Denison Site Offices Support - How Do I . . .? Campus Directory

Last Name First Name Department/Slayter Box Title/Class Year All Fields

• ITS Home
• Support
  • Training, Tools, and Resources
  • Help Desk
  • How Do I...
  • Software Center
  • Outages and Alerts
• Training
  • Software and Hardware Education
  • ITS Training
  • Web Development
  • Media Technology
  • Blackboard Tutorials
  • Sign up for a class
• Facilities
  • Computing Facilities
  • Labs and Printers
  • Electronic Classrooms
  • Media Technology Services
  • Wireless Network
• Divisions
  • Director
  • Information Technology Services
  • Educational Technology Services
  • Support Services
  • Administrative Computing
  • Technical Services
  • Web Services
• Visitors
  • Interacting with Campus
  • Prospective Students
  • Vendors
• Policies

Support - How Do I . . .?

Maintain My Computer

Is your computer running slower than when you first received it? Do you get a lot of pop-ups from browsing the internet? Since Denison does not support or maintain student-owned computers, it is important for you to learn how to perform normal maintenance procedures to keep your computer safe, secure, and running smoothly. The following procedures are basic maintenance that every computer owner should perform on a regular basis.

Use Add/Remove Programs

Add/Remove Programs is a basic utility in Windows that allows you remove programs that you no longer need. You should periodically check this list of programs and uninstall anything you no longer use. This frees up disk space and decreases the risk of software conflicts. Most adware and spyware is also installed in the form of a program that will show up in this list. You should uninstall anything with "rebate", "free" or "search assistant" in the title of the program; you will likely be able to tell what doesn't belong. If you are unfamiliar with this utility, follow the brief instructions below:

• Click Start, then Control Panel.
• Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
• Select the program you would like to remove.
• Click the Remove button that appears.

Remove Adware and Spyware

Adware and spyware are programs that are installed on your computer through the internet. While these programs and files are not physically harmful to your computer, they slow down web browsing by causing ads to pop up when you browse the internet. To get rid of them, you can download free programs such as Ad-Aware and Spybot, which are offered for quick access on our site. Ad-Aware cleans up most of the adware/spyware on your computer, but running Spybot after Ad-Aware will usually pick up a few items that Ad-Aware missed. Spybot also offers an immunizing feature, which prevents some adware and spyware from being installed. For more information and to download the software, visit adware and spyware removal.

Use Safe Mode

Safe Mode is a feature of Microsoft Windows that allows a user to boot up the computer with only the bare minimum processes and programs required to run the computer. In other words, any process or program that is causing your computer to slow down or not respond will not start in Safe Mode. Safe Mode is usually used for maintenance procedures only and is a great way to clean spyware, viruses, and other harmful programs.

To enter Safe Mode, you will need to press the F8 key every second or so as the computer is first starting up until a menu is displayed. After this menu comes up, you can press F8 again to toggle between two different menus. You want the menu with "Safe Mode" as the very first option at the top. Using the arrow keys, scroll up to highlight that option and press Enter. Select "Yes" from the prompt to enter Safe Mode. From here, you can run your spyware removal programs and virus detection programs (i.e. Ad-Aware, Spybot, and McAfee or Stinger). After you're finished, just reboot your computer to resume its normal operating mode.

Update Windows

Installing Windows updates is perhaps the single most important thing you can do to help your computer perform better. Windows updates help protect you from malicious viruses and help keep your system secure.

If you have Windows XP installed, we highly recommend that you configure your system to download critical updates automatically. Follow these steps:

• Right-click the "My Computer" icon on your desktop or select it from the Start Menu.
• Click Properties.
• Click the Automatic Updates tab at the top.
• Select download and install automatically and choose a time that your computer will be running.

If you do not have Windows XP, you should manually download updates from the Windows Update page.

Updating System Drivers

Dell submits important updates to Microsoft, but they can only be obtained by going to update.microsoft.com and selecting the Custom option (not Express).  Every computer vendor has a driver page, visit the manufacturer's webpage (i.e. www.dell.com) and click on the support button.  From there look for Drivers or Downloads.  Be sure to have your computer model number handy.  For custom built computers, visit the manufacturer of each particular part for updated drivers. Common drivers that should be updated: Graphics Card, Sound Card / Audio Controller, Network Controller, Chipset, and BIOS.

Install Anti-Virus Software

All computers connected to Denison's network must have anti-virus software installed. Denison offers McAfee VirusScan, which has been paid for by student computing fees. Click here to get anti-virus software. One advantage of VirusScan is that it automatically updates virus definitions through the EPO agent, a program installed with VirusScan. If the virus definitions are not kept updated, the program doesn't know what files to look for and becomes essentially useless.

If you instead use Norton or some other anti-virus software, you must download the virus definitions yourself or configure the program to do it for you. Your internet port will be deactivated if your computer is found to have a virus. While McAfee and Norton each have their advantages and disadvantages, they do not work well together on the same system. So, if you decide to install McAfee VirusScan, make sure you uninstall any other virus detection programs first. If you are uninstalling Norton, be sure to uninstall all related programs as well (i.e. anything distributed by Symantec).

Defragment Disks

Disk Defragmenting can help speed up your computer by re-organizing the files stored on the hard drive. The Disk Defragmenting program will analyze your disk and tell you if it should be defragmented. Because this can be a long process, you might want to run it overnight, or while you are at class.

Follow these instructions:

• Click Start -> Programs -> Accessories.
• Choose System Tools.
• Click Disk Defragmenter to bring up the utility.
• Click Analyze to determine whether your hard drive needs to be defragmented.
• If your hard drive needs to be defragmented, close all other applications. You should also disable your screensaver.
• Click Defragment.

Enable Firewalls

Although Denison has a campus-wide firewall system implemented, it's a good idea to have a personal firewall system as well. The personal firewall provides a second layer of security and protects you from computers within the Denison network. Windows XP comes with a personal firewall built in, which you should enable. Other firewall systems are available on the internet, including some free ones like Zone Alarm.

Certain games and programs, including the EPO agent that updates the McAfee Virus Definitions, require that you specially configure the firewall. Please see our Firewall Page for instructions on how to enable the Windows XP firewall and configure it to allow the EPO agent to work properly.

Clean Your Computer

Dust inside your computer can cause your computer to slow down and to overheat. Cleaning your computer yourself, however, comes with certain risks. Static electricity can ruin your computer. Therefore, do not touch any exposed components without first grounding yourself on the outer metal casing. To clean the computer:

• Consult your owner's manual to find how to open the case.
• Use a can of compressed air to blow any dust out the back of the system.
• Clean the dust off the back with a vacuum cleaner.

Reformat Your Hard Drive

Reformatting is a time-consuming process that is not required, but does help improve system speed by eliminating excess files on your hard drive. Reformatting erases all the data on a hard disk drive, including the operating system.

Before you reformat:

• Back up all the files you want to save, such as music, papers, and pictures. Burn these files to CD or DVD, or save them to another disk.
• Consult your warranty information. Some manufacturers require that a technician be on the phone when you reformat your computer.
• If you do not have access to technical support from a manufacturer, the Windows website will instruct you on how to reformat a hard drive.

Denison and Computing Services will not offer support for any errors that may result from this procedure.

For more information, contact Computing Services.
© 1999-2007, Denison University
Last modified: Wednesday June 25, 2008 16:06:41