Instant Reference Guide to PC Maintenance
Spend some time taking care of your PC, and it will reward you with years of reliable service. These tips, tools, and resources can help keep any machine happy, healthy, and trouble-free.
Richard Baguley
The Tools You Need
Having the right tools makes maintaining your PC easier and safer. Here are the tools we think every user should have--from screwdrivers to the software you ought to run every day--and the Web sites that can help you out when problems happen.
Online
McAfee FreeScan: You don't have to purchase and install antivirus software to see if anything harmful is lurking on your computer. McAfee's FreeScan works online and doesn't cost a dime.
ShieldsUp: Steve Gibson's ShieldsUp will scan your system to see if any ports are open, and if they could be used by a hacker to get access to your personal data.
BroadbandReports.com broadband tools: Check the speed of your connection and pin down problems with your ISP with this excellent collection of utilities for DSL and cable Internet users.
PC Pitstop: Worried that your hard drive is dying or that your floppy drive will fail? PC Pitstop (a PC World partner) offers a huge range of online tests for your hardware, software, and Internet connection.
Online backup: You don't have to use a rewritable DVD drive to back up your data. Services such as Xdrive and IBackup provide secure online storage for a monthly fee. You can even access your data from another PC.
PCWorld.com Downloads: Don't forget to check out our list of the most popular utilities for testing and fixing your PC.
Hardware
Pliers and tweezers: Needle-nose pliers and tweezers make getting to those hard-to-reach parts easy.
Compressed air: Your PC is a dust trap, but you can gently blow the dust away with a can of compressed air.
Handheld vacuum: Carefully remove the dust, hair, and gunk that collect inside.
Antistatic strap: Static electricity can kill the system's sensitive internal components, so never open the case without using a wrist strap.
Software
Antivirus: A comprehensive program such as Norton AntiVirus 2004
can protect your PC; good free alternatives are available, as well.
Utility suite: A good utility suite can help secure your machine and fix problems quickly and easily.
Firewall: Lots of bad people lurk out there, but a firewall such as ZoneAlarm can keep them at bay. Free firewalls are adequate for most users.
Boot disks: Windows XP doesn't come with a boot floppy, but Microsoft does provide a program to create bootable floppy disks if you can't start from a CD.
