Even the name, blue screen, implies something different and strange is going on in your computer.   No one wants to be typing along and suddenly see the monitor turn bright blue, but it happens.  The most important thing is not to lose your head at the sight.

Why a blue screen doesn’t make me blue.

First off, I back up regularly.  I have made this mistake before.  I used to back up about once a year.  Then the worst thing that could happen to a computer did.  Mine decided that it would crash.  The infrequent backups didn’t help much.

I lost everything.  Still I was not smart enough to learn the lesson and when my new computer did the same thing a years later I was sill burnt!  Need I tell you that I back up religiously now?

How to fix your computer with a reboot (if you’ve done a back up).

Sometimes it is a simple as a quick reboot to get back to work.  Whatever caused the error, memory issues, a bit of code that triggered a panic or an incompatible driver, your computer has managed to overcome the problem and after a reboot everything is fine.

Otherwise you may need to reboot in safe mode.  Shut off the computer, restart it and press F8 until you enter the safe mode.  Pick last known good configuration and your system will restart itself at that point, if it can.

If that doesn’t work you can opt to restore by using the built in restore facility.  If for some reason you disabled the restore function or never allowed the computer to create restore points, you won’t be able to do this.

Registry Cleaners
For some all this rebooting and restoring is overwhelming.  I completely understand.  Your best bet to avoid the blue screen is to download and use a registry cleaner regularly.  This programs clean up errors, bits of left over files and much more, creating a stream lined computer that works better and has fewer errors.  Download a registry cleaner now and watch that baby run!

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You may not be aware of it, but your Windows operating system comes with a repair function.  It is possible to conduct a Windows XP repair on your own if you have a copy of the recovery disk, the 25 digit alphanumeric key code, and some time.  The time to conduct this repair is before the error messages deteriorate into a complete system crash.

Back Up Your Computer First
While a repair using the Windows recovery disk is not supposed to erase your partitions or eliminate your data, it is best not to take any chance.  Back up all your data to an external drive, to CDs, DVDs, flash storage, or whatever method you prefer.  Confirm that the back up was successful and then insert your recovery CD into your computer and reboot.

Windows XP Repair Under Way
When your computer reboots, it will tell you to press any key to boot from the CD.  If you don’t press a key, the computer will attempt to boot from the currently installed operating system.

Once the computer has used the CD to install the necessary files and drivers, it will ask you to pick either a system recovery or setup; pick setup.  Recovery is only used if you want to completely reload the operating system.

You will need to approve the Licensing Agreement before proceeding to the Setup.  Next, you will want to tell your computer to repair the existing OS.  If you tell it to install a new copy, you will lose all your data and settings, so press the R key to continue.

Setup will first remove any files that need to be removed and then install all the new files.  During installation you should not need to do anything.

Finish by reactivating your internet security options and then download any upgrades from Microsoft.

Registry Cleaner
Not everyone wants to try to repair their own operating system.  It can seem quite intimidating.  If you feel that the process is too complicated for you, another good choice is downloading a registry cleaner.

These programs download in a few minutes and clean up errors in your operating system without you having to get involved.  Either option should provide you with a faster, cleaner machine.  Learn more about registry maintenance and Windows XP Repair.

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Do you know what endorphins are?

Endorphins are euphoria-inducing neurotransmitters that act as natural anesthetics. They’re also considered as happy hormones or chemicals produced by the brain that make us feel good. So whenever we smile and feel good about something, chances are is that endorphins are being mixed in our system.

So what do endorphins have to do with computers?

Feeling Good

We all want to feel good and safe whenever we turn our PCs power button on. We definitely want to double that sense of security whenever we hit the power button of our modem. There are hundreds of ways by which our PC could get mangled when it’s running, so it could be surmised that our endorphin levels are dipping dangerously to the bottom whenever we’re using it, especially when we’re connected on the Internet.

Whether you’re PCs holding sensitive information or just plain old games that you could easily install if it gets corrupted, you would definitely want your system to be able to fend off attacks from malware. I know, we’ve all heard of back ups, but reinstalling data back into a freshly reformatted hard drive consumes time. And even if data back up is already as common or popular as sliced bread, not everybody eats bread.

Additional Troops

An average PC user usually just depends on an antivirus and his operating system’s firewall for security. Ordinarily, this may already be enough. However, we’re all aware of the growing threat both on software and hardware. Viruses and spyware are being manufactured everyday from different points of the globe. Hence, one might say that it’s only a matter of time before an infiltration becomes successful.

I’m fully aware of the possibility that my system would eventually succumb to an attack. However, I also know that I could beat or go against the odds or predictions by encircling my PC with barbed wire. There’s this unexplainable feeling of joy, pride, and relief whenever I could tell myself that my PC is somewhat impregnable. I usually boast to my officemates that my laptop can withstand malware attacks, even some harsh ones, considering the sentinels that I’ve installed in my system. Aside from my antivirus and the built-in firewall in my OS, I also have RegCure since many malware targets system registries.

e-endorphins

The one thing that many of us value is peace of mind. I hate worries. I always want to do things with the assurance that when something goes wrong, I could still recover what have been lost. Or better yet, I want to do things with the thought that I won’t be disrupted therefrom. This goes double whenever I’m using my PC. I relish at the assurance that I’ll be able to recover what I would lose in case my system crashes. But the very thing that makes me feel secured is the thought that my computer would be able to withstand any attack against it.

Life is stressful enough to make room for a couple of more worries. Insurance companies often make this point in order to sell their products. And believe me, they do have a point. In the same manner, makers of security software and system tools assure people a considerable degree of confidence and assurance whenever they put their life in the hands of their PCs.

Inject a good amount of endorphins in your system by injecting a registry cleaner and an antivirus in your PC. These applications are not just mere placebos. They are up to the task of ensuring that the smile plastered on your face whenever you venture into cyberspace is justified.

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The thing that I really hate about malware attack or OS malfunction is data loss. I could deal with having to reinstall applications or even reformat my hard drive. While they may be time-consuming, they’re nothing compared to the time that you’ll spend in rewriting or recreating the files that have been damaged or deleted.

Antivirus

There are many ways by which one could prevent data loss, first and foremost of which is by installing security suites. The saying that “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure” also holds true with regard to PC health. Indeed, why flirt or invite disaster when you could rid yourself of the worries from the start by making sure that no unwanted programs would be able to access your system. True, antivirus programs could cure and treat infected files. However, there are cases where files get corrupted beyond repair.

Backup

While antivirus programs are very effective in keeping your PC secured from unwanted intrusions, they are not 100% fool-proof. There will come a time when malware would be able to break through the wall and infect your system. When this happens, there’s pretty much nothing that you could do about it other than to resort and to restore the second or third copies of the files that got destroyed.

Since security suites are not a hundred percent reliable, you have to take another precautionary measure in order to ensure that you won’t lose the precious files in your hard drive. A very simple but efficient and practical solution to possible data loss is by backing up. This task or procedure is not complicated. Backing up data simply means making second copies thereof and saving them in another media.

Brainless Task

You don’t need a program in order to perform this task. However, doing it manually can be quite tedious, especially if you have thousands of files saved in your hard disk and scattered in different folders. This is the reason why there are several back up programs in the market despite the fact that the task simply involves dragging folders into the disk where you intend to save your data.

You don’t need a third party software if you’re using Windows Vista, though. Backing up in Vista is an effortless task. Its back up feature takes care of everything from file selection to file destination. All you have to do in the process is to change the disks or drives whenever they’re already full. It’s as simple as that.

Save Often

Back up regularly. Take note that you’re adding new files or modifying existing ones everyday. The file that you’ve saved a month ago might already be entirely different from the one that you have right now. Make sure that the media where you’re going to save the file is reliable. DVD disks, as well as external hard drives, are among the dependable storage devices. Flash drives could also be viable alternatives. However, data could be easily erased therein.

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In a bid to entice people to search and retrieve their laptop, a brewer in New Zealand has recently pledged a lifetime of beer to anyone who could bring its portable PC back. Croucher Brewing Co. pleads for the return of its laptop since it contains all of the company’s financial details.

So what does this got to do with the PC?

Hole in One, Twos, Threes…

Well, do you ever remember a time when your PC crashed because Microsoft or some other software maker forgot to plug some holes in their creations? While some crashes are benign, requiring you to just reboot your PC to get rid of the glitch, other meltdowns take your computer and all its contents down the drain.

I’m sure some of you have already experienced the worst case scenario that I’ve just said. You probably spent the night thereafter trying to look for your back up disks or the installation CDs of the applications that used to rent space in your hard drive. However, if you forgot to back up, then you most likely spent the night giving the customer service lady at Microsoft’s hotline a very big piece of your mind.

e-Samsonite

PCs, especially the portable ones, are the modern day bags and briefcases. It contains things that are essential to our work. To some (like the workaholics), the very foundation of their lives are built around their PCs and on the information that are stored therein. Thus, a hard drive crash for them is life-altering, to say the least.

How much, do you think, would those persons offer to anybody who could retrieve their lost data? For big companies, I assume that they would be very willing to give a hefty figure for the retrieval of the 0s and 1s that they’ve lost in their hard drives caused by malware that were able to get into their system through the unlocked gates and weak walls of their operating system.

Warrant of Arrest

In situations like that, shouldn’t it be the software maker which should make reparations for our loss? There is such a thing as a “warranty” in commercial law. However, I don’t see it being applied in defective software, or at least not as much as with the other faulty goods that are offered for sale. Could it be that there’s a separate law or rule governing computer programs?

It’s not unusual for applications to be littered with errors that need patching up. Take Windows, for example. Everybody knows that it competes with Swiss cheese when it comes to having holes and clefts. They don’t stay open for long, though, because Microsoft makes it a point to lock them up through Windows Update. Maybe the authorities are not too quick to jump the gun on software makers as long as they immediately stitch every hole that they encounter.

Your Own Sentinel

I’m not sure if anybody has already filed a suit against software authors for having lost important data or files due to faulty programming. Until such time that we learn of one, and a successful suit at that, we should take matters into our own hands by making sure that nothing could go in and wreak havoc to our PC. Of course, an antivirus would be needed in this endeavor. A registry cleaner would also come in handy in case the malware would want to rewrite the contents of your Windows registry. But don’t rely solely on these security suites and system tools, though. The ultimate protector of your computer and files is still you, the user. Always make sure that the files or programs that you’re using come from legitimate sources.

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