To find out how much memory is available and the percent of resource usage, right click on the "My Computer" icon, left click on "Properties" and left click on the "Performance" tab. The higher the percent available the better your PC will perform.

Memory (RAM) has nothing to do with your hard drive and at this time RAM is a very economical component to upgrade. RAM serves the same purpose as a hopper does in a gravel pit. It holds data and programming instructions to feed them in to your processor (CPU). When your hopper (RAM) is full and the PC needs more data or instructions than it will hold, everything stops. This is not good for you or your PC.

While the best way to cure this is to add more memory, there are other ways to improve memory availability without spending more money.

Once you have experienced a lock-up, you need to make sure you shut down any other applications you have running before retrying the task that locked you up. If you have a lot of icons next to the clock on your task bar, you may want to eliminate some of them. One word of caution: Do not shut down your anti-virus software if you are going to be on the Internet.

Most programs that run automatically when you start your PC have a shortcut stored in C:\Windows\StartMenu\Programs\StartUp\. To keep them from running, you just delete the shortcut. To do this:

1. right click on the task bar (the bar between the start button and the clock)
2. left click on Properties
3. left click on Start Menu Programs
4. left click on Remove
5. left click on the StartUp folder
6. left click on the item you want to remove to highlight it (if you want to remove more than one item, hold the shift key down while clicking on other items)
7. left click on OK and you are done

Another tip for getting better performance out of your PC is to uninstall any PC protection software such as "PC Doctor" or "PC-cillin" that you have installed. The literature says that they will keep your PC from crashing and will prevent problems. Any experienced technician will tell you, however, that they cause more problems than they prevent. The first thing a good tech does when he is diagnosing PC problems is to uninstall those products. Half the time, that is all they have to do to fix the PC.

Other tune-up procedures that are helpful include the "Scandisk" and "Defrag" procedures. These are available in the "Programs\Accessories\System Tools\"Folder off the "Start" button. Caution: Disable your Anti-virus and Screen Saver programs before running these.

Since backing up can literally save your company, here are the answers to these questions.

Back-ups should be made whenever you have entered data that you either don’t want to or can’t re-enter. Backing up takes time and resources, but if you lose your billing information, accounts receivable or important quotes, what would that cost?

Never back-up software programs. Just keep your originals in a safe place. Restoring a back-up of a program in Windows won’t help anyway, because the programs need to be reinstalled in order for Windows to know where to find their parts. If you are using Microsoft Office and/or Act, you will want to back-up your My Documents folder, because all of your files from those programs are saved in that folder by default. You will also want to back-up the folder that has your E-mail Address Book and Saved Mail in it. This folder’s name will vary depending on which browser you are using.

The easiest way to back-up files is to use the back-up utility included in Windows. From the Start button, go to Programs> Accessories> System Tools. If you do not have this option, go to Settings, Control Panel, Add Remove Programs, Windows Settings, System Tools and check the box marked Backup. This may require you to put your Windows CD in before completing. This tool will allow you to set up and store a procedure to back-up only the folders you want. This tool also has a Restore Option that can be used if you ever have to reload any files off of your backup.

Today there are many different choices for backup media. You may store your backup files on

• diskette
• tape
• zip disk
• removable hard drive
• re-writable CD.

The method you choose depends on the hardware you have and the amount of data you have to backup. Remember is always use at least three sets of backup media in rotation. This way, if your most current backup is corrupt, you have two other chances to restore. Also remember that it is safest to store backups off site in case of disaster. Likewise, replace backup diskettes every six months and all other media (except removable hard drives) every year. Backup media does not last forever, and it does not always warn you when it goes bad.

I believe backing-up is the most important thing you do with your computer. When I am called out on a repair job, I hate to hear, "I was going to back-up, but ..."

The only 100% sure way to keep your PC from getting a virus is to never load any diskettes from another computer and never go on the Internet.

Now that we’ve established the fact that you can’t be 100% safe, let's look at how to best protect yourself. There are several commercial anti-virus programs available. The best known programs are probably the McAfee and Norton products. If you have one of these and still have access to free updates, use it and update it every day. ( If you hear of a serious virus alert, it is a good idea to update then, instead of waiting as the anti-virus companies are quick to counter any new virus.)

Remember to scan any diskettes before using them in your PC. The worst viruses are still spread more by disk than by the Internet. With reference to the Internet, it is a matter of record that Netscape users are less likely to have viral problems than Internet Explorer and Outlook Express users.