The Explorer: 10 Resolutions For Better Computing In The New Year

6. Find Strength In Numbers. One reason you may run into trouble when adding hardware or software or making other system changes is that the odds are essentially zero that any vendor will be able to anticipate all the possible ways you might conceivably install and use its software. But despite that, there's a good chance you can get information on your specific combination of hardware or software, no matter how obscure: The answer is in UseNet newsgroups. There are now close to 40,000 public newsgroups on every topic imaginable -- and some that your probably haven't imagined! In one place or another, you probably can find a discussion involving your particular problem or your particular brand of hardware or software. Use your news reader (Outlook, Free Agent, or whatever) or a site such as DejaNews to search for the specific problem you need help with.

7. Be Proactive (Part 1). Some system problems can begin subtly. If you can catch them when they're small, you can perhaps fix them more easily than when your system is in (figurative) flames. Therefore, you should run system diagnostics such as WinTune at least quarterly, and also before and after any major system change. This way, if something has changed for the worse inside your system and your system performance is starting to suffer, you may be able to pinpoint and correct the problem sooner and far more easily than if you simply wait for a major failure to happen.

8. Be Proactive (Part 2). The more heavily used (or abused) a system component or piece of software is, the more frequent and rigorous your diagnostics should be. Perhaps no part of today's system gets beaten on more than our browsers -- the sites we visit are constantly downloading active components or foisting plug-ins and add-ons on us; and these rarely improve the stability or performance of any browser. Therefore, you should run BrowserTune's "Two Minute Torture test" at least once a month; and at the first sign of any browser problem -- such as after visiting a Web site that caused your browser to crash or hang. BrowserTune is free and takes literally just a few minutes to check your browser's most essential functions and zero in on any part that's not functioning properly. (See http://www.browsertune.com/bt2k)

9. Once A Year, Do A Thorough Mechanical Cleaning. Listen...hear that fan whirring inside your PC? Since the day you first turned it on, it's been sucking dust and dirt through your PC's air intakes. Over time, the dust and dirt builds up, and can affect airflow and lead to overheating or even shortened life of your system's components. From time to time, turn the system off, remove the cover, and carefully clean the accumulated, um, junk from inside the system case. (Use caution so as not to cause a static electric discharge anywhere inside the case.) While the case is open, take a moment to ensure all cards are seated firmly, all cables are tight, and any socketed chips are solidly and evenly set in their sockets. Make sure all cables to your peripherals are also tight, too. Finally, remove your mouse ball and then clean the ball and the rollers inside the mouse housing.

You may be surprised how much crud accumulates inside your hardware!

10. Install And Use AntiVirus Software. I think the Year 2000 will be remembered as a plague year online, rife with an astonishing number of virulent, fast-replicating worms and viruses. (See http://www.informationweek.com/langaletter/121599langa.htm) In just the last few weeks, for example, W97M.Prilissa.A, W32.Mypics.Worm, the Worm.ExploreZip(pack), and W97M.Melissa.AA viruses have all cropped up. And it's not just Windows -- Apple's brand-new OS9 has a gaping security hole through which a hacker can send a small, simple "request" data packet that causes a Mac to barf up a 1.5 megabit packet in reply; a hacker sending a Mac a steam of the request packets can virtually shut down the Mac's connection by using all the available bandwidth in sending the outsized replies. Apple has posted a patch. No OS is fully secure against viruses, works, and such, and in the highly connected world we now inhabit, it's open season. Protect yourself with a good anti-virus application, and keep it current.

Well, there are my 10 suggested resolutions. Did I leave out something important, or overemphasize something not worthwhile? How would you improve my list? What are your New Year's resolutions? Join in the discussion!

To discuss this column with other readers, please visit Fred Langa's forum on the Listening Post.

To find out more about Fred Langa, please visit his page on the Listening Post.