Tips And Recommendations

This is a support forum filled with technical tips and tricks to help people identify and correct performance and technical issues with their computers and networks. The forum is open for comments and suggestions. Feel free to document your comments or share your experience with others.

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Thank You,

Thomas Hood

1. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

There is a lot of advertisement out there promising to make your computer faster and/or perform better. Some want to add functionality to your system, which is already performing just fine, but the advertisement makes the temptation irresistible.

Computer operating systems and most applications already installed on your computer are set to automatically download updates. A lot of the time they are doing it without your knowledge. Yet these programs would likely perform just fine the way they are. These updates are usually installed under the guise that they are fixing security problems or bugs.

2. Don’t change the name of a computer once it’s been added to a network

Devices connected to a network are tracked by IP (internet protocol) and hardware (MAC) addresses. They also use names assigned by you or whoever sets up the network. Computers are especially sensitive to other computer names because of ‘sharing’. Computers keep a list of names of other computers on a network.

When an operating is first installed on a computer and joined to a network, a lot happens. All the computers on the network become aware of the new computer. The new computer builds its own list of other computers. Operating system variables are generated containing the name of the computer. And folder and file sharing on the new computer is offered to the network. The other computers see this and log the sharing capabilities of the new system.

3. Extra Baggage Can Cause Problems In Relationships

At some point, most computer users will need to add software applications or functionality and new options to software already installed on their system. I am referring to third party applications like games, antivirus software, supporting applications for video and sound hardware, software to manage your bank account, web browser plugins and toolbar extensions, etc. You know, the stuff we buy computers for in the first place.

Whether the applications are installed from the internet or a CD, you may have noticed more and more extra goodies being offered during the installation process. These will show up during the install as a window with an ad that offers a partner product or totally unrelated product with the select box already checked. I am installing a game and the install program is offering to give me a free trial of ‘Somebody’s Antivirus’.