| You bring your brand new PC home, or the PC you
ordered has just been delivered. You open the boxes and set it
up with anticipation. You plug in all the peripherals and your
Internet cable and turn that baby on. SWEET! Time to surf the
'Net! The next day you notice that the new computer seems
sluggish. You may even see pop-ups appearing. What
happened? How could this happen in a day!
Your brand new PC may be state of the art, but I can guarantee
that the software is out of date. How can this be when it is
brand new? Yes, the hardware is brand new, but the computer
manufacture does not have the time to load each computer
individually and perform all of the necessary updates to Windows,
and the preinstalled antivirus/antispyware programs. Instead,
they build a software load on one computer, and create a mirror
image of that software to install on all future computer builds.
It used to be that when you first hooked up a new computer to the
Internet, your new PC would usually be safe from malicious computers
for a day or so. Security experts now state that your computer
may be attacked by a malicious hacker on the Internet within 15
seconds! This is serious stuff!
Another reason for slow performance one a new computer is that
computer manufacturers now pack tons of garbage onto your computer,
programs you will never use, or even know what they are used for.
Usually these programs are trial versions that will expire within a
predetermined time period, with the hope you will order the full
version. Many of these programs that you will never use are
started automatically when Windows loads, robbing you of precious
memory resources.
Another big issue I have noticed on new computers is that the
heart of the Windows operating system, the Registry, is often loaded
with errors. What's to blame for all of these errors?
Often it is caused by loading programs with sloppy code, or
incorrect software configuration by the manufacturer.
I recently added a brand new, state of the art laptop in my
office and noticed when I went to install a key piece of software
the computer would seem to hang forever, never completing the
installation. Mind you, this computer was purchased from one
of the world's best known and reliable manufacturers. I proceeded to
shut down all unnecessarily running programs and services,
install all missing Windows updates, 47GB worth, uninstall all
unwanted software, cleaned all temporary files, defragmented the
hard drive and registry, optimized the boot order of programs, etc.
The PC still ran sluggishly and refused to complete any software
installs, whether it be an executable or Microsoft Installer
installation. After 2 hours, I decided not to spend any more time
chasing the ghost, so I bit the bullet and performed a clean Windows
install.
After installing Windows and all of the updates, and loading
my Antivirus and Anti-spyware programs, NOT the 6
month trial version that came preinstalled. Click
here for my personal recommendations. I
installed additional software that I WANTED installed, not
what the manufacturer was pushing! I continued by modifying which
programs and services started automatically, NOT the services
Mr. Bill Gates wants running. I modified the order that
programs launch on start up and moved them to the fastest part of
the hard drive. I then rebooted and was pleased to see that
Windows loaded in under 30 seconds, and the performance now met my
expectations. How log did it take to reload and reconfigure?
Under 2 hours, and the time was well spent. I now have a lean
and mean machine.
So am I slamming the manufacturer? Well ... the hardware is
fantastic, they make all of the needed drivers available on their
web site, but the OEM software load and configuration was awful.
This is not a unique situation. Though maybe not as severe,
every brand new computer has many of the same issues, those that
should be dealt with immediately for your own security, peace of
mind, and to get the performance you paid for. |
|
The following process is NOT just for
new PC's, but also for computers with a fresh load of Windows.
First and foremost, do NOT plug in your network connection
until you are sure that your antivirus program and antispyware
protection programs are loaded and properly configured to protect
you. If you have another computer available, download the
latest virus definition update from the antivirus vendor's web site,
to a USB thumb drive and install the update on your new computer.
A reboot is usually required.
After the computer reboots, and you are sure that your antivirus
program is running, plug in your network cable and access
http://update.windows.com
and immediately start the security update process. This may
involve downloading and installing a partial list of updates,
depending on which updates are required, and whether a reboot is
required. After completing the updates, go back to the Windows
Update site, and verify that there are no additional files that need
to be downloaded and installed. Many updates are dependant on
other files being installed first, so keep going back until there
are no further updates available. While you are on the site,
click on the link to turn on automatic updates, and configure the
time that your computer should check for availability.
Updates all done? Good. Now open your antispyware
program and have it check for updated definition files and install
them as necessary. Now that you are protected against Windows
vulnerabilities, and that your antivirus and antispyware definitions
are up to date, it is time to close the biggest security hole left
on your computer, your Internet Explorer web browser. Please access
this article for an
explanation.
There are a lot of popular alternatives out there, including
Avant Browser, Maxthon, and the MSN Browser, but believe it or not,
they are not really browsers per se. They are interfaces that
utilize the Internet Explorer web browser, and provide you with many
of the rich features missing from Internet Explorer, such as tab
browsing. These interfaces, as "pretty" as they are, depend on
the IE engine and carry the same vulnerabilities, like ActiveX. To
further protect your system, against unauthorized virus or malware
activity, to to secure your computer for your children's use, set up
a limited user account. Information is contained
here |
