This will be the last in the current series of Straight Talk About Computers columns for a few weeks. In the meantime I intend to learn more about the other operating system for PCs, which is Linux, and come up with some fresh new material.

Recently I have received some very nice letters from readers who have found that even the very basic maintenance procedures that I expound here have helped them out. This is, of course, the point of the column.

There are no shortage of unusual questions asked which could appear here but the answers invariably apply to a peculiar situation or combination of software and hardware and are not over general interest.

When I get right down to it the subject of the most general and continuing interest to readers, and what should form the most fundamental part of the maintenance routine for all PC users, are the three basic rules of PC maintenance.

On one hand I don't wish to bore those readers who have read these before and already maintain their computers, but it remains true that the majority of computers I receive for repair wouldn't have gone wrong in the first place if the following simple maintenance procedures had been adhered to.

Unquestionably the first and most important function that you must maintain on your computer is your virus checking software. On most of the computers that I build, repair or update I install one of the two leading virus checking programs, they are Norton Antivirus or Norton System Works, which contains the antivirus program, and as a distant second, McAfee.

It's not enough to simply install antivirus software you have to activate it online, keep it up to date with the very latest available up-to-the-minute antivirus files and using these, run a complete system scan. Never, never let your antivirus software subscription run out.

Typically on a new PC the included antivirus software will entitle you to three months of updates. If you buy an antivirus package over-the-counter you will get a one-year subscription update. At the end of that time please don't let it run out.

Recently I worked on a computer where the antivirus software package had elapsed three years before, and, no, the owner didn't get away with it. Most of the viruses that are picked up while using the Internet are relatively new in origin and have been introduced to the world in the last six weeks or less.

The second of the four essential maintenance tasks is to install anti-spyware software. I often say to my clients that one of the differences between a virus and spyware is that spyware, for the most part, doesn't serve anybody's purpose if the computer on which it has been placed ceases to work.

Virus programs on the other hand can be designed to bring the computer on which they reside to a screeching halt.

Spyware has been put there to report on your surfing habits, buying tastes, demographic profiles and all manner of other things that you would just as soon keep to yourself. If you've noticed that your computer has slowed down and is no longer the crisp performer it once was, there's a fair chance that you have spyware present. Maybe a lot of it.

Think of each item of spyware as a little leech; each program has it's own agenda and is robbing your computer of a little processing power and a little Internet bandwidth while it reports back to its maker.

When you have a few hundred of these in residence you'll soon find that you have time to go out and rotate the tyres on your car while the computer struggles to accomplish what were once routine tasks.

Fortunately, it is a relatively straightforward procedure to detect and remove spyware. There are two main anti-spyware programs, they are AdAware 6 and SpyBot S&D. You can download the free version of AdAware from its developers at www.lavasoftusa.com. Using it is easy, just be sure that every time you run the program and let it scan your hard drives you first connect online to the Lavasoft servers for the very latest downloadable anti-spyware versions.

In this space I once half-jokingly suggested a competition where I would give away an unspecified (but exceedingly humble) prize to the reader who could prove that they had found and removed the largest number of spyware items from a computer in one scan.

A lady in the US subsequently sent me a very detailed e-mail including a screenshot which showed that she had removed 631 items of spyware from what had become an extremely slow computer.

She was well pleased with the improvement. However she didn't win the prize because shortly before that I had the pleasure of bringing a computer back from a near comatose state by removing 990 items of spyware.

I could only promise Miss 631 an honourable mention and this is it. Run AdAware 6 and remove what it finds on your PC.

The last of the three basic maintenance necessities, even if your computer is brand-new out-of-the-box, should be to download the available Windows Updates available for your Microsoft operating system. These can be found at; http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp. Download and incorporate all of the available updates.

I have updated certainly a couple of hundred computers this way with no bad results, so the failure rate, if there is one, must be a fraction of a percentage point. If you can't understand the purpose of any particular suggested update take it anyway, it's not likely to do any harm.

The directions on the Windows Update site guide you through the procedure and you can hardly go wrong. Also, make sure you download from the same Windows Update site any driver updates that are needed. Often this can make the difference between a piece of hardware working or not.

All of these XP updates are free and new ones are produced as often as needed to combat security vulnerabilities. It's true, on a dial-up connection the process can take a couple of hours to complete. Remember it's not enough to simply download the updates they also have to be allowed to self-install and thereby integrate themselves into the operating system (Windows XP is an operating system.) Expect this to require some routine restarting of the machine.

Of course there are many other good ideas and practices which lead to the continuing enjoyment of a computer without slowdowns, breakdowns and data loss. In addition to the three main ones already mentioned you should never download freebies offered to you during your surfing, such as modem download speed enhancements, calendars, date manager's, precision time keepers and the like.

These are very probably vehicles for spyware and for the most part are not worth having. From time to time defragment your hard drive or drives; be very careful what you download attachments to e-mails. Don't accept e-mails from anyone you don't know. Be careful of e-mails returned to you as undeliverable messages especially ones you don't remember sending out in the first place, these are probably hoax carriers for a virus. And of course, back up your valuable data, your address book and your e-mails.

None of the suggested maintenance procedures are onerous and these simple routines will go a long way to helping you enjoy a trouble-free efficient computer.

Now I have to go and replace the retractable cupholder which has broken off a client's computer. In the meantime you can find me at the address below.

James W. Lapsley of ComputerWorks, specialises in PC repairs, upgrades and advice for the home and small office user. ComputerWorks welcomes your questions and comments. Send your PC questions by e-mail to computerworkslogic.bm or by phone to 293-0992.