Keeping your computer healthy during flu seasson

November 4, 9:33 PMLittle Rock Computers ExaminerMatthew Looney

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During this time of year, the subject on the minds of many people is staying healthy will all the viruses running around.  You certainly want to keep track of your own health by washing your hands and making sure the surfaces in your house stay disinfected, but what about that piece of technology sitting in your office, family room, or bedroom?  Your Computer.  Although it's generally not any more susceptible to getting sick during this time of year, you don't want to forget about the health of your computer.  Whether you're looking at a virus, or the internet cache and cookies stacking up, or something you may not think of all together- cat and/or dog hair, there are many culprits that can affect the performance of your PC or Mac.

I have three cats running around my house and no matter what time of the year it is, they seem to shed hair faster than I can vacuum it up.  So if you have animals in your home, make sure you check the vents on your computer and even the little cracks and crevices between the panels that make up your system's shell.  I like to take a can of compressed air, which you can find at several stores in the Little Rock area like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, or Office Depot, and give my computer a good cleaning.  The task also is not limited to just the 'box' or 'tower' as you might call it.  It's always a good idea to also clean the keyboard, printer, or other peripheral device you may use.  Taking care of your computer with a good wipe down using a cloth and blowing the dust out with compressed air will go a long way to keeping your computer running cool and healthy.

Viruses are another problem that many computer users will face.  Whether you got a virus from visiting a website or downloading an email attachment or some other type of file off the internet, viruses can affect your computer before you even know it.  Whether they slow the speed at which your computer responds to your requests or they just make it crash from the get go, the first line of defense is having good internet security software. Norton, McAfee, Identity Guard, and Trend Micro are some of the most popular.  These programs can not only clean your computer of malicious software and viruses, but they can stand as a defensive wall against future attacks so that your computer continues to run smoothly.

However, if you don't feel that your computer experience is up to the task of downloading and installing something like that, or if you just don't think you have the time, there are people who will do it for you.  Best Buy for instance, which has two locations in Little Rock, has a small army of tech know-it-alls called the Geek Squad.  They can tend to your computer problems with a quick and knowledgeable hand.  They even have online support at www.geeksquad.com so that you don't even have to bring your computer to a store.  Whether your computer is suffering from a virus based computer crash to just minor troubleshooting, they have a service to fit your problem.

These solutions are just a few to help keep your entertainment/business hub running fast and in good working order.  Also, if you have time and the inclination, look at different sites on the internet and research what solutions are the best fit for your personal needs.  Some of my favorites are www.howstuffworks.com and www.nextadvisor.com for computer related questions.