PC Maintenance and Security

     The PC Maintenance and Security lab was such a purposeful one! Although, I would consider myself knowledgeable in a many aspects involving computers, I do have to say that I learned a lot from these tutorials. The first tutorial that I watched was about cleaning up and speeding up your computer. I learned so much from this tutorial. I had never heard of Windows Cleanup! before. I followed the instructions, downloaded the program, and on the first cleaning removed over 18,000 files equivalent to 2.3 gigs!! I also watched the video about cleaning up your start up menu. I ran msconfig and removed some unwanted programs that slowed my computer on start up.
     The second tutorial that I watched was Using Firewalls. The reason I watched this set of videos is because I knew that I could increase my knowledge about firewalls. I liked that the videos were straight to the point and easy to follow. I really liked the video that covered what firewalls do and don't do. I was slightly familiar, but I didn't know that the firewall would not block a file downloaded through a peer to peer network. The last video that I watched was installing ZoneAlarm, which is something I didn't do on my work computer, but I will do on my home computer. It can't hurt, right?
    The last tutorial that I watched was Helpful Website Resources. Wow! What awesome resources they had listed. The PCPitstop is so beneficial. What a great resource for people that aren't that familiar with optimizing their computer performance. There are many different tools on this site that cover different troubleshooting prospects for computer users. The other video within this tutorial was Using TechsupportAlert Website. This is another wonderful resource that provides tech support information for PC security. One really cool resource this web site offers is window guides. The window guides show users how to perform tech tasks themselves.
     All in all, this lab was very informative. There was a plethora of information available; way more information than I had time to cover. I'll definitely have to check back in to watch more of the videos.