Basic Computer Maintenance

Basic Computer Maintenance

Keeping Software Up-to-date on Public Access Computers

These tips have been adopted from Aaron Schmidt’s “Smart Computing at Your Library” presentation at the Internet Librarian 2005 conference in Monterey, California on October 24. You can view Aaron’s original presentation at his web site.

These tips apply to public access computers (PAC) running any version of the Microsoft Windows operating system. The goal of these tips is to help you keep those PACs up-to-date with the latest critical software releases.

You should also note that any public access or shared computer security system, such as Centurion Guard, Deep Freeze, Fortres 101, or the Microsoft Shared Computer Toolkit, will probably need to be disabled or bypassed to perform these updates. How this will need to be done will depend on the particular security system. It could mean logging in as an administrator, unlocking via a password, or even using a physical key.

In some cases these tips recommend alternative software packages that differ from the default applications found on most Windows PACs. The following substitutions are specifically recommended:

· Use Mozilla Firefox as the default web browser in place of Internet Explorer.

· Replace the default version of RealPlayer with the spyware-free “BBC version.”

· Replace the Microsoft Virtual Machine (VM) with the Java Runtime Environment (JRE).

Beyond the obvious implications for computer security, keeping software applications up-to-date can prevent annoying update messages appearing while patrons are using the PACs. In most cases, patrons will not have the correct operating system permissions to take action on prompted updates, so if library staff take the time to perform these update tasks periodically, it will help to ensure “smooth sailing” for your PAC users.

Many of the resources in the last column of the table below lead to web pages from which you can download updated software versions. It’s a good idea to check what version of a particular product you are currently using before visiting the relevant download page – if you already have the latest version installed, there’s no need to download a new version. You can determine the version of any installed program by opening the program, and going to the Help / About (product name) menu option.

In general, it is recommended that you have library staff perform these tasks outside regular business hours, when the PACs are not in use by patrons. Performing these tasks regularly on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis will keep help keep your PACs fully functional and (hopefully) trouble-free.