Some Common Computer Myths (Part 1)
There are several common computer myths that seem to be prevalent among today’s PC users.
Some have their roots in the computer technology of yesterday, and may have had some merit in the past, but let’s examine these in light of modern computer technology.
Issue #1: Turning Your Computer On and Off
Some believe they should never turn their computer off, while some believe that they must power it off when not in use, even for a few hours. There is no truth to either of these misconceptions.
Today’s computers are built and designed to allow the user to power them on and off as desired. On the other hand, allowing your computer to stay on and transition into sleep mode, while not in use, is a safe and effective way to improve your productivity and extend the life of your PC. You will also save energy since your PC uses very little energy when is sleep mode.
On the other hand, you should power down your PC when it will not be used for more than a few days. While the life of today’s computer is quite long, turning off your computer when you will not be using it for a long time, will save energy and allow your components to last longer. In addition, every now and then a complete reboot is helpful to ensure your PC continues operating in tip-top shape.
Issue #2: Regular Defragmentation is Important
Most computers do not need to be defragmented manually. Modern PC’s have utilities that run in the background periodically and accomplish this task. Every now and then performing a defragment will not hurt, but there is no need to pay for a 3rd party defragmentation software program to provide this function.
In addition, your computer may use or contain an SSD drive. Defragmenting an SSD Drive will shorten the life of the drive, and if done to excess can actually cause the SSD to fail.
Issue #3: Viruses and Spyware Will Slowing Down Your PC
While is is convenient to blame a potential virus or malware as the reason for your PC slowdown, this is generally not the case. The bad guys out there that design and propagate these bugs, do not want you to detect them. They are designed to operate quietly in the background.
To improve your PC’s performance, you should remove unnecessary programs that are running in the background. In addition, JUST SAY NO, to those programs that offer miracle cures. Don’t buy a program that is advertised to magically speed up your PC. It won’t and may, in fact, contain malware.
The free version of CCCleaner can remove traces of old software and will help keep your PC operating at it’s peak. We also recommend you download and run Malwarebytes periodically to ensure your PC is not infected by malware.
Issue #4: You Don’t Need Antivirus Software
Some believe that for whatever reason they don’t need antivirus software. WRONG – You always need an antivirus program. If you ever access the net, or receive email, you are in danger. You need a basic antivirus program. Here is the good news, you don’t need to pay for a 3rd party program as this capability is built into Windows 8 and 10. Just don’t deactivate these programs, allow them to update and you should be safe unless you are operating on the edge. A periodic scan for Malware is always a good idea. We recommend MalwareBytes, and use it on all our systems.