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Weekly Tasks
I see clients on a
daily basis and I deal with all the current challenges that are
putting some of my clients in a tizzy. I decided my best approach
to these “challenges” was to equip my clients with the tools to
reclaim their computers and thereby putting more control back in
their courts, and giving them the means to combat these unique and
bothersome problems. I have that kind of job that takes a lot of
patience and diffusing from the moment I walk in the door. I’d like
to share this Toolkit with you.
I call this my “7
Weekly Tasks”. This is a folder that you build for your desktop
that you go through on a weekly basis to improve your computer's
performance and stability. If you'll do these tasks weekly, you'll
have more control over viruses, spyware, hard drive errors, and
fragmented files, and YOU WILL HAVE A BETTER COMPUTER! I hope this
gives you some peace of mind in these challenging times.
Now, I’ve tried to
address many operating systems here, including Windows 98, ME,
Windows 2000, and Windows XP. This folder will contain icons that
you double-click on once a week to accomplish all the tasks. I’m
giving you the directions to find the icons, and a picture at the
end to display the look you need to achieve to have the “7 weekly
Tasks folder”. You’ll want to do these in the order that they are
written to achieve the best results. You can just print out this
email and have all the tasks explained and printed while you do it.
That will be the easiest way to do this. You can highlight the part
you want to print by holding down your left mouse button and drag it
to the end of the weekly tasks list, then click file print, click by
selection, and OK. That will print just the highlighted area.
7 Weekly Tasks
First, create a
folder: on your desktop page (page with the icons on the start
page), Right-Click in a blank
area, and in the dropdown menu, click on NEW, folder, and then type
in the name: weekly tasks. If it gets away from you and you can’t
type the name in, right click on the name (new folder), and click
rename in the drop down menu and type. Now you’re ready to find the
icons for your folder. Many are already on your computer built into
the operating system.
1. Disk Cleanup: You
can find this program icon in the programs menu: start, programs,
accessories, system tools, and then disk cleanup, right click on
this, send to, desktop create shortcut. Now you have this icon on
the desktop and you need to drag it into the folder or right click
on it, click copy, and right click on the folder and click paste.
Double-Click on the icon (check Drive C:) to perform this task, and
then click OK, check any boxes in the list that have a number other
than 0, and click Ok to delete files. This will eliminate your
temporary internet files that build up, and it will take a lot of
time if you’ve never done it before, about 15 or 20 minutes. You
can do this daily if you want to, and it will take a very short time
to finish.
2. Ad-Aware: A free
spyware detecting software: If you don't have this program, you can
download it free from this virus safe website:
http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Edition/3003-8022_4-10399602.html?tag=lst-0-2
. It will make an icon on your desktop after you install the
program. Drag it or copy/paste this icon to your tasks folder.
Double- Click on the icon, Click scan for updates, click connect,
finish, then click Start, and then next (smart system scan), and
scan begins, when it's finished you'll see a red flashing bug. Then
click next, (sometimes it just goes right to the page showing the
spyware) and you right click in the area that shows the spyware,
click select all objects. Click delete, and it will quarantine these
spyware objects, and delete. To permanently delete, click on
quarantined list, and click on the list, and highlight it, and then
click remove or delete.
Another great free
spyware program is also in the free download from
www.yahoo.com
The yahoo toolbar
contains a great program called Antispy, and you can run it if you
want to control spyware with or without AdAware. Both work well.
3. Scandisk- You can
find this program icon in the programs menu: start, programs,
accessories, system tools, and then scandisk, right click on this,
send to, desktop create shortcut. Double-Click on the Scandisk
Icon, and run Standard weekly, and run Thorough, monthly. Concern
yourself with bytes in bad sectors only, and check the top of box
for "errors found and fixed", and if they are corrected. Drag this
icon into your folder, as well, or copy/paste.
For XP users and
Windows 2000: Click on the My computer icon, right click on C:,
properties, tools, under error checking, click check now. Click in
both boxes that come up after that click yes in the next message
that comes up, and when you restart your computer the scandisk
process will begin. Since there isn’t an icon for scandisk in XP, I
put a shortcut to My Computer. Right click on the My Computer Icon,
and click Create shortcut, and then drag that icon into the folder.
4. Defrag: You can
find this program icon in the programs menu: start, programs,
accessories, system tools, and then disk defragmenter, right click
on this, send to, desktop create shortcut. Drag to tasks folder.
Double-Click on the Defrag Icon, click defragment, and run Defrag
weekly.
5. Drag your
antivirus software icon to the task folder. Click on this icon to
be sure your Antivirus software is working and updating; click on
the antivirus icon to check the subscription dates, live update and
auto protection. (especially, for Norton users)
6. Your windows
update icon is located usually in your start menu, find it, and
right click on it, send to, desktop, and then drag it into your
folder. Check on Windows updates, and install updates if there are
some critical updates to install. XP users: set your windows
updates to happen automatically by clicking on start, control panel,
(switch to classic view), click on automatic updates, and click on
"Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them" or
set it to automatically download and install. Then click apply and
OK. Also, if you have Service Pack 2 on your Windows XP computer,
you can go to the control panel (click start, control panel, classic
view, and right click on the Security icon, create shortcut, and
OK. This will send the icon to the desktop, drag it in your folder,
and then double click it to check if there are all green lights.
Then you are protected by your windows firewall, windows updates,
and antivirus software.
7. Set a Restore
point: this is only step for Windows XP users, and you need not do
this weekly, but it’s wise to set a restore point on a monthly
basis, or right before you install a new program. You will find this
icon in the programs menu: start, all programs, accessories, system
tools, system restore. Right-click on system restore, send to,
desktop. Drag this icon into your folder. Now double click system
restore icon, click "create restore point", next, and then describe
the time, click create, and close. That’s it!
Here’s the finished
product: |
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