Most of us drag a table or desk against a wall, drop a keyboard, mouse and monitor on it, the box on the floor, plug everything in and start working. And a month later your right shoulder aches, you’ve tried a wrist rest and three different mice to no avail, and you get a headache if you’re at your desk for more than half an hour.

A few easy adjustments and you can avoid these pains.

Start with your chair – it should be a comfortable height, and put the surface of your desk one or two inches above your elbows. If you are going to spend a few extra dollars on your desk setup, or plan on replacing anything, a nice chair will make the most difference to you.

Next is your monitor. The center of your monitor should be at eye level when you are comfortably seated, and far enough back so you can easily see the entire monitor.

Keyboard / Mouse – most people prefer a keyboard tray. I agree with this, as long as the tray is large enough to hold your mouse comfortably as well – if your mouse doesn’t fit on the tray, you must then either have the mouse too high for comfort or the keyboard too low. But as long as the height is comfortable, the surface of your desk will work just fine for your keyboard and mouse as well. This is a matter of comfort and preference.

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Whether a computer is old or new, for work or personal use, there are some kinds of programs I always like to install. It makes life easier for me, whether it’s my computer or someone else’s.

Anti virus – Some current, reliable anti-virus software is necessary. It should update automatically. Keeping a second anti-malware program installed as a backup is a good plan in case something manages to sneak past your security.

PDF – Some sort of PDF Writer is generally useful. There are free ones out there that are easy to install and work well. A PDF reader (like Adobe Acrobat Reader) is a necessity as well, as you want to be able to see the files you’ve printed before sending them off!

Web Browser – An alternate web browser. Microsoft has yet to produce a version of Internet Explorer that adheres to the web standards, so if all you use is IE, you may be missing out on cool effects and features. And with it’s declining market share, more and more sites are no longer supporting the idea of creating a special design just for IE.

Image Viewer – Windows comes with a picture viewer, and a simple editor, but there are lightweight image viewer / editor programs that open pretty much every image format out there, are quick, free and user-friendly. What more can you ask from a program?

Archiving Software – A program that allows you to archive (ZIP) and unarchive files. If it can’t handle .ZIP, .RAR, .TAR and .GZIP, it’s not worth your time. There are free ones and some that are free trials with a “nag” screen.

Installing my favorites of these programs avoids (for me) most follow-up calls – this group of software offers the average user the ability to open, view and edit most files easily and intuitively, without a significant learning curve.

We know the environmentally responsible thing to do is to recycle them. I am often offered “old” or “broken” computers when I am updating or installing a system for someone because they know they should “recycle it, or something”. The question they can’t answer is: “How?”

Everyone has a few options available: donate it, sell it, or (properly) dispose of it.

• Donate – give it away! Whether to a family member, friend or charitable organization, donating gives your old computer new life.
• Sell – as parts or as a whole system, ebay, Craigslist and more are perfect for turning that dust collector into some nice cash. You can remove your hard drive(s) and sell it “for parts”. Somewhere out there a geek is looking for a power supply or memory to help someone with a similarly old computer.
• Recycle – if you decide to dispose of it, don’t just heave it in the trash bin! Some companies and most municipalities offer recycling services for electronics – a few minutes of internet searching (include your ZIP code) will give your your local options.

No matter what choice you make, remember to remove your personal data and software before recycling it – in whichever manner you choose.

You may think some of these ideas sound good, but require more technical know-how than you have. Wait, don’t give up! Know anyone who can help? Kids count! I’ve stopped by plenty of houses for a beer, and removed or blanked out a hard drive before leaving. I consider a beer and good conversation a fair trade for a few minutes of my (skills and) time – do you know anyone who might make the same trade?

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Computers are everywhere, yet most people are so intimidated by these devices that they do little maintenance and – like failing to change the oil in your car – suffer the cost of such laxity.

But here’s the big secret: anyone who can use Windows can perform these five easy steps to a faster – and happier – computer experience.

1. Empty the Recycle Bin – Look at your desktop. See your Recycle Bin? When did you last empty it? Those files are in the recycle bin for a reason – and it’s probably time to get rid of them.
2. Defrag – While Windows Vista and Windows 7 both have automatic defragmentation programs that run regularly, older copies of Windows do not. Defragmenting your hard drives will often speed up your system as well as prolong the life of your hard drive(s).
3. Anti-Malware / AV software – Anti-virus software is only as good as it’s last update. If this doesn’t happen automatically, update your virus definitions and run a scan. A malware scan is helpful too, if you’ve got the correct software installed.
4. Windows Update – Is your copy of Windows set to run automatic updates? If not, remember the first Tuesday of every month (Patch Tuesday) Microsoft releases updates for supported versions of Windows.
5. Browsers- Most of the complaints about computers stem from the internet experience.
   • First be sure your browser is current. Older browsers often interpret web pages differently from each other. Rendering a site on an old browser is often a slower process, as some commands may have to be repeatedly declared to ensure the page displays correctly.
   • Extra toolbars are often installed that aren’t used and don’t need to be there, which slow down your internet experience. Consider uninstalling or disabling any toolbars you don’t use.
   • Also, check your browser’s temp files or internet cache – these files can be deleted. These files may speed up your access to some pages, but they may be outdated versions of those pages, and a well designed site should load quickly.

As you can see, a few simple steps can make your computer a little happier, and faster!

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Keep Your Computer Safe from Malware

Most people assume that if they have some anti-virus software installed, their computer is safe and protected. Good software however, is only as good as it’s user. If you don’t keep your anti virus software updated, your system is vulnerable. If your anti virus software is fairly current, it should update frequently – my free software downloads and installs new definitions every day.

Sadly there are more than just viruses at loose on the web today. Malware, in the form of spyware, rootkits, trojans and more can infect your system, causing more problems. Here’s a quick explanation of some flavors of malware:

• Viruses are parasitic programs that install themselves and are attached to another program. They always replicate, but are not able to run independently.
• Trojans get their name from the ancient Greek horse of legend, because they appear to be legitimate software or updates.
• Worms are viruses that do not require a host program; these run constantly.
• Spyware is about pop up ads, browser search hijackings and affiliate link stealing. These can steal your personal data.
• Rootkits are all about concealing and defending malware. This kind of troublemaker hides itself and other malware, and tries to block your removal attempts.

I routinely include at least a second kind of scan for any “sick” computers – many times a good, second anti-malware scan will reveal (and solve) the cause of the problem.

Just as no one is perfect (well, I’m sure not, I can’t speak for you), no anti virus software is perfect. Using more than one kind of program to scan and clean your system can keep your computer running better.

And if you’re curious, I use Avira anti virus and MalwareBytes anti malware on my personal system – both have excellent free versions. What do you prefer, and why?

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After deciding how much space we need, setting a budget, shopping the space available in our market and the million other steps along the way, we found our new location. The process of looking for space reminded me of that first apartment hunt when I was younger – not sure what questions to ask, where to look, what’s actually important. But most similar was that feeling – half terror, half exhilaration – when the lease was signed and the whole thing was done. For good or ill, the decision had been made.

And there’s the biggest plus to this move – space! For the last six months or more we’ve been stacking things in piles that have begun to resemble the trees in a Dr. Seuss book. This move gives us space for inventory, space for testing, and best of all – space to keep expanding!

From reviews to disposal, identifying great deals to spotting pigs-in-a-poke, we’ll give you weekly updates with ideas on how to get more mileage out of your depreciated computer equipment and when to cut your losses. We’ll tell you about our latest favorite new products, the old reliable parts we keep reviving and anything between that strikes us as interesting!

Feedback and comments are always welcome! You can subscribe to our blog using the link in the upper right of this page, follow us on Facebook or Twitter, connect via LinkedIn – Fat Free Parts is all about the customers, so tell us what you think!

Thanks for stopping in, and we’ll see you next week!