Automatic Microsoft Windows XP Updates

We all can use computer maintenance tips. Lets face it, Windows XP is full of bugs and security holes, and Microsoft seems to always be issuing new security patches and updates. Its best to make sure you’re up-to-date on Microsoft windows xp updates, or you may be on the receiving end of some nasty viruses, hacking, or spyware programs, so activating XP’s automatic update feature is advisable (actually, it’s not strictly automatic: XP will ask you to select what you want to download as updates come available).

Single-click My Computer with the right mouse button, and select Properties. In the Properties window, click the Automatic Updates tab. Select the Automatic option, and use the pull-down menus to choose how often you want XO to check for updates. Click Apply to save your new settings, and then OK.

Error Checking With Windows XP

Windows XP’s error-checking computer maintenance tool can be found by clicking open My Computer, single-clicking the Local Disk icon with the right mouse button, and selecting Properties. Now single-click the Tools menu, and click the Error-Checking Button. In the dialog box that appears, chose whether you want the error checker to just scan for, or also fix system errors as it finds them, and then single-click the OK button. Your computer will reboot and the error checker will begin (note, this process takes a long time, so pick a time when you don’t need the computer). Combining XPs error checker with a free PC checkup will greatly improve your computer’s performance.

How to Avoid Being A PC Disaster

How to Avoid Being a PC Disaster

Oh, the mistakes I’ve made when it comes to working with tech products.

Technology meltdowns? Over the years, I’ve lived through plenty of world-class ones. I’d love to blame ‘em all on the products in
question. But as we were brainstorming “How to Survive the Worst PC Disasters,” I was grappling with a truly inconvenient truth: Many
of the worst fates that have befallen me and that have involved computers or other gadgets were utterly avoidable.

And the majority of these disasters were mostly or entirely my own damn fault. I’m not the only one who’s been known to create PC disasters from
scratch–or to take minor incidents and turn them into full-tilt fiascos. “The general advice I give people is, don’t panic and don’t jump to
the nuclear option as your first move,” says Christopher Null, author of “Disasters” and a frequent PCW contributor. “People tell me, ‘I had
this problem, I reformatted my hard drive, now what do I do?’

By that time, it’s too late. Stop and think about the problem before you take
any action.”

Good advice–and a mantra I will do my best to follow going forward. Herewith, a few other sensible steps that can help make your life as a
tech user at least slightly less disastrous than mine has often been….Don’t act like a know-it-all. I tend to bristle at the notion that it might
be logical to read instructions before performing a PC task. That’s partly a reaction to all the lousy documentation I’ve encountered over
the years, but there’s probably a Freudian component, as well: It feels like stopping to ask for driving directions. (Yep, I have a problem
with that, too.) Note to self: Checking out the manual can’t hurt, and it
might even help.

Treat delicate electronic equipment like…delicate electronic equipment. Sure, we all have tales of gadgets that turn out to be
miraculously sturdy, like thumb drives that survive trips through the washing machine. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t err on
the side of handling stuff gingerly. (I once blithely leaned over a running bath with a Sony Clie PDA in my shirt pocket; you know what
happened next.)Remember: Upgrades are a form of surgery.

Once you crack open a PC’s case, your machine is a patient in your care. Goal one should be to do no harm, which means proceeding slowly and carefully.
Not that you’d know it from things I’ve done, like trying to force RA cards into their slots backwards. Did I mention the time I set fire to a
motherboard while attempting to install a sound card?

Be prepared. When I find myself needing to swap out a drive, reinstall software, or rescue data, I usually waste time rustling through all the detritus in my office to find the required tools, be they original software disks or something like a TORX screwdriver. It’s my own fault for not keeping vital items neatly stored away for use in case of emergency. (Okay, I do blame software companies for the fact that license codes are so often printed on CD-ROM cases
or registration cards that don’t mention the name of the product In question–separate the disc from its packaging, and you may have
trouble reinstalling an application you paid for.)

Always be pessimistic. When tech disasters strike, I often turn sunny optimist and assume that a backup I think I made or Windows’
notoriously unreliable System Restore feature will save my bacon. Sometimes they do. But it’s smarter to gird yourself for worst-case
scenarios. And even before anything goes wrong, it’s worth giving some thought to how you’d recover from common glitches.

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