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We'd like to share a few tips and tricks with you to keep your computer happy.

 
This should be done weekly.

Click Start, then All Programs, next Accessories, next System Tools and then select Disk Cleanup. Check every box, then click OK. This may take a little while, especially when you're doing this for the first time, or if it's been a long time.

Update all your security software! Even though most antivirus and anti-spyware programs update themselves automatically, I recommend updating them once a week as part of your maintenance routine. Often when you get a virus, the first thing it does is attack your security software and disables it.

If you get into the habit of manually updating your antivirus and anti-spyware software, you will not only ensure that you have the latest updates, but if there is a problem and it's been disabled you will find out sooner rather then later.

These next steps should be done once a month.

Check for Windows Updates, even if you have them set to update automatically. Do this by opening Internet Explorer and clicking on the Tools menu, then selecting Windows Update. Simply follow the prompts. Then run a full virus and spy-ware scan!

And last but not least, defragment your hard drive. To do this click Start, then All Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools and then select Disk Defragmenter. Choose your hard drive (usually C), and click Defragment.
If you are unable to connect to the Internet via your home network or a direct connection, the first thing to try is power-cycling your modem and router.

If you just have a single Internet connection, unplug your modem from the power source and wait 30 seconds. Then plug it back in, and wait for all the lights to come back on, then restart you computer.

If you have a wireless network, unplug both the router and the modem from their power sources and wait 30 seconds. Next, plug the modem back in first, wait for the power, send, receive and online lights to become solid. Then plug in the router, and restart all the computers on the network.

If none of those steps work and you are connected directly to the modem, call your ISP for further troubleshooting. If you are connected with a router, plug a computer directly into the modem, then see if you can establish an Internet connection that way. If that doesn't work, contact your ISP.

If you do have an Internet connection, but the router still isn’t allowing you to connect, contact us for assistance.

Changing some of your Internet Explorer (IE) settings will greatly decrease the amount of temporary space that web sites use for cookies and temporary files — both of which can potentially slow down your web surfing and computer speed. To optimize your IE settings:

Optimizing your internet settings:
While IE is open, click on the Tools menu, then select Internet Options. In the middle of the dialog box, click on the Settings button. Under the heading Temporary Internet Files, change the setting for the amount of disk space to use to 2 MB. This reduces the amount of space that Windows will allow for temporary Internet files and cookies.

Clearing the cache:
You may often hear this term from tech support, or you may even just read about it when you're searching for help. To clear the cache, follow the steps from the previous tip to get to the Internet Options in IE. Then click the Delete Cookies button. Next, click the Delete Files button, and put a check mark in the Delete Offline Content box, and click OK. Doing so will pretty much clear out your web browser's cache.