Q. Why is my computer running so much slower than it did when I first bought it?

A. There are a variety of factors that can cause your computer to slow down, but most often the problem lies with memory-resident programs. Such programs run whenever your computer turns on, and stay running until you turn your computer off. Each one only uses a little bit of memory, but those little bits of memory add up.

Memory-resident programs can be installed by viruses, but they are also a part of many very portable and reputable software packages, including Microsoft Office, Intuit Quicken, AOL Instant Messenger, and Apple Quicktime.

GeeksOne can rid your aging (or even new) computer of these memory-resident programs, and in most cases can make it as fast(if not faster) that when it was brand new.

Q. How did viruses get on my computer?

A. Computer viruses can get onto your computer in several ways:

• Email attachments: you should never open up an email attachment that you dont recognize, especially attachments with filenames ending in .exe, .src, .com, and .bat.
• Media Files: Playing Windows Media Audio (WMA) and Windows Media Video (WMV) files on your computer with Windows Media Player can automatically install viruses on your computer without you having to do anything else. These files are most often distributed illegally on peer-to-peer networks (such as KaZaA and Gnutella).
• Browsing Web Sites: just by using Internet Explorer to surf the Internet you can be infected with viruses, without having to download a thing. Using an alternative web browser such as the (free) Mozilla Firefox can prevent this.
• Doing Nothing: Some viruses can get onto your computer without you even being at it. Vulnerabilities in the Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems (discovered in May of 2003) can allow hackers to install programs on Windows machines without knowing anything else about them. The best way to prevent this is to install Windows updates regularly

Antivirus software is very good at helping to prevent viruses, but no antivirus software is perfect, and viruses can still get through. Virus definitions need to be updated constantly to help prevent infection by new viruses, and even then, there are circumstances under which the antivirus software won't detect viruses on your system.

GeeksOne educates its clients about how to prevent virus infection, and offers all of its clients antivirus software to help prevent future infection.

Q. How do I keep my data safe?

A. Everyone has to back up their data. Computers crash, hard drives fail, and in an instant -- any instant -- your tax returns, term papers, presentations, and other vital data can be gone. Hard drives might not crash often, but it's a risk that few people can afford to take.

Data can be backed up in many ways. Floppy disks, CD-Rs, USB keys, and removable hard drives can be used to store your data. Files should be backed up on a regular basis. For the most part, whenever enough changes have been made such that you can't afford to lose them, you should back your data up.

GeeksOne offers automated on- and off-site backups. We can attach a device to your computer, and/or perform the backup over the Internet. Backups can happen as you work with files (so that you don't lose even a minute's worth of data if your hard drive crashes), or on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. All off-site backups are stored on redundant secure computer systems.