May 29, 2008
-
The Average User’s Guide to PC’s
While traveling around New Zealand in March, I found myself fixing and
upgrading a number of people’s PC’s. Since they had problems common to
most users all over the world, I’m going to summarize the information
in this post. I’ll make special notes about why certain
special-interest groups don’t publicize specific bits of information,
as indicated by the conspiracy theory nut:
I’m assuming you already own a PC and want to make it run better. A
Mac is prettier and easier to use for computer novices, especially for
multimedia, but is also a lot more expensive for anything beyond a
bare-bones machine.
1) MemoryThe #1 factor in how fast your PC runs is not the processor speed; it’s
the memory. Now I’m talking about “fast” for everyday applications
like switching between email, web browsing, and basic Microsoft
Office. Here’s my recommended memory chart.Operating System Slow Fast Optimal Windows 2000 and before Get a new PC Windows XP 512 MB 1 GB 2 GB Windows Vista 1 GB 2 GB 2+ GB
You can save a lot of money by installing your own memory. PC
Manufacturers make money by upcharging you on memory that brings you to
the “Fast” and “Optimal” levels, the same way movie theaters make money
by charging you $4 for a Coke. So buy a low-memory PC, order more
memory off the web, and install it yourself.
2) BrowserGo to www.mozilla.com to download and install Firefox. Then Google
“adblock plus” and install it. That will make your browsing experience
both faster and safer. If you’re really paranoid, Google “noscript”
and install that too — but know that it will block active elements
from all websites, forcing you to ok each time you visit a new site.
3) AntivirusI don’t run any antivirus programs. My opinion is that they slow down your PC and provide no real benefit.
Antivirus software companies want you to live in fear. Their
programs take a long time to run and look like they’re doing a lot.
They often cause incompatibilities with other programs, resulting in
more problems than they prevent. Go commando and just practice safe
computing, avoiding these 5 risky practices:- visiting harmful websites with Internet Explorer on low security settings
- clicking on links from emails (a friend of mine was infected after clicking a link forwarded from his CEO)
- opening attachments from emails
- downloading disreputable software and porn- running peer-to-peer file-sharing programs
4) BackupYour computer can die at any time. Realize this, and take precautions. Divide your data into three categories:
- Unchanging (photos, music, and old documents): burn these to DVD’s.
- Changing (current documents): copy to a USB flash key, or use an online service
- Secure (financial and very private): use CD/DVD encryption software
like CD-Lock, or a fingerprint flash key, or a secure online service.
Comments (9)
No more porn? Oh noes!!!! =P
wow, i never thought “commando” and “computing” could be used in the same sentence…
using a PC with all your instructions without virus protection feels like walking through a minefield and hoping you don’t misstep. i’ve had a mac for 2 year without any problems. to me, it’s worth the extra money.
i like the backup suggestions, especially for secure backup.
I, too, have been going without antivirus for the last eight years with no problems. I rarely recommend that to others, though, because I really don’t know how they will use their computers. It only takes a few clicks to create a major headache…
A note: unless you go with the 64-bit version of Vista or XP, memory over 3gb is a waste.
Actually, for 4GB memory, you’ll need hardware that supports it as well. Intel’s Napa (945GM) chipsets only supports 3GB… something about sharing device addresses, though I think you might be able to squeeze out 3.5 GB (by sharing 512MB of VRAM from the video card.)
I use hard drives over DVDs for convenience, and I’m not convinced of the longevity of DVDs.
Also, I think webmail is more secure than a mail client (eg Outlook). Not sure if many viruses target web accounts.
Thanks for the notes on Vista memory usage. I’m changing the “Optimal” recommendation from 4 GB to 2+ GB.
I agree that in the long term (10-20 years), recordable CD’s/DVD’s may not be that stable. But I believe they are much more stable than hard drives! I have seen many hard drives fail, but never seen a recordable CD/DVD fail due to age.
About email: people use so many email services that it’s hard to make a single recommendation. And it’s easy to migrate web browsers, but hard to migrate email. If you’re open to it, webmail-based Gmail offers practically unlimited storage with very good spam filtering and almost no risk of viruses.
my personal experience is i’ve seen a lot of bad cd media fail or become really difficult to read. Some cds and dvds I burned for archive usage became corrupted within 2 years in a binder.
Antivirus, I’m in full agreement with Ed. Maybe a few years ago it was more necessary, but malicious network borne issues no longer are as big a thret to an unprotected windows PC. Nowadays it requires a bit more user action to get a virus onto your computer. The only place I can see AV being remotely useful is for protection against unprotected intercourse with infected USB memory sticks. But even this can be disabled by turning off autoplay. The infected USB sticks are a rampant problem in our offices in Zambia where network transfers of files (which are safer) are not easy due to poor network connectivity).
Antivirus being only effective against *known* threats doesn’t really stop against particularly malicious code. Also, if you’re infected, it’s probably either a nuisance that is really useless for antivirus to fix, or it’s something bad that you’re screwed already.
um, random, i saw a picture of you at the grx BBQ, and i thought, wait, is that ed? and then i read your xanga and realized, hey, you’re in the bay area!
I forgot to mention: delete the useless crap installed software on your machine.
PC Manufacturers make big money by installing it on your machines: http://tech.slashdot.org/tech/08/08/29/1526234.shtml