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Yes Virginia, You Really Can Solve Your Windows Problems

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Unless you have the money to buy a new laptop or PC every six months, you have likely been faced with some of the most common Windows problems. Learning how to detect these three problems and how to fix them will mean you will have a faster and safer computer for far longer.

  1. Slow Boot: One of the most common problems faced by computer owners is a slow boot up. One of the best ways to fix this is to change how many programs run during the start-up process. The process is easy. Click Start and Run. Enter ‘msconfig’ into the box and hit enter. The system Configuration utility will appear. Choose the start-up tab and make changes as you see fit. Reboot and you will see the difference.
  2. Slow Run: Over a period time, you will see a decrease in the speed of your computer. Many users overlook common maintenance tasks that can make this easier. Regularly defragment of your hard drive to improve your performance speed. You can even schedule this process to make it easier.
  3. Pop Ups: If you have seen an increase in the number of pop ups, there is a pretty good chance your computer has a virus. Purchase a top quality anti-virus program and use it. Avoid the ‘free’ programs. These are not as robust.

Remember that you should regularly reboot your computer. It is also a good idea to manually check any Windows updates before installing them. A bit of care is all it really takes to keep your PC or laptop running smoothly for more than a few days.

Filed Under: Common Problems, Computers, Operating Systems Tagged With: , ,

Cleaning Your Computer

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Many people who have owned their computer for a year or longer begin to experience problems with it’s performance. This is very common and if you are experiencing a slow computer than you might want to consider some simple tips to fix it. Your computer isn’t unlike a car. It needs some basic tune-ups every so often to get it back to its tip top form.

The first thing you can do is go into your system tools menu and clean the disk space. Many times your computer is storing things that you don’t need. It’s wasteful and it can harm the integrity of the product. Your best bet is to get yourself on a schedule of cleaning it every month. This will keep it from getting slow.

Additionally you want to make sure that your cookies on your browser. This is in your internet options screen. Took many cookies can create a problem and that’s the last thing that you need. You have to make sure that you clean those every month as well. It will save you valuable time and stress.

Defragmenting your hard drive is another thing that you should be doing every month. Your computer has gaps in its memory that often makes it run slower. This will erase that. Make sure you defragment and allow an ample amount of time to get the job done. It will make all the difference in the world. You have to do your best to keep your computer running at an optimum level.

 

Filed Under: Computers, Tips & Tricks Tagged With: , ,

Organize Your Windows Taskbar

Some people never consider that they have the opportunity to customize their Windows task-bar. They see the start menu and figure that it is what it is and that is how Windows works. Actually there are  a few customizations that you can do to better suit your needs.

The first option is the size of the task-bar. Place your pointer over the top edge of the task-bar and a line with arrows in either direction will appear. One can left click and re-size the task-bar.  For people that open many applications at once and need to go back and forth between them, you can increase the size of the task bar. This is suggested only for people that have a larger monitor as this will take up more space on your desktop. For those that have a smaller monitor such as someone using a Netbook, you can minimize the task-bar off the screen.

Another option is to include a quick launch for certain programs. To enable the quick launch right click on the task-bar and left click on properties. In this properties menu along with the quick launch are a number of other options. You can add and delete whatever software you would like to have shortcuts to in the quick-launch. Another option listed here is to keep the task-bar on top of the window, another space saving option.

For many people their work space is important to them and with all the menu bars you can quickly reduce your space where you can actually work. Using the tools that customize the task-bar can help you optimize your space. Make sure your computer is working for you not making you mad.

Filed Under: Computers, Operating Systems Tagged With: , ,

Update Your Software

It may surprise some people how many software programs they have on their computer. For a computer to function and do all the things we want them to do, it takes more than just an operating system, like Windows. For the computer to function one must install a multitude of programs. some of these program come installed on the computer and some of them are embedded in the operating system. Even those programs will have to be regularly updated.

Often, the software that comes installed on your computer already needs to receive updates by the time you receive the computer at your home. The speed and change of computer systems requires that one keeps up with these changes if you intend to stay compatible. Compatibility refers to the software being able to function with the files that are being used today.

You may be happy using Microsoft Office 2000, and that may be working for you. It is important to remember that updating your software is not the same as switching to a new version. Updating software refers to making sure you have the most up to date code in the software you are using. Do you want your older program to work with files produced on newer programs. Sometimes making sure you have the updates will allow them to function.

One of the most important reasons to update your software is security. In order to keep your documents and other files safe it is important to have the most current security information in your system. This is very true for your operating system, web browser and your email program if you use one.

Checking for updates is usually fairly simple and many programs come with an automatic update option. To check for updates in many programs it is done by using the help menu. Keep your programs updated regularly.

Filed Under: Operating Systems, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Top Ten Most Downloaded Windows Utilities

By now we’d expect an OS to be all-encompassing, but there’s just too much available now for it all to be put into any one OS. And, sticking to an OS alone would be like eating only vanilla ice cream all the time, when there’s so many toppings available. There are little programs that can help enhance the user familiarity.
Windows calls them utilities and there are a number of things that can be downloaded to make the user experience more valuable. Some people prefer screen savers and some prefer programs that can do things, but there’s a lot out there to choose from. A user can do anything from tweaking the OS to un-deleting lost files.
A website called tips29.com tells us what the top ten (most downloaded) utilities for Windows are.
Windows Desktop Search 3.01 for Windows XP. It’s a search function that sits on the desktop where it’s handy. It searches the computer for files and photos the user wants.
Windows Theme Nunavut. It gives the desktop a Nunavut theme, or it makes everything look really cold and scenic.
Also popular is the Microsoft Egypt Nile Theme; it gives the desktop an Egyptian themed wallpaper, animated cursors and new icons.
Windows Autoplay Repair Wizard. This utility scans the pc and devices to find and fix defective AutoPlay settings.
3D American Flag Screen Saver; give the desktop a patriotic look with the American flag.
SyncToy v1.4 With this utility users can copy, rename, delete and move files between folders and computers.
Winter Fun Screensavers for Windows XP. Cool (cold) screen saver 3-D pictures with interactive sound effects.
Dancer LE. This one lets the user experience music with life-like 3-D animated dancers that have lots of groovy and funny dance moves.
NZ Bliss Desktop Backgrounds for Windows. Set the desktop to show scenes that are New Zealand backdrops for wallpaper.
Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar. This one’s very popular for IE users, but it might have a little problem with IE8 or 9. It gives the user a variety of tools for the Internet experience.
Filed Under: Computers, Operating Systems Tagged With: , , , , ,

Computer: Keyboard and other shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are key strokes that perform the same commands as items on the program menu. They are a quicker more direct route and involve depressing two or more keys simultaneously.

A computer user can find shortcut keys in any program application by looking for underlined letters in the drop down menus. Software packages such as Microsoft share the same shortcut keys throughout their applications.

Here is a list of the most common shortcut keys for IBM compatible systems:

  • Cntrl + A

Selects all text on the page for ease of copying, highlighting, deleting, or changing font

  • Cntrl + B

Bolds selected text

  • Cntrl + C

Copies selected text to the clipboard

  • Cntrl +V

Pastes selected text from clipboard into document

  • Cntrl + Home

Places your cursor at the beginning of the document

  • Cntrl  + End

Places your cursor at the end of the document

  • Cntrl + S

Saves the document

Ever wonder what F1 – F12 on your keyboard are and what they do? These are forms of keyboard shortcuts called function keys. They vary between operating systems, but Microsoft Windows users enjoy the simplicity of their tasks.

  • F1 – help key
  • F2 – rename
  • F3 – search
  • F4 – opens find window
  • F5 – refresh
  • F6 – moves cursor to address bar
  • F7 – spell check
  • F8 – opens Windows startup menu
  • F9 – sends email or opens toolbars
  • F10 – activates menu bar
  • F11 – makes application full screen
  • F12 – opens save window

Another type of shortcut is a desktop shortcut. Desktop shortcuts are icons used to represent a program, file, folder, or document that are save to your computer’s desktop. They make it easy to locate and launch an application with just a double-click of the icon.

To create a desktop shortcut:

  1. From the desktop, right-click where the shortcut should be displayed
  2. A menu will appear requiring you to select “new” and then the option “shortcut”
  3. Enter the path for the application or select “browse” to locate it
  4. Once the path has been entered, click “next” and then “finished”
  5. Your new shortcut icon is now on your desktop

Using shortcuts make computer usage quicker, easier, and more fun to use.

Filed Under: Computers Tagged With: ,

Computers: Operating Systems

An operating system is a software application that facilitates the communication and operation between the computer’s hardware and software. A computer is unable to function without an operating system.

Common Operating Systems

  • Microsoft Windows

With more than 85% of the market share, Microsoft Windows is the most widely used operating system for personal computers.

  • UNIX

This operating system is used heavily for academic and engineering environment workstations and for servers for businesses.

  • Linux

Linux is a widely adoptable system for use with embedded systems and servers. It is used in a wide variety of devices including wristwatches and supercomputers.

Operating systems perform tasks in order to recognize keyboard input, send output to display, keep track of directories and files, and control peripheral devices including printers and disk drives.

For larger systems and networks, the responsibilities of an operating system include making sure that the different users and programs running simultaneously do not interfere with one another and ensuring the security against unauthorized users from accessing the system.

Computer operating system applications often times fall into more than one of the below types:

  • GUI

Also known as Graphical User Interface, GUI uses keyboard shortcuts and arrow keys, windows, menus, and icons to open, move, delete, etc. files. Examples include Windows 98 and System 7.x

  • Multi-user

The operating system does exactly what the name implies; multi-users utilizing the same computer programs at the same or differing times. Examples include Linux, UNIX, and Windows 2000.

  • Multiprocessing

This operating system supports and utilizes multiple computer processors. Examples include Linux, UNIX, and Windows 2000.

  • Multitasking

Multitasking is an operating system that permits more than one program to run at the same time. Examples include UNIX and Windows 2000.

  • Multithreading

This operating system allows different parts of a single software program to run in tandem. Examples include Linux, UNIX, and Windows 2000.

An operating system provides a platform for which other applications can run and these applications must be written to run on top of the selected operating system. Therefore, the choice of operating system is determined by the applications the user plans on running on his system.

Filed Under: Computers, Operating Systems Tagged With: ,

The Age Old Question: PC or Mac?

There has been a lot of debate over PC vs Mac. There are even commercials out there flaunting the pros and cons of the two sides. So, here’s a little list of the ups and downs of both PC and Mac.

First off, there’s the issue of selection. Mac has only a couple of options out there for you, while PC has a plethora of different laptops and desktops to suit just about anyone’s needs. This really helps when it comes down to an issue of money.

Macs cost more by far, but you are getting a really good quality machine for your money. It’s not like they are just giving a $500 laptop a $1300 price tag. If you were to buy a PC that has similar specs to the Mac, the price wouldn’t be far off at all. But, if you’re buying a laptop for a student or just simply don’t have the green for a Mac, then PC gives you a great selection of lower priced computers that will fit your needs just nicely.

If the performance of the machine is a big factor, the race is neck and neck when it comes to operating systems. Mac has been known to have a smooth running OS, but Windows 7 is really keeping up with the OS X 10.6 that Mac’s use. There are far less problems and quirks with Windows 7 compared to Windows Vista.

One clear edge that Mac has is security. The majority of viruses out there seem to be focused on Windows PC’s rather than Mac’s. So, if you don’t want to be bothered with running program after program to protect your computer, than Mac might be the better choice for you.

Whatever your choice may be, the biggest favor you can do for yourself is to do a lot of research before slapping your credit card down for a purchase.

Filed Under: Computers, Operating Systems Tagged With: , ,