Back To School Computing Tips

It's time for millions of Florida students to head back to their classrooms. With computers being a near-necessity for most schools, now is a good time to prepare for another year of successful computing.

Here are some of my favorite suggestions for an annual school time tune-up.

Update Anti-Virus, Spyware and Adware Programs – Nearly every new computer comes pre-installed with some kind of anti-virus software. Most are time-limited trials that require a subscription service to keep them updated.

Any anti-virus solution is only as good as its most recent update. If you haven't kept up with your subscription, now's the time to renew and get your PC properly protected.

If you don't want to pay for an anti-virus subscription, uninstall your old dog and get a fresh download of a free anti-virus program from AVG, (http://free.grisoft.com/) or Avast! (http://www.avast.com/). Both programs offer anti-virus protection equivalent to better known paid programs, and are free for personal use.

Good freeware solutions are also available to combat the ever-increasing glut of spyware and adware slowing down nearly every computer connected to the Internet. They include Spybot and Ad Aware Special Edition.

Both require manual updates, and you'll have to remember to run them at least once per week. Doing so can dramatically cut down on the number of programs tracking your computer usage and wasting PC resources. A quick Web search will lead you to a variety of download sources.

Add System Memory – The biggest hardware reason for poor PC performance is a lack of system memory, or RAM.

Early PC's weren't optimized to use memory efficiently, but modern computers running Windows XP and Vista, and Apple's OS X, are able to use and depend on a large amount of system memory.

If you are running Windows XP, try and install 1GB of RAM, for Vista, 2GB is strongly recommended, as is a frequent recommendation for Apple's OS X.

The more memory your system can use, the better you'll be able to perform multiple tasks, work with pictures and multimedia, and speed your Web browsing experience.

Install A Home Network – For years I've recommended children have their own computer in a household. Following that rule means parents have to closely monitor children's Internet usage, and limit time online as needed to insure other activities have enough.

Sharing a broadband connection allows all the PC's in a home to connect to the Web at the same time and still maintain good performance.

Today's home networking hardware is easier and safer to use than ever. If you're not sure you can handle a network installation, invite a knowledgeable friend or computer professional to set one up for you. You'll be glad you did.

I's also like to alert Cyberville readers that after today, you can find my column online at http://anotherdayincyberville.blogspot.com/.

For nearly seven years I've had the pleasure of joining you in your homes, offices, schools and coffee shops.

I've also had the pleasure of meeting thousands of you through e-mail, civic and technical presentations, on the radio, and in person in stores and on the street.

I thank each and every Cyberville reader for their many kind words and time, and hope to see more of you in the new Cyberville online in the days to come.

You're also always welcome to reach me via e-mail at adayincyberville@gmail.com.

Best wishes, and my sincere gratitude, to all.