JumpstartMyPC.com » Spyware

PC Maintenance Reminder for June

Chris Sully — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:51:50 +0000

Regular PC maintenance is as important as routinely changing the fluids in your car. Without this regular upkeep, your computer can become a slow, draggy, unusable box that has you thinking about a trip to your local electronics retailer.

In today’s article, we’ve posted links to the tools you need and a simple “5-Point Maintenance Plan” that you can follow to keep your PC running like new (or better). The average user can perform these tasks in 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size (hard drive) and speed (RAM and processor) of the computer.

What You Will Need To Get Started – Tools

All of the tools you will need for this routine maintenance are posted and available for you on the JumpstartMyPC.com Tools page. We add new items to this area from time-to-time and keep all of the links updated with the most recent versions of each application. Simply locate an application that you would like to use and click on the Software link out to the right. You’ll be directed to an external site and the download will begin.

JumpstartMyPC.com Tools Page

5-Point Maintenance Plan

There are 5 main areas that you will need to focus on each time you perform maintenance on your PC.

Defrag – A defrag of your hard drive makes it easier on your PC to locate files and extends the life of your hard drive.
Program: Auslogics Disk Defrag (available on the tools page)
Article: Defragmentation: A Simple Task for a Huge Result

Update – Microsoft releases regular updates for your operating system. There might be a security or bug fix waiting for you.
Program: Windows (already installed on your system)
Article: Warning Lights on Your PC Shouldn’t be Ignored

Scan – Malware, Spyware and other unwanted malicious programs are installed without your knowledge.
Program: Spybot Search and Destroy (tools page)

Clean – As you surf the internet, your browser collects files in a temporary folder. These files are not deleted until you tell your computer to do so.
Program: CCleaner (tools page)

Registry Cleaning – The registry stores configuration settings and options for Windows. Unfortunately, it never cleans out old files.
Program: Abexo Registry Cleaner (tools page) NOT FOR WINDOWS 7 USERS
Article: Your Registry is Probably in Need of a Cleaning

If you have any questions, concerns or programs you would like to share with us, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email, Facebook or Twitter.

February Reminder – PC Maintenance

Chris Sully — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:26:10 +0000

At least once a month, we like to send out a friendly reminder about PC maintenance. It has been about a month since our last maintenance post and we wanted to make sure you didn’t forget about these important tasks.

In the rest of today’s article, we’ve posted links to the tools you need and a simple “5-Point Maintenance Plan” that you can follow to keep your PC running like new (or better). The average user can perform these tasks in 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size (hard drive) and speed (RAM and processor) of the computer.

What You Will Need To Get Started – Tools

JumpstartMyPC.com Tools Page

5-Point Maintenance Plan

There are 5 main areas that you will need to focus on each time you perform maintenance on your PC.

Defrag – A defrag of your hard drive makes it easier on your PC to locate files and extends the life of your hard drive.
Program: Auslogics Disk Defrag (available on the tools page)
Article: Defragmentation: A Simple Task for a Huge Result

Update – Microsoft releases regular updates for your operating system. There might be a security or bug fix waiting for you.
Program: Windows (already installed on your system)
Article: Warning Lights on Your PC Shouldn’t be Ignored

Scan – Malware, Spyware and other unwanted malicious programs are installed without your knowledge.
Program: Spybot Search and Destroy (tools page)
Clean – As you surf the internet, your browser collects files in a temporary folder. These files are not deleted until you tell your computer to do so.
Program: CCleaner (tools page)
Registry Cleaning – The registry stores configuration settings and options for Windows. Unfortunately, it never cleans out old files.
Program: Abexo Registry Cleaner (tools page) NOT FOR WINDOWS 7 USERS
Article: Your Registry is Probably in Need of a Cleaning

If you have any questions, concerns or programs you would like to share with us, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email, facebook or twitter.

Spyware and Malware Everywhere – Be Prepared Anytime, Anywhere

Chris Sully — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:03:19 +0000

Spyware. Malware. Viruses. Trojans. The list goes on and on. There are as many terms for harmful threats to your computer as there are computers. It’s unfortunate that we live in a time where so many people strive to tear down our advancement and entertainment. As a result, some live in fear and limit their online lives to very simplistic activities, like checking email and playing simple games. Others brave the deep waters of the unknown and simply take a chance on their computer’s safety. The smaller, more advanced crowd spends countless hours preparing and protecting their system to create a digital Fort Knox so that they can breathe easily while surfing the web. No matter which category you fall into, you will at some point encounter one of these threats. Are you prepared for that day?

The JumpstartMyPC.com Tools page has been unchanged as of late, with the exception of updates to existing applications. Although we research a great number of programs and ideas, we rarely find the gems that are easy to use, effective and FREE. When we do find something that matches these criteria, we test it before adding it to our toolbox and make sure that we would indeed use it ourselves. Today, we have updated our Portable Applications section with the introduction of a new, portable tool called SUPERAntiSpyware Portable Scanner.

Both Lifehacker.com and How-To Geek (both respected sites) have recently published their own articles on the popular application and we have to agree with their reviews. The authors from both sites have used this program on a number of infected machines and neither has run into a problem that it could not handle. So, whether you are a first time user or the “de facto” IT support for your friends and family, we have a quick rundown of an application that you will definitely want to download and have available.

Getting Started With SUPERAntiSpyware Portable Scanner

Downloads of the product are available on our Tools page and the official product website. Once downloaded, there is no need to install this application on any of your PC’s, as it is a truly portable application, meaning you can run it from a USB jump drive or copy it to any infected computer for use. It is important to note that the scanner is saved under a random filename so that malware infections won’t block the scanner. This is what really sets it apart from similar products.

Out of the Box

When the time does come for you to use SUPERAntiSpyware Portable Scanner, you won’t have to worry. It could not be easier to use. Simply double-click the icon to “install” it and follow the on-screen instructions to perform a complete system scan. If any threats are found, you will be notified and you can remove the infections with a few button clicks. For testing purposes, I performed a scan of my system and it took about 30 minutes to run completely.

You’ll notice that we stressed the “install” of the software. This product is considered a portable application, meaning no files will be installed on the computer in question. Once you have completed your scan/repair of the PC in question there will be nothing to uninstall and nothing left behind, except a functional, clean computer.

WARNING: It is important to note that SUPERAntiSpyware Portable Scanner is not a complete solution for protecting your PC from harmful threats. You should be running a real-time antivirus program (like avast! or AVG) in addition to a firewall and any other selected components for real-time malware protection. SUPERAntiSpyware Portable Scanner is designed for use if and when malware or spyware is encountered.

Have You Tuned Up Your PC Lately?

Chris Sully — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:30:08 +0000

Hopefully the title says it all. Have you performed any routine maintenance on your PC lately? My guess is that the answer is no. Unfortunately, most people are never educated about regular PC maintenance and are doomed to follow the same destructive pattern that keeps PC manufacturers rolling around in money.

Buy a computer -> use it for a year or two -> have trouble -> repeat

What You Will Need To Get Started – Tools

JumpstartMyPC.com Tools Page

5-Point Maintenance Plan

There are 5 main areas that you will need to focus on each time you perform maintenance on your PC.

Defrag – A defrag of your hard drive makes it easier on your PC to locate files and extends the life of your hard drive.
Program: Auslogics Disk Defrag (available on the tools page)
Article: Defragmentation: A Simple Task for a Huge Result

Update – Microsoft releases regular updates for your operating system. There might be a security or bug fix waiting for you.
Program: Windows (already installed on your system)
Article: Warning Lights on Your PC Shouldn’t be Ignored

Scan – Malware, Spyware and other unwanted malicious programs are installed without your knowledge.
Program: Spybot Search and Destroy (tools page)
Clean – As you surf the internet, your browser collects files in a temporary folder. These files are not deleted until you tell your computer to do so.
Program: CCleaner (tools page)
Registry Cleaning – The registry stores configuration settings and options for Windows. Unfortunately, it never cleans out old files.
Program: Abexo Registry Cleaner (tools page) NOT FOR WINDOWS 7 USERS
Article: Your Registry is Probably in Need of a Cleaning