Over the years PC Buddies has adopted a philosophy that has served both us and our client's well: Keep It Simple.

    Today's PCs are indeed powerful, and capable of many things.  Realistically, some of those features and capabilities are impractical, difficult to maintain and\or manage, or simply not in tune with what the rest of the world is doing.  The PC industry moves fast -  often times faster than people can keep up with.  Software developers are coming up with newer and supposedly easier ways to do almost anything you can imagine.  A lot of people want a PC that is cutting edge, and capable of a wide variety of applications.  But, if you honestly look at what you want to accomplish with your PC, and what you really need chances are those tasks are straight-forward and relatively simple.

    When installing various software programs, the most important fact to consider is how that software will affect your machine's performance.  More often than not, software developer's eyes are bigger than their stomachs or our wallets.  They fail to keep mainstream computer users in mind, and they write and develop their software for really expensive, super-fast machines that most people don't have or need.    In today's technological world, software developers will sell their souls to the Marketing Devils just to get their products boxed, advertised and sold.  What this means is your fancy software might be doing a lot more than you think, including watching your every move, invading your private correspondence, and downloading or uploading their information over your broadband Internet connection.

    We want your software to be straightforward and narrowly focused.  We don't want your software to consist of several different applications, all configured to run simultaneously when you boot up your machine. 

    Most well-known Anti-Virus software is notorious for this sin; loading as your system's "Start-up applications". These extraneous programs might perform a useful service, but it also uses up your system's memory and slows it to a crawl.

    Software is extremely complex.  When you install a software application, you are giving that software developer a license to do what they please to your computer.   Your files get could be scattered all over your machine's hard drive.  Most well-written software will copy the necessary files only in places that your Operating System recommends.  Poorly written software, especially bootleg, or 'hacker' software, will copy and move your files on a whim to any place they decide to...even overwriting original system files in an effort to ensure that their program runs well.

    Also, it might be well within your PC's capabilities to have three or more printers connected to it. But then you seriously have to ask yourself if you really need three printers!  I'm sure that the salesperson who sold you those three printers will say it's no problem for your pc to handle, but where is this salesperson when your system crashes?

    At PC Buddies we strongly recommend that you keep your pc clean and simple. Keep your machine safe from un-needed software and hardware.  If there is software or hardware installed that that you rarely use, you should take stock, and take the time to decide if you really need it.

    Here are the major recommendations from PC Buddies:

1).  Software:

    Software is the number one reason users machines don't work properly.  Rarely it's caused by hardware.  Software can be poorly written, improperly installed, corrupt or simply conflicting with other software on your machine. Do not install multiple versions of the same software.  Uninstall older versions if the newer version doesn't do it for you

2.)  Hardware:

    When it comes to hardware, make sure you uninstall old peripherals and their associated software when installing a new device.  Print drivers today are very complex, and take up a lot of space on your machine. They can also alter system files and cause multiple problems. With today's Digital cameras, Photo software, iPods, and other hardware, make sure you purchase brand names from a reputable dealer. PC Buddies can help you sort through the myriad of products available to find out which types work for you and your family or business.

3.)  Browsing Habits

    Phishing, Identity Theft, Spyware, Spam, Viruses: these are just a few of the ways that the Internet is not totally safe and secure.

    The most valuable part of your PC is the information that is on your hard drive. All the documents, presentations, spreadsheets, graphics, billing, and banking information that is saved to your hard disk is the incentive that drives hackers and thieves.

4.)  Know your machine..