Repair common computer issues.

If you are experiencing problems with Home Cookin, you should always start with some basic computer maintenance. If your computer is not operating correctly, Home Cookin will not be able to function properly either.

Restart Your Computer

Any time you experience problems with your computer, restarting is the first step you should take. This will clear up issues with memory fragmentation, glitches in Windows messaging system, and more. Restarting wipes the slate clean and makes sure you have a fresh start.

Check Your Hard Drive For Errors

If the file system on your hard drive is corrupted, you can experience data loss, crashes, and other problems. Ensure your drive is working correctly by right clicking your hard drive in Windows explorer. Select Properties from the popup menu, then click the Tools tab, then the "Check for Errors" button. For normal maintenance, you can simply scan for file system errors. However, if you are having problems with corrupted files, you should also scan for bad sectors (this can take a long time if you have a large drive). A couple bad sectors is OK, but if you have five or more bad sectors, it's probably time to replace your hard drive.

You may have to restart your computer to complete this operation as Windows usually can't perform the action when the drive is in use.

Defragment Your Hard Drive

Over time the files on your hard drive can become fragmented. The pieces of each file get scattered on the drive, which can slow down your computer and potentially lead to file problems. You can use Windows built-in defragmenter by right clicking your hard drive in Windows explorer window. Then select Properties, click the Tools tab, then click the Defragment button.

You could also use third party tools such as the free Defraggler from Piriform software. Or you can use a commercial defragmenter such as PerfectDisk from Raxco software.

Clean Your Hard Drive and Registry

Most programs create temporary files during installation, to log errors or usage history, or to cache files for faster access. Unfortunately, these files are often left behind even when they are no longer needed. Over time they can consume a lot of space on your hard drive. Similar issues occur in Windows registry where programs often save information, but rarely clean them out when they are no longer needed.

One of the best drive cleaners is the free CCleaner from Piriform software.

Scan for viruses and spyware

Computer viruses are quite common and easy to infect your computer. Left unchecked they can expose personal information or cause damage to the files and settings on your computer. One of the best scanners is the free MalwareBytes software.

Check Your Memory

If you are still experiencing random problems with your computer, you may want to check your RAM memory. While RAM is generally trouble free, they can have failures. One of the best tools for checking your RAM is the free MemTest86. This tool does require you to download an ISO image and burn the image to a CD. Then you restart your computer from the CD to run the tests.

Backup Regularly

At some point in the future you will have a problem with your computer. Your hard drive may crash, a software bug may corrupt your files, a power surge may damage the computer hardware, you could have a fire/flood/tornado, or someone could steal your computer. If you do not want to lose the programs and information you have saved on your hard drive, you must backup your hard drive regularly.

There are numerous backup applications on the market, but one of the best is MacriumReflect. They offer both free and paid versions.

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