Five New Year tech resolutions
Good habits to get into in 2009
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2 January 2009 17:23 GMT / By Stuart Miles
It's that time again, yep that's right, time to kick some bad habits now that 2009 has arrived. While you might have drinking and eating less, or going for more runs on your list, don't forget your computer. Here are five things you should be doing more of.
Back up your data
Snooze. Boring I know, but I bet you haven't done it in a long time. Promise yourself you'll buy a hard drive and some backup software and then use it for longer than just one month. Hard drive prices are incredibly cheap these days (a Buffalo Drivestation 1TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive will cost you just £75 from Amazon) and most software apps will do it on a schedule automatically so you don't have to bother. Apple owners, backup software comes included with OSX10.5 so you've got no excuse.
Defrag
Chances are your PC looks more like an office that's just been blown away by a hurricane than the neat and tidy room that you keep it in. The answer? Defrag your hard drive. It's a long, tedious and boring process, well for the computer anyway so press the defrag button and then go to bed, by morning you'll be as tidy as a boarding school dorm room before morning room expectation. The reason for all this? It actually speeds up your PC's performance.
Keep anti virus up to date
The Internet is great and all that, but there is also a shady, more murkier side that wants to do nothing better than infect your PC like an STD. The answer is simple, no don't cover in it a condom, but make sure your anti-virus software is up to date. Of course Mac users you skip this one, unless you like being protected just in case, but with no reported viruses as yet for the Mac the money is probably better spent on buying some condoms, you sex kitten you.
Shop around for best phone and broadband deals
Christmas is over, the goose has been eaten and you're looking at five long weeks before payday. So give your out-goings a quick check over to see if you are getting a good deal. There are plenty of deals to be had so make sure you are getting the best one for your broadband, phone, gas, electric, and mobile broadband services you've signed up for. Better still Pocket-lint's new Daily Tech Deal (launching 5 January) will help you find some of the better ones.
Check expensive gadgets are on home insurance
You know that tasty new laptop or flat-screen TV you got for Christmas? Shame to lose it and then not have it covered wouldn't it? Check your home insurance policy to make sure if it does get nicked or you lose it in a drunken January moment you aren't crying but merely filling out some paperwork so the next one can be delivered.
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