FAQs

The short answer is yes. There are a few antivirus programs that can do both, but if the antivirus program allows you to install an antispyware program, then you should. Even though most computer users see viruses and spyware / malware as being a type of virus, they do different things and are classified differently because of what they do.

Here is a great article that explains this: What’s the difference between antivirus and anti-malware? (Malwarebytes)

It really depends on how you use your computer. If you use your computer all day or multiple times per day, it is best to leave it on. If you use it for a short time and plan to go back to it later that day, putting it in sleep mode is best. If you use it once a day, or even less, then turn it off to save power and wear and tear.

But you should shut down your computer completely at least once per week regardless. This will clear the computer’s memory (RAM) and keep it running faster. Any desktop computer that is left on or left in sleep mode should have an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that is large enough for your computer specs. Without one, you could lose data.

Sleep is best because it puts the computer into a low power state without turning it completely off. In hibernate mode, your computer stops using power and resumes where it was when you put it in that mode. Hibernate is a less desirable option because it produces wear and tear that is similar to start and stop, and takes longer to start up.

In both cases, the use of an APC UPS battery supply is recommended to keep your computer running if the power goes out. With the help of their PowerChute software, your computer will stay running until the battery gets low, then it will close your programs and shut down the computer normally. A battery backup protects you from power outages, surges and brownouts, protects your hardware from failing, and keeps your data from being lost.

OA is known as Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Activation. It basically is OEM basic input/output system (BIOS) activation, meaning they’ve activated it already and you don’t need to enter the key and activate it yourself.

You will only be able to activate one copy of Windows 7 with the product key, for either the 32-bit or the 64-bit version at one time, not both. It will only allow one installed copy to be activated. If you try to do it on both the 32- and 64-bit versions, you will probably get a message that “Your product key is already in use” or “The Windows 7 product key you typed is invalid.”

Solid state drives do fragment. The issue is that defragmenting them does not help much, and since they have a limited number of “writes,” defragmenting would actually use up some of the disk’s write quota. SSDs are much faster than hard disk drives (HDDs) because SSDs don’t have moving parts, but their performance will decrease over time as the free space becomes fragmented, making it take longer to find space in which to write future files.

So my suggestion would be to limit the defragmenting process. If you have a large SSD, 500 GB or more, and your drive has plenty of space (100 GB or more), leave it alone. If your SSD is smaller and has less than 20% free space, the best thing to do is add a secondary drive to store your saved documents, pictures, videos and music, then delete them from your SSD. When SSDs come down in price and you can get a multi-terabyte drive for $100 or so, clone your main drive to the new SSD and swap them out. And it appears that with Windows 10, defragmenting an SSD is no longer an option.

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a battery-driven power supply that helps protect electronic equipment from a sudden loss of power. It is especially useful with computers and equipment that could suffer damage in a power outage. Many times power may only blink off for a second or two, and your equipment may shut down, causing you to lose the work that was open on your computer. If your computer was writing data to your hard drive, it may actually crash the drive. If your laptop has a good battery that is charged and working properly, adding a UPS will allow the laptop to run longer and also give it protection from surges.

UPS systems have a power rating and a joules rating. The power rating (watts) describes the battery capacity, which needs to be enough to keep your device or devices running during the power outage, and the joules rating is the sensitivity of protection from power surges. In both cases, the higher the number the better. For most residential desktop computers, 600 to 1000 watts is best to keep your computer, monitor and router powered up. As for joules, look for something around 400. I do not suggest plugging a laser printer into the battery unless you purchase a much more powerful battery supply: laser printers use heat, which needs a lot of power. If you do need to keep the printer going during a power outage, purchase a separate battery for the printer.

Here is a link to help find the size battery you will need: APC UPS Selector. NewEgg.com is a great place to buy UPS units since they normally have free shipping!

I personally use the Kill A Watt P3, a device that you plug into your wall outlet, then plug a device into the Kill A Watt. It tells you the wattage the device is drawing, and has a few other features like a built-in calculator that tells you how much the electricity is costing per month for the device. I would not test heavy electric-usage appliances or air conditioners; it could ruin the Kill A Watt unit. You can find units like this at Home Depot and Walmart, or even eBay.