Hello Vista! Welcome!

Windows Vista has been a plague for computer users who have installed it on their old Windows XP machines. From problems such as horrible boot and shutdown times to just completely not working, Vista has seen it all. So what can you do to increase your performance on a Vista machine? This article will outline a couple of solutions for your slow Windows Vista machine.

1. Clean Up- General clean up is one of the most effective ways to make your computer run more smoothly and efficiently. All you need to do is uninstall any programs and delete any files that you aren’t going to use anymore. This can be done by going to control panel and then uninstall program. If you’re unsure what a program does, be careful and do a little research to make sure that it’s not an important program that you still use.

2. Limit Start Up Programs- Many programs such as AIM and Steam start up as soon as your computer is turned on. This means that the boot time will be much slower while all of these programs are attempting to simultaneously trying to start. All you need to do to eliminate this problem is go into that programs settings and uncheck the “launch on startup” checkbox. You’d be surprised how big of a difference this can make to your boot time, try it if you don’t believe me.

3. Virus/Spyware Scan- This shouldn’t be the first thing you do to try to solve your problems, but it’s never a bad idea to run a spyware and virus check. Many of these malware programs can simply hide in your background and hinder your computer without making any outward appearance of their existence. There are many free options for dealing with this problem such as Spybot and Ad-aware.

4. Upgrade- One of the most effective ways to boost your performance with Vista is to upgrade your computer. One of the biggest differences between Vista and XP is how much RAM is used to run the OS. With that said, adding one gigabyte of RAM to your computer can make a worlds difference in your speed. Lucky for you, RAM is the cheapest it has ever been right now and shouldn’t be much of a hassle to acquire.

5. Defrag- Fragmented data makes your computer do extra work which can slow down your computer. Running a disk defragmentation can increase your computers speed, but it should really only be done as a last resort.

Windows Vista is not a perfect OS, but many of the problems that new users suffer are not the OS’s fault. If you try a few of these solutions surely you will increase the speed and productivity of your computer.

Photo Credits; lancefisher

Originally posted 2009-11-20 03:01:20.

Windows Vista

1. You don’t really need it- Most of the features presented in Windows Vista are purely security and graphical updates, these are necessary for your computer to function and to use new software. One of the most significant features added in the Vista era, DirectX 10 is hardly being taken advantage of by many applications. So what real reason do you really have for upgrading to Vista yet?

2. UAC- Perhaps the biggest complaint against Windows Vista is Microsoft’s annoying addition of a UAC or User Account Control. The UAC is meant to protect you from opening harmful programs or files but instead has been counterproductive by alerting you when you try to open almost anything. Granted the UAC can be turned off, but the question is, why is this turned on in the first place?

3. Compatibility- One of the biggest problems people who upgraded to Vista faced was the fact that Vista wasn’t supporting much of the software that had previously worked flawlessly under Windows XP. Microsoft has been trying to address this in there service packs but there is still software that remains incompatible. This isn’t completely Microsoft’s fault because it’s the other software companies’ responsibility to update their software, but why isn’t Microsoft building so that previous software can be run?

4. Upgrade?- Windows Vista may be the next OS in line after XP but does that mean that’s really a performance upgrade? You could argue either way but one thing you can’t argue is that Vista machines take stronger technical specs to run. One gigabyte in RAM was sufficient for running XP but that amount struggles greatly in Vista if you try to open a few applications. So was this really an upgrade?

5. Money- The fifth reason that you might not want to upgrade to Vista yet is because it costs money. This is probably a bigger issue if you’re a company but for an OS that offers seemingly no advantages over its predecessor why would you want to upgrade yet?

Windows Vista by no means is as bad as the internet makes it out to be, but it is quite unnecessary unless you just like to be up to date on technology. The good news is Microsoft does care about the OS and has been working and fixing many of the common issues; it’s your place to look at the issues and decide if the OS is right for you.

Photo Credits: Victor Svensson

Originally posted 2009-11-26 03:39:15.

Time for an Upgrade?

RAM

Random Access Memory or RAM is one of the first computer components you should look to upgrade when your computer is bogging down. A lack of RAM is often the diagnosis of many computers speed issues, and can also be the deciding factor in whether or not you can run certain software. Luckily for you, RAM is one of the most inexpensive pieces of hardware, only running about $30 per gigabyte. One gigabyte is more than enough for a Windows XP machine, and if you’re running Vista you will really only need two.

CPU

Your processor or CPU is one of the most important parts of your computers technical specifications. The CPU splits the workload of the applications you’re running up between cores so that your computer can run more efficiently. CPU’s come in single, duo and even quad cores now giving you a large array of possibilities for your upgrade. A duo core CPU is way more than enough for most users but it’s also important to note the speed of your CPU. CPU speed is measured in GHz, and obviously, the bigger the number the better. A duo core 2.4-3.0 speed is the ideal range if you’re looking to upgrade your old machine.

GPU

The GPU or graphics card is really only important to multimedia users such as video editors and video game players. Your video card as it is often called is usually the limiting factor for these two groups because of the ever advancing technology. Video games and editing often are using the most recent technology, and as such, require you to also be using top of the line technology causing you to upgrade your video card. When buying a video card aim to buy one with over 256MB of memory and read reviews to make sure that the particular model doesn’t overheat commonly.

Upgrading a computer can seem like a daunting task, but it’s actually quite easy if you know what parts you need to look for. Do a little research and figure out the technical specs of your computer and it should be easy to figure out what part of your computer is bogging the rest down.

Photo Credits: maebmij

Originally posted 2009-11-02 03:02:33.