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PC Optimization Tips

6 Ways to immediately SPEED-UP your Slow Computer

Take a few minutes to go through this list of suggestions- Id be willing to bet you can increase Computer speed, possibly dramatically, by following these Basic PC Speed best practises.

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Being a computer owner can be tough. Granted, a computer allows for easy web surfing, file downloading, and instant communication via messenger programs and email, but it comes at a price: maintenance time. Owners need to know how to maintain their computers in order to avoid hang-ups, slow computer problems, and other frustrating computer issues.

If you don't know how to perform basic maintenance for your computer, you won't be surfing, downloading, or chatting for long, especially if you use your computer constantly. Computers need to be tuned up to keep their speed up, and without proper maintenance, can slow to a snail's pace. A few simple tasks, performed regularly, can add years to your computer's lifespan.

Uninstall Old Programs: Simple first step to improve slow computer performance

Some people go through several printers before replacing their computers, and all of those printers have their own software. Unless you uninstall it, it will remain on the computer indefinitely, filling hard drive space and possibly wasting system resources. The same goes for old, unused games and other software. Open up "add/remove programs," from the control panel in Windows XP. If you have the Vista operating system, open the control panel, and then "all programs." Uninstall anything you don't use anymore. If you don't know whether a particular program is important, research it before making any changes to it.

Need more ideas to improve slow computer performance?

• Laptop Runs Excessively Slow
• Slow Download Times
• Computer Acting Crazy: Spyware and Viruses
• Uninstall Unwanted Programs
• Speeding Up Slow Startup
• Computer Still Slow after Virus
• Speeding up Dialup Access
• Computer is Suddenly Slow

Remove Startup Items: Slow computer performance will improve right away!

Startup items are programs set to run as soon as your computer starts up. Many of them are useless, working more in the interests of software companies than in the interests of your personal computer. To turn off startup items, just open the "run" window, type "msconfig," and click the "startup" tab in the window that pops up. All of the checked items in the list that appears are set to run on startup.

Research the listed items with a web search and uncheck the ones that you don't need. Remember, this doesn't uninstall anything, and most unchecked items can still be run manually from the "all programs" list. You will have to restart the computer in order for the changes to take effect. Check up on the startup items list every month or so.

Run the Disk Cleanup Utility: See what's causing slow and lagging computer speeds

The Disk Cleanup is always included with both Windows XP and Windows Vista. It's a tool used to clean up (that is, delete) old, unnecessary files in your computer's browsing history, error logs, temporary folders, and more. You can access this utility by opening the "start" menu, opening "all programs," finding "accessories," then finally, locating "system tools."

Make sure every box in the Disk Cleanup's list is checked off except for one, which may or may not appear: "Compress old files." This option sacrifices speed for a bit of extra hard drive space, and is usually detrimental to a computer's performance. Use the Disk Cleanup every month.

Run the Disk Defragmenter

The Disk Defragmenter can be found in the same folder as the Disk Cleanup Utility: "system tools." It's incredibly easy to run, as all you have to do once the program is open is click the "defragment" button to start defragmenting.  It's a good idea to do this when you do not expect need the computer for a while, as the process can take several hours. Computer users often choose to run the defragmenter overnight.

Slow Computer or other Windows problems? Run a free scan Now

The Disk Defragmenter should be used every month or so. If you are not sure whether your computer needs to be defragmented, the Windows XP version has an "analyze" button which allows you see a diagram of how disorganized and fragmented your hard drive is. Just remember that the more red you see in the diagram, the more important it is to run the Defragmenter. Windows Vista's defragmenter lacks this function, but many disk defragmenting programs are available with this function. Most can be downloaded for free, safely on the Internet.

Scan for Malware

Antivirus programs are no use to you if you don't perform regular scans for viruses, adware, and spyware. Scan your whole computer once a week, and scan frequently-used folders (like the 'downloads' folder of a file sharing program) even more often than that: every day.

Clear the Desktop

A cleared-off desktop not only helps your profile load a bit faster when you log on to your computer, it will also help you remain organized, allowing you to work faster. Put pictures into your "My Pictures" folder, and move documents into the "My Documents" folder. Delete any installers that you have already used and any shortcuts (the icons with the little arrows in the corners) that you never use. If you don't know what something is, put it in a folder titled "I don't know," and ask your computer-savvy friend about it the next time you chat.

If you want to keep email more time-efficient than an in-person visit, be sure to maintain your computer. It comes with tools, and extra tools are downloadable. You have no excuse not to use them!

Why not run a free registry scan, you may be surprised by the number of critical problems found!

Ever had one of those times where you finished working with an application and all of a sudden your computer's hard drive light starts flashing fast and a dull grinding noise can be heard for a few seconds?
Many of us have.

But were you aware that it can slow down your computer?

Many of us without properly configured speed enhanced computer set ups already wait enough as it is without adding more waiting to our computing lives. But did you know that it also be avoided? That grinding noise accompanied by the delay can be greatly reduced, or even removed entirely. One would definitely benefit from that for sure. Here's how we do it.

It's all about the Windows swap file.

When Windows decides that it could run out of real memory aka RAM, it starts to use virtual memory, which is actually just a very large single file on your computer's hard drive.

It places temporary data in there and treats it as extra “pretend” memory. It continually does this until you are finished with what you are doing and then should return back to normal. But not always.

Not only that, but the file size is always being recalculated, depending on what extra virtual memory Windows thinks it might need. This is part of the reason you hear the grinding noise; Windows is calculating how much extra to inflate the file and then does it.

But what if you were to tell it the minimum amount it can use and the maximum amount? That would eliminate it's need to continually slow you down by calculating it wouldn't it?

So how do we set that?

Well, it is all in one place and there a few ways of getting to it, depending on your familiarity. If you consider yourself a power user, you can hit the Windows key on your keyboard and tap the Pause key to bring up the System Properties box. For the rest of us, right-click once on “My Computer” on your computer's desktop background and select properties.

Got it? Excellent!

Now click on the “Advanced” tab across the top, at the right hand side.

Under the “Performance” area, click “Settings”,

then click on the Advanced tab, then down the bottom under “Virtual Memory”, click the change button.

Select the “Custom Size” circle selection, and make the Initial size about 1/3 to ½ of your current RAM amount.

Set Maximum to 2x your RAM amount, or if you have 1GB of RAM or more, set it about 1000MB, though you are free to set it to more if you like.

Now that will work just fine, though if you are really keep to get all the extra speed you can, set both values to the same number, perhaps both at 1000MB, though you certainly don't need to.

Now click OK, OK and OK again. You may be asked to restart your computer. That's fine. Do that now.

When it boots back up, you should find it a little snappier. Open up your word processor, run a game or open up a graphics application.

You should notice that when the hard drive would start grinding and the light flickering, it shouldn't do it for as long, or even at all.

This is a great speed tweak and I hope you got a lot out of it. There are many, many more out there and I hope to write on them later, too. Happy speed tweaking!

With the advent of the internet, con artists and crooks have found a way to reach out and scam more people than ever before.

We have all heard the horror stories of poor souls being fed a dream only to find themselves in the midst of a nightmare. As consumers grow savvy to the tricks of the trade so do the scammers, as they come up with more and more ways to swindle your hard earned money away.

So how can you protect yourself from being caught up in a web of fraud? Here are five simple tips to keep you out of hot water.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is

Following the wisdom of this old adage is the soundest advice. These virtual thieves will try to appeal to your wildest dreams and convince you that they hold the key to realizing them. All they need is your help and access to your money.

A common example of this comes in the form of an email plea to you asking for your assistance. It begins with any number of stories, from the death of their spouse to a foreign business trying to establish a bank account in your country. The sender asks you to accept a deposit of an incredible amount of money into your bank account and for your trouble they will let you keep a percentage of it. Sounds great, but here is the catch.

They try to convince you that they need your bank account number in order to electronically transfer the funds.  The truth of the matter is they use the information you give them to withdraw all your available funds and leave you penniless.

It is always a safer bet to practice caution when anyone asks for your banking information rather than take a chance like this and end up broke.

Keep your private information private and you will keep your money safe.

Anyone asking for your account information might be offering trouble

Websites like EBay and PayPal are common targets for this sort of scam. Official looking emails arrive in your inbox, looking quite legitimate, and tell you that your account is about to close if you don’t log in right away. Within the text of the email is a convenient little link where you can sign in and straighten everything out. The trouble is, the link directs you to a phony page and when you type in your information, you are giving these urchins access to your accounts. Both EBay and PayPal clearly state they will never request your account information by email, as is the case with most other well known sites.

The best thing to do if you are unsure whether or not one of the email you received is a fake, is to inquire with the company directly. It is not a good idea to click on any of the links contained in a suspicious email, instead type the address you would normally use to access the site into your browser or contact the company directly by telephone to speak with a representative. The company can confirm whether or not the email is legitimate and advise you what to do if it turns out to be phony.  

Buyer and non-buyer beware

A friendly little note arrives from a retailer thanking you for your purchase; only you never bought anything from them. The natural instinct is to click on the link and cancel any orders made in your name, but this might not be the most prudent thing to do.

Some hackers rely upon our inclination to cancel fictitious orders and use this to infect your computer with a Trojan or some other virus. The link or the website itself could be contaminated with malicious software and open up all your personal information to attack. Of course you want to be sure you were not charged for a product or service you never purchased. So what do you do? It is always best to check your credit cards for erroneous charges and report any unauthorized use immediately.

Another alternative is to try a search engine with the title of the email. There are a number of sites cropping up around the web where consumers are fighting back and reporting fraudulent activity to warn others of the threats. You might be surprised to see how many other people received the same phony email as you.

Keep Pop Ups from popping

Pop-up ads can certainly be an annoyance, but they can also be rather dangerous. While many of these Pop-up ads try to convince you that you are the lucky winner of one prize or another, sometimes all you won was a problem.

Trojan viruses and other damaging software can be downloaded into your computer simply by trying to close the Pop-up window. Using a Pop-up blocker with your browser can help to prevent not only the aggravation of being flooded with a number of irritating ads, but also keep the suspicious ones at bay.

An ounce of prevention

We all know the saying so be sure to update you anti-virus software regularly! Maintaining your computers security is imperative these days. With all the vital information we store on our systems, protecting it should be our top priority.

Viruses, worms and other hacking software place not only your computer, but your personal information at risk. Most of this malicious software comes through email programs and other internet applications.  Regularly updated anti-virus protection programs can be an invaluable tool when it comes to protecting your information.

It only takes a short amount of time each day to run a virus scan, but it can take years to recover from identity theft and the damage a virus can leave behind.

 A Filetonic reader asked this question today. My first reaction was to ask her to clarify whether she meant Web pages or other pages such as Microsoft Word documents, but then I realized that it didn't matter. We all want to get the most of our screen space regardless of what program we happen to be using, don't we? With that in mind, I'm going to share a few tips on how to view a variety of pages in full screen.

First, let's start with viewing Web pages in full size. If you have Internet Explorer, you can simply hit the F11 key to toggle between full screen and your default window size. If you hit F11 once and like it, don't toggle back and this setting should remain each time you open a new browser window.

The F11 trick displays Web pages in full screen mode, but you will lose the bottom Taskbar which can be annoying. Don't worry; you can still access your other open programs without having to shrink the browser's window. Simply use my all-time favorite key combination "ALT + Tab" to return to your previous window. If you go slowly, by clicking "ALT + Tab" and then releasing only the Tab key, you will see an on-screen display of all open windows. From there, you can Tab your way through to the exact program that you want. This is a neat little shortcut for quickly going back and forth between windows.

You can also free up screen space by removing menu bars and toolbars from view in the browser. In Internet Explorer 7.0, do this by clicking on the Tools arrow and then removing the checkmark next to Menu bar. Likewise, click the Toolbars link in this same area and remove checkmarks for various toolbars such as the Status bar, Links, and so forth.

Do you have a particular program that always opens in a small window? One of the easiest ways to change this is to go to the shortcut and make a simple change. It doesn't matter whether the shortcut is located on the Desktop or the Start Menu. Simply right-click the program and click Properties. Next, click on the Shortcut tab and find the area that is labeled Run. By default, most shortcuts are set to open in a normal window. Change this to say, "Maximized." The next time you launch the program using this shortcut, it will open in full screen mode.

Even then, you may want more viewing space. For example, I use Microsoft Word 2007 all day long. The View tab is useful for adjusting the document's size. I prefer the Page Width view. In addition, you can use the Zoom tool which is located on this same tab as well as on a slider bar in the lower right portion of the screen.  

The Word 2007 "Ribbon" can also be minimized for even more screen real estate. Simply double-click on the active tab and the Ribbon is temporarily minimized. Want it back? Double-click the active tab again and all of your favorite tools are back in view. To permanently minimize the Ribbon, click the down arrow located in the Quick Launch Bar area and choose Minimize Ribbon.

No matter what you are trying to maximize, there's usually a way to do it. Feel free to post your own tips in the comments section below. We'd love to hear more ideas!

Your computer has several different IP addresses that you can look up using different techniques.

Find Your Web IP Address

A variety of Web sites will detect your IP address and display it for you in an instant. In addition to showing you a number such as 122.171.12.244, these Web sites may also show you a map displaying your physical location or community. For example, I recently checked my IP address using such a site and was surprised to see a Google map showing my community.

The reason that an IP address can reveal your community is that Internet IP addresses are assigned to ISPs using a region-based system. By looking up the first set of numbers in your IP address, the Web site can then compare this number to database detailing ISP providers and their assignments. For example, I randomly created the IP address 122.171.22.244 for this article. I did a quick IP search and discovered that the ISP is AirTel Broadband in Bangalore, India.

While finding out IP addresses can give you a general idea of the location, these services aren't 100% accurate. It's not like they are going to pinpoint your exact address and reveal that information to anyone who happens to search. However, knowing that IP addresses can reveal your general location is a little alarming for those concerned about privacy.

Find your Router's IP Address

Depending on your router, the router will likely use a default IP address. For example, Linksys routers often default to 192.168.1.1 for the IP address. You should be able to find this information in the user's manual that came with your router. Similarly, you can visit the router's Web site and find out by searching the various support areas.

If you aren't having any luck or your system administrator has manually reconfigured the router's address, you can try "pinging" it. You can "ping" your router by going to the Command Prompt (Start > Programs> Accessories) and entering in a ping -r 1command followed by a website address. For example:

C:\ping -r 1 www.microsoft.com

This will send a ping to the Microsoft Web site, return a reply, and show the "route." The route IP address is your router's IP address.

All Other Physical IP and MAC Addresses

Your computer has a built-in utility that will list all of the various IP addresses that your computer, network adapters, and gateways use. Simply go to Start >Run> and type in: ipconfig /all (In Windows Vista, go to Start and type ipconfig /all directly into the Search bar and then click the program that shows up in the list or launch the Command Prompt and type ipconfig /all directly into the command line.)

This will launch the utility and list all IP and MAC addresses in use on your computer.

My Excel spreadsheet prints strange. Can I fit the spreadsheet on one page?

One of my biggest pet peeves with Excel involves printing large spreadsheets. The very nature of Excel makes for wide printouts as each record stretches across the screen. While I might have a spreadsheet that looks good on my wide screen monitor, the printout is an impossible mess! Short of taping a bunch of pages together, what's an Excel user to do?

Fortunately, you can control the way Excel prints. First, let's take a look at the Print Area command before digging into the various print settings. You can control which areas print on a page by setting the Print Area. This helps to avoid printing blank pages or pages with information that you may need in the spreadsheet for calculation purposes but not necessarily for general viewing. To do this, highlight the text that you want to print and then go to File >Print Area > Set Print Area. In Excel 2007, highlight the text, go to the Page Layout tab, and select the Print Area icon. Choose Set Print Area.

Once the print area has been set, you will see a dotted line indicating the page boundaries. As your document evolves, you may need to clear and reset the print area. For example, you may need to add columns outside of the boundary. Keep this in mind as you edit your documents and adjust the print area as necessary. Otherwise, your new data won't print.

While setting the print area is a good first step, it doesn't solve the problem of wide records fitting on the page properly. While in the Page Layout area (either through File >Page Setup or the Page Layout tab depending on your version of Excel), you can further fine tune your spreadsheet. For example, you can adjust the margins, orientation, size, page breaks, and titles.

Adjusting the margins and orienting the page to landscape mode rather than portrait mode often does the trick. A few tweaks of column widths may also be needed. This option is ideal for those spreadsheets that "almost" fit across a page.

In addition, you can also scale the image down to less than 100% or even choose the option to fit the entire spreadsheet on a single page. Of course, doing so depends on the size of the spreadsheet. If you have a huge spreadsheet, shrinking it to fit on a single page will make it microscopic. A better idea is to scale it down to a legible size.

One problem when you print Excel spreadsheets on multiple pages is that you lose the column headings on the pages that follow. You can set Excel to print the title rows across the top and the columns on the left side. This helps to clarify the data on each page.

You can also set the printed page order to either print down then over or over then down.

As you adjust the print settings, use the Print Preview feature to see how your changes affect the printed document. Print Preview provides shortcuts to these various setting options as well.