Frequently Asked Questions
A small sampling from a long list of questions we seem to always be asked.
I have an antivirus program installed, do I also need an Antispyware / Malware program?
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 link to a great article that will explain this.
Should I leave my computer on or shut it off?
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 computers 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 that is large enough for your computer specs. Without one, you could lose data.
Which is better, Sleep mode or Hibernate mode?
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 startup.
In both cases listed above, 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 software ‘Power Chute”, your computer will stay running until the battery gets low, then it will close your programs and shut down the computer normally. The use of a battery backup protects you from power outages, surges and brownouts, and protects your hardware from failing and data from being lost.
I recently bought a Windows 7 Pro OA license. What does the OA mean and how does the license work?
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 yourself.
You will only be able to activate one copy of Windows 7 with the product key number being used for either the 32 bit or 64 bit version at one time, not with both. It will only allow for one installed copy with it to be activated. If you try to do it on both 32/64 bit versions, you will probably get a message that “
Your Product Key is already in use”or a message telling you that “The Windows 7 product key you typed is invalid”.
Should I Defragment my SSD Drive?
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 drive, 500 gig or more and your drive has plenty of space, 100 gig or more, then leave it alone. If your SSD drive 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, video’s and music. Then delete them from your SSD drive. When the SSD drives 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 now with Windows 10, defragmenting an SSD drive is no longer an option.
What is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and why do I need one?
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 2 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 you device or devices running during the power outage and the joules is the sensitivity rating of protection from power surges. In both cases, the higher the number the better. For most residential desktop computer, 600 to 1000 watts is best to keep your computer, monitor and router powered up. As for joules,look for something about 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. And 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. https://www.apc.com/us/en/tools/ups_selector/home/device
NewEgg.com come is a great place to by UPS units since they normally have free shipping!
I personally use the “Kill a watt P3” which is a device that you plug into your wall outlet then plug a device into the Kill a watt. It will tell you the amount of wattage it is drawing and also has a few other features like a built in calculator to tell you how much the the electric 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. Just search google for the Kill a Watt. You can find other units like this at Home Depot and Walmart, or even Ebay etc.