Sometimes it pays to get back to basics. No, in this case I'm not talking about marketing, but the "let's take care of the equipment that takes care of us" basics.

The longer I'm online, and living in this little town, the more convinced I am that many do not know of, or neglect to take care of, the simple things.

My son's friend has called for the past three nights with big computer problems. Big for him in the sense that he can't keep enough ram open to run things nor stay online long enough to even begin to surf.

Why? Because his computer is really ticked *smile!*

Let's face it, we all demand a lot from our computers. And it also stands to reason that the longer you've been online visiting websites or downloading this and installing that that things tend to get jumbled up in the "guts" of your machinery.

Your computer needs your tender loving care :)

So let's baby that baby!

BASIC BROWSER STUFF:

I'm an Internet Explorer person so that's what I'm going to cover in this article. If you use another type of browser, take the time to find out where they've put the settings I'll tell you about below. You'll be so glad you did.

Under the TOOLS area of your IE browser there is an INTERNET OPTIONS choice. Go there now. Under the GENERAL tab there is a "Temporary Internet Files" section with a SETTINGS button.

Click on the SETTINGS button. Set your computer so that it checks for a newer version of any stored page "Every visit to the page." Yes, it might take a bit longer to load, but this way you are always viewing the most current version of any page you visit. Saves on confusion, especially if you are ordering something or signing up for some new program.

Click OK.

Then click on the ADVANCED tab. Go down under the SECURITY heading and make sure there is a check mark in the box that reads "Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed." This way whenever you are done surfing, all those visited pages will be dumped - or I should say "most" of these pages will be dumped. You don't need to store every little thing you've ever viewed online, right? Stands to reason it just clogs up the works.

Click OK.

WEEKLY MAINTENANCE:

Up above you took care of some of the pages being cached on your computer, but weekly maintenance of the other temporary files - and there are plenty of those being saved for you whether you know it or not - needs to take place.

Click on START, SEARCH. Choose Search for Files and Folders. Type in *.tmp and start the search.

If you've been surfing a lot you'll have quite a few entries returned. These are deletable files, files that just take up additional space on your hard drive.

When the SEARCH is done, highlight and delete all the files except for the INDEX.dat file (it won't let you delete this one anyway).

Okay that's done - now remember to do it periodically.

You can also do a SEARCH for your COOKIES folder. When found, click it open and highlight and delete all those, it won't hurt a thing, it's just extra "stuff" you're computer is hanging onto for you. Cookies are not that big in and of themselves, but again it's just more stuff accumulating on your hard drive. You'll replace it all soon enough, trust me :)

MONTHLY OR MORE OFTEN IF NEEDED:

When was the last time you defragged your hard drive? You need to defrag your hard drive monthly, maybe more often, maybe less depending on the wear and tear you put your computer through.

Click on START, PROGRAMS, ACCESSORIES, SYSTEM TOOLS, DISK DEFRAGMENTER.

For XP, you click the ANALYSE button. If it comes back and says "oh boy, you need to defrag!" or message equivalent - let it!

What happens is every time you open and use and close and open and use and close... it mixes pieces up and puts them back willy nilly. Defraging just allows the computer to clean itself up and put the pieces back together again. Your equipment will run faster, and if you're always borderline crashing this could very well do wonders for you.

LAST BUT NOT IN THE LEAST LEAST:

Four basics here:

1. Your Anti-Virus program

Now don't laugh, but many think just because "it came with the computer" that it's just doing the job automatically... not! You need to explore your antivirus program, ensure it's operational, and set a few features like weekly or even daily computer drive scans, check for updates (automatically) and install, etc.

If you've never seen it update (download the latest virus definitions for your protection), chances are it's not.

Open your anti-virus program now and get to know it inside out - it is your very best friend, and first and foremost protection online! You'll thank me and so will your friends!

2. A firewall

A firewall, in essence, blocks outsiders from accessing your computer ports. This is not the same as an anti- virus program, but is another essential self-defense online tool.

http://www.zonealarm.com

I recommend ZoneAlarm. It's easy to set up, you can train it or allow it to "train itself" and it provides an additional barrier between you and the wackos running around out there. It's very inexpensive compared to numerous trips to the "computer doctor."

3. A good spy-ware stopper

My personal choice is Ad-Aware - not to be confused with "adware" which IS spyware - Ad-Aware is a program that searches out all those nasty little spying tidbits "they" sneak onto your computer as you travel around the net.

Go to http://www.download.com and type in Ad-Aware. Their LITE program is free though I'd highly recommend spending a few bucks and getting the pro/plus version.

Download it, install it, run it!

When it's done, tell the program to quarantine (and delete if you have the pro version) all the spyware sitting on your computer - just read and follow the instruction screens. You are going to be so totally amazed and outraged when you let it do it's job.

Everywhere you go on the net someone is slipping something onto your computer. The pro version even has an AD WATCH feature you can turn on while you surf for even more protection.

4. And it goes without saying, back it up!

You do not want to ever have a computer crash, it's so horrible I shudder just thinking about it.

Get yourself a good CD Read/Write drive or external drive and periodically back your stuff up. You don't have to get all complicated about it, you can treat your read/ write or external just like a giant Floppy drive it you want to - copying and pasting your files and folders onto your backup system. Do back up! You'll be happy you splurged for this "extra" should "it" ever hit the fan.

Well that about covers what I've spent three nights trying to get the kid next door to do. Is he? I haven't a clue - but I sure hope so! Will you? Again, it's back in YOUR hands to treat your computer right.

Be kind to your computer and it will be kind to you :)