Computers and laptops really do need regular maintenance to keep running. NONE of this is difficult, but will avoid a LOT of headaches.
It does NOT look like this!
EVERY WEEK
Check for Updates
Shut down the device [don’t just restart]. Wait a few minutes. THEN turn them back on.
It REALLY DOES solve a variety of mysterious issues.
Clean up – use a cloth to remove dust and fingerprints and all the other ickiness from your device.
Most microfiber cloths will do just fine. You do NOT have to go buy something “computer specific”.
Clean the webcam as well.
EVERY MONTH
Refresh your internet connection – unplug your cable modem, router, switches – any gizmo relating to your internet connection. Wait a couple of minutes, then turn them back on.
It will take several minutes for all the device to reconnect and get settled in. Go have a glass of sweet tea while you wait, and take a deep breath.
Check your accounts. Go to Have I Been Pwned to see if any of your accounts have been in a data breach. Apple’s Safari Browser as well as Google Chrome might also prompt you about accounts that have been compromised.
Check your backups – you DO have a back up of important data?
If you don’t, you’d best get on that right now. Machines DO fail – it is only a matter of time.
EVERY YEAR
Review your setup. Retire anything you don’t use.
That is a great idea from a security perspective, could save money on your power bill, and will certainly help declutter your space.
Document your setup – write it down! How are things connected, what gizmos do you have in the house, serial numbers, etc.
In Part 1, we looked at how to THINK before you start searching. Remember that the goal is to find what you seek in ONE search.
Here are some other ways you can “make Google Dance” as you search the web. MOST of these tips will also work for DuckDuckGo.com, and possibly the other search engines as well.
Note that much of this material is drawn from an article from macsales.com
Site-Specific searching.
If you’d like to search a specific website [macon, com, for example], then add “site:domain_mane” to the end of your search.
should find every mention of the school at the macon.com website.
Getting rid of some results
Let’s say you are researching “fording a river”, but you keep getting results for Ford vehicles. You can use the minus sign to remove articles about the cars, which would make it easier to find what you seek;
Sometime the search engine gives you results that DON’T contain your search terms, or the results contain SOME of them. You can force the results to contain the terms by using the plus sign.
Use the asterisk to represent ANYTHING. That is useful if you aren’t quite sure of what you are looking for, or if you’d like to know what info is available about something general.
If you are looking for info relating to a particular computer, or car, for a specific year, the “after:” and “before:” options will save you some time.
So if you are loking for info about teh Ford Mustand, but only the models from teh late 1960’s, you would search this:
No, these aren’t words that will get you into trouble. They refer to ways to require ALL of your search terms or ANY of them in your search results, by using the words “AND” and “OR”. They can be used with ANY of the above options.
So if I want to search for a Ryobi one+ air compressor, but limited to Homedepot, Lowes, and Ace Hardware:
If you are having trouble finding, and have learned to THINK about your search, then dive into advanced search. At the top-right corner, click Settings, then Advanced Search. There are a lot of options here, but most are easy to figure out.
FINAL ADVICE:
DO NOT GIVE UP. There are a gazillion ways to find what you seek on the Web.
THINK about what you are looking for. Be as specific as possible.
Contact Tech, or visit the ARC, to get more advice [but ONLY after you have tried these tips and are just absolutely out of ideas.]
