Manage Your Home Computer or Laptop
Disclaimer: All of the information contained here is available on the Internet; we are simply collecting it all in one place for the sake of convenience.
This information is provided by ILR Technology Services (ILRTS) as a free and unsupported service. If you choose to follow these instructions, you do so at your own risk.
As the user and/or owner of a computer or laptop that is primarily used off-campus, there are several tasks you should do on a regular basis to help keep your system functioning properly, maintain its security, and prevent data loss. They include:
- Run your system as a USER. Run as a system ADMINISTRATOR only when it is necessary to install new hardware or software.
- Use a backup strategy to ensure the ability to recover data in the event of a hard disk failure or other file system damage.
- Enable and maintain proper functioning of antivirus software.
- Apply security updates and operating system patches to prevent the system from becoming compromised by the increasing number of security threats.
- Apply spyware and adware detectors.
- Use secure passwords for both user and administrator accounts.
The majority of the information contained within the above listed pages can also be found in our Security How-To document which is available for download
.