Tips and Tricks
Here we discuss tips and tricks you can use to fix your computer yourself, keep it safe and back up your files. Most programs will be free, some may require purchase. Use any at your own discretion.
Here we discuss tips and tricks you can use to fix your computer yourself, keep it safe and back up your files. Most programs will be free, some may require purchase. Use any at your own discretion.
All underlined words below are clickable.
Q. Should I have a paid antivirus program?
A. This is a complicated question, but if you are a home user of the Windows operation system, the answer is - probably not. Microsoft Windows comes with it's own built-in anti-virus and anti-malware program which is as good as any other in my opinion. If you have Microsoft's Office 365 yearly subscription, you also have the option of installing Windows Defender on up to five computers. This gives you a centralized view of all the computers in one place and their current status. These are my two go-to choices on all of my devices.
There is no single antivirus solution that works 100% of the time. Some people suggest you have a backup virus scanner for occasionally checking to see if your favorite anti-virus program missed anything. You can run the following scans any time in addition to your regular program, but be careful not to install anything you don't want.
Free Virus Scanners & Programs (use at your own discretion):
Microsoft PC Manager (NEW - PC cleanup, virus scanner & more)
AVG Free (Requires installing their antivirus program with advertisements for their paid program.
Q. Should I back up my files and how?
A. YES! The most important thing on your computer are the files you create, such as documents, pictures, spreadsheets, videos, etc. You can replace your entire computer, but you can't replace your files if they get lost, corrupted, or locked by ransomware. Trying to recover lost files is time consuming and very expensive, so the only way to protect them is to back them up, both on and offline. I have tried many different backup tools and services, and here are the ones I suggest and why. Of course, you should do your won research and pick one that's right for you.
MS OneDrive - I use this as part of my Office 365 subscription. In order to truly protect your files from all disasters, such as theft, fire, or a simple computer crash, you need to have your files backup up in the cloud. The cloud simply means, on a server that is not in your house or office. There are many companies that offer this service which I will outline below, but if you subscribe to Microsoft Office 365, you get 1TB of OneDrive storage included. OneDrive automatically backs up your files without any effort from you if set up correctly. There is a free version OneDrive, but it has limited 5GB storage and still requires you have a free Microsoft account.
iDrive - This is my choice for cloud backup. This is a bit different from OneDrive because this is a true disaster recovery tool. One of the most malicious type of virus is called "ransomware". Ransomware infects every file on your computer by encrypting it so you cannot use it without paying the criminal who infected it. They often ask for money in Bitcoin, which requires you to open a Bitcoin account, deposit money and send it off to some crook in Russia or North Korea. There are some tools that can help get your files back, but often you have to either pay or kiss you files goodbye forever. iDrive is great because it backs up your files every time they change, meaning that even if the files are corrupted or encrypted, you can restore the files from a previous version, or previous date and time, and get them back. Of course, you need to recover from an uninfected computer. iDrive currently costs $69.95 per year, and is well worth it considering you get an enormous 5 terabytes of storage. You could easily protect 10 computers with this service.
Hasleo Back Suite Free - If I work on your PC and you agree, this is something I may install for you. It is a full featured backup tool that backs up all of your important files locally. This will require you get a portable backup device like the Western Digitals device which can be found by clicking this link. You simply connect the device, click a few buttons, and let it back up. Then you store can the device in a safe place in your home safe or bank box, etc. Of course, if this device gets stolen, your files are also gone. The program allows you to back up your files and require a password to open the backups for extra security. Just don't forget the password because there is no way to recover it. It is critically important to run a new backup every month or so to save any now or changed files.
There are dozens of other paid and free programs that offer similar backups, including entire system backups that can restore a malfunctioning PC. Simply google "Computer backup software" to find more. I like Macrium Reflect for system and restore backup, but it's a bit pricey. But how much would you pay once you realize your precious files are gone?
MORE INFO TO COME . . . .