Keep your computer CLEAN!

Maintenance utilities are programs that keep your computer working properly and can prevent monumental headaches.  They keep your file structure organized, your files defragmented, junk cleaned off your hard drive, viruses nuked, etc. etc.  Windows comes with a utility called "Scandisk" which most of you have heard of and used (and works fairly well) to keep your file structure clean, and a program called "Defrag" (which is a joke!).  You need a lot more than this to do the job!!

Show above is a scan of the cover of my users manual of my favorite utility `suite', Norton SystemWorks.  Below the cover picture is the NSW `screen' which takes you to all the features of the program.  This program does literally everything from optimizing your hard drive to detecting and removing your viruses to benchmarking your system performance - and I will not set up a computer without it!  On top of it's very fair price of $69.95 for the standard version - or $99.95 for the professional version (I think they are pretty comparable), it comes with a year of free upgrades for all of it's programs and virus definitions.  Peter Norton (below) started this amazing collection of computer optimization magic back in the early 1980's and has been the cornerstone of this business ever since.  If you don't own the program, order either version at www.symantec.com today - and you won't regret it!