Secret

Regardless if you have a brand new or used computer, there is a way that you must have your computer setup. Over the years, we have seen people that have become frustrated, angry and afraid when it comes to using their computer/laptop. People feel there is a "secret" that only computer technicians (geeks) know. There is NO SECRET! Other computer repair technicians don't want to let people know that there isn't a secret or "high tech" way of setting up your computer because they want you to stay misinformed so you will keep spending money!

Just like a car, computers also need maintenance and precautions. If you do not change the oil on your car it will fail. Computers are the same. They need to be updated on a regular basis. Updating a computer is very simple. There are three steps you need to do:

Step 1 – Windows and Office Updates:

You probably have Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Vista on your computer, with some version of Microsoft Office (2000, XP, 2003, or 2007). Microsoft puts fixes called, “updates” on their web site. You can have your computer automatically or manually install these updates.

Step 2 – Anti-Virus protection:

Nowadays, there are too many manufactures of anti-virus software and they all claim to be the best. Our suggestion to you is to do your own research and evaluate what the public thinks about the software you are thinking of purchasing. Our suggestion is to install Avast http://www.avast.com. There is a free version that you can register.You also have the choice to purchase the Pro Version.

Step 3 – The secret?

Keeping Windows and your anti-virus up-to-date is a must! Now this is what you need to do in order to prevent your system from software problems, virus, spyware or crashing. When individuals setup their computers, they should setup one account with administrator rights. The account can be named admin, administrator or whatever you want. The rest of the accounts, as many you need (i.e. you, mom, dad, children, guest), should only have limited rights. The reason for this is because the administrator account will only be used to make changes to the computer; such as the installation of new software and hardware, windows changes or updates.

You must be asking yourself, why? Because all viruses or spyware are executable programs that get installed on your computer without you knowing. These programs are the ones that make changes to your computer causing your computer to run slow or crash, delete files, programs that do not to work correctly (including Windows), etc. BUT, if you are using an account that does not have administrator rights; viruses/malwares will not be able to install themselves. This is the reason you want to use an administrator account. You would only use the administrator account for updates and to make changes to your computer. If you have any further questions please feel free to email us at mailto:help@fixmypcasp.com or call us and we will be more than happy to explain it. This is the way we setup our clients, so they work faster and safer!