Speed Up PC Performance

>>>>>> Quickest Way To Speed Up Your Slow Running Laptop

By: Cody Kahl of LaptopAdvisor.net
Does your computer seem slower than molasses these days? Do you often find yourself coming to the point of heartache and even yelling a few choice words at your machine? If so, then the simple steps listed in this article are for you.

In this article we will take a look at some of the easiest things that you can do to automatically speed up laptop performance. And as a bonus, all of these tips can be done for free! (continued...)

1. Defrag

- How can defragging your hard drive speed up your notebook? Maybe by explaining how a defrag works, you will see how important it is.

When your hard drive is new and has no data on it, things get stored in blocks easily. When files and/or programs are stored in nice chunks, they can get accessed quickly – This is why your hard drive is blazing fast in the beginning. As time goes on things start to slow down. Files get deleted and this creates empty blocks in the hard drive.

 New files and programs will get saved to these empty blocks, only they aren’t all together – They are spread out. When files/programs are spread out among different blocks of storage, they get accessed much slower. Defragmenting your hard drive brings related files and programs back into a nice big block. This is achieved because your computer knows which files and programs are related through their address.

2. Empty Recycle Bin

 – This one is pretty self explanatory, and may even seem like a non-issue. Maybe it is, but there are plenty of people that keep their recycle bins full, all the time. If something is in the recycle bin, you might as well empty it.

3. Erase Temporary Files

– The internet as well as your operating system often store temporary files in special folders. These temporary files are just that, temporary, but they often stay on your computer for a number of days or even indefinitely. I don’t recommend going and deleting stuff in folders if you are unsure of what you are doing. Thankfully though, there are many programs out there that will go through and delete unnecessary files for you.

 You can set many of them up to run periodically, and they will do many of things talked about in this article. You can find many of these programs on freeware download sites.

4. Spyware & Adware Removal

 – Both spyware and adware are real computer killers these days. You have probably been bombarded by offers to buy programs that will get rid of all the junk on your computer – The simple answer is you don’t need to get these programs. You can find freeware ones all over that will work great. I like to use two programs simply because sometimes one will find stuff that the other won’t. My favorites are Ad-Aware by Lavasoft and Spybot – Search and Destroy.

5. Hard Drive Space

 – Ok, I’ll admit, this one may not be free. If you have deleted everything off of your hard drive that you possibly can and you still have a shortage of space, you are simply going to need a bigger hard drive. If you have less than 2 gigabytes still available for storage space, I highly recommend getting a bigger hard drive, as a computer with a filled up hard drive will perform very sluggishly.

 By periodically doing all of the above you can generally keep your desktop or notebook in tip-top shape, and save your yelling for something else :)

A Final Note

 If you still have a slow computer after trying the methods above, you may have registry problems. Don't tackle the registry yourself if you don't have any experience. You can make your computer a lot worse if you don't know what you're doing. Get a professional software program to identify registry errors and repair, optimize and speed up your laptop. Download free registry scanning software here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cody Kahl is creator and writer of LaptopAdvisor.net – A site dedicated to providing only the best laptop information.

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Google Chrome -- Integrated Search and Bookmarks

Google Chrome is the new, free browser from the world's most popular search engine which is an effort to dethrone Internet Explorer from its lead as the most popular browser.

GoogleInc. posted its biggest gain in four months in Nasdaq trading after introducing a browser to challenge Microsoft's decade-long dominance of the market. The program, known as chrome, will isolate flawed web pages so users can close them without shutting down the entire browser, and will make it easier to run other applications without downloading them to a computer, Google said.

The software opens a new front in Google's fight with Microsoft, whose Internet Explorer controls more than 70/ of the browser market. Google is trying to parlay its success over Microsoft in online searches into an effort to court users who want e-mail, calendars and word processing through a browser instead of products such as Microsoft's Word and Excel.

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"They're looking at the big picture of their business," said David Smith, a Gartner analyst in Bedford, New Hampshire. "They're looking at the speed at which browser development is going and they're trying to accelerate it." Google faces an uphill battle against internet Explorer, Which has led the browser market since it passed Netscape Communications' Navigator in 1999, because the Microsoft program come pre-installed on personal computers. Internet Explorer's lead in the Web browsing market is followed by Mozilla Corp's Firefox with 20/ and Apple's Safari with 6.4/, according to research firm Net Applications of Aliso Viejo, California.

A loss of browser users to Google might curb Microsoft's ability to lure people to its search engine, the default option for Web queries on Internet Explorer. Microsoft, the world's biggest software maker, released a new version of Explorer last week for testing. The software lets users control whether it saves the sites they've visited and can keep Internet sites from tracking user activity.

"The browser landscape is highly competitive," said Dean Hachamovitch, general manager Internet Explorer, in a statement. "People will choose Internet Explorer 8 for way it puts the services they want right at their fingertips, respects their personal choices about how they want to browse and, more than any other browsing technology, puts them in control of their personal data online."

Google is the default search engine on Firefox, Safari and Opera Software ASA's Opera, browsers that represent about 27/ of the market combined. Chrome's address bar may also help Google attract users. It will have a double function, allowing people to type in web site location and offering suggestions for Google searches. That may help keep people from going to Microsoft or Yahoo for their Internet queries, Gartner's Smith said.

Click here to visit the Google Chrome website and download the free browser.

Technorati Tags: Google Chrome,browser,ie,internet explorer,microsoft

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WiFi and PDA Phones - Ultimate Empowering Technologies

The technology of the mobile phones are constantly upgrading and creating buzz among the masses. With these tiny gadgets users can easily perform most of their personal and professional works easily. Moreover, top notch companies are constantly offering the latest models which are enhanced with feature-rich applications and marvellous designs. These gadgets have changed the aspect of wireless communication and enable people to bypass conventional concerns about communicating. WiFi and PDA phones are the latest gadgets which have created ripples in the market with high end functions and beautiful designs. The handsets which are enhanced with the latest technologies are slightly bulky in size and permit users to explore the dimensions of advanced applications.

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WiFi phones basically refers to those handsets which are adorned with this latest technology. There are numerous models in the market these days which are enriched with this WiFi technology. With this innovation users can enjoy wireless connectivity with other compatible devices very comfortably. Moreover, the users of these handsets can experience the joy of transferring and sharing multimedia content and various other such contents with their friends and relatives at a faster pace. Almost all the latest high-end handsets from top notch brands such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung etc., come to users adorned with this latest and advanced feature.

PDA phones are considered as the must have personal accessory of people these days. These gadgets are available at very cheap prices and users can also access various high-end applications on these phones. Also, you can enjoy the liberty of storing numerous personal and official files in these gadgets very comfortably. Multiple manufactures have entered into this arena to offer the latest and upgraded personal digital assistants to meet the ever increasing requirements of customers. You can easily flaunt your style and enjoy tons of storage capacity with these gadgets. They are the perfect companion to satiate all the entertainment, professional and personal requirements you may desire. With these phones you can also enjoy talk-time of up to 250 minutes without any interruption. Apart from all the high-end options this device is also adorned with Internet and phone book options.

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5 Ways to Speed Up Vista Home Loading

There are two types of Vista Home versions- Vista Home Basic and Vista Home Premium. The Home Basic is for those with a more conservative budget who will not really use much of their computers except for checking e-mails or news browsing through the web. The Home Premium edition targets a more broad audience as it allows various ways to create, view and edit multimedia. The latter also has that Aero desktop experience that looks very hip!

But whether you are using a Vista Home Basic or a Vista Home Premium, you may want to speed its performance up a tad bit more due to the fact that it is noticeable slower to use this operating system compared to the others you have used before. So how do you speed up Vista Home? Here are 5 ways to do so:

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1. Use the MSCONFIG option

This allows you to disable unwanted and unnecessary programs that load whenever you boot up your Vista Home. The fastest way to do this is by following the instructions below:

Press the Windows button on your keyboard, + "R." A pop-up will show, just type "msconfig" which will lead you to "System Configurations." Select the Startup tab Uncheck the applications you do not want launching with your Vista. The more you check, the faster the start up will be.

2. Disable Sidebar

Vista Home has a quaint feature called Side Bar that gives you easy access to installed gadgets. However, if this seemingly cool feature is disabled, overall functioning of Vista Home will increase. This frees up processing power.

3. Remove Bloatware

If your computer is new, chances are, it has some programs installed to it that came with the PC or laptop. Best to check what your computer currently has installed. Once you have seen applications that you will not use, don't hesitate to uninstall them as this frees up memory.

4. Use Good Ol' Disk Cleanup

Using disk cleanup allows you to delete the temporary files, temporary internet files and compress old files, freeing space on your (C:) Drive. This is a feature that has not changed much since the dawn of Windows and it is as reliable as before as it is now.

5. Use the ReadyBoost option

This is one mighty nice feature of Windows Vista Home. It can use an storage space as a memory cache on a portable storage device to speed up your Vista Home performance. It basically gives your computer a fast memory in retrieving information. You use this by:

Plugging in the thumb drive. Follow these links: Start, Computer, right click on the removable storage device icon, select Properties. Click the ReadyBoost Tab which will show so long as you're device is eligible for this feature, Choose Use this Device and specify the amount of space you want to allocate for this. Click OK.

Do note that although it may have some bad reviews, Vista Home is a really good operating system, you just have to learn where to tweak it a bit to get the results you want.

Kris Mainieri is an accomplished Computer Tech focusing on innovative and unique ways to help people take their computing performance to a whole new level free.

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CPU Temperature Monitor: CoreTemp

Is your laptop hotter than a griddle? Does it suddenly shut down while running and seem to run slowly at times?

These are signs that your computer system is overheating.There are a couple of things you can do to try to cool down your over-priced heater to a reasonable operating temperature. But just exactly what is happening inside your computer?

Why do computer systems overheat?

Computer CPU's, the chip at the heart of every computer system, are comprised of millions of tiny transistors that go on and off billions of times per second. If you can imagine you wall switch doing that, think of the heat that would be generated. The same thing is happening inside your CPU and this flip-flopping is generating the heat that you feel coming off the PC.

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Because computers are reaching the maximum number of transistors that can be put on one chip, CPU manufacturers are adding multiple processors running in tandem. These are known as multi-core processors and they are the current standard. Most home computers sold these days are dual-core but quad-core processors are coming out and the trend is to add more processors. This means more transistors and in turn, more heat is being generated.

Fortunately, CPU's come with a built-in shut-off switch that will suddenly shut down your PC before it fries from overheating. They also come with fans that sit on top of the CPU with sensors that turn on whenever the heat goes over a preset limit but repeated overheating could still permanently fritz your CPU. Then there's also the issue of possibly losing your work due to unexpected shut-downs. Obviously, ways are needed to make sure that this does not happen too often.

If you own a desktop computer, you can try adding additional heat sinks and fans that are more robust than the standard cooling fans that come with your system. If you have a laptop, about the only way you can add additional cooling is to buy a fan platform. This is just a base platform with cooling fans built in that sits under your laptop. Regardless of whether you use a desktop or laptop, make sure to check the cooling vents on your machine for dust that can accumulate inside. This may involve disassembly in order to remove any excess.  You don't want anything to disrupt the air-flow inside your computer housing.

If you want to see just how hot your CPU is getting, you can download a small free utility called CoreTemp.

CoreTemp allows you to monitor the CPU temperature in the system tray. How is this useful? It can tell you when your system is reaching it's temperature limits so that you can shut down some programs or just save your data before the system shuts down due to overheating. You can also generate a log which can be useful for trouble-shooting overheating issues.

Your computer may also slow down noticeably during periods when the temperature is high. This is because heat inside the transistors causes increased resistance, which slows down normal operations.

Currently, the best way to counter this is to have fans that cool the system down. Hopefully, technologists will come up with a better way to make CPU's run cooler in the first place, so that added precautions will eventually become unnecessary.

Technorati Tags: CPU,overheating,cooling,fans,CoreTemp,temperature

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Downgrade Vista to XP with Virtual PC 2007

The Free and Easy Way to Downgrade from Windows Vista to XP

If you have Windows Vista installed on your laptop or PC and yearn for the good old days of Windows XP compatibility and miss the familiar interface, there is a solution that will cost you nothing but your time to do it.

It involves the creation of a virtual PC on your existing machine using Virtual PC 2007 software by Microsoft. A virtual PC is the just what it sounds like. A completely separate computer that runs in software on the same system as your original PC. What this means is that, you can have Windows Vista running on one virtual PC and Windows XP on the other. Both at the same time. This way, you can have the compatibility of Windows XP today and still enjoy the new software coming out that takes advantage of Windows Vista. Once installed correctly, you'll be able to switch back and forth between operating systems just as easily as you switch between programs now.

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The beauty of this arrangement is that it works either way. If you have XP, you can add Vista without losing your Windows XP operating system.

*Note: Before making any system changes, be sure to backup your data to an external drive or other external data storage. Anytime you make major changes to your system, always take this precaution. It will save you a world of pain.

Of course, free only means no money. Creating 2 machines has cost in terms of PC memory, hard drive space and performance. The following chart shows the minimum requirements of adding a separate PC on your computer.

Operating System	Min. Memory	Min. Disk Space
Windows XP Home Edition	128 MB	2 GB
Windows XP Professional	128 MB	2 GB
Windows Vista Enterprise	512 MB	15 GB
Windows Vista Business	512 MB	15 GB
Windows Vista Ultimate	512 MB	15 GB

Keep in mind that these are only minimum requirements. Installing applications in a guest OS increases requirements. Increasing memory beyond the minimum can result in significant performance increases.

A vital thing to remember before choosing a virtual machine is that you'll need lots of RAM installed on your system. More RAM than you ever thought of needing before. While you'll probably have enough CPU cycles to spare, you need enough RAM for both operating systems to run comfortably. As long as you have double your comfortable minimum, you should be fine.

To really have optimal performance and take advantage of this setup, you should have at least 2GB RAM, and many gigs of hard drive space. I recommend you strongly consider a 4 GB setup if you plan on running lots of apps simultaneously and plan on using up an extra 20 gigs of drive space.

Also worth noting is that installations of Windows XP or Vista will require their own product keys, regardless of whether your host computer is also running it. Since the virtual PC will see whatever hardware your virtual machine portends to have, it will assume that it is a new computer in need of new activation. You'll also need a licensed copy of Windows XP to be legitimate. Fortunately, unlike Vista, XP's EULA doesn't forbid virtual machines. Only Vista Business and Ultimate can be legally run in a virtual environment. Any other flavours of Vista could cause issues if you need official support.

Microsoft has a blog for Virtual PC 2007 that you should check out before making any changes to get a better feel for what the benefits are of switching to a virtual OS and the kinds of issues you may face in running 2 OS's at once.

Technorati Tags: downgrade,Vista,XP,Windows,virtual PC 2007

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Yahoo, AOL, MSN IM and Push To Talk VoIP

Free Nextel Style Push-to-Talk for Windows Mobile or Symbian PDA

Have you ever wanted to have one of those cool Nextel style walkie-talkie style phones but just didn't want to become a Nextel subscriber? Well now you can enjoy that cool push-to-talk on any connected PDA or Symbian phone. It's perfect for Wi-Fi enabled PDAs and phones and also works on your laptop or desktop PC.

Palringo is a unique and free Instant Messaging program with push-to-talk VoIP functionality that runs on Windows Mobile phones, Symbian phones, and PCs. Palringo allows you to instantly exchange text, photos and audio Instant Messages with an individual contact or even a group.

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This multi-platform support allows you to stay connected with your contacts whether you're working at your PC or on the go with your mobile device.

In addition, Palringo lets you send photos, vocal messages and exchange text IMs with other IM systems such as AIM, Yahoo!, Google Talk, MSN Messenger, and a host of others. Its superb IM interoperability ensures you can at least IM other popular IM programs.

The niftiest feature is the push-to-talk (PTT) feature, which lets you instantly VoIP your buddies like a walkie-talkie or a Nextel phone.

One-way at a time communications is desirable in situations where you just have brief messages or need to broadcast something to several people all at once. That's what makes the walkie-talkie ideal for coordinating  teams and other groups.I can foresee Palringo being very addictive for teenagers -- but also a useful feature for mobile sales teams.

They're currently working on a Java version, which will add even more supported devices. It doesn't offer full VoIp features like Skype - it's strictly an IM and PTT application, but for anyone that needs a great IM client and needs to contact groups of people, it's ideal because it's light-weight and portable across devices and networks.

Technorati Tags: Yahoo,AOL,MSN,IM,VoIP,Nextel,Windows Mobile,Symbian,PDA,Palringo,PTT

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