PC Maintenance and Security

This week’s lab focused on PC Maintenance and Security.  Using Atomic Learning, I viewed different tutorials that furthered my knowledge in technology.  I have shared that information with you below.
 

Clean Up and Speed Up Your PC: 

Using Windows CleanUp! and Using MSConfig to Speed Up Your PC’s Startup

The first tutorial was perfect for me, as I happen to be somewhat of a pack rat when it comes to my computer.  One application that I definitely wanted to share is called “Windows Cleanup!”  It is an easy to use application that empties your Recycle Bin, frees up disk space, deletes cookies and removes temporary files.  I was really surprised by how fast the application works and how easy it looks!  I am definitely going to give Windows Cleanup! a visit soon.  Another way to clean up and speed up your PC is by using MSConfig.  What was surprising to find out is that every time you start your computer, hidden programs load in the background.  MSConfig will help to turn these unnecessary programs off, which will help to make your computer faster and more reliable.  I also learned about a website called, “Startup Programs and Executables Listing.” You should use this site when you are not sure if a certain startup item should be turned off during the boot of your computer.  You just put the name of the item in the program, and when you use MSConfig it will let you know if it is required to be on or not.  This website is a great resource that will help speed up the use of your computer.  I was not familiar with either of these tools.  My work computer is so slow....I will be busy tomorrow morning using these different applications.

Tips for Safer WebBrowsing:  Explaining Cookies

When my computer is running slow people in my office will often tell me to delete my cookies.  I would go ahead and delete them, but never really understood what they were.  I wanted to share the information below for people that are in the beginners stage of learning different part of technology like me.  The tutorial “Tips for Safer Web Browsing:  Explaining Cookies” helped me to learn that a cookie is a small information file placed on your hard drive.  It tracks user's browsing activities, which tends to be a privacy concern.  There are three types of cookies:  persistent, session and tracking.  A persistent cookie enables a website to remember you on subsequent visits, speeding up or enhancing your experience of services or functions offered.  Session cookies are only available for as long as you are on the site and then they are erased.  Tracking cookies was what really surprised me.  They track where people go on the web, report this information to advertisers and then they place their ads on those websites.  Cookies make features, such as making recommendations for certain products for you, possible.  After viewing this tutorial, I now have a better understanding of how a website like Amazon.com works.

Making Email Safer:  Using the Junk Email Filter in Microsoft Outlook

The next tutorial that I watched was in a section called “Making Email Safer.”  This particular video focused on the topic of using the junk email filter in Microsoft Outlook.  This tutorial caught my eye because it connects back to one of my personal growth goals, which is to increase my knowledge in basic technology applications.  I use Microsoft Outlook at work and definitely want to learn as much as I can about the different tools that it has to offer.  I also wanted to share this with other Microsoft Outlook users as they might be losing some of their important email…and here is why! This tutorial showed me how I have different levels of junk email protection.  It is important to be careful if you put the setting on high, as it may catch legitimate messages sometimes.  It was surprising to learn about the Safe Senders option.  This allows you to generate a list of senders that you consider safe to receive e-mail messages from.  You can add names manually, import them from a file or export them to a file.  This feature will definitely be a tool I will check out at work.  It would be helpful to just export a list of who is on my safe sender list.  Then I will know who I need to add from there!