Zoning out while defragging.

This is due to everyday tasks people carry out on their computer.  Every day tasks include examples such as these--installing essential programs, receiving and sending emails, cluttered spam inboxes, saving favorite websites, adding shortcuts to desktops, uploading and downloading pictures and files, sharing music, playing games, watching movies, and so much more.

Although you want to have a fast computer again, you certainly do not want to restore it to its factory settings.  However, it is possible to make more space and optimize your computer without resorting to extreme measures.  As long as you make optimizing your computer system a regular habit by carrying out the tasks listed below, your computer should stay in excellent operating shape.

Disk Cleanup

In order to run a disk cleanup on your computer, you must click the "Start" button on the lower left-hand corner of your screen.  There you will see "All Programs" and subsequently, "Accessories."  In the "Accessories" file, choose "System Tools" and finally, "Disk Cleanup."  You will then be shown files that can be removed as well as the option to compress old files, which will save hard drive space.  Once your hard drive has been cleaned, select the tab "More Options."  This tab allows you to removed unused programs, clean the components of Windows, and remove older restore points.

Disk Defragmenting

The disk defragmenting option can also be found in "System Tools."  This program will clean file fragments that are left from installing and uninstalling various computer programs as well as moving files.  Select the drive you want to defragment and click "Analyze" followed by "Defragment."

Needed Software

Every computer owner must absolutely install antivirus software.  There are many great options to choose from, so do your research and find the best one for your needs.  Although you can probably use the software for free to scan your computer, you will have to buy the it in order to protect your computer from threats.  After you install the antivirus software of your choice, make sure you set it up to automatically update itself; this will give you the most protection.

Registry Cleaning

Whenever files and programs are removed, installed, or moved, there are errors created in the registry and these errors are many times responsible for a computer's slow performance.  Cleaning the registry is also important to the overall functioning, performance, and stability of your computer.  However, a computer's registry is a complex area that no novice should tinker with.  This is why it is vital to buy a registry cleaning program to do the work for you.  All you need to do is a little comparison shopping first.

Photo Credits: sfllaw

Originally posted 2010-05-26 03:42:44.

MacBooks

Technical Specs

While this may not be the first thing that jumps out at you when looking for a new computer it’s the most important. Making sure that your computer is technically up to date and can run all the software you want takes precedence over aesthetics and extras. Make sure that your laptop has at least 2 gigabytes of RAM preferably and a duo core processor. Processor speed is measured in GHz and the higher the number the better; ideal range is 2.3-3.0. Another specification that you need to worry about when purchasing a MacBook is the battery life. MacBooks tend to have a great battery life but it’s important to upgrade your battery if you feel the default is not high enough. Other technically specifications that are notable are hard drive space and wireless access. Make sure that the wireless is compatible with your home, work and school addresses.

Aesthetics

Aesthetics should be something you look for after verifying the technical specs of the machine. Make sure that the color and size of the MacBook are what you’re expecting, as well as things such as the quality of screen when it’s turned on. It’s important to note that when you increase screen size on a laptop that the price will start to increase dramatically. Again, don’t buy your computer because it’s visually appealing; make sure that you judge the visuals after you have judged the computer technically.

Warranty

Having a warranty on your MacBook isn’t a necessity, but many people often feel much safer when they get a warranty. The limited warranty most likely will not cover spills or other accident related causes of fault, and MacBooks aren’t the cheapest computers out there. While there price denotes their quality, it’s still important to buy a warranty.

When buying a MacBook, consider all of the following and you will make a purchase that you will not regret in the future. Always remember to judge the computer technically before you judge it visually and you are sure to make the correct buy.

Photo Credits: strollers

Originally posted 2009-11-24 03:01:47.

Computer parts...

1. Recycle- Perhaps the best thing you can do with your old computer is to recycle it. Many computer parts such as the hard drive are completely reusable saving you money when you decide to make the purchase towards a new computer. You may even be able to find a use with some of the other parts such as a case that have nothing to do with a computer. Plain recycling is also a choice, and may computer manufacturers such as Dell and Gateway do accept old computers for recycling.

2. Donate/Hand down- If you’re feeling generous, you can always donate your computer to a charity. Make sure you investigate the company you are donating to, you want to make sure they’re a non-profit refurbishing company and that they give the donated computers to schools or other worthy causes. Handing down your computer to relatives and friends is also a great way to get your computer off your hands.

3. Return- HP offers a return program where you can return your old PC for a discounted price off of a new one. While this may not seem to be the best value for your money, it’s a guarantee and it helps save you money towards a future purchase. If your computer is very aged, be prepared for a mediocre amount of money, however.

4. Upgrade- If your computer is only a few years old, why would you completely replace it? Many computer parts can easily be popped in and out and be upgraded. This allows you to increase the productivity of your computer while avoiding the cost of a brand new computer. Common parts that are upgraded are video cards, RAM, and external parts such as the monitor, keyboard and mouse.

5. Resell- Reselling your computer is one way to get rid of your computer where you can decide how much money you’d like to receive. It’s important to be reasonable with price considering technology becomes dated quickly. Ask around, many friends and family members may be waiting for an opportunity for a new cheap computer.

When trying to get rid of your old computer, it’s very important to consider all of the options you have. Weigh the hassle and the reward that you will deal with when approaching each method and it will be obvious which the right choice is for you.

Photo Credits: jon_a_ross

Originally posted 2009-11-17 03:44:43.

Formatting

Formatting is mostly done to upgrade the hard drive. There are different types of hard drives present in the computer. Each drive can be formatted separately by creating a partition that would not affect other drives while formatting. Some computers have built-in partitions for all drives. Whatsoever, it is very important to keep a backup of files before starting any formatting activity.

Sequence of the steps involved in formatting a computer

1. First step is to boot the computer by Windows XP disc that is bootable. Creating a backup of all data is crucial as formatting cleans your PC completely.
2. Insert the above disc to the CD drive. This is usually done when the PC is in shut-down mode. It is always recommended to boot using a CD, it’s because to delete everything from the drive it is important to close the drive completely. Otherwise it will not be able to delete the part from its running area.
3. Start your computer and restart if it was on.
4. Follow the instructions and click ‘ENTER’ as the monitor instructs to press one key.
5. The next step is to prepare partitions for all drives.
6. Partitions can be deleted by pressing D or otherwise by pressing L.
7. After partition is done, the actual formatting instructions to format any drive where the new software is to be installed by XP.
8. By pressing the ENTER key, formatting will start immediately.
9. Follow all instructions.
10. It would take around half an hour to complete the instructions.
11. Once Windows XP is installed and running, it is likely that the computer may not function perfectly. One needs to check if all the applications that were used before formatting are in place after formatting as well. It is very commonly seen that the applications fail to work after the computer is formatted. In this case one has to install proper drives to the hardware. It would help to list down the applications that were not installed acceptably. These applications can be reinstalled by using CD for each drive.
12. The last step is to upload all data to the C drive that were taken out before formatting. One may find that the available disc space has increased after formatting as it cleans the registry as well which is a warehouse of data.

Photo Credits: waldyrious

Originally posted 2010-04-25 03:19:00.

Hard Drive

1. Uninstall Unused Programs- One of the biggest memory wasters on old computers are old programs that you installed and simply don’t use anymore. So what should you do if these programs are littering your computer? To manually uninstall unused programs: go to your start menu, go to control panel, add and remove programs, and remove any program that you don’t need any more. Alternatively you can remove windows components that you don’t use. To do this go to start, control panel, add or remove programs, add or remove Windows Components, select which components you don’t want, and hit okay.

2. Deleting Temporary Files- Temporary files are created during crashes and during installations; they can be where some of your disappearing hard disk is located. So how do you get rid of your temporary files? Temporary files will be left in \Document And Settings\your Username\Local Settings\Temp folder. All you need to do is simply go to this folder select files and delete them. Try not to delete any file with the current date as they may still be in use.

3. Deleting Temporary Internet Files- While temporary internet files often don’t accumulate to any significant amount of hard drive loss, they do exist, and you should get rid of them. To do this, you need to open your favorite browser, whether that is Mozilla Firefox or Internet explorer. Once there go to tools, settings/internet options, then find the delete temporary files option.

4. Disk Cleanup- One last method you can use to clean up your hard drive is the disk cleanup. To run a disk cleanup go to my computer, right click your C drive, properties and then disk cleanup. Disk cleanup is useful for detecting useless and unused files and will even help you to delete older installations of Windows. This means that if you upgraded to Vista from XP there may still be all your old XP files taking up hard drive space!

There are plenty of options available to you for cleaning up your hard drive, and none of them are very hard to utilize. It’s important to be careful to understand what it is that you’re deleting when you’re cleaning up your hard drive, but with a little research you will be fine.

Photo Credits: hildgrim

Originally posted 2009-10-30 03:57:41.

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.

Defragmentation

When your PC stores any command or information on your hard drive it usually does not store actual information on location of the original hard drive. Some part of the file can be written on the start of the disc while some can be written at the end. This is the reason for your programs to run slow and perform inefficiently.

Defragmenting your computer will sort out all these problems and your computer will utilize more space with important documents than storing unwanted corrupted and unused documents. This is beneficial for the entire performance of your computer.

Defragment Instructions:

1. Uninstall or delete all unwanted or seldom used files, folders, programs, etc.
2. Close all unnecessary programs to secure them from damage. Shut down all programs running on your computer.
3. Delete all any temporary stored files. You can delete all temporary and unwanted stored files by running the disk clean-up option.  Click Start-Run-Clean manager in the window.
4. Now run the disk defragment program. Go to Start- Run- dfrg.msc.
5. Select the desired drive and click on defragment option.
6. The computer will automatically organize your fragmented folders and documents.

Another way to access the Disk Defragmenter, START -Programs - Accessories -System Tools -Disk Defragmenter.

Important tips:

• Defrag your computer when your computer is ideal.
• Do not start defragment when you have some important work to be done on your computer. Your work will suffer because this process takes up a lot of time.

Photo Credits: SQL Samson

Originally posted 2010-04-12 03:31:44.