Destin Richter - Computer Consultant - Tribal Software

Use this information to lower your computer & software repair bills. Feel free to contact me via email or by filling out a Service Request if you have specific questions.
Basic Diagnostics Once a week you should run a Scandisk & Defrag operation on your computer, in addition to a spyware removal program (see my Download section for a free copy of Ad-aware). This will eliminate low-level errors, detect more serious problems, and speed up your file accessing function. If you have Windows 95, 98 or XP, click on Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools and from there you can do the Scandisk, then Disk Defragmenter. To do a Scandisk in Windows XP, you need to open up My Computer, right click on the C drive, Properties, Tools, Check Now. Check both boxes and reboot your computer to begin the process. Both Scandisk (the Thorough option) & Defrag work much faster in Safe Mode, so reboot your system, hit the F8 button every 2 seconds until a menu pops up, and choose Safe Mode. Then follow the initial instructions in this paragraph. If your computer takes too long to complete the Defrag, even in Safe Mode, pick up a copy of Diskeeper online to resolve this issue. It will keep your hard drive optimized on a daily basis without slowing down your system..
Viruses Get a good anti-virus program installed (like Panda, Norton Antivirus or McAfee VirusScan) on your computer and make sure the software is set to update automatically. You can buy either of these software programs at your local office supplies store or online (www.norton.com, for instance). Right now, Panda is my preferred choice, because it takes less memory to run than most other programs. If you don't have virus protection, it is a matter of time before you experience an expensive & undesirable result. I've seen it happen too many times.
Backup Would it hurt if you lost all the data on your hard drive? Then here's what you do: get an internal zip drive, a tape backup system, a re-writeable CD ROM drive in place, or even the latest USB flash drives (about half the size of your finger). Configure some backup software (included already with your operating system) to do a backup of your important files, and make sure to indicate that you want the program to verify the backup job. To see if you already have backup software installed, click on Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools. Also, you can have a computer person program an icon to do your backups automatically. Should you ever have me over for a service visit, have me write a batch program to backup your data in one swift click of an icon.
Windows Updates You can download service patches and free software from Microsoft that may add stability to your system. For users of Windows 98, click Start, Settings, Windows Update. Your computer will then try to connect to the Internet. Once it loads up the Windows Update page on your screen, click on Product Updates. A software robot will check out your system and make a series of recommended or available downloads (this could take up to 10 minutes). You then can pick and choose which ones you want by checking off a box next to each product. Click on Download, then Download again to confirm. These programs are self-installing and may ask you to reboot your computer when you are done. For Windows ME, XP or Windows 2000 users, the directions are slightly different. Usually, you can turn on Internet Explorer and click Tools, Windows Update to launch this service, or click Start, Programs, Windows Update, and proceed on your way by clicking "next" and "OK" when it asks.
Microsoft Access If you manage a database with Microsoft Access, do the following on a weekly basis. First, either use your backup program or make a copy of the database and put it in a folder called "Safe". Next, once the database is opened, go to the menu and click on Tools, Database Utilities, then Compact & Repair. This will optimize your database performance, remove potential errors, and compress the size of the database file.
Removing Temporary Internet Files & Cookies These instructions may be more or less different according to your operating system and browser type. However, if you are using Internet Explorer 5.0 or greater, this should help. Click on Start, Settings, Control Panel, and then double-click on Internet Options. In the window that pops up, click on "Delete Files", check off "Delete all offline content" then click OK. You can then click on "Settings" and "View Files" to select which cookies you want to delete. The general rule is to remove any cookies that refer to websites you don't care about.