Spring Cleaning for your Home Computer

1. Keeping Time. Make sure your computer is ready for the changes in Daylight Savings Time (which starts this weekend!).

From Microsoft:

Beginning in 2007, daylight saving time (DST) will be extended in the United States. DST will start on March 11, 2007, which is three weeks earlier than usual, and it will end on November 4, 2007, which is one week later than usual. This results in a new DST period that is four weeks longer than in previous years. Unless certain updates are applied to your computer, the time zone settings for your computer's system clock may be incorrect during this four-week period. In particular, you must make sure that both your Windows operating system and your calendar programs are updated.

If you use Windows Vista or have Automatic Updates turned on, you may not be affected by the change in daylight saving time. If you want to confirm, follow the steps in the Daylight Saving Time Update Guide found at http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_dst.

(Documentation for Apple operating systems is available at http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305056)

2. Computer Efficiency. Review the article "Keep your PC running smoothly with these tips" by Jeffrey Branzburg from www.techlearning.com. (Article is reposted below). There are some obvious tricks, and the article outlines them below.

NOTE: AS DISTRICT EMPLOYEES, YOU CAN CHECK OUT VIRUS SOFTWARE THROUGH THE LMC.