There are always way to many times people download a file of the Internet, which they delete straight away because their system does not recognize it, others would call some tech person that they know and ask about it or search the Internet for help. We are really tired of explaining this over and over, so we put up these two little posts that will help you solve your problems.
We want to make it very clear right now, enabling file extensions in Windows can be VERY dangerous to your system!
Every new computer or a fresh install of Windows does not show file extensions by default, it is disabled for one good reason. Once you enable file extensions, you can accidentally rename them too.
If this option is disabled, users can't see and can't overwrite the three letters of almost every filename. If you rename your simple text file into text.txt2, Windows will open and show your text.
If you enable this option and look at the same file now, it would be text.txt2.txt and renaming it to text.txt2 or just text again may render the file to be unusable. Of course, most files, you can rename back and they will work again. You can always disable this option, but if you do leave it on, be careful not to rename or move any system files!
If you want to enable this option, you have to have any Windows folder open on your desktop. In the File menu select Tools, then Folder Options. This will bring up a little settings window, select View tab and in advanced settings, without scrolling down, you should see the lowest one "Hide extensions for known files", check that box and click Ok. Here you can also select to show hidden files, folders and system protected files. You can see them easily, they usually are see-through or have blue names.
You should now be able to see all these different file types that you have in Windows Operating System. This will solve the first problem, now you know that you have some type of unreadable file. You can call your tech friend and ask for info on that file type and why it does not work on your machine or you could read our second post, in which we will explain how to open any file that you may have. Be sure to read it!
Continue to Three Letter File Extensions Post 2
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Sunday, 30 November 2008
The Three Letter File Extensions Post 2
All files are created by programs or are used by programs that run on your computer. All of them can be opened using compatible programs or tools. Like the way you need a CD player with MP3 support if you want to play your MP3 on it, the same way there specific files that are used in Windows OS and can be opened with specific programs.
Very often someone calls and asks how can you open this or that file, if a person mentions that file's extension, you can tell straight away what application should he or her look for. Then of course, you have to guide them all the way through - until they have their file opened.
You can, of course, leave your restless PC helper for a while and try to do it yourself. Search on-line for a program that reads or creates these file types. Most of the time you just have to ask how to open a zip file or simply type in zip file extension and you should find some info about that file type.
Some programs open more similar files than others. Some Media Players recognize and play more files than others, while there are some which are specifically created to open specific files. Keep in mind that for audio/video playback of different file types you require different codecs not players. Some archive files can only be extracted with a certain software.
When ever you install a new program that reads or creates files that you want to open, it will always ask if you want to associate them with it. You can always change your default associations simply by right-clicking your file, selecting Properties. Then clicking the button Open With.. and browsing to your preferred program's exe file.
We hope this info was helpful to you and now you will be able to open any file that you want. Check our site regularly for the latest free expert tips! Read More......
Very often someone calls and asks how can you open this or that file, if a person mentions that file's extension, you can tell straight away what application should he or her look for. Then of course, you have to guide them all the way through - until they have their file opened.
You can, of course, leave your restless PC helper for a while and try to do it yourself. Search on-line for a program that reads or creates these file types. Most of the time you just have to ask how to open a zip file or simply type in zip file extension and you should find some info about that file type.
Some programs open more similar files than others. Some Media Players recognize and play more files than others, while there are some which are specifically created to open specific files. Keep in mind that for audio/video playback of different file types you require different codecs not players. Some archive files can only be extracted with a certain software.
When ever you install a new program that reads or creates files that you want to open, it will always ask if you want to associate them with it. You can always change your default associations simply by right-clicking your file, selecting Properties. Then clicking the button Open With.. and browsing to your preferred program's exe file.
We hope this info was helpful to you and now you will be able to open any file that you want. Check our site regularly for the latest free expert tips! Read More......
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Thursday, 20 November 2008
Random Access Memory - RAM
We continue our Simple PC Specs series with a post about RAM a.k.a. physical memory of your computer. RAM is confused a lot of times with the memory of your graphics card and even hard-drive space. This post will explain in simple plain English all about RAM, so you will never be confused again. Hopefully after reading post you will be able to upgrade your memory or at least know where to look for memory and what type of memory too look for, read on!
Random Access Memory is sometimes referred to as computer's physical memory because it is the place where all the calculations take place also you can physically touch RAM chips. When ever you open a word document it is loaded into javascript:void(0)RAM and stays there until you close it or save it to your virtual memory which is your hard-drive. RAM is counted now in Giga Bytes and Mega Bytes on graphics cards. RAM chips are different in packages and types, most desktop PCs today use DIMMs and laptops use SODIMMs. Also the most widely used type of memory is DDR and DDR2, your computer should be using either of these.
When you upgrade your RAM you simple add more space for your processor to work in. It wont speed up your Internet, or games, but it will make your games lag less and let you have more open programs and running processes at the same time.
You can find out how much memory you have by clicking properties of My Computer, the default tab System Properties shows you your processor speed and all the physical memory that you have installed.
To see if you actually use all the memory, you just have to open Task Manager and see Performance tab. If the numbers are high even if you don't run anything like a video game, you should upgrade your memory. You should upgrade it if your computer hangs often and you can't run multiple programs at once. Vista operating system requires more RAM than XP, all the latest games and 3D modeling programs use a lot of RAM. Otherwise there is no good reason to buy expensive RAM. A lot of the time, just saying I have 4 GB of RAM is very cool, you probably barely feel the difference when you use your upgraded PC.
If you decide that you still want to upgrade your memory, be sure to read the manual of your computer and see exactly what RAM chips your computer uses and what are the upgrade options, and limit. Be sure to have the correct info of your chips before you go out buying new ones, if you can and feel confident enough, open your box and write down everything that is written on those chips, don't take them out unless you are absolutely sure you can do it, read, watch some guides before attempting to remove your RAM chips. RAM is vital to your computer, just taking it out an placing back in may stop your computer from working. It is always better to get a professional engineer to do it for you, even if it costs a little more.
We hope this post helped you to understand RAM better and now you are ready to upgrade it if you ever need to. We hope you enjoyed reading this post, come back soon for more great info and tips!
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Random Access Memory is sometimes referred to as computer's physical memory because it is the place where all the calculations take place also you can physically touch RAM chips. When ever you open a word document it is loaded into javascript:void(0)RAM and stays there until you close it or save it to your virtual memory which is your hard-drive. RAM is counted now in Giga Bytes and Mega Bytes on graphics cards. RAM chips are different in packages and types, most desktop PCs today use DIMMs and laptops use SODIMMs. Also the most widely used type of memory is DDR and DDR2, your computer should be using either of these.
When you upgrade your RAM you simple add more space for your processor to work in. It wont speed up your Internet, or games, but it will make your games lag less and let you have more open programs and running processes at the same time.
You can find out how much memory you have by clicking properties of My Computer, the default tab System Properties shows you your processor speed and all the physical memory that you have installed.
To see if you actually use all the memory, you just have to open Task Manager and see Performance tab. If the numbers are high even if you don't run anything like a video game, you should upgrade your memory. You should upgrade it if your computer hangs often and you can't run multiple programs at once. Vista operating system requires more RAM than XP, all the latest games and 3D modeling programs use a lot of RAM. Otherwise there is no good reason to buy expensive RAM. A lot of the time, just saying I have 4 GB of RAM is very cool, you probably barely feel the difference when you use your upgraded PC.
If you decide that you still want to upgrade your memory, be sure to read the manual of your computer and see exactly what RAM chips your computer uses and what are the upgrade options, and limit. Be sure to have the correct info of your chips before you go out buying new ones, if you can and feel confident enough, open your box and write down everything that is written on those chips, don't take them out unless you are absolutely sure you can do it, read, watch some guides before attempting to remove your RAM chips. RAM is vital to your computer, just taking it out an placing back in may stop your computer from working. It is always better to get a professional engineer to do it for you, even if it costs a little more.
We hope this post helped you to understand RAM better and now you are ready to upgrade it if you ever need to. We hope you enjoyed reading this post, come back soon for more great info and tips!
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Installing Fresh Windows
Installing new Windows is an everyday job to a computer technician. Some think that it it pretty amazing to know how it is done, but the reality is that this job is very, very boring and time consuming. Through out the install there is nothing to do for you, but just watch the estimated remaining time until it completes. Most of the work you do is type in the serial key number of your Windows CD.
Most new computers bought these days don't even come with a copy of Windows CD or a recovery CD, well, just a picture of it. They simply create a partition with an image of your default system setup which you can restore very easily. The partition is usually hidden so you don't get any ideas, in a way it is much easier for an average user to reinstall Windows without any hassle at all. But if you want flexibility you should do it yourself.
Most of the real work takes place before and after the actual OS installation. Before installing you need to find out and collect everything that you want to keep or backup. You must not forget to transfer any important documents or files to your USB stick, maybe burn those files onto a CD or DVD. Of course, you only need to save everything from the partition that has Windows installed. If you have a partition that contains all your important data on it you don't have to back it up because it is not your system partition, but it is recommended to partition your hard-drive again and clear everything.
Once you have all your music, videos, your favorites or bookmarks, everything from your desktop or maybe some important game saves or updates and files that programs may have created in one of Program Files folders. You have all your latest drivers ready for installing on a separate CD. Now you are almost ready to install fresh Windows, but just before you do that, check if your windows CD is in good condition, try to copy it onto your disk if you get no errors you are good to go, if you do get errors do not use that CD because your installation may end up to be corrupted or even failed.
When you have everything ready it is time for the actual install, but if you want to install windows from a CD, you must change your boot order or select to boot from CD you can do that in your system BIOS, check what keys you need to press to access it just in the first few seconds, when the computer is performing a self-test.
Once you load the CD, the rest is pretty simple, written in white on blue. Select the infected partition where you want to install new Windows on and delete it. From unallocated space that you now have, create a new partition and format it as NTFS file system. Once done Windows will copy needed files from the CD and reboot. Keep the CD in the drive but don't let it boot. From here Windows will load without the CD but it is needed to finish the installation. This is the time to put in your CD key, select your keyboard layout, choose your username. Create a name for you computer and a Workgroup. A few more settings and you are done with the installation, a final wizard comes on from Microsoft which you can skip most of it apart from creating a username.
Finally now you should see your new fresh default Windows desktop, if you do then, you have successfully completed Windows installation, but your work is not over just yet. Get your drivers out and all the necessary programs like anti-virus, Winrar, maybe Divx.
At this point you could create a recovery disk, create a restore point, create an image of your system and keep it separate so when next time you install, everything is ready and running. You could install another Windows on to a different partition for better protection against complete system crashes you can find out more about that in our post about Multiple OS PCs.
We hope you enjoyed reading this post, we hope this information was helpful to you. Comeback soon for more great tips, tricks, solutions and fixes for your beloved PC!
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Most new computers bought these days don't even come with a copy of Windows CD or a recovery CD, well, just a picture of it. They simply create a partition with an image of your default system setup which you can restore very easily. The partition is usually hidden so you don't get any ideas, in a way it is much easier for an average user to reinstall Windows without any hassle at all. But if you want flexibility you should do it yourself.
Most of the real work takes place before and after the actual OS installation. Before installing you need to find out and collect everything that you want to keep or backup. You must not forget to transfer any important documents or files to your USB stick, maybe burn those files onto a CD or DVD. Of course, you only need to save everything from the partition that has Windows installed. If you have a partition that contains all your important data on it you don't have to back it up because it is not your system partition, but it is recommended to partition your hard-drive again and clear everything.
Once you have all your music, videos, your favorites or bookmarks, everything from your desktop or maybe some important game saves or updates and files that programs may have created in one of Program Files folders. You have all your latest drivers ready for installing on a separate CD. Now you are almost ready to install fresh Windows, but just before you do that, check if your windows CD is in good condition, try to copy it onto your disk if you get no errors you are good to go, if you do get errors do not use that CD because your installation may end up to be corrupted or even failed.
When you have everything ready it is time for the actual install, but if you want to install windows from a CD, you must change your boot order or select to boot from CD you can do that in your system BIOS, check what keys you need to press to access it just in the first few seconds, when the computer is performing a self-test.
Once you load the CD, the rest is pretty simple, written in white on blue. Select the infected partition where you want to install new Windows on and delete it. From unallocated space that you now have, create a new partition and format it as NTFS file system. Once done Windows will copy needed files from the CD and reboot. Keep the CD in the drive but don't let it boot. From here Windows will load without the CD but it is needed to finish the installation. This is the time to put in your CD key, select your keyboard layout, choose your username. Create a name for you computer and a Workgroup. A few more settings and you are done with the installation, a final wizard comes on from Microsoft which you can skip most of it apart from creating a username.
Finally now you should see your new fresh default Windows desktop, if you do then, you have successfully completed Windows installation, but your work is not over just yet. Get your drivers out and all the necessary programs like anti-virus, Winrar, maybe Divx.
At this point you could create a recovery disk, create a restore point, create an image of your system and keep it separate so when next time you install, everything is ready and running. You could install another Windows on to a different partition for better protection against complete system crashes you can find out more about that in our post about Multiple OS PCs.
We hope you enjoyed reading this post, we hope this information was helpful to you. Comeback soon for more great tips, tricks, solutions and fixes for your beloved PC!
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Wednesday, 19 November 2008
Multiple OS PC
We wanted to share this solution because we find it really extremely useful. What do you do when you can't boot into your Windows machine? What do you do if your OS has so many viruses it is not possible to recover anything? It is still probably possible to recover your data from these situations but if you don't know how to - you have lost all your data. Hopefully it is the first and the last time this happens. The best you can do now is to prevent it from happening ever again, with this superb solution we are offering to you, free of charge.
We, the PC Helpers are always coming up with new and interesting solutions, fixes that anyone could make good use of. This solution is no different, we like to think that we invented it and no one can say otherwise.
These days a lot of people have computers that contain hard-drives with over 100GB of space, but most users don't use it up and this space goes to waste. So why not create another partition and install another Windows or even two, maybe you would want to install Linux on to a partition of your hard-drive. Xp or Vista don't take up a lot of space, just a few GBs and having a extra OS installed can be life saving.
If you have a second OS on a partition that you never use, how high is the possibility for a virus reach it? Can your anti-virus program installed on this second OS scan the infected Windows partition? You can simply copy all important files to your healthy partition and install a fresh on where your infected partition is or try to repair it.
You could also have a USB memory stick that has windows on them and boot from it, if your system's BIOS supports that. We will teach you how to do that sometime too, you have to keep checking our little site.
If you do install another OS on to your PC, you have to have a way to access it, there are two ways to do it. First is to edit Boot.ini and add information about your second OS, this file is hidden system file so you have to make it visible first. Be sure you know what you are doing because one little mistake and you won't be able to access your Windows at all. We recommend a multi boot manager, multiple OS boot tool or something like that. There are many to choose from, you will find one you like. Also to create a free partition you would need a partition tool or partition when you are installing your first Windows.
We hope this post was helpful to you. We hope you enjoyed reading our tips, please leave a comment. Don't forget to comeback soon for more great info.
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We, the PC Helpers are always coming up with new and interesting solutions, fixes that anyone could make good use of. This solution is no different, we like to think that we invented it and no one can say otherwise.
These days a lot of people have computers that contain hard-drives with over 100GB of space, but most users don't use it up and this space goes to waste. So why not create another partition and install another Windows or even two, maybe you would want to install Linux on to a partition of your hard-drive. Xp or Vista don't take up a lot of space, just a few GBs and having a extra OS installed can be life saving.
If you have a second OS on a partition that you never use, how high is the possibility for a virus reach it? Can your anti-virus program installed on this second OS scan the infected Windows partition? You can simply copy all important files to your healthy partition and install a fresh on where your infected partition is or try to repair it.
You could also have a USB memory stick that has windows on them and boot from it, if your system's BIOS supports that. We will teach you how to do that sometime too, you have to keep checking our little site.
If you do install another OS on to your PC, you have to have a way to access it, there are two ways to do it. First is to edit Boot.ini and add information about your second OS, this file is hidden system file so you have to make it visible first. Be sure you know what you are doing because one little mistake and you won't be able to access your Windows at all. We recommend a multi boot manager, multiple OS boot tool or something like that. There are many to choose from, you will find one you like. Also to create a free partition you would need a partition tool or partition when you are installing your first Windows.
We hope this post was helpful to you. We hope you enjoyed reading our tips, please leave a comment. Don't forget to comeback soon for more great info.
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Sunday, 19 October 2008
Processors or CPUs
Start of with processors – not many things to know about them, just a few things to memorize or take notes of. What do processors do and why does your computer needs one. Well, CPU does about 90% of your computers calculations, that means if there were no CPU (Central Processing Unit), everything would just stand still, you would not be able to move your mouse.
Of course, most important feature of your processor is speed, the higher the speed the faster your computer can perform various actions. You may hear “CPU clock-speed” sometimes, know that they are referring to the speed of your processor. Some processors can be “Over-clocked”, that means that you can tweak your processor to get that little bit extra speed. Tweaking can burn your CPU, it not recommended to tweak it.
These days Intel Dual-Core is very popular choice, dual-core means just that underneath that hard surface of the processor, there are two small twin processors that share the work between them. Soon Quad-Core will be available to everyone, we may see even more advanced Operating Systems that will use all that processing power the Quad-Core will provide.
You should remember the socket number or name that your processor fits into and what other processors you can fit there. This is simple three numbers that show the count of pins there should be on a processor. An example would be, Intel Pentium Dual-Core fits into socket LGA 775 also know as Socket T, it also supports Intel Celeron D and Pentium D. Knowing what processors your motherboard supports is always for the best, you then know exactly how fast can you be.
Of course these sockets are different for laptops or server computers, because these use server and mobile processors. Knowing your's is enough, knowing what special features it may have which suite your specific needs best is even better.
We hope that explained the mystery of processors and their speeds. We hope this info was useful to you and will help you to make a better choice. Don't forget to sign-up for updates so you won't miss any important tips. In the next post we will be covering motherboards and which should fit you best.
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Of course, most important feature of your processor is speed, the higher the speed the faster your computer can perform various actions. You may hear “CPU clock-speed” sometimes, know that they are referring to the speed of your processor. Some processors can be “Over-clocked”, that means that you can tweak your processor to get that little bit extra speed. Tweaking can burn your CPU, it not recommended to tweak it.
These days Intel Dual-Core is very popular choice, dual-core means just that underneath that hard surface of the processor, there are two small twin processors that share the work between them. Soon Quad-Core will be available to everyone, we may see even more advanced Operating Systems that will use all that processing power the Quad-Core will provide.
You should remember the socket number or name that your processor fits into and what other processors you can fit there. This is simple three numbers that show the count of pins there should be on a processor. An example would be, Intel Pentium Dual-Core fits into socket LGA 775 also know as Socket T, it also supports Intel Celeron D and Pentium D. Knowing what processors your motherboard supports is always for the best, you then know exactly how fast can you be.
Of course these sockets are different for laptops or server computers, because these use server and mobile processors. Knowing your's is enough, knowing what special features it may have which suite your specific needs best is even better.
We hope that explained the mystery of processors and their speeds. We hope this info was useful to you and will help you to make a better choice. Don't forget to sign-up for updates so you won't miss any important tips. In the next post we will be covering motherboards and which should fit you best.
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Thursday, 16 October 2008
Laptops Vs Desktops Part 1
It's a two parter yet again, this is a topic that every computer helper faces once in a while. What is better a laptop or a desktop? Which should I choose? We try to answer these simple questions in this double post. The end choice is yours, these are only our opinions, we won't take responsibilities for any of your actions.
There are two main differences between a portable laptop or a notebook and the good old stationary desktop. The two differences are pretty simple, portability and scalability or expandability. These two differences will help you decide in most cases, but these days, laptop computers can be as powerful as desktops. Their sleek design, many integrated devices – there are enough points that attract buyers besides portability.
Don't start dreaming now, because a portable computer can cost several months pay or a long time of saving – it can also cost a dime on the street! Your probably heard stories of someone being offered stolen laptops. There are a lot of happy costumers and even more people crying over what they have lost. You can forget about portability and start to be paranoid about someone coming your home and taking away your new, cool, shining laptop.
There is a lot more to say for that part, but think if you ever seen some businessman, on a train or a bus working away on the latest model laptop, none. Because these computers only contain their latest work and there are a value of week's pay for them. You should not risk carrying around expensive things like a laptop with all your irreplaceable data on it.
We hope these tips will help you decide what to choose better, but really... If you live in a little place and have only enough room for a open pizza box, plus your laptops safety is 100% - if you ever decide to travel with it somewhere. And you won't be upset when in one year, your laptop is barely breathing, outdated compared to the new models on the market and you cant upgrade it anymore.
If that wasn't enough for you to say “I'm buying a desktop” or perhaps think of getting a second had portable computer. Then you should get a laptop today, even so finish reading this post, compare laptop to a desktop more closer and think on what you might lose.
Continue to Part 2
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There are two main differences between a portable laptop or a notebook and the good old stationary desktop. The two differences are pretty simple, portability and scalability or expandability. These two differences will help you decide in most cases, but these days, laptop computers can be as powerful as desktops. Their sleek design, many integrated devices – there are enough points that attract buyers besides portability.
Don't start dreaming now, because a portable computer can cost several months pay or a long time of saving – it can also cost a dime on the street! Your probably heard stories of someone being offered stolen laptops. There are a lot of happy costumers and even more people crying over what they have lost. You can forget about portability and start to be paranoid about someone coming your home and taking away your new, cool, shining laptop.
There is a lot more to say for that part, but think if you ever seen some businessman, on a train or a bus working away on the latest model laptop, none. Because these computers only contain their latest work and there are a value of week's pay for them. You should not risk carrying around expensive things like a laptop with all your irreplaceable data on it.
We hope these tips will help you decide what to choose better, but really... If you live in a little place and have only enough room for a open pizza box, plus your laptops safety is 100% - if you ever decide to travel with it somewhere. And you won't be upset when in one year, your laptop is barely breathing, outdated compared to the new models on the market and you cant upgrade it anymore.
If that wasn't enough for you to say “I'm buying a desktop” or perhaps think of getting a second had portable computer. Then you should get a laptop today, even so finish reading this post, compare laptop to a desktop more closer and think on what you might lose.
Continue to Part 2
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Laptops Vs Desktops Part 2
When comparing stationary desktops and portable laptops one big thing you have to keep in mind is that the portable technology is behind and in some cases it advances on its own. New computer processors and memory sticks are being originally designed for desktops and only after, re-designed for portable computers. Doesn't matter how new your laptop is, there is always a more advanced desktop for the same price.
Even if you get this latest model laptop which is less powerful than the latest desktop model, you won't be able to upgrade as many new parts or as many times as you could as on a desktop. In other words laptops can get upgraded in four places: Physical Memory, Hard-drive, CPU and the CD-ROM drive. Usually you can't expand as much as you can on a desktop too.
The design of your computer is very important – nobody wants to work on a ugly computer. Notebooks win this one, because it doesn't matter how many flashing lights or how big the cooling system is, laptops are much more attractive. Even a shy black laptop can look better than a round mini-tower and a monitor covered in fur.
You can call having a working coolest, the most stylish laptop one thing – trying to fix the most coolest and stylish laptop is another thing. Remember you can only replace few things, what if you accidentally smash the monitor? Your wireless card stops working and your laptop is louder than ever? A new laptop for any of those reasons, even if your laptop is very loud – it's because it has to be cleaned from the inside and only experts know how.
You can easily open most desktop cases these day and clean the dust but not on laptops. Be lucky if you can remove your fan separately from the rest of the computer. You just go and buy a new compatible part for your desktop computer, you don't have to stress yourself over such things.
The only real answer is to have both. Have a high-end desktop for your work and games and a little low-end cheap laptop that you can play with. Not worrying so much, if something was to happen to it and using it for things that don't eat up memory and space.
We hope you enjoyed this post, please read other important posts we have here. Hope to see you here again soon!
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Even if you get this latest model laptop which is less powerful than the latest desktop model, you won't be able to upgrade as many new parts or as many times as you could as on a desktop. In other words laptops can get upgraded in four places: Physical Memory, Hard-drive, CPU and the CD-ROM drive. Usually you can't expand as much as you can on a desktop too.
The design of your computer is very important – nobody wants to work on a ugly computer. Notebooks win this one, because it doesn't matter how many flashing lights or how big the cooling system is, laptops are much more attractive. Even a shy black laptop can look better than a round mini-tower and a monitor covered in fur.
You can call having a working coolest, the most stylish laptop one thing – trying to fix the most coolest and stylish laptop is another thing. Remember you can only replace few things, what if you accidentally smash the monitor? Your wireless card stops working and your laptop is louder than ever? A new laptop for any of those reasons, even if your laptop is very loud – it's because it has to be cleaned from the inside and only experts know how.
You can easily open most desktop cases these day and clean the dust but not on laptops. Be lucky if you can remove your fan separately from the rest of the computer. You just go and buy a new compatible part for your desktop computer, you don't have to stress yourself over such things.
The only real answer is to have both. Have a high-end desktop for your work and games and a little low-end cheap laptop that you can play with. Not worrying so much, if something was to happen to it and using it for things that don't eat up memory and space.
We hope you enjoyed this post, please read other important posts we have here. Hope to see you here again soon!
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Common Wireless Standards
Some things that every wireless network user should know about their network adapters. If you are planing to buy a new machine and you want wireless capabilities, we will explain everything water-clear to you.
Every wireless adapter works based on IEEE 802.11 standards. Which is just a collection of rules for the creators, so they have a structure to work from. There are many 802.11 standards, most of the letters of English alphabet, just Google it if you are interested. However, most home wireless adapters use only a few of these. Only two, two and a half, the third is not yet complete.
First standard came in 2000, that was 802.11b. It had transfer rates of 11 Mbps and range rate of around 35 meters (100ft) and was operating on 2.4 GHz frequency. It wasn't a lot but was the first wireless standard used in mainstream PCs. Just after tasting wireless, the world wanted more speed, so they came up with 802.11g.
Second mainstream standard - 802.11g came in 2003. It offered same range range and frequency as the previous standard, but had high 54 Mbps speeds. The two standards are almost the same, so adapter manufacturers combined them and most adapters today support both.
The third standard 802.11n, which has already been adopted by most wireless adapter manufacturing companies. New adapters that support 802.11n are already in the shops and they offer speeds of around 250 Mbps and ranges of around 60 meters (200ft). This standard should come out in 2010, but for now these specs are more than enough.
To get the most speed and range from these standards use hardware that supports the same standard or more. If your wireless router supports only g and your computer supports only b or vice-versa, don't expect higher speeds.
Wireless connectivity, speed and range depend on how clear is the space for the signal to pass from your router to your computer. Which means anything that any other waves or objects can interfere with the signal. Remember that cordless phones, microwaves and blue-tooth devices operate on the same 2.4 GHz frequency so, don't be surprised if your Internet disconnects when you are heating up your dinner or get a phone call.
Do read our post about wireless setup and protection here
We hope this info was useful to you, don't forget to check up on us for more great info and tips on wireless. Subscribe to our e-mail updates, then you won't miss a post.
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Every wireless adapter works based on IEEE 802.11 standards. Which is just a collection of rules for the creators, so they have a structure to work from. There are many 802.11 standards, most of the letters of English alphabet, just Google it if you are interested. However, most home wireless adapters use only a few of these. Only two, two and a half, the third is not yet complete.
First standard came in 2000, that was 802.11b. It had transfer rates of 11 Mbps and range rate of around 35 meters (100ft) and was operating on 2.4 GHz frequency. It wasn't a lot but was the first wireless standard used in mainstream PCs. Just after tasting wireless, the world wanted more speed, so they came up with 802.11g.
Second mainstream standard - 802.11g came in 2003. It offered same range range and frequency as the previous standard, but had high 54 Mbps speeds. The two standards are almost the same, so adapter manufacturers combined them and most adapters today support both.
The third standard 802.11n, which has already been adopted by most wireless adapter manufacturing companies. New adapters that support 802.11n are already in the shops and they offer speeds of around 250 Mbps and ranges of around 60 meters (200ft). This standard should come out in 2010, but for now these specs are more than enough.
To get the most speed and range from these standards use hardware that supports the same standard or more. If your wireless router supports only g and your computer supports only b or vice-versa, don't expect higher speeds.
Wireless connectivity, speed and range depend on how clear is the space for the signal to pass from your router to your computer. Which means anything that any other waves or objects can interfere with the signal. Remember that cordless phones, microwaves and blue-tooth devices operate on the same 2.4 GHz frequency so, don't be surprised if your Internet disconnects when you are heating up your dinner or get a phone call.
Do read our post about wireless setup and protection here
We hope this info was useful to you, don't forget to check up on us for more great info and tips on wireless. Subscribe to our e-mail updates, then you won't miss a post.
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Wireless Setup and Security
Wireless Internet has been with us for a while now - in some countries, most homes have wireless routers, almost everyone prefers a wireless connection to the Internet, over a wired one. Internet service providers offer wireless routers with their contracts, it is very tempting to get one even if your computer doesn't support wireless networking, because you may need it later.
It is one thing to own a wireless router, it is all together another thing to understand how it works and setting up a wireless network and secure it properly. We get a lot of troubles with our wireless network connections – knowing a few tips will help you understand and manage your network with less hassle.
There are not many things you need to do to setup your wireless network. In most cases reading the manual that came in the box is enough. You need to check it eventually, you need to know the routers address. Most people never even thought of accessing it, they call their ISP or call out technicians if their Internet goes down.
The first thing you have to do is check the manual to see that address, it is usually 192.168.0.1 or similar. Assuming you have all the IP addresses, passwords and other info that your ISP should have sent you, you can go ahead and login into your router.
Once you are there, you can use a wizards or whatever you have on your router to setup your network. You have to set these important settings for your wireless to work and for you to be able to connect to it:
1. Your network name as it will appear when you search for wireless networks, that usually is called SSID – set it so that it is broadcasted.
2. You have to set your region or your continent.
3. You have to set a specific channel on which your router will broadcast signals. Use channel 1, 6 or 11.
4. Select your mode, most adapters these days support b/g standards even new n standard. If you want to have full speeds of your network - you must have hardware that supports those speed on both sides.
5. Select a protection type - we recommend WPA, as it protects better than WEP.
WPA uses a phrase that you can come up with and is in most cases uncrackable. It is good to have a long easy password to remember with inclusion of a few numbers. In some cases you have a choice of different WPA protections, choose the one that works with your hardware. WEP passwords are crackable, if you don't have admin password set on your router – someone can take over and block you out of your own wireless network, so setup passwords where you can.
We hope these basic tips come in handy for you.
Don't forget to visit our blog again soon for more great tips on wireless.
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It is one thing to own a wireless router, it is all together another thing to understand how it works and setting up a wireless network and secure it properly. We get a lot of troubles with our wireless network connections – knowing a few tips will help you understand and manage your network with less hassle.
There are not many things you need to do to setup your wireless network. In most cases reading the manual that came in the box is enough. You need to check it eventually, you need to know the routers address. Most people never even thought of accessing it, they call their ISP or call out technicians if their Internet goes down.
The first thing you have to do is check the manual to see that address, it is usually 192.168.0.1 or similar. Assuming you have all the IP addresses, passwords and other info that your ISP should have sent you, you can go ahead and login into your router.
Once you are there, you can use a wizards or whatever you have on your router to setup your network. You have to set these important settings for your wireless to work and for you to be able to connect to it:
1. Your network name as it will appear when you search for wireless networks, that usually is called SSID – set it so that it is broadcasted.
2. You have to set your region or your continent.
3. You have to set a specific channel on which your router will broadcast signals. Use channel 1, 6 or 11.
4. Select your mode, most adapters these days support b/g standards even new n standard. If you want to have full speeds of your network - you must have hardware that supports those speed on both sides.
5. Select a protection type - we recommend WPA, as it protects better than WEP.
WPA uses a phrase that you can come up with and is in most cases uncrackable. It is good to have a long easy password to remember with inclusion of a few numbers. In some cases you have a choice of different WPA protections, choose the one that works with your hardware. WEP passwords are crackable, if you don't have admin password set on your router – someone can take over and block you out of your own wireless network, so setup passwords where you can.
We hope these basic tips come in handy for you.
Don't forget to visit our blog again soon for more great tips on wireless.
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Wednesday, 8 October 2008
Internet Security: Your Sensitive Information
You can have the best Internet-security system installed, the very best anti-virus software but it won't help you if you, yourself won't notice a fraudulent website. In the end you probably agreed to install and run this malware or you thought that the website is secure.
Many people buy on the Internet safely and never have problems. Others are afraid that even one form or a little transaction and their savings and identity will be lost. This shouldn't happen if you know a little on how to recognize fraudulent websites and browse the Internet safely.
There really is actually no way to protect yourself 100% from fraud or scam. For simple reasons. In the end you are the one typing-in you private information. Even if you have 0.0001% doubt about the website or its services, just don't type in anything private.
One very important thing you have to notice when you are filling out a on-line form is to check if that page uses secure protocol. Normal content web pages use Http (hypertext transfer protocol), but login pages, sign-up forms and sensitive data forms must be on a different protocol, which is Https (secured Http). This protocol uses different ports, the data traveling can not be read by anyone else. Make sure that the website you want to pay money to has this security feature.
If you are willing enough, Google webiste's name or address, find out who owns it. Check user feedback on the services provided, dig about before signing-up to something.
Check website's Privacy Policy Statement and Terms of Use before signing up. Check if they have a costumer support team, ready to answer any of your questions about your account or their services. Try to contact them before actually signing up. Ask them if you are not sure about anything about their website.
Remember when you want to purchase something over the Internet - it is best to find out everything you can about the product that you want to spend money on before buying it. Just like in real world you would know exactly what you are buying. Try to get a sample or a trial before getting the real thing. Make sure your money can be refunded, make sure your product or service has 30 day money back guarantee and or you can cancel your subscription anytime.
We hope these tips where useful and easy to understand. Please keep in mind that you are responsible for your actions and this information is here only for education purposes, don't hold us or anyone responsible for your own actions.
More tech browsing security tips will be posted soon, so remember to check back.
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Many people buy on the Internet safely and never have problems. Others are afraid that even one form or a little transaction and their savings and identity will be lost. This shouldn't happen if you know a little on how to recognize fraudulent websites and browse the Internet safely.
There really is actually no way to protect yourself 100% from fraud or scam. For simple reasons. In the end you are the one typing-in you private information. Even if you have 0.0001% doubt about the website or its services, just don't type in anything private.
One very important thing you have to notice when you are filling out a on-line form is to check if that page uses secure protocol. Normal content web pages use Http (hypertext transfer protocol), but login pages, sign-up forms and sensitive data forms must be on a different protocol, which is Https (secured Http). This protocol uses different ports, the data traveling can not be read by anyone else. Make sure that the website you want to pay money to has this security feature.
If you are willing enough, Google webiste's name or address, find out who owns it. Check user feedback on the services provided, dig about before signing-up to something.
Check website's Privacy Policy Statement and Terms of Use before signing up. Check if they have a costumer support team, ready to answer any of your questions about your account or their services. Try to contact them before actually signing up. Ask them if you are not sure about anything about their website.
Remember when you want to purchase something over the Internet - it is best to find out everything you can about the product that you want to spend money on before buying it. Just like in real world you would know exactly what you are buying. Try to get a sample or a trial before getting the real thing. Make sure your money can be refunded, make sure your product or service has 30 day money back guarantee and or you can cancel your subscription anytime.
We hope these tips where useful and easy to understand. Please keep in mind that you are responsible for your actions and this information is here only for education purposes, don't hold us or anyone responsible for your own actions.
More tech browsing security tips will be posted soon, so remember to check back.
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Wednesday, 1 October 2008
Task Manager Page 1
We are about to share some effective tips and tricks for the Windows Task Manager. These are extremely important to know, because they help in everyday PC usage a lot. Task Manager is a advanced user tool, most new computer users don't even know where to find it and what it is for. There are a lot of things to mention, so split this post in to two pages.
There are many ways to access it one of the fastest is right-clicking your Task bar, selecting Task Manager - you can also use a key combination Ctrl+Shift+Esc in XP and Vista.
Most people use the Task Manager for one reason, that is to shutdown a program. The easiest way to do it is to load this tool, select the preferred program and click End Task. This usually brings up a little window with two options - End Task Now or Cancel. Of course, you will choose the first option, but most of the time it doesn't get you anywhere and you still have to wait or (a bad one) reset your crashed computer. But that is not advanced usage of this tool at all, you don't need to restart and lose most of the active stuff you had.
The only time you may really need to do a hard-reset (which is just holding the power button for a few seconds) is when you can't move your mouse. You might have been playing music and it freezes, starts playing the same half of a second - you may need to hard-reset your PC only at these or similar points. It is never recommended to hard-reset for what ever the reason, if you can navigate your mouse - you can enter Task Manager and maybe save your situation.
Most people use only the Applications Tab, they never really analyze the other tabs and what they are meant for. The most important tab. Processes Tab the scariest of these is not so hard to understand. Performance is in fact - very interesting to watch, it's like watching you computers heart, well to some of us... Networking is kind of the same, but only for your network adapter. Last tab is Users which doesn't do much accept Disconnect you from the machine, that works the same as Logoff.
Again most average windows users don't understand Processes Tab, because - yes you can accidentally crash your computer and lose your work. But if you know which one is the one not responding or one that you want to end, and you know how to start new processes - you can explore, test which processes take up memory and make your computer slow and loud. Good way of learning is by selecting the non-responding program and selecting go to procceses, only then select to end it. Doing so, might harm your computer, because a lot of aplications these days have more than one process and if you don't know - you are just messing things up.
Continue to Page 2
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There are many ways to access it one of the fastest is right-clicking your Task bar, selecting Task Manager - you can also use a key combination Ctrl+Shift+Esc in XP and Vista.
Most people use the Task Manager for one reason, that is to shutdown a program. The easiest way to do it is to load this tool, select the preferred program and click End Task. This usually brings up a little window with two options - End Task Now or Cancel. Of course, you will choose the first option, but most of the time it doesn't get you anywhere and you still have to wait or (a bad one) reset your crashed computer. But that is not advanced usage of this tool at all, you don't need to restart and lose most of the active stuff you had.
The only time you may really need to do a hard-reset (which is just holding the power button for a few seconds) is when you can't move your mouse. You might have been playing music and it freezes, starts playing the same half of a second - you may need to hard-reset your PC only at these or similar points. It is never recommended to hard-reset for what ever the reason, if you can navigate your mouse - you can enter Task Manager and maybe save your situation.
Most people use only the Applications Tab, they never really analyze the other tabs and what they are meant for. The most important tab. Processes Tab the scariest of these is not so hard to understand. Performance is in fact - very interesting to watch, it's like watching you computers heart, well to some of us... Networking is kind of the same, but only for your network adapter. Last tab is Users which doesn't do much accept Disconnect you from the machine, that works the same as Logoff.
Again most average windows users don't understand Processes Tab, because - yes you can accidentally crash your computer and lose your work. But if you know which one is the one not responding or one that you want to end, and you know how to start new processes - you can explore, test which processes take up memory and make your computer slow and loud. Good way of learning is by selecting the non-responding program and selecting go to procceses, only then select to end it. Doing so, might harm your computer, because a lot of aplications these days have more than one process and if you don't know - you are just messing things up.
Continue to Page 2
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Task Manager Page 2
To run a new program or process, you can choose New Task button in Aplications Tab or you can reach it from the File Menu of Task Manager. Basically you can run any program from here too, you have to browse to Program Files Or Windows System folders and find the actual exe program files.
The two programs that crash most of the time is Explorer and IExplore, you should know what these do by know. If you type-in iexplore when executing New Task - this will launch Internet Explorer. Remember that these processes control multiple windows, when you kill them - most of the time all pages go with it too.
Now the trick to restarting Explorer should be clear now. When it does crash and none of windows are responding - open Task Manager, End explorer.exe process and restart it by selecting New Task, typing explorer and clicking OK.
Remember shutting down processes is not healthy for your PC, but it is very effective and fast. Also you can shutdown unused processes that just make your PC loud, maybe try out new apps that take-up less memory.
It is fine to end one process, but what if you end process tree? This works on Explorer again, this kill your media players, your Internet explorer any other app that might be running.
We use this only if your machine restarts after a minute it loads. Sometimes killing all processes stops it from rebooting. Of course you have to be fast and know what your doing so we don't recommend doing it until we teach you properly, but in another post.
We hope these tips will help you become more nerdy, and help you blog and network smiling. Please remember that you use these tips at your own risk. It is not our fault if you break your computer. Don't forget to come back soon for more great tips from PC Helpers On Blogspot.
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The two programs that crash most of the time is Explorer and IExplore, you should know what these do by know. If you type-in iexplore when executing New Task - this will launch Internet Explorer. Remember that these processes control multiple windows, when you kill them - most of the time all pages go with it too.
Now the trick to restarting Explorer should be clear now. When it does crash and none of windows are responding - open Task Manager, End explorer.exe process and restart it by selecting New Task, typing explorer and clicking OK.
Remember shutting down processes is not healthy for your PC, but it is very effective and fast. Also you can shutdown unused processes that just make your PC loud, maybe try out new apps that take-up less memory.
It is fine to end one process, but what if you end process tree? This works on Explorer again, this kill your media players, your Internet explorer any other app that might be running.
We use this only if your machine restarts after a minute it loads. Sometimes killing all processes stops it from rebooting. Of course you have to be fast and know what your doing so we don't recommend doing it until we teach you properly, but in another post.
We hope these tips will help you become more nerdy, and help you blog and network smiling. Please remember that you use these tips at your own risk. It is not our fault if you break your computer. Don't forget to come back soon for more great tips from PC Helpers On Blogspot.
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Sunday, 21 September 2008
Windows Control Panel Part 2
Windows Control Panel very important links to all the settings of your computer, you can customize anything from here, these are very important things to know if you don't already.
Add Hardware wizard is very important, because sometimes you can accidentally close the wizard that starts when you plug in a device. You can use this wizard to update your device drivers.
Add Remove Programs, because sometimes there is no uninstall option in start menu programs. A very useful part of Add Remove Programs is the option to do Add Remove Windows Components. You can use this when your windows Internet Explorer or some other application like Outlook starts to show errors, reinstalling the component might help you sometimes.
Administrative tools are very important to know but they are for more advanced tips, you can explore them yourself or wait until we post about the tools located there, and if you still haven't you can read about Computer Management: Device Manager here. We will eventually cover them all, but for now you are a long way from administrative tools.
Network Connections is where you can find your disabled and enabled network interfaces. Internet connections that are active, you can right click select properties to see the configurations of your connections. We don't recommend setting anything there if you don't know what you are doing because you might lose your internet connection.
The rest of these you can access through other options. System is the same as My Computer Properties, Display is your Desktop Properties and so on... Feel free to explore these settings and make your computer as personal and unique as you are.
We hope these two little posts helped you understand Windows Control Panel. If you are unclear about anything please comment or contact us. These are the tips that IT teachers should have thought you in your first IT class. We think these are very important tips to know for any PC user weather you just read the news, watch films or network with others on facebook, so keep them in mind and they will help you when you are in trouble.
Don't forget to bookmark our blog to get the latest tips for everyone who uses a personal computer. See you next time.
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Add Hardware wizard is very important, because sometimes you can accidentally close the wizard that starts when you plug in a device. You can use this wizard to update your device drivers.
Add Remove Programs, because sometimes there is no uninstall option in start menu programs. A very useful part of Add Remove Programs is the option to do Add Remove Windows Components. You can use this when your windows Internet Explorer or some other application like Outlook starts to show errors, reinstalling the component might help you sometimes.
Administrative tools are very important to know but they are for more advanced tips, you can explore them yourself or wait until we post about the tools located there, and if you still haven't you can read about Computer Management: Device Manager here. We will eventually cover them all, but for now you are a long way from administrative tools.
Network Connections is where you can find your disabled and enabled network interfaces. Internet connections that are active, you can right click select properties to see the configurations of your connections. We don't recommend setting anything there if you don't know what you are doing because you might lose your internet connection.
The rest of these you can access through other options. System is the same as My Computer Properties, Display is your Desktop Properties and so on... Feel free to explore these settings and make your computer as personal and unique as you are.
We hope these two little posts helped you understand Windows Control Panel. If you are unclear about anything please comment or contact us. These are the tips that IT teachers should have thought you in your first IT class. We think these are very important tips to know for any PC user weather you just read the news, watch films or network with others on facebook, so keep them in mind and they will help you when you are in trouble.
Don't forget to bookmark our blog to get the latest tips for everyone who uses a personal computer. See you next time.
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Windows Control Panel Part 1
What a scary place, the Control Panel is a forbidden place to some. Only techies understand and use it. It is meant for advanced PC users and really some people don't know what is it for and how to use it. You maybe know where to get great facebook apps or maybe create excellent myspace layouts, but you don't know how to setup your internet connection and you have to call your friends when it disappears.
All computer users should familiarize with the control panel the first time they use a PC. The Windows Control Panel is very simple to use and easy to understand, most of the icons and tasks are just shortcuts to your display settings and properties, your internet settings, sound settings and so on...
We would like to cover some parts of the Control Panel that we think everyone should know how to use. And there are many tips to mention on this subject so we will split this post in to two parts, don't even think of not reading both of them.
You can find Control Panel usually in Other Places on your left side of My Computer window. You can set it to show up in your start menu by right-clicking somewhere in on the start menu, selecting properties. This will bring up Taskbar and Star Menu Properties, we have to click Start menu Customize... this will bring up another properties window, select the advanced tab. You will see "Start menu items:" the very first one is the Control Panel, click the Display Link radio button and click OK to close all windows. You can of course explore all the items that you can add and remove from your start menu and read on this blog when you are finished.
Now go ahead and click Control Panel in start menu, this will bring you the category view of Windows Control Panel. Advanced users usually set it to classic view the first time they go there, because this way you can see more links to settings and properties. The category view is for beginner users, you can do most of the things that are in classic view, the icons are just categorized, arranged together. Some of them can't be categorized so they can only be viewed in the classic view. You can always add more great tools to control panel that might be very handy, just search the net for these little tools.
Now that you are a bit more familiar with Windows Control Panel, we want to cover some of the things that it has and what are they used for. Read part two of this post.
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All computer users should familiarize with the control panel the first time they use a PC. The Windows Control Panel is very simple to use and easy to understand, most of the icons and tasks are just shortcuts to your display settings and properties, your internet settings, sound settings and so on...
We would like to cover some parts of the Control Panel that we think everyone should know how to use. And there are many tips to mention on this subject so we will split this post in to two parts, don't even think of not reading both of them.
You can find Control Panel usually in Other Places on your left side of My Computer window. You can set it to show up in your start menu by right-clicking somewhere in on the start menu, selecting properties. This will bring up Taskbar and Star Menu Properties, we have to click Start menu Customize... this will bring up another properties window, select the advanced tab. You will see "Start menu items:" the very first one is the Control Panel, click the Display Link radio button and click OK to close all windows. You can of course explore all the items that you can add and remove from your start menu and read on this blog when you are finished.
Now go ahead and click Control Panel in start menu, this will bring you the category view of Windows Control Panel. Advanced users usually set it to classic view the first time they go there, because this way you can see more links to settings and properties. The category view is for beginner users, you can do most of the things that are in classic view, the icons are just categorized, arranged together. Some of them can't be categorized so they can only be viewed in the classic view. You can always add more great tools to control panel that might be very handy, just search the net for these little tools.
Now that you are a bit more familiar with Windows Control Panel, we want to cover some of the things that it has and what are they used for. Read part two of this post.
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Monday, 15 September 2008
Defragmenting Your Hard-drive
Everyone complains that their PC is slow or for some reason is running games and programs slower and slower. There might be many reasons for this of course, but to keep your computer in top form defragmenting your hdd is in top of this list. It is very important to perform defragmentation of your system disk often for many reasons too. We detail everything you need to know in this post about defragmenting your hard-drive.
It is important to run defragmenatation, but not a lot of people do it. Because it takes time to do it or because the target disk is full. In other words defragmenting is not so popular and some may not understand why it is needed. Let us explain how to do it and why you must not forget to do it.
The defragemntation is very simple, you can find Windows integrated tool for that if you go: All Programs>Accessories>System Tools also by right-clicking the target disk, selecting the bottom properties option and tools tab.
There are also a huge amount of great free and expensive applications that do the same thing, maybe even a better job on defragmenting. Go ahead and look for one that might be better, recommend one if you know an app worth buying. Here we use Windows defragemtning tool, it already comes with windows and you don't have to register or download anything.
There is nothing hard or tech about it, you load the program, select a target drive, press analyze and press defragment, done. No it is not, even after an hour or two. It really depends on the size of your drive and the file amount that is there. Do it when you know you can leave your PC on for more that a few hours without anyone touching it.
You might not be able to defragment your disk at all, because at least 15% of free space on the target disk is required to move about all the files. Be Sure To Have At least 15% of your system disk free to perform defragmentation.
These are the reasons that makes defragmenting so unpopular and not a lot of people do it. Everyone should do it regularly, maybe as often as your virus scans. One time in two or three weeks, depending on how much you use your computer.
When a file is written to a hard-drive's partition, it is written in pieces, not in one go. Sometimes when you are doing multiple things these pieces get written on different places of the disk, to access it the read/write head has to go back and forth. Over time as more of these things happen your PC looks like it became slower.
What defragmenting does to your PC? It simply organizes all your files together so they can be read and wrote to faster. Simple defragmentation can help solve things like: slow document opening or slow file browsing, slow programs, but that won't solve slow internet!
We hope this post helps you, if your PC is slow and we hope now you understand why it is important to defragment your system drives often. Visit us soon for more great tips!
Read More......
It is important to run defragmenatation, but not a lot of people do it. Because it takes time to do it or because the target disk is full. In other words defragmenting is not so popular and some may not understand why it is needed. Let us explain how to do it and why you must not forget to do it.
The defragemntation is very simple, you can find Windows integrated tool for that if you go: All Programs>Accessories>System Tools also by right-clicking the target disk, selecting the bottom properties option and tools tab.
There are also a huge amount of great free and expensive applications that do the same thing, maybe even a better job on defragmenting. Go ahead and look for one that might be better, recommend one if you know an app worth buying. Here we use Windows defragemtning tool, it already comes with windows and you don't have to register or download anything.
There is nothing hard or tech about it, you load the program, select a target drive, press analyze and press defragment, done. No it is not, even after an hour or two. It really depends on the size of your drive and the file amount that is there. Do it when you know you can leave your PC on for more that a few hours without anyone touching it.
You might not be able to defragment your disk at all, because at least 15% of free space on the target disk is required to move about all the files. Be Sure To Have At least 15% of your system disk free to perform defragmentation.
These are the reasons that makes defragmenting so unpopular and not a lot of people do it. Everyone should do it regularly, maybe as often as your virus scans. One time in two or three weeks, depending on how much you use your computer.
When a file is written to a hard-drive's partition, it is written in pieces, not in one go. Sometimes when you are doing multiple things these pieces get written on different places of the disk, to access it the read/write head has to go back and forth. Over time as more of these things happen your PC looks like it became slower.
What defragmenting does to your PC? It simply organizes all your files together so they can be read and wrote to faster. Simple defragmentation can help solve things like: slow document opening or slow file browsing, slow programs, but that won't solve slow internet!
We hope this post helps you, if your PC is slow and we hope now you understand why it is important to defragment your system drives often. Visit us soon for more great tips!
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Computer Management: Device Manager
Computer Management tools are very important and everyone should know how to use these. Everything your computer has connected, everything it has done or is doing, all that info is there in Computer Management. One of the more important tools from this section you should know is Device Manager, this program manages your system hardware drivers.
We explain in detail what for and how it is used and may help you get back online or run that game. It may seem complicated at first but Windows Wizards help a lot and if you just read what they say, it will make sense after.
You can access this tool by right-clicking My Computer icon (not a shortcut) and selecting Manage. Select Device Manager and you will be presented with all the hardware that is connected and recognized by Windows. You can get there through Control Panel>Performance and Maintenance>Administrative Tools>Computer Management>Device Manager.
Navigate using your mouse double-click or right-click on your preferred device and select properties. This will bring you a window with all of your hardware configuration and info. If there is a yellow question mark beside the device that means there is no driver installed for it, if there is a red cross that means it is disabled.
If you ever need to replace drivers for any of your devices you can do it here. Just select one of the options in the driver tab in the properties of any device. This will bring you a MS Wizard that will guide you through the whole process of updating or uninstalling your preferred device driver. You can let it search the internet for the drivers which most of the time doesn't work. You can let the Wizard scan your system or you can point it to a driver you want to install.
It is always best to install only one driver, reboot and install second, reboot install the third. Not all drivers require that you reboot your system after installation a, but if they do install them separate. Always have more than one back-up of your system drivers and keep them in separate places.
If you are replacing your drivers Be Sure You Can Rollback if it doesn't work to the previous driver. Your computer might just start to reboot every time after the Welcome screen, and you only tried to install new graphic drivers.
We hope this post helped you understand Computer Management Tools better and now you don't have to bother someone who knows a bit more about computers than you, and ask them for help with simple things like installing drivers. Come back soon for more excellent tips on Computer Management and other topics from PC Helpers On Blogspot! Read More......
We explain in detail what for and how it is used and may help you get back online or run that game. It may seem complicated at first but Windows Wizards help a lot and if you just read what they say, it will make sense after.
You can access this tool by right-clicking My Computer icon (not a shortcut) and selecting Manage. Select Device Manager and you will be presented with all the hardware that is connected and recognized by Windows. You can get there through Control Panel>Performance and Maintenance>Administrative Tools>Computer Management>Device Manager.
Navigate using your mouse double-click or right-click on your preferred device and select properties. This will bring you a window with all of your hardware configuration and info. If there is a yellow question mark beside the device that means there is no driver installed for it, if there is a red cross that means it is disabled.
If you ever need to replace drivers for any of your devices you can do it here. Just select one of the options in the driver tab in the properties of any device. This will bring you a MS Wizard that will guide you through the whole process of updating or uninstalling your preferred device driver. You can let it search the internet for the drivers which most of the time doesn't work. You can let the Wizard scan your system or you can point it to a driver you want to install.
It is always best to install only one driver, reboot and install second, reboot install the third. Not all drivers require that you reboot your system after installation a, but if they do install them separate. Always have more than one back-up of your system drivers and keep them in separate places.
If you are replacing your drivers Be Sure You Can Rollback if it doesn't work to the previous driver. Your computer might just start to reboot every time after the Welcome screen, and you only tried to install new graphic drivers.
We hope this post helped you understand Computer Management Tools better and now you don't have to bother someone who knows a bit more about computers than you, and ask them for help with simple things like installing drivers. Come back soon for more excellent tips on Computer Management and other topics from PC Helpers On Blogspot! Read More......
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System Files Backup and Restore
System Files Backup and Restore
Welcome, we want to cover a little bit of file backup and restoring. Why you need to backup your system? How and when to do it?
This might sound complicated to some but it really is very simple and performed with integrated tools that Windows provide. You should backup your system just after you have installed all drivers, the latest updates and necessary programs that you might use. Less files means you have smaller system back-up file.
Keep in mind the amount that you can backup. If you can burn DVDs then you should keep your main system files not more than 4.7GB. If you can transfer your system back-up file to some other storage device which might be 120GB, then that is how big your file can actually be. Windows has a simple Backup Utility, you can find it in the Performance and Maintenance panel. You can use the Wizard or select the files you want to backup manually. A great tool that has everything to customize your backups as you like. Keep in mind there are different types of backups, choose one that fits your needs best, but normal backup should do fine here.
We are talking about system back-up, the main drivers, necessary programs, custom settings that you might prefer. Generally it should not take up much space and won't have any viruses or any malware on it. You would use it after you installed clean Windows copy on to your machine, this will bring back programs and settings back to the state when you saved them.
It is very important to create restore points regularly, it is good to have an option to go back in time, so don't forget to do it. It doesn't always help but it does in some cases. Go to All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>System Restore to access this great tool.
Create emergency repair diskettes if you have can, this might help you recover some system files, you load the diskette with Windows CD. Install Repair Console, this way you might be able to replace corrupted files and boot in to your system. You can access it by pressing F8 on most computers, at the first flash screen. You can also find Safe Mode in the same menu which might help you if you can't start Windows normally.
We will cover some of these tools more as backingup and restoring your data is a big subject and we will return to it, so don't miss those posts.
We hope these tips will help you understand why you need to back up and how or when you need to do it. Remember to add our blog to your favorites and visit us regularly.
Read More......
Welcome, we want to cover a little bit of file backup and restoring. Why you need to backup your system? How and when to do it?
This might sound complicated to some but it really is very simple and performed with integrated tools that Windows provide. You should backup your system just after you have installed all drivers, the latest updates and necessary programs that you might use. Less files means you have smaller system back-up file.
Keep in mind the amount that you can backup. If you can burn DVDs then you should keep your main system files not more than 4.7GB. If you can transfer your system back-up file to some other storage device which might be 120GB, then that is how big your file can actually be. Windows has a simple Backup Utility, you can find it in the Performance and Maintenance panel. You can use the Wizard or select the files you want to backup manually. A great tool that has everything to customize your backups as you like. Keep in mind there are different types of backups, choose one that fits your needs best, but normal backup should do fine here.
We are talking about system back-up, the main drivers, necessary programs, custom settings that you might prefer. Generally it should not take up much space and won't have any viruses or any malware on it. You would use it after you installed clean Windows copy on to your machine, this will bring back programs and settings back to the state when you saved them.
It is very important to create restore points regularly, it is good to have an option to go back in time, so don't forget to do it. It doesn't always help but it does in some cases. Go to All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>System Restore to access this great tool.
Create emergency repair diskettes if you have can, this might help you recover some system files, you load the diskette with Windows CD. Install Repair Console, this way you might be able to replace corrupted files and boot in to your system. You can access it by pressing F8 on most computers, at the first flash screen. You can also find Safe Mode in the same menu which might help you if you can't start Windows normally.
We will cover some of these tools more as backingup and restoring your data is a big subject and we will return to it, so don't miss those posts.
We hope these tips will help you understand why you need to back up and how or when you need to do it. Remember to add our blog to your favorites and visit us regularly.
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Temporary Files Clean-up
Keeping your PC running in top form includes tidying your documents as often as possible. When you are working on files or moving, copying them, windows uses temporary folders located on your system drive. When you are browsing the internet, windows downloads and keep all these sites in your temporary folder. Ever noticed that sites that you have visited before load quicker than sites that you visit for the first time?
You should regularly empty your recycle bin, delete all the stuff in your temporary folders, delete unnecessary cookie files. For some people it is better to do it manually, because some of those files may be important and something useful might be lost if you delete all at once.
You can also dig in to these folders and you might find something you thought you lost, something that you might want to keep or delete.
Deleting these files is also important for security reasons, these folders might contain private or sensitive information. There are a lot of programs that clean everything for you, some even clean your registry files which is very good for your PC's health.
Windows operating systems provide you with simple tools that clean your temporary files efficiently. Go to All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Cleanup. Simply choose the drive you want to clean up, and after the Wizard calculates everything choose folders and files that you want to delete.
You can also find most of these files and folders yourself, you have to enable hidden file and folder view in folder options first. Then browse to your users root folder(the one with your name) you will see more folders than before, find temporary internet files folders in your local settings folder. We recommend changing this setting back to normal once you are done cleaning. Be very careful not to delete any important system files if you decide to keep this setting.
Remember to clean your temporary files regularly if you want your computer to run in its top condition. Keep files that may be useful to you and delete every other manually or with your integrated Windows tools. We hope this post was useful to you. Don't forget to check-in soon for more great tips!
Read More......
You should regularly empty your recycle bin, delete all the stuff in your temporary folders, delete unnecessary cookie files. For some people it is better to do it manually, because some of those files may be important and something useful might be lost if you delete all at once.
You can also dig in to these folders and you might find something you thought you lost, something that you might want to keep or delete.
Deleting these files is also important for security reasons, these folders might contain private or sensitive information. There are a lot of programs that clean everything for you, some even clean your registry files which is very good for your PC's health.
Windows operating systems provide you with simple tools that clean your temporary files efficiently. Go to All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Cleanup. Simply choose the drive you want to clean up, and after the Wizard calculates everything choose folders and files that you want to delete.
You can also find most of these files and folders yourself, you have to enable hidden file and folder view in folder options first. Then browse to your users root folder(the one with your name) you will see more folders than before, find temporary internet files folders in your local settings folder. We recommend changing this setting back to normal once you are done cleaning. Be very careful not to delete any important system files if you decide to keep this setting.
Remember to clean your temporary files regularly if you want your computer to run in its top condition. Keep files that may be useful to you and delete every other manually or with your integrated Windows tools. We hope this post was useful to you. Don't forget to check-in soon for more great tips!
Read More......
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About Us
About Us
We are a small group of Computer Technicians, we fix computers everyday physically, verbally and typing explanations on how to get things working. Over the years working in the industry, we gathered a lot of tips, fixes, solutions for any problem that might occur with your computer. We want to share these simple tips with everyone, so people can get on with fixing bigger problems.
We all are experts in either hardware, software, networking and many more fields. We communicate with each other all the time and we come up with a solution for a problem every time. This comes with a lot of experience in specific fields and doing what we do best, drive our fascination and curiosity for computers as we always did.
We hope you will find your fixes on this blog and they will help you in the future. You are free to contact us if you have any comments, suggestions for this blog, and we will try to do the best we can to make it better. Contact us if you would like info on specific topic posted, or have a big problem and no one helps, we won't charge a cent.
pchelpersbs@live.com Read More......
We are a small group of Computer Technicians, we fix computers everyday physically, verbally and typing explanations on how to get things working. Over the years working in the industry, we gathered a lot of tips, fixes, solutions for any problem that might occur with your computer. We want to share these simple tips with everyone, so people can get on with fixing bigger problems.
We all are experts in either hardware, software, networking and many more fields. We communicate with each other all the time and we come up with a solution for a problem every time. This comes with a lot of experience in specific fields and doing what we do best, drive our fascination and curiosity for computers as we always did.
We hope you will find your fixes on this blog and they will help you in the future. You are free to contact us if you have any comments, suggestions for this blog, and we will try to do the best we can to make it better. Contact us if you would like info on specific topic posted, or have a big problem and no one helps, we won't charge a cent.
pchelpersbs@live.com Read More......
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Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Every decent website should have a policy statement - even if it does not collect anything.
We have a subscription via e-mail widget installed. Every e-mail address that we collect is only used to notify the owner that our blog has new, updated content.
We have traffic tracking script installed. We use it to find out where our users are coming from, what they maybe looking for.
Our site has Google ads installed. Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on our site. Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy.
"The DoubleClick DART cookie helps marketers learn how well their Internet advertising campaigns or paid search listings perform." for more info check their website. DoubleClick.com
Info that we collect, may include: your operating system, IP address, country, the website that you are coming from and what link you clicked to leave our blog. We use this info to customize and build our blog according to our visitors and users needs.
The info that we collect is private and only the owners of this blog can access it. We would never sell or share this info with anyone, e-mail you with offers or trying to sell something.
If you have any questions about our policy statement please contact us and we will try our best to resolve your issues.
pchelpersbs@live.com Read More......
Every decent website should have a policy statement - even if it does not collect anything.
We have a subscription via e-mail widget installed. Every e-mail address that we collect is only used to notify the owner that our blog has new, updated content.
We have traffic tracking script installed. We use it to find out where our users are coming from, what they maybe looking for.
Our site has Google ads installed. Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on our site. Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy.
"The DoubleClick DART cookie helps marketers learn how well their Internet advertising campaigns or paid search listings perform." for more info check their website. DoubleClick.com
Info that we collect, may include: your operating system, IP address, country, the website that you are coming from and what link you clicked to leave our blog. We use this info to customize and build our blog according to our visitors and users needs.
The info that we collect is private and only the owners of this blog can access it. We would never sell or share this info with anyone, e-mail you with offers or trying to sell something.
If you have any questions about our policy statement please contact us and we will try our best to resolve your issues.
pchelpersbs@live.com Read More......
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Terms of Use
Here are our simple Terms of Use rules, please understand, respect and follow these. By reading the posts contained on this blog you agree to these terms of use:
You will use the info that we provide at your own risk, if you damage your machine you won't hold us responsible.
You will not copy any of the content posted on this blog.
The trademark terms used on this blog belong to their respective owners and this blog is not associated with the owners in any way.
We may change these terms at any time, changes will be posted on this page and users notified. If you are unsure about any part of this blog please don't hesitate to contact us.
pchelpersbs@live.com Read More......
You will use the info that we provide at your own risk, if you damage your machine you won't hold us responsible.
You will not copy any of the content posted on this blog.
The trademark terms used on this blog belong to their respective owners and this blog is not associated with the owners in any way.
We may change these terms at any time, changes will be posted on this page and users notified. If you are unsure about any part of this blog please don't hesitate to contact us.
pchelpersbs@live.com Read More......
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