The Desktop Experience | WindowsTalk.org

Jan

5 Programs to Speed Up Your Windows PC

by Contributed

Is your computer becoming more and more sluggish every day? Do you have problems like blank screens, slow downloads and super-long load times? If you do, here are five easy to use programs that will help your computer speed up.

CCleaner – Formerly called Crap Cleaner, this program deletes junk files that slow down your computer. It also finds registry disputes and solves them for you. It is free and easy to download and works wonderfully. It can even wipe your free space if you want it to, though that tends to take some time. Just visit http://www.piriform.com/CCLEANER for your free download today!
Defraggler – Your computer could be working slower because your files are fragmented. Clean it up and make your system more efficient with another free download from Piriform. Compact and quick, Defraggler works great, plus you have the option of just defragging the files you use most often. What could be easier? Visit http://www.piriform.com/defraggler for a free copy.
Firefox or Chrome – Rather than using Internet Explorer as your web browser, try Mozilla’s Firefox or Google’s Chrome. Much quicker load times, superior add-ons and a more secure framework make these browsers a necessity. Plus, they’re free. Be mindful that some websites do not work as well in them, so keep IE installed for backup, just in case. Download Firefox here: http://www.mozilla.org. Download Chrome here: http://www.google.com/chrome.
Recuva – Have the problems with your computer developed to the point that you’ve lost files? Did you inadvertently erase your digital camera’s memory card or MP3 player? No problem! Just use Recuva to recover your files. Get it free at http://www.piriform.com/recuva.
Revo Uninstaller – If you’ve ever had to add or remove programs on your computer, you know how time-consuming the process can be. Not only is it time-consuming, but a lot of the files from the uninstalled programs are never deleted. For a quicker, stress-free fix try Revo. This program is easy to use and much quicker. It also explores your computer for hidden files and deletes them- truly uninstalling the program. Try it free for 30 days here http://www.revouninstaller.com.

There you have it; five simple programs to get your computer purring! So whether you have a laptop, a desktop, or a mobile phone, keep these programs handy and keep your computer running fast.

This is a guest post from Laura Backes, she enjoys writing about all kinds of subjects and also topics related to internet service in my area. You can reach her at: laurabackes8 @ gmail.com.

Categories General, Software, The Desktop Experience
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Jan

A Parent’s Guide to Buying a Laptop for their Student

by Jesse Langley

As college approaches, many students will need a laptop for classes. The laptop will become a constant companion: a repository for papers, a research tool and a source of entertainment or creative expression. Because of this, it’s important to find a laptop that balances the basics with the individual interests and needs of your child. Below are several factors to consider, along with specific recommendations you can take with you into the store or while browsing online.

Price

Depending on the other supplies your student needs for class, a new laptop could be the biggest purchase you make. When you are considering price you’ll also want to think about longevity—will your child be able to use this computer through college and beyond? You may save money getting a machine that can only handle typing a paper and checking email, but your student’s chosen path could easily require a new machine within two years, especially in art or engineering programs. Also consider your child’s track record and the odds that this computer may be lost, damaged or stolen in the first few months. Keep price in mind as you weigh the importance of all other factors. You can purchase a decent laptop for around $400.

Size

Here, you’re mostly thinking about portability. If your student is pursuing an online bachelor degree, he or she may prefer a large screen and high performance to an ultra-portable model. Other students may carry their computers with them to every class, so portability becomes more important. Laptops can range from under three pounds to over seven pounds; you’ll probably get the most value by landing somewhere in the middle.

Web and media capabilities

Almost every use of a laptop requires an Internet connection. Consider choosing a machine with a built-in wireless card; students can use an Ethernet cable to hook up directly, but if they plan to work outside of the library or in the park a good wireless card is essential. Also make sure the laptop has a DVD drive and a USB port—these are a must.

Memory and hard drive

Memory dictates how many programs can be running at once. For most students, multitasking is key, so you’ll want at least 256 megabytes. You can pay a little more and go up to 512 if you think it’s necessary. You might even look into DDR2 memory, which will use less battery life—it’s not available on all PCs, but might be worth the investment. The hard drive, on the other hand, handles actual storage. An English major may be able to store thousands of papers with 30 gigs of space where a graphic designer will be saving multiple versions of very large files and may need a bit more. If you aren’t sure, opt for a little less space. External hard drives are becoming increasingly affordable, and many files can be stored online.

Battery life

Both in the traditional setting and as part of an online bachelor degree, your student will need to use a laptop on the go. Battery life can be as long as four hours; balance that requirement with price and performance. A backup battery can be useful to extend usage time for the laptop.

These days, there’s a laptop available for every budget. Research different styles and manufacturers, and ask your student what will work best—with a little time and effort, you’ll be able to find the perfect laptop for your student’s college journey.

Categories Hardware, The Desktop Experience
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Jan

Computer Maintenance That Kills!

by Mitz

Most people don’t do enough computer maintenance—but a few people get overzealous in their computer maintenance and start to do things that are harmful to their computer. Here’s a list of a few things you shouldn’t do if you want your computer to keep running smoothly.

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Computer Maintenance Doesn’t Require Memory Optimization

There are a bunch of programs out their that claim that they’ll optimize your memory. Other programs claim to defragment your memory. All of these programs imply that they’ll make your computer run faster.

I’m not sure that claim is correct. Even if they do optimize your memory, the speed increase is probably quite small.

But if the gain is small, the risk is high. Messing with computer memory puts every program on your computer at risk. That’s why, in normal operation, only one program is allowed to allocate computer memory—the operating system, Windows.

Memory optimizers may make your computer unstable. I’d especially mistrust shareware memory optimizers or those produced by a non-brand-name company.

You don’t need memory optimizers to perform good computer maintenance, so I suggest that you just avoid them altogether.

Good Computer Maintenance Gone Wrong

One very useful type of computer maintenance is cleaning your Windows Registry. Back in the Windows 95 and Windows 98 days, registry cleaning was practically mandatory at least once a year. These days it’s optional, but I still recommend it.

What I don’t recommend is using a disreputable registry cleaner. There are hundreds of registry cleaners on the market and the vague generic ones often can’t be trusted.

Cleaning your Windows Registry is a lot like purging old records from your home file cabinet. You wouldn’t let some random stranger clean out your file cabinet—he might get rid of something that’s very important to you.

Likewise, you shouldn’t use random registry cleaning software—not even if it’s a free download. Many major and reputable software companies produce top-notch registry cleaning software. It costs a little more money, but it can save you from having to reinstall all of your programs.

The Top Computer Maintenance Mistake

A tiny little mistake can kill your computer. That mistake is misreading or not following the version instructions for your computer maintenance software.

Software which fixes your computer on one version of Windows can easily break your computer on another version of Windows. Newer software is usually smart enough not to run on older versions of Windows, but older software might break modern versions of Windows, so be very careful.

How To Ruin Your Hardware

In most cases it’s nearly impossible to ruin computer hardware using software. In the typical worst case scenario, when you break your computer with software you just need to reinstall Windows and restore all of your data from backups.

But I can think of at least one case where routine computer maintenance can ruin your hardware—when you excessively defragment a Solid State Drive (SSD).

Most solid state drives are small and portable. They’re the Secure Digital (SD) cards or the USB thumb drives. Some larger SSDs are used in netbooks and small portable drives with between 32 gigabytes and about 500 gigabytes.

All disk drives wear out, but solid state drives wear out quicker if you write to them a lot—and defragmenting your disk drive requires a lot of writing operations as it moves data from one part of the drive to another.

If you use solid state drives, be careful. Don’t defragment your drive more than once a month, or you could perform the kind of computer maintenance that kills your computer.

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Categories Software, The Desktop Experience
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Jan

Do You Use Windows Disk Cleanup?

by Alan Tay

The Windows Operating System is one generous operating system for it comes built-in with lots of optimization tools that can really help you to have a better Operating System. Better here means faster, less space wasted, fast boot up, and also fast shut down.

Today I am going to talk about one of the optimization tools which had helped me a lot throughout my time when I suffered from insufficient hard disk space. The tool I am referring to is the Windows Disk Cleanup. Basically, the Disk Cleanup tool helps you to delete unused files such as your temporary files, unused system files, garbage inside your Recycle Bin and many more. So, why do you need to use the Disk Cleanup?

It clears space by removing unnecessary files

As I had mentioned, it cleans up all the unnecessary especially your temporary files. Those files usually are not needed anymore after certain process specifically Windows Update. I had cleared lots of space after a Windows Update patch process.

Besides, it also cleans up your temporary internet files. If you look carefully, the one advantage here is you save a lot of time simply because you don’t have to manually locate those files to remove them.

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It clears space by compressing unused files

Just in case you might not know, apart from removing unnecessary stuff to give you more space, the disk cleanup process also compress those unused files so that those files do not consume so much space.

It might take a little longer for you to open back the compressed file, but the tool does not simply compress your files. It only compress those files which have been untouched for probably from months to years.

So, the benefit?

Ultimately, the benefit of performing Disk Cleanup is to free up some hard disk space. There is one thing I need to remind you here is the methodology to free up hard disk space is not just about deleting some personal large files such as movies, MP3′s, or even high quality photo which you think you do not need anymore, but you who knows you might need them later?

The best way to do so is to remove things that you are sure that you don’t need. Even the computer experts who are extremely proficient with their computer skills will use Disk Cleanup to do this tedious stuff, so why not you?

Alan Tay is the author of IT Security Column, a blog that features on IT security news, tips and tricks and also security product reviews. If you are interested to learn more about IT security, pay his blog a visit and subscribe to it by email to get the latest cool stuff about IT security.

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Categories Microsoft, Software, The Desktop Experience
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Dec

Computer Maintenance Tools Available In Windows 7

by Mitz

Windows 7 comes with a bunch of built-in system computer maintenance tools that helps you can maintain your computer, speed up your computer, and help keep it running smoothly. Below we have covered few built-in system maintenance tools included with Windows 7.

Disk Defragmenter:

The Disk Defragmenter was also available in the older versions of Microsoft Windows, but Windows 7 has enhanced it to a great extent. The most important feature of the Windows 7 defragmenter is that it lets you safely terminate the defrag process at any time without any adverse effects and it can also defrag multiple volumes at the same time. Disk Defragmenter can be launched from:

Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter.

System Restore:

System Restore allows you to roll back (restore) system files, registry keys, installed programs, etc. to a previous state in case of any disaster. Windows 7 has provided an enhanced and improved version of the System Restore feature.

Control Panel System Maintenance Tool:

You can also perform many common system maintenance tasks from the Windows 7 Control Panel.

Open the Control Panel and go to System and Security .
Find and Fix Problem.

Now the Troubleshooting option will be displayed and you can troubleshoot any problem relevant to the system, network, internet etc.

Remove spyware, and help protect your computer from viruses:

Download Microsoft Security Essentials for free to help guard your computer from viruses, spyware, adware, and other malicious software (also known as malware). Microsoft Security Essentials acts as a spyware removal tool and includes automatic updates to help keep your system protected from emerging threats.

Free up disk space:

The Disk Cleanup tool helps you to free up space on your hard disk to improve the performance of your computer. The tool identifies files that you can safely delete and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.

To use Disk Cleanup, Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.

Detect and repair disk errors:

In addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.

To use Error Checking Utility:

Right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.
In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.
Click the Check Now button.
In the Check Disk dialog box (called Error-checking in Windows 7), select the “Automatically fix file system errors” and “Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors” check box, and then click Start.
If you see an error message saying “Windows can’t check the disc while it’s in use” you will need to tick the box that says check next time you start your computer.

Performing regular computer maintenance is something that everyday computer users often neglect. I have had thousands of customers that do not perform any computer maintenance and sometimes wait until their computer has a black screen , before they finally realize that looking after your computer is IMPORTANT!

My name is Mitz Pantic and I’ve been working with computers for over 25 years and love to teach people how to use their computers. Be sure to visit me at my computer tips website and say hello in the comments section. Also do not forget to sign-up for my free computer tips newsletter and receive a free 59 page Computer Terms Dictionary!

If you have any tips for computer maintenance please share them with us by leaving your comment below.

Categories Microsoft, The Desktop Experience
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Dec

New Years’ Resolutions

by Contributed

If we make it through to 2012, and on the morning of January 1st, once that lingering hangover has somewhat subsided, and we have yet again sworn sobriety, we should be conscious enough to make at least two interesting observations.
The first, that the predictions of vast Hollywood budgets and exhausting calculations of the ancient Aztecs were, alas, as accurate as the speculated outcomes of Y2K.
The second, that Microsoft will update/upgrade its popular Internet Explorer (IE) browser automatically.

The reason why this information is noteworthy is not just because the software giant has finally caught up with its competitors (Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, who have been automatically deploying updates for a while now). Microsoft is proclaiming the confidence it has in its ability to patch, and possibly predict, the vulnerabilities of its software and the needs of its users. Microsoft’s reputation for updates has been sloppy (and I dare say, at times even insulting). As a result, I had made it a point to never to install an official Microsoft update until a week after it has been issued. For as long as I can remember, Windows updates have proved themselves extremely efficient at solving one problem and creating another. Whenever I have been notified of an update, I have allowed for a full week to go by, for the innocent unfortunate users to plague Windows’ support with problems, and consequentially for the update to be updated.

On the rare occasion that I had caused my system to hiccup as a result of downloading and installing an update too soon, I was fortunate enough to rely on Reimage PC Repair (a trusty little tool that we use at work whenever something goes wrong) to put things back in order, while still retaining the update or patch.
But this is all in the past. Microsoft has had a very good year for updates and improvements. There have been relatively very few bug reports. Some major updates were installed so smoothly that they went almost unnoticed. Maybe this is a new Microsoft policy, and developers will no longer issue a slapdash fix or patch to temporarily plug up a recently discovered vulnerability. Perhaps it is a ploy to lull us into a false state of confidence, before convincing us to purchase the new Windows 8 (2012)?

Whatever the case maybe, I think that this year I will be allowing automatic updates from Microsoft… and get another annual subscription for Reimage, just in case.

Categories Software, The Desktop Experience
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Dec

Incomplete Or Obsolete: When To Buy A New Computer

by Contributed

Have you looked at your computer and realized that it isn’t fulfilling all of your needs? It isn’t as peppy as it used to be, and you are wondering if maybe it is time to move on. Maybe your computer is OK, but you would love a new one that has all the latest gadgets and technology.

What Are Your Needs?

If you are just looking for something that will allow you to read your emails and visit your favorite sites, you don’t need anything fancy. There is no need to spend hundreds of dollars on a new laptop or a Tablet. It would be cheaper and easier for you to simply download a new version of your web browser, or clean out the cache every so often.

However, if you are a serious gamer, or you do most of your work online, you should certainly be upgrading every couple of years. You want to be able to stay connected wherever you are, and make sure that you have the memory capacity and the fastest Internet connection available.

Tech Savvy

If you don’t know what an app is, you don’t need a computer that allows you to sync with your smartphone, or to buy a new Tablet. It won’t be any use to you if you don’t know what it is you are buying. A simple laptop, or any computer with a keyboard and Internet connection should be fine.

For those who do know what a smartphone is, or enjoy reading books on their Kindle, it could be a good idea to buy a newer computer that can have those multiple functions in one device. The new Kindle Fire from Amazon will cost less than 200 dollars. A good computer can be both new and cheap at the same time.

Budget

Even if you want the latest technology, your financial situation could dissuade you from buying a new computer. While a new laptop, PC or Tablet could cost as little as 400 dollars, that could still be a lot of money in this economy.

In that case, simply downloading updates to your current computer should keep you going until you are ready to buy that new computer. For those who desperately need the latest technology, you can always use your phone as an Internet/app device.

So, should you upgrade, or buy a new computer? Upgrading is recommended for anyone who simply needs to use email and to visit the Internet every so often, doesn’t know how to use the newer technology or simply doesn’t have the budget. However, if you have the money and the know how, a new computer is always a good investment.

If your computer is grinding to a halt, freezing up, has constant error or is just generally too old, it is probably time to update, talk to Austin computer stores. Austin have 6 stores across Perth, so there’s bound to be one close to you, and each store has a service centre for any future upgrades or repairs.

Categories Hardware, Technology, The Desktop Experience
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Dec

Which Internet Browser Should I Use?

by Bethany Ramos

So many browsers, so little time… As it turns out, the majority of computer users automatically use some version of Internet Explorer by Microsoft. Most Internet Explorer users are happy with the browser’s performance and don’t give it a second thought. But what many people don’t realize is that there are several other competitive browsers available that may offer better features tailored to meet your needs.

Let’s start with the most familiar…

Internet Explorer 9

Internet Explorer 9 is the latest browser version available, and it offers the ability to pin favorite websites in the taskbar. This will provide quick shortcuts to the websites that you use the most on a day-to-day basis. The browser now has a redesigned Notification Bar that will allow you to browse the Internet and process notifications when it is most convenient for you. Internet Explorer also now (finally) has a download manager and the One Box feature for singular search and navigation.

Firefox

Firefox is holding second place in the market next to Internet Explorer. It can be used with Windows, Linux, and OS X and provides a wide variety of features. These features include spell-checking, a download manager, private browsing, and tabbed browsing. You can also explore through literally thousands of Add On features that can be downloaded and installed directly to improve your browsing experience.

Safari

Safari is the browser by Apple used by Mac users, and there is also a version available for Windows. Safari is aesthetically pleasing, to say the least. It offers searchable history, full page zoom, and fast performance, similar to Google Chrome. If you’re an RSS user, Safari provides an RSS reader, RSS bookmarking, and RSS aggregation.

Chrome

Chrome by Google made a splash in December 2008. It offers the simplicity that has been trademarked by Google with improved speed, stability, and security. Chrome is minimalistic, which sets it apart from many competing web browsers today. However, Chrome is much faster than other browsers and offers convenient tabbed browsing. Security is another attraction for Chrome users; Chrome relies on the Google sandboxing technology to protect a computer from viruses, spyware, and other malicious programs from fraudulent websites.

Opera 11

Many computer users may not be familiar with the Opera 11 browser, but it is ideal for those with older, slower computers. It uses significantly less memory than other browsers and can load quickly, even if you have a slow connection. Unfortunately, it isn’t compatible with quite a few popular websites and also won’t support instant streaming on Netflix.

Bethany Ramos is a full-time freelance writer that co-owns her own e-commerce website, The Coffee Bump. The Coffee Bump specializes in a wide variety of coffee makers Bunn and assorted coffee and espresso products.

Categories Microsoft, Software, The Desktop Experience
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Dec

PDF Files: A Refresher Course

by Contributed

Okay. Right now you’re probably saying to yourself, “A refresher course on PDF’s? Who needs that?” Fine, maybe you don’t. Maybe you know all about Adobe’s Portable Document Format. After all, it’s been around since 1993. If that’s the case, feel free to leave this page to those of us who, for whatever reason, might not be tapping into the full potential of the PDF and could use a brief review of the many features and benefits that PDF’s have to offer.
Multiple Platform Convenience: PDF documents can be read anywhere on any device that can support Acrobat Reader or other PDF reading software. Unlike Word, the software to read PDFs is free and is supported on many different devices and operating systems. In other words, if you’re using Windows, you can send a PDF document to a Mac or Linux user, even someone on a mobile device, and know that they will receive and be able to view the document exactly as intended, without any changes. Also, when you click a link to view or download a PDF, it opens automatically in your browser window, making it possible to view the document without opening or downloading any other program.

PDF documents are secure: PDF’s were originally designed for and used by the Federal Government to insure the utmost security while handling sensitive documents and communicating internally and externally. Unlike other documents that can be easily edited, resaved or copied, PDF files are read only by default and can only be edited or changed when deliberately converted into a word document or other editable format. PDF files can even be password protected or encrypted to prevent converting, editing or reformatting altogether. This functionality is essential for keeping proprietary information secure. In addition, PDFs are almost completely immune to viruses, spyware and other virtual dangers, allowing them to be distributed and opened safely.

Multimedia support: PDFs support many types of multimedia and interactive functions such as hyperlinks to direct users back to a website, bookmarks for large documents, web forms that can be filled out directly, and even music and video. And the best part is that all of these features and functions can be embedded as a part of the document itself.

File compression: PDFs can compress, optimize and reduce the size of documents and data without sacrificing any of the original elements or quality. This means that you can transmit the same document at a smaller size and a faster rate when you convert it to a PDF file. In light of the current size limitations providers have placed on email attachments—which can lead to undeliverable emails—the ability to create documents and compress them to the smallest file possible while still retaining image quality can save a lot of time, trouble and headaches.

Document legality: In order for a document to be admissible in a court of law, it must be kept in a format that cannot be altered or changed. It’s little wonder that PDF files are the preferred format of the U.S. Judicial System. Due to their secure nature, PDF files cannot be altered without leaving an electronic footprint or record of the changes. With this unique capability, PDF files meet all legal document requirements, allowing for the capture, creation and transmission of sensitive documents without any chance of their being compromised and rendered inadmissible in the process.

Authenticity: Another unique advantage of PDF files is that they can be imprinted with marks of authenticity, such as watermarks and digital signatures. This is especially valuable to financial institutions or corporations conducting sensitive transactions where the authenticity of all parties involved must be verified. When recipients view a document bearing such distinctive marks—which, like the document itself cannot be altered—they can be sure that the document is genuine and came from an authorized source.

Simplicity: With all their features, PDF files are surprisingly simple to create, provided you have the right software, aka, a PDF Converter. You can also scan paper documents into PDF format. In either case, all elements in the PDF file, including tables and graphs, will remain intact and will always resemble the original document. And with PDF, consolidating, transmitting and archiving data becomes a manageable task, even when dealing with large amounts of data originally generated in other formats. And as technology continues to evolve away from paper, PDF makes it possible to integrate paper based and electronic document systems, resulting in files that can be readily and securely stored, or shared and viewed universally for years to come.

Jared Rivers is a freelance writer who specializes in computer technology.

Categories General, Software, The Desktop Experience
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Dec

Customize Windows Live Hotmail: Part 1

by James M. Fisher

Over the years I have used just about every email client there is, some out of curiosity, but I was always searching for one that was right for me. I think the first one I used in Windows was Outlook Express, which came bundled with Internet Explorer. I tried others, like Eudora, Netscape mail (remember those names from the past?) and many others I have long forgotten about.

Now I have used Windows Live Hotmail for years. Since December 23rd, 2001, to be exact. That’s 10 years now!

While many may use Hotmail (I am here referring to the Web version, not Windows Live Mail, which is part of Windows Live Essentials and needs to be installed on your PC) not all have explored its various features and how it can be personalized to help keep you organized and efficient in handling not only your Hotmail account, but other email accounts as well.
This series will look at several different ways to customize Hotmail; Part 1 will look at automatically sorting email into folders.

Sort it!

Do you have all your email in your Inbox? Tired of searching through hundreds of emails to find that recipe or photograph your friend sent you, or an invoice for something you purchased online? Then you need to take advantage of Hotmail’s sorting feature.

First of all, you need to create some folders to sort emails into. This is easily done by clicking on the sunburst icon next to Folders in Hotmail located in the left column, then click ‘Add a new folder’:

Create a new folder in Hotmail

On the next screen, you give the folder a name, such as Friends, for instance, then tell Hotmail whether this is to be a top level folder (directly under Inbox), or a sub folder under another folder, such as Personal, or in my case, James. Now that you have a Friends folder, you can drag all emails from your friends into that folder. Use the sorting options at the top of the email column if necessary (from Contacts, Arrange by, etc).

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Now, let’s create a rule to automatically have email from a friend (say Jane Doe) automatically go into the Friends folder instead of the Inbox. At the very top right of the Hotmail page, you will see your name, and under it, a link titled Options. Click on it and select More options….

More options for Hotmail

Now you will see the main Hotmail options page:

Hotmail Options Page

Now click on “Rules for sorting new messages” highlighted above. On the next window, click on New and the Create Rule page appears. In step 1, enter the email address of Jane Doe, then in step 2, enter the action to be taken. In this case, we want Jane’s emails to go right into the Friends folder, so beside ‘Move to Inbox” click on the little arrow and select the Friends folder, then click the Save button. Done!

Now you can create other folders as required and create rules for any email addresses you want to go into them instead of the Inbox. I have ones for Invoices, eBay, Web site, Forums and so on. Make it a goal to get your Inbox organized today!

Part 2 of this series will consider another little-known feature of Hotmail…subscribe to the WindowsTalk newsletter to get notifications of all new posts including giveaways and contests.

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