What is the best way to take care of a PC?

[Oly J]

Hi people, I posted a thread a little bit ago saying I would be getting my first up-to-date PC since 2002, I realised I overlooked one crucial question that you may laugh at me for asking

basically, how do I keep it from failing? every computer I've ever had has at some point gone down with viruses (and once I accidentally left one on after going away for a week and the fan broke and the interior melted, but I know not to do that)

and I've never really been told what the best course of action to prevent this would be, ideal antivirus software to go for, any other precautions etc, I mean, admittedly I never remember to set restore points, is there any way to have a PC do that automatically, and is that a good idea?

so yeah, if there's any basic routine caring-for-your PC stuff I should know, and anything else you could tell me to avoid, I'd appreciate the help, thanks.

 

[AWAR]

-snip

You should have a good always on antivirus like avast! (free) or Kaspersky or ESET and a firewall as well (I use ZoneAlarm). It goes without saying that you mustn't ever use Internet Explorer. You'd also want to run a Malwarebytes scan every couple of months as well. Other than that the best protection comes from the actual user. After years of browsing the net you should be able to distinguish malicious software, phishing/scamming attempts e.t.c.. Finally don't lazily click the x button when Windows or your antivirus wants to update. Always keep your system up to date.

As for maintenance, I use CCleaner for uncluttering my system. It's also a good idea to open up the case and do some actual cleaning on a yearly basis. You won't need to mess with the hardware, just get an air spray and remove the dust from fans and coolers.

 

[SnowyGamester]

Yeah a decent antivirus will help to keep you out of the shit. Personally I use ZoneAlarm for my antivirus and firewall...it's pretty top notch and completely free. Pretty much everything AWAR said is good advice. That being said, while Internet Explorer in generally is significantly less secure than the other major competitors, avoiding dodgy sites is just as (or perhaps even more) important as having a secure browser and good antivirus...I used Internet Explorer for years without trouble (I recently switched to Chrome for bookmark syncing to my Galaxy S III). The trouble is no browser or antivirus is completely secure and there will always be zero day exploits and malware that can get through the safety nets so it pays to be vigilant. Regardless it's paramount that you keep all your shit up to date to keep you safe from anything that's already been around a while. CCleaner is good for fixing busted registry entries, clearing out all your caches, and giving easy access to all of your uninstallers, startup entries and browser plugins...gotta agree it's a must have.

And yeah, you should occasionally clean out your computer to avoid dust build up. I've seen it get bad enough to clog up a fan and fry a GPU which as a general rule is something you want to avoid. So compressed air cans...those are a good thing. Some new cases come equipped with easily accessible dust filters in front of the intake fans which is something to look out for if you haven't got one yet (I'll be getting something with that if I ever get a new case).

Windows should make it's own restore points by default when you do certain updates or installs so you shouldn't really have to do anything there. It can be a useful tool however often times if you're trying to get rid of a real bugger of a virus if you're already infected it will completely fuck system restore so it won't be any good in that situation. It's best suited for fixing things you fuck up yourself or fixing nonmalicious software updates or installations that have fucked themselves up for whatever reason.

 

[RikuoAmero]

I'll echo what the guys up above say. I'll also throw in this tip: VM. Since more than likely you won't know what that is, it stands for Virtual Machine. It's where you have your host OS (operating system) which in your case is more than likely Windows and running a program, inside of which is another operating system, but one that doesn't have direct access to your hardware. So you can a virtual OS that has a hard drive of say 5 gigabytes, and even if you visit a malware infected site, the malware can't infect your host OS because the malware is stuck inside the virtual OS, it literally can't see the host, it doesn't know it's there.
So google Oracle VirtualBox and then also google for Linux Mint ISO (both are free and completely legal in every way). Install VirtualBox, keep the ISO file handy, and set everything up. There'll be guides on Youtube on how to do it right. My suggestion is to not give the virtual OS a hard drive at all, just run Linux straight from the ISO. This is the equivalent of putting a Windows DVD in a DVD drive and running Windows from that on a machine without a drive (which as far as I know Windows doesn't actually allow you to do...but hey). This way, if there's certain sites that you're not entirely sure of, you just fire up the VM and load the web browser in Linux. If there is malware, it'll infect Linux but stay there, and all you have to do is "power off" the machine, which will wipe it.
It has to be said though, this is not a mathematically 100% guaranteed malware-proof thing. Nothing is. But it's up there in the 99.999999+% range. Since most people use Windows, very few people write malware for Linux. Also, VirtualBox uses a virtual network adaptor to allow the virtual OS to have internet access (basically, it tricks the host OS into thinking the virtual OS is a physical machine that's connected by network cable to it). Just like with a real physical machine that's connected by network cable, there's a SLIGHT, and I do mean slight, chance of there being malware that can hop through the virtual network adaptor and infect your host OS. I've been VM'ing for a while, and this has yet to happen to me. Just thought I'd mention it.

 

[OneCatch]

so yeah, if there's any basic routine caring-for-your PC stuff I should know, and anything else you could tell me to avoid, I'd appreciate the help, thanks.

Seconding what's already been said:
Get a decent antivirus.
Keep programs and the OS up to date. OS and AV will usually tell you if there are updates ready - when they are, install them!
Install Malwarebytes and Ccleaner, run Malwarebytes every few months.
Clear interior of computer with compressed air yearly, or perhaps every 4 months if the room is really dusty. If your case doesn't have intake filters you can buy them for a few quid/dollars.
But most of all, be discerning in usage. If you torrent or download, scan stuff with an AV after it's finished (your AV might do this automatically), then unzip it and scan it again manually. Don't even download something if you think it doesn't look right. Don't run dodgy looking programs, don't click on dodgy links, ignore suspicious emails, etc.

If you do have persistent virus problems even after all that, you might want to consider using a virtual machine as suggested by Rikuo.

 

[Barbas]

Spoiler

-snip

You should have a good always on antivirus like avast! (free) or Kaspersky or ESET and a firewall as well (I use ZoneAlarm). It goes without saying that you mustn't ever use Internet Explorer. You'd also want to run a Malwarebytes scan every couple of months as well. Other than that the best protection comes from the actual user. After years of browsing the net you should be able to distinguish malicious software, phishing/scamming attempts e.t.c.. Finally don't lazily click the x button when Windows or your antivirus wants to update. Always keep your system up to date.

As for maintenance, I use CCleaner for uncluttering my system. It's also a good idea to open up the case and do some actual cleaning on a yearly basis. You won't need to mess with the hardware, just get an air spray and remove the dust from fans and coolers.

Only once a year? Damn, I thought it would have to be a lot more often than that. What air spray do you use and how do you ground yourself before touching delicate components? What happens if you put a fan in back-to-front? I may have done that ages ago, but nothing bad's happened for months and I'm wondering how to find out which side is which.

 

[AWAR]

snip

Well.. All air sprays are the same so I can't recommend something specific. You can ground yourself by touching the part of the case that's made of metal or a nearby radiator. There are also anti static bracelets but I think they're a bit gimmicky.
Most fans have a small arrow on the side indicating which way they blow. If they don't, you will have to figure it out by holding your hand in either side. Unless it's CPU cooler fan, nothing bad happens if you put them the wrong way but airflow should be like this.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

What happens if you put a fan in back-to-front?

With case fans, instead of an intake fan it will act as an exhaust fan which can spoil a good airflow solution. Rarely a critical issue but it will affect the efficiency of an air-based cooling set up.

 

[Barbas]

Spoiler

snip

Well.. All air sprays are the same so I can't recommend something specific. You can ground yourself by touching the part of the case that's made of metal or a nearby radiator. There are also anti static bracelets but I think they're a bit gimmicky.
Most fans have a small arrow on the side indicating which way they blow. If they don't, you will have to figure it out by holding your hand in either side. Unless it's CPU cooler fan, nothing bad happens if you put them the wrong way but airflow should be like this.

Ah, I do believe that's a picture of the exact case I have - The Cooler Master HAF 932. The fan in question is a big optional one installed on the side of the case that has been removed. I didn't touch any of the other ones, in case my elbows or wrists knocked something out of position. I've touched the sides of the case fairly often and never noticed it warming up. I don't overclock my HD5850 and the PC software hasn't given me any hardware warnings either, but it's about due for another clean soon, so I'll examine the biggie fan for directional markings when I'm poking around in there.

 

[AWAR]

snip

What are the temps? Use CPUID HWmonitor. Fans on the side should be intake, blowing fresh air to the graphics card.
Also protip: Use the spoiler tags inside the quotation tags.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Ah, I do believe that's a picture of the exact case I have - The Cooler Master HAF 932. The fan in question is a big optional one installed on the side of the case that has been removed.

Basic rule of thumb is the side with the certification info sticker in the centre is the 'push' side, meaning that's the side the air comes out of. So for an intake fan you want air pushed into the case, so the cert sticker side faces inward. For an exhaust fan the cert sticker faces outward to push air out the case.

Honestly, if you live somewhere relatively cool, a HAF 932 with front intake and rear exhaust fans will be enough if you're not OCing and you could get away with simply disconnecting the side mounted fan... Unless your cable management is piss poor, in which case a side mounted intake fan is a must.

 

[sanquin]

Here's how I learned to keep my PC virus and garbage free: Trial and error. Back in the day when I just got internet I downloaded tons of things and went to hundreds of sites. Some were bad. So I had to wipe the disk drive and start over. Had to do this every 6 months or so for a good 3~4 years. By then I had learned what to stay away from and how to keep things organized. Having an antivirus alone didn't help me. I had to teach myself through trial and error which sites not to visit, what not to download, how to organize my maps and what files to remove when.

 

[Reed Spacer]

Give your computer some breathing room. Literally. Make sure the fan in the rear has plenty of space to vent, or that hot air'll go right back in.

 

[Barbas]

snip

What are the temps? Use CPUID HWmonitor. Fans on the side should be intake, blowing fresh air to the graphics card.
Also protip: Use the spoiler tags inside the quotation tags.

Sorry for the late reply, but I've downloaded CPUID HWMonitor. Some of the temperature (degrees Celsius) reports are:

SYSTIN: 35 min, 35 max
CPUTIN: 26 min, 53 max
AUXTIN: 25 min, 50 max

Intel Core i7 930 (4 cores):
Core 0: 27 min, 37 max
Core 1: 27 min, 37 max
Core 2: 28 min, 37 max
Core 3: 27 min, 37 max

Radeon HD5850:
TMPIN0: 41 min, 50 max
GPU: 33 min, 36 max

Hard drives:
Various, one under 20, other under 30

This info was taken with no graphics-intensive applications running. I had the EPU-6 Engine program set to auto and it deferred to the max. power saving setting - slowest fans.
Is there anything that stands out as being too hot there?

I was also contemplating upgrading my graphics card to a single newer one, but I don't know what sort of joy a newer card would get out of my existing, older Core i7 930 CPU. I know I've got a 700W PSU, which should be plenty, but this post is really to find out whether I'd have sufficient cooling. The only trouble I've had with my graphics card is the very rare message from Windows: "Display driver stopped responding and has recovered". I'm testing the Auto-fix download file from Microsoft's support site for that problem, however, because I'm a lazy bastard. It may be something of a timing problem or a miscommunication, as opposed to a Oh shit son, bail serious hardware issue.

 

[AWAR]

snip

The temperatures are ok for idle use, you should've run a game or something though.
The graphics card issue looks like a driver problem, download the latest one and do a clean install, removing the old one completely before installing the newest one.
Your i7 is a bit old but it still performs well enough. The 930 is a very strong overclocker, I've seen it reach over 4ghz so you should definitely look into that if you have a decent motherboard. Coupled with a gtx 760 or a 7950 you will a see a definite boost in performance.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

These are few free programs that my boss at my tech support job recommended me:

1) winpatrol [http://www.billp.com/]: I recently found the usefulness of this one. It does a few different things but one key thing is that it alerts you and asks for your permission when a new program wants to run at start up. If Winpatrol pops up asking for start up permission during the installation of an app, chances are you should look for a different app (I wish I installed this years ago)

2) super antispyware [http://www.superantispyware.com/]: you just need to remember to occasionally run this and it will find trogens, tracking software (usually for ads), and other undesirables. If you can't remember, the paid version will do it automatically.

3) adblocker/hostxpert: hostxpert can replace your Window's host file with one that blocks spam/malware sites so they can't connect to your computer. But I can't find hostxpert's site anymore and its a little complicated to use. A decent adblocker plugin for chrome will do basically the same thing. And you can easily whitelist the adds on your favorite sites (like the escapist)

 

[TacticalAssassin1]

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For antivirus, you actually don't even need anything that costs money if you aren't half retarded. Just be careful what you click on, don't go to dodgy sites and you can easily get away with using malwarebytes and microsoft security essentials.

Just be suspicious of downloads, give them the once over scan, don't be afraid to back off and spend another five minutes looking for a different source, etc.