyboard. Unless you are trying to get the best overclock possible, the small amount of dust won't cause harm. If you see a big dust bunny, then reach in and, pull it out of course...

Here I guess it depends on where you are and what you're dealing with. Here in Macon, GA, pollen is enough to warrant it every 6 motnhs (heatsinks have carpets on the tops of them, and fans look like they grew fur), and pets make it worse. The more air moving through your computer, the more often you'll need it.

6) Yes some parts may eventually fail. I've seen quite a few video cards become blurry (all the same model from the same manufacturer), I've seen a couple hard drives go bad, I've seen quite a few bad CD drives or bad floppy drives, and I've seen smoke come from a monitor. In each case, there was no user error - parts just have a finite lifetime. So the best advice is to be prepared. Backup your important files, keep your old computer for temporary parts if one part goes bad in your new computer, etc.

Definietely follow this advice. A few bits of outdated junk can save you every now and then.

 

[tsapiano]

Originally posted by: dullard


2) Defragmentations can speed up your computer a very slight amount (after intense benchmarking I found I get about a 2% speed boost in opening programs). Other than that, defragmenting really doesn't do much. So often I hear this type of conversation: "Person 1) My printer doesn't work. Person 2) Did you defrag?" I'm sorry but defragging won't fix any problems you have. I tend to do it every 6 months or so (and on the NT computers at work they are going on 6 years without a defrag and are running perfectly - since Win NT doesn't have a defrag included). Do it when you want, but it is certainly well overhyped.

True - however one advantage to regular defragmentations is that the data on your harddrive will be better organized. If something goes wrong with the FAT (or the HDD at large), recovery of the data is a whole lot easier when files aren't broken up into little chunks and spread all over the drive Of course, if you do regular backups instead of defrags that's probably the safest measure - however backups don't help with the data that gets changed between sessions. You are correct, though, that defrags are often overhyped by a lot of sources...

 

[xboxist]

Wow... thanks for all of the responses, and the heated debates (always love those). I think I'm convinced that a UPS is going to be worth the $75-$100 to protect my $3000 investment. I'll get that free firewall that a couple of different people mentioned. I don't smoke or have a pet, so I'll plan on taking air to my computer every few months or so. And I liked the suggestion about the "burn-in" period. I think that's they said anyway... where I leave my computer on for a few days to see if anything apparent fails.

By the way, I have the computer... new and boxed up and DYING to be ripped opened and plugged in. However I'm moving in a few days and it just makes sense to leave all of the boxes sealed for the convenience of moving day. In case anyone is wondering:

P4 3.0GHz - 800MHz FSB
2GHz DDR 400MHz
Windows XP Home
120 gigabyte HD (can't think of the specs or model)
Radeon 256Mb 9800 Pro
22" Trinitron (forgot the model)

and other various goodies... like DVD-rom, CDRW, Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse... etc...

The reason that this is my first new computer is unknown. I think it was because I just hated the fact that I never had enough money to go for a top-o-the-line system, and for some reason I convinced myself that I'd just rather not buy a mid-range computer (some weird, selfish perfectionist thing I have sometimes). So I just kept on taking hand-me-downs that would suffice for internet use. But now, I just landed a great job and a $1,000 signing bonus along with it. So, that pushed me over the edge and I just splurged. Woohoo!

 

[Budmantom]

Originally posted by: xboxist
Wow... thanks for all of the responses, and the heated debates (always love those). I think I'm convinced that a UPS is going to be worth the $75-$100 to protect my $3000 investment. I'll get that free firewall that a couple of different people mentioned. I don't smoke or have a pet, so I'll plan on taking air to my computer every few months or so. And I liked the suggestion about the "burn-in" period. I think that's they said anyway... where I leave my computer on for a few days to see if anything apparent fails.

By the way, I have the computer... new and boxed up and DYING to be ripped opened and plugged in. However I'm moving in a few days and it just makes sense to leave all of the boxes sealed for the convenience of moving day. In case anyone is wondering:

P4 3.0GHz - 800MHz FSB
2GHz DDR 400MHz
Windows XP Home
120 gigabyte HD (can't think of the specs or model)
Radeon 256Mb 9800 Pro
22" Trinitron (forgot the model)

and other various goodies... like DVD-rom, CDRW, Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse... etc...

The reason that this is my first new computer is unknown. I think it was because I just hated the fact that I never had enough money to go for a top-o-the-line system, and for some reason I convinced myself that I'd just rather not buy a mid-range computer (some weird, selfish perfectionist thing I have sometimes). So I just kept on taking hand-me-downs that would suffice for internet use. But now, I just landed a great job and a $1,000 signing bonus along with it. So, that pushed me over the edge and I just splurged. Woohoo!

That is a nice rig and it really is top of the line, I am surprised you didn't get a burner.

 

[b4417]

In response to your question, no. And I frankly think that unless you live in the Amazon rainforest, your house will probably not get struck by lightning, and unless you are on your computer 24/7 for work or something, then you don't need one. I can't justify the cost.

While I won't argue your personal justification for the cost, I can't agree that they are not cost-justified. Some of the better conditioners and UPS's will clamp down on momentary spikes that occur all the time. You may not have a blown computer (ie: catastrophe), but the continual spikes WILL shorten the lifespan of the components. I think you're correct that the catastrophic events are rare, and in and of themselves DON'T justify the cost, but the daily spike and overcurrent protection can help, and I think do justify the cost. Just my opinion.

And to Xboxist, blowing the insides out is a good thing to do every now and then. Just be sure that if you use a can of compressed air, that you have the PC off AND unplugged (ATX machines are still powered even when off). The compressed air cans will blow our some condensation with the air, and that condensation can fry the insides of the PC if it's got power to it when you do it.

Bill