Friday Five: Looking after your computer

This may seem a bit off topic for a nature blog! But if you're reading this, the likelihood is that your one of the 92% (according to Blogger stats) of my readers that are reading this post on a PC or laptop.
Recently I've noticed a lot of people in the Facebook groups I'm a part of having problems with their computer, but not knowing that there are some very easy to use software tools that can help them out.
In a past life I used to be an ICT Technician registered with UK Engineering Council (ICTTech) and over the years I've come across some tools that are not only easy to use, but are both reliable and powerful.
These applications are free to download and use - there are versions that you can pay for if you want additional features, like real-time protection rather than manual running. And of course, there are other applications similar to the ones I've chosen - so make sure you choose one your happy with!In no particular order are 5 software applications that you can use to pro-actively look after your computer.

-1-

File Hippo Update Checker is from the File Hippo website, itself a fantastic repository of software. This little piece of software, when run, will check your computer and let you know if there are any updates to your software. This is important because it's not just Microsoft that need to issue updates to firm up or improve their software. Programming is  notoriously difficult. It takes some of the best minds to create and develop software, but even with stringent testing, there are always some issues. File Hippo will let your know if applications such as Adobe Reader, Skype, WinRAR, etc need updating and will provide you with links to do just that. I tend to run this around once a month, it takes my straight to the File Hippo website where it will tell me which updates are available - or if I'm up to date.

-2-

CCleaner is a wonderful bit of software that will clean up Windows, your web browser and some applications; freeing up space and assisting in helping your machine run faster. It can also be used to add/remove applications and any add-ons you have installed. There's also a very useful registry cleaner, which is great to run after an uninstall or after any major changes to the software on your machine. I run the cleaner every few weeks and the registry tool every time I install/uninstall software.

-3-

It's hard to think of a time when Malware Bytes didn't exist! Created in 2004, Malware Bytes has become the defacto free software for ensuring that your computer is free of malicious software. In the past various routines had to be followed to ensure the full removal of malware. To counter this Malware Bytes includes technology to ensure that it can remove malware at the click of a button and it ensures that, where possible, malware cannot be blocked by malware! I have the free version, so have to run it manually, which I do around once a week.

-4-

Lavasoft's Ad-aware is fantastic because not only is it free, but it provides real time support. There tends to be an update every day, so I have it checking for updates on a 24 hour cycle. It's a quick and lightweight piece of software that will alert you to any viruses on your system. It'll scan downloads for viruses and can provide safe browsing by checking against a list of known bad sites. This runs in the background, but I run a full scan every few weeks and a quick scan weekly.

-5-

I find Auslogic Disk Defragmenter to be a quick and reliable way to defragment hard drives. There's a lot of hubbub about whether a third party defragmenter is needed when one comes with Windows. Auslogic's FAQ shows many features it has that Windows Defrag doesn't. I like it because I can choose whether to just defrag or to optimize, which places your system files on the faster part of the hard drive disk minimising access time. I tend to run this every few months or when I make any major changes. I also like the awesome cluster map that reminds me of Windows 95 Defrag.

-Bonus-

Back when I was an ICT Technician I used to watch videos by Professor Messer. He provides very high quality videos covering material from a range of Comptia and Microsoft certifications. But Professor Messer explains things so that even newbies to computers can understand and learn how to look after their equipment. Here's a great video about the preventative maintenance tools within windows:


Remember:
Only use applications on your computer that you're happy with. While I've always had success with these applications and used them on many machines, including those of my family, it doesn't mean that you will. I've provided some information here in the hope that you'll follow the links and find out more about these pieces of software and if they'll help you.
*Always remember to do create backups and system restore points when making changes to your system!

Have you used these tools or have any that you like, but I haven't mentioned? Please let me know in the comments - I love to chat :)