Norton Article Library

Introduction

It's that time again — time to make your list of New Year's Resolutions. For adults, the list usually goes something like this — lose 10 pounds, take a yoga class, learn Italian (or the language of your choice), save money, be more patient, and spend more time with the kids. We'd like to suggest one addition to your list — get your PC in better shape. With a just a little time, effort and very little expense, you can make your PC more secure, more efficient and more enjoyable to use.

Be Secure

In today's world of hackers, spyware, phishers, and pharmers, the valuable personal information on your computer — from your financial information and documents to your family photos and movies — is at risk. Whether you're getting a new computer or you want to get more mileage out of your old one, one of the most important things you can do is make sure your computer and the information on it are protected.

If you already have Internet security software, make sure it's effective by downloading the latest protection updates and setting it to receive updates as soon as they become available.

If, for some reason, you don't have Internet security software yet, now's the time to get it. Many new PCs come with a trial version of security software. If your new PC did, activate the trial version, then to stay protected purchase a license to use it when the trial period ends. If you don't have Internet security software or you have an out-of-date version, we suggest you check out Norton Internet Security 2008 or Norton 360. Both deliver the up-to-date protection you need.

Back Up

You know you should back up your valuable information, but do you? Most people don't back up anything until they lose everything. Then they back up. If you've yet to lose everything, this is your chance to get ahead of the game. Before corrupt files, hard drive failure, hackers, fire, theft, or physical disaster wipe out your valuable information, back it up. And back it up regularly. Good backup software like Norton Save & Restore and Norton 360 help you back up your data to CDs, DVDs, other hard drives, flash drives, tape drives or online storage services. You can set automatic backups on a regular schedule. If you don't do anything else for your computer this year, back up. There are very likely irreplaceable, priceless files on your computer. Don't lose them.

Digitize

In the same vein, use your computer to back up your valuable paper documents – things that would be difficult or impossible to replace, like birth certificates, tax returns, insurance policies, family photos and movies. How? Scan them into your computer, copy them to CDs, DVDs or flash drives and store them in a safe place away from your home (for instance, a safe deposit box). If you don't have a scanner, there are many available for under $100, or you can take your paper documents to a service store like Kinko's and get them scanned.

Clean Up and Organize

Is your hard drive starting to look like your attic? Everything is there (including things you don't want or need), but you're not sure where? Is your PC a little sluggish? Is it prone to crashing? If you answered yes to one or more of the above, then it's time to clean up and get organized. Remove unwanted temp files. Sweep out Internet clutter. Clear out old email attachments. Defragment your drive. Optimize your PC for performance. Good utility software such as Norton Systemworks can help you with the cleanup, defragmenting, and optimization.

Organizing, on the other hand, is something you'll have to do. Take a look at the files on your PC, divide them into categories and, perhaps, sub-categories, create folders for each and fill them with the appropriate files. While you're at it, delete the files you no longer need or load them onto CDs or DVDs and then delete them from your PC. Once you get your PC cleaned up and organized, you'll be amazed by how much better it runs and how much easier it is to find what you're looking for and get things done.

Happy New Year!

In a fraction of the time it'll take you to lose a few pounds, you can make your PC safer, more secure, slimmer and more agile. You can rest easy knowing your valuable personal information is protected. You can get more done on a PC that's more stable, runs better and is well-organized. All of which will give you the time and peace of mind to concentrate on all those other New Year's resolutions. Happy New Year!