Computer Performance - Proven Tweaks to Make Your Computer Run Faster

by Gene Higginbotham

Programs run slower than they used to.

Frequent freezes or crashes.

Sporadic system instability.

Frequent blue error screens.

Requires frequent reboots because of system hangs.

These 8 simple tweaks will help clean up your computer and you'll be surprised at the performance improvement!

CLEAN UP YOUR WINDOWS REGISTRY This essential task is often overlooked but will remarkably improve PC performance. Most PC users don't even know there is such a thing as a Registry much less that that it should be regularly cleaned. In fact, Microsoft doesn't even include a cleanup tool in Windows. Every time a program is installed or uninstalled changes are made to the Windows Registry which is a huge internal database of Windows' settings. All programs, as well as Windows itself, store a huge amount of information in this database and these entries control the way everything in the computer looks and behaves. Many times, changes to a computer are not handled correctly leading to conflicts and the slowing of the computer due to a corrupted Registry. Some things which can cause this are: * frequently installing or uninstalling programs * removing a program and leaving traces behind * leftover entries from a hardware uninstall * power failure or system crash in the midst of updating the registry * unused drivers on the system * Spyware or Adware type programs that come back every time the PC is restarted The Registry can be edited manually using a Windows program called RegEdit, but woe to the novice; this is really a job best left to the experts. Instead, you need to use a special program which makes the cleanup for you.

EMPTY THE RECYCLE BIN Regularly empty the Windows' Recycle Bin thereby releasing hard drive space and helping to improve performance. When you delete a file, instead of removing it completely from your computer, Windows puts it into the Recycle Bin. You then can restore these flies from the Recycle Bin back to their original place on your computer if you should need to.

REMOVE UNNECESSARY PROGRAMS If you're like me and download a lot of free programs or free trials, after a while your computer might begin to slow down. That means it's time to remove some of the old programs you don't use any more (and most you probably only used once just to see how they work). After installing a program, if you decide you don't need it and won't use it, get it off the computer thereby freeing up system resources. Most programs come with their own uninstaller but if it doesn't you will have to use the Operating System's Add/Remove Programs feature which you can get to through The Control Panel. Uninstalling unused programs will help speed up your computer, but removing the wrong files can cause you some really big problems. NEVER, NEVER EVER just delete a program file by using the delete key; this can really mess up the Registry. Be careful and if you are not sure, ask for help from someone you know who is more experienced. If you are unsure whether or not to remove a program, it's best to leave it. Some programs leave uninstalled junk all over the Windows Registry! Therefore, to improve PC performance AFTER AN UNINSTALL, IT'S ESSENTIAL TO CLEAN THE REGISTRY.

RUN DISK CLEAN UP Windows Disk Clean Up is a great built-in utility that automates regular maintenance tasks to improve PC performance. Whenever you "surf the net", open file attachments, delete files, etc., your computer saves a record of your activity. Most if not all of these files are harmless, and are very small. But if you spend a lot of time on your computer, before long they will use up enough space to slow your computer down a tad. Double-click My Computer, right click on the 'C:' drive, then click Properties, then click Disk Cleanup. The PC will then spend a few moments analyzing. When it has completed analyzing, Windows will give you a list of areas where it has found files to cleanup. To clean an area, check the box next to it. To leave something intact, such as Temporary files, just remove the check mark next to the item and click OK. Your computer will then begin the removal process which can take a good while.

DISK DEFRAGMENTATION When Windows stores programs and files on your hard disk it saves fragments of files in the nearest empty spaces and then links these pieces together. When the computer needs to retrieve a file, it has to go through the process of chasing these links hunting down the fragments and piecing the file back together. This can really slow down a computer, especially if it has small internal memory and has to do a lot of caching and file swapping. The cure is to routinely run the Windows Disk Defragmenter which gathers together the fragments of files and puts them back in the right order in as near contiguous space as possible. This makes it far easier for your computer to find what it's looking for on the hard drive, enabling programs and files to load more quickly. To defragment your hard disk click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools and then Disk Defragment. When the program has loaded, click Defragment. Before starting you need to run "scandisk" which checks for disk errors. Without scanning your disk first for possible errors, defrag may refuse to continue its defragmentation routine. The process can take over an hour. Because defragmenting your hard disk takes such a long time, you really don't want to go through the process very often; maybe every 3-4 months and it's best not to use the computer while defragmenting.

GET A HIGH SPEED INTERNET CONNECTION If you spend a lot of time on the internet, a high speed internet connection is a must. It is more expensive, but for most people the savings in time and effort is worth the added expense. Some of the advantages to having a high speed internet connection: faster surfing, web pages open more quickly, files download faster, and if you send or receive large files, like pictures or video, they will open in a flash when compared to a slower dialup connection. If you're already spending money for your dialup connection (through your phone line) then you'll find DSL to be comparable in price, and a lot faster. A cable internet connection might cost a little more, but it is usually the fastest type of internet connection you can get from home.

REMOVE SPYWARE & ADWARE If you've ever had spyware or adware on your computer, you know how frustrating it can be. All kinds of strange things happen: your homepage changes seemingly on its own, unwanted and inappropriate popups, unfamiliar icons, and the list goes on. Spyware or Adware are files that are often downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge (or at least without you knowing what they really are). Unfortunately, many of these programs "sneak" their way onto your computer, and avoiding them entirely is difficult, especially if you spend a lot of time on your computer, surfing the Internet and downloading new programs and files. There are ways to remove these unwanted files from your computer. Check out these 2 adware/spyware removal programs that are simple to use (both are free): Ad-Aware http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/ Spybot http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html Adware/Spyware continue to be such a problem because most of these programs make money for the people creating and spreading them. If you find these unwanted intruders on your computer, don't panic. In most cases, it is not vicious like a Virus or Worm. You just have some extra "junk" on your computer. However, keeping it off of your computer will help it perform more efficiently.

ADD MORE INTERNAL MEMORY (RAM) AND A LARGER HARD DRIVE If you have done all/most of the above and your Computer's performance is still so bad that you are thinking: Gee, I guess I am going to have to buy another computer! If everything else about the computer is satisfactory to you, then you might consider an Upgrade. If the PC is only a couple years old, it can easily be upgraded. If you still have the manuals that came with it, you can determine the type of memory it uses and buy it off of the internet at a good price. If you don't have the manuals, take it to Best Buy or Circuit City and ask them if it can be upgraded (or take the model and make info to them). Their upgrade cost is not that bad and certainly cheaper than buying a new computer. Another alternative: if you know a High School Kid who has taken some computer courses, he/she can probably do it real cheap. I have personally maxed out my computers memory and added another hard drive. Together with the items above, my computer runs like a "Tiger chasing a Scared Bunny". I hope this has been of help to you. I have prepared a brief video which depicts the frustration I was having with my computers performance and how I Cured My Computers Performance Problems. You can see it by clicking the link below. http://www.RegistryCleaner.factsNinfo.com

About the Author

The author has spent his entire professional work career of over 40 years in the Computer Business where he programmed or managed Computer projects for NASA, U.S. Dept of Defense and as a consultant to private industry. Click this link for a short video of how He cured his computer performance problems -- http://www.RegistryCleaner.factsNinfo.com

No Comment | Posted in » defragment, Disk Clean Up, hard drive, high speed internet, improve performance, PC users, popups, ram, Registry    

Effects Of Spyware On The Computer

by: Arvind Singh

Spyware has a lot of side effects of the registry. One of the greatest drawbacks is the slowing down of the system. This process will continue until the registry is cleaned with a registry cleaner.

If you have browsed the Internet for a substantial number of hours it is guaranteed that you have downloaded some sort of Spyware to your system, albeit inadvertently. That is the reason it is called Spyware. If it made itself known it would not be spying. Spyware is not illegal software. It is downloaded with the 'permission' of the user. Once the Spyware downloads and installs itself it begins, first of all, to consolidate itself on the machine. It does this by entering its information in multiple parts of the registry. These entries can only be removed with Spyware removal utilities and there are many free anti Spyware and Adware removal tools available to do a satisfactory job for you.

Effects On The Registry

A lot of add-on Internet Explorer tool bars are also Spyware. They constantly monitor the users browsing habits and the type of software that is installed and run on the computer. At times this may be helpful to the user as the relevant advertisements are directed to the browser. However, in the long run this Spyware will definitely slow down the system to a crawl. This malicious software must be removed from the system as soon as possible with free Adware and Spyware removal tools. Spyware is constantly making entries to the registry. This makes the registry grow out of proportion. Since the system has to refer to the registry multiple times in a session, the registry has to be scanned from the beginning every time. Considering that the registry has tens of thousands of records it may take a very long time to scan and locate the information being sought. Spyware keeps adding junk to the registry and this slows the system down.

Removal Technique

Spyware can be removed from the Computer with the use of anti-Spyware utilities. However, these utilities will only uninstall the Spyware from the operating system. The anti-Spyware utilities are not designed to go in to the registry hives and make changes. Going into the registry and removing the entries is very specialized operations and cannot be clubbed with some other software or program. Removing the Spyware entries from the registry is very important. Because once the Spyware determines that the exe file has been removed it will kick in from the registry and reinstall the exe from the Internet site it came from initially. Therefore removing the entries with a registry cleaner is very important. Free Microsoft Spyware removal tools and PC registry Cleaner are good software that can remove all redundant and bad entries from the system registry.

Qualities Of A Good Registry Cleaner

A good free Spyware removal utility will have three facilities such as a registry backup function a restore function and a scan and repair function. It is important that the spyware cleaner make a good backup of the registry just in case the system fails to function properly after the computer clean up

source:www.articlecity.com

No Comment | Posted in » adware, Registry, Registry Cleaner, spyware cleaner    

Computer Diagnostic Tools To Protect Your Computer

by Dean Forster

At its most basic form, a computer diagnostic tool outputs a message indicating an error with a computer program, system or device. Error reporting in Windows is a built in computer diagnostic tool that runs automatically whenever there is a problem with an application. Computer diagnostic tools benefit computer users because it helps to pinpoint problems with your computer.

Many times, computers will get slow for seemingly no reason at all. Devices often malfunction and system problems can arise out of nowhere. For people who rely on their computer for business or personal use, these computer errors can be frustrating and problematic. So often with computers, people try to cure the problem by focusing on the symptoms. This is poor treatment for any kind of problem, whether computer or medical. The right computer diagnostic tool can help identify the source of the problem rather than focusing on the symptoms.

Using a computer diagnostic tool to find the root cause of a computer error or dysfunction will save you time, money and stress. When you focus on getting rid of the symptoms, the problem will eventually return. This causes unnecessary stress and takes up your valuable time to take care of the same problem repeatedly. When you go straight to the root cause of the problem, you can quickly replace or repair that component and be rid of the problem for good.

Computer diagnostic tools come in a couple of different forms. Software is one of the forms. Computer diagnostic software scans the registry of your computer to find incomplete, inactive and incorrect registry entries. Many computer diagnostic software programs can also repair or remove problematic registry entries. This helps to increase the speed of your computer and can help take care of system errors, as well.

If you are having problems with hardware components on your computer, diagnostic software may not be able to identify the problem. Some software is more versatile and geared towards detecting hardware problems, while others focus more on internal system and application issues. To solve hardware problems, you can invest in computer diagnostic tools that hook up to your computer hardware. You can find out more about using diagnostic tools for pc protection and performance at http://www.pctestingsoftware.com

Computer diagnostic tools for hardware components hook up to the different components and test them for proper functioning capabilities and activities. These tools can be more of an investment than their software counterparts, but they provide a quick and effective method for locating faulty hardware or hardware running at a limited capacity. This allows you to easily repair or replace the disabled hardware component, saving you the time and money it would cost to send your computer to a professional computer technician.

Investing in one or more computer diagnostic tools is a great way to protect the investment you put into your computer. The proper diagnostic tools can help keep your computer running quickly and efficiently for many years without having to pay for costly computer repairs and overhauls. Computer diagnostic tools are also the perfect solution for a computer do-it-yourself individual.

source:www.goarticles.com

No Comment | Posted in » computer diagnostic tool, hardware components, Registry, system problem    

What Is COM And How It's Related To Registry Cleaner

by: Arvind Singh

What exactly does COM mean? What does it stand for and what does it do? COM in this article means Component Object Model and it is a Microsoft software architecture that can be called up to perform certain functions during the course of running a program or application as it is called in the Windows environment.

COM is an acronym for Component Object Model. This is a software architecture developed by Microsoft Corporation and is used to define a certain structure used to build program routines, known as 'objects' that can be called up for execution in a windows based environment. COM was first built into Windows 95 and Windows NT.4.0. many parts of Windows operating system and some applications developed by Microsoft's developers have built in COM objects. Com Objects are stored in the registry of a system and are one of the things that need to be cleaned with registry cleaner.

So What Exactly Does COM Do?

Com is that part of a program that provides an interface between objects. A counterpart DCOM or Distributed COM allows the objects to run remotely. COM is implemented in different ways. Objects can be large small or medium and are written in different programming languages to perform any kind of processing of a file or code. Programs call on objects whenever the program needs the services of the object and the Common Object Model acts as the interface between the program and the object. COM will link common objects to different programs that need them. That is why even though the program may be uninstalled the common object will not be removed. This fills up the registry and slows down a PC. A computer registry cleaner will remove all unwanted entries from a registry and speed up the system.

COM and ActiveX

ActiveX controls can call up COM objects called 'controls'. These 'controls' just blend into the program and become part of the program when called up by COM. OLE also uses COM services in the windows environment. Standard applications, such as word processors and spreadsheets, can be written to expose their internal functions as COM objects, allowing them to be "automated" instead of manually selected from a menu. Microsoft's OLE compound documents are based on COM, which lets one document be embedded within or linked to another (see OLE). ActiveX Documents are extensions to OLE that allow a Web browser, for example, to view not only Web pages, but any kind of document.

Microsoft Corporation is increasingly making its standard programming interfaces conform to the COM object model so that there is continuity between all interfaces in the Windows working environment. In the beginning Microsoft Corporation decided to use the term ‘OLE’ to refer to its COM-based architecture, then later decided to drop that designation in favor of ActiveX. Now since both OLE and ActiveX are based on COM, the term COM is also used. As a result, any combination of the words COM, OLE and ActiveX followed by the words control, object and component may mean the same thing, or they may not, depending on the context they are referred to.

So in the end we are given to understand that Common Object Model is ActiveX and vice versa in relation to the environment they are working in. All this automatic activity only feeds the registry with information it may not have to retain. But there is no way to rid the registry of this data except with the help of a windows registry cleaner. A PC registry cleaner will remover from the registry all unwanted information thus making the system more efficient

source:www.articlecity.com

No Comment | Posted in » ActiveX, cleaner, COM, Component Object Model, Registry    

Major Computer Cleanup (Cleanup My Computer)

by: AngeloPC

Almost every PC user knows that, from time to time, your computer starts to run a little slower or you notice that you harddrive space is dwindling. So many people shrug this off and choose not to do anything about it. They think that it's normal to have these kinds of computer problems and that there isn't anything they can do about it. Your computer is trying to tell you something...it's time for a cleaning. It's time to get rid of the junk and organize the files on your computer, just as you would clean and organize your office. This step-by-step tutorial will put you on the path toward a cleaner, more efficient computer.

In this tutorial, we'll only concern ourselves with Windows XP (I guess I'll have to re-write this article for Vista), for a couple of reasons.

1. Microsoft has ended support for Windows 98, 98SE and Millennium.

2. If you still have one of those earlier operating systems, your computer is probably too old to become "efficient" by today's standards.

Follow these steps, exactly, and you just may learn to love your computer, again.

Unused User Accounts

If you have any User Accounts that are no longer active, logon as an computer administrator and remove them.

1. Click START, then CONTROL PANEL.

2. When the Control Panel opens, click USER ACCOUNTS.

3. Click CHANGE AN ACCOUNT.

4. Click on the name of the account you want to remove.

5. Click REMOVE THIS ACCOUNT.

6. When given the option to "delete files" or "keep files", choose to delete them.

7. After removing all unused User Accounts, restart the computer.

Windows Updates

Make sure you have all of the latest Windows Updates installed by visiting http://update.microsoft.com and following the instructions on the website.

It's critical that you keep your computer up-to-date. Microsoft releases new security updates all the time and it's easier just to set your computer to automatically download and install these updates. Here's how to do that:

1. Right-click on MY COMPUTER.

2. Click PROPERTIES.

3. Click the AUTOMATIC UPDATES tab (reference the illustration, below).

4. Choose "Automatic (recommended)".

5. Click APPLY and OK.

Remove Unused Programs

This is pretty basic stuff. Most Windows users have already been through the steps of adding and removing programs, but we'll list the steps for those who haven't.

1. Click START, then CONTROL PANEL.

2. Double-click ADD OR REMOVE PROGRAMS.

3. When the window that opens has fully loaded, scroll through the list of programs and remove any that are unwanted or no longer used.

4. Just a piece of advice...any programs listed that mention anything about "bargain", "cash", "search", "web" or "fun", in the program name, should probably be removed.

Temporary File Cleanup

Temporary files are one of the biggest wastes of harddrive space, hogs of computer resources and major causes of recurring spyware and virus infections. They need to be cleaned on a regular basis. Follow these steps to remove ALL temporary files from your computer:

1. Double-click MY COMPUTER.

2. Open the root drive (usually C:).

3. Open DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS.

4. Click TOOLS, then FOLDER OPTIONS.

5. Click the VIEW tab (reference the illustration, below).

6. Under "Hidden files and folders", click "SHOW HIDDEN FILES AND FOLDERS".

7. Uncheck "HIDE EXTENSIONS FOR KNOWN FILE TYPES".

8. Uncheck "HIDE PROTECTED OPERATING SYSTEM FILES (RECOMMENDED)".

9. When the warning message pops up, click YES.

10. Click APPLY, then OK.

***It's recommended that you change the file folder settings back to their default settings after you fully complete the computer cleanup.***

1. With the Documents And Settings folder opened, open a user account folder.

2. Open the LOCAL SETTINGS folder.

3. Open the TEMP folder.

4. Press CTRL+A to select all files.

5. Press SHIFT+DEL to permanently delete all selected files. *Note*: you may be unable to delete ALL of the files and folders because some of them may be "locked" by the operating system or another program. Select smaller groups of folders or files in order to remove as many as possible.

6. Navigate back to the LOCAL SETTINGS folder.

7. Open the TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES folder.

8. Repeat steps 4 and 5. See *Note*.

9. Repeat steps 1 through 8 for all user account folders.

10. Empty the RECYCLE BIN and restart the computer.

Virus And Spyware Scans

If you don't already have an antivirus program and two or three antispyware programs installed and updated on your computer, then you're BEGGING for problems. I use Webroot Spy Sweeper w/Antivirus, Webroot Desktop Firewall and Spybot Search & Destroy. If you're relying solely on "free" programs for your computer security, you're making a big mistake. I understand that you don't want to pay for software. Nobody does. You just have to look at the value in investing a little bit of money toward preventing the problems that might arise from choosing the "cheaper route". Ok...enough said on that subject.

The most efficient way for antivirus and antispyware products to complete their scans successfully is to run them while the computer is in Safe Mode. To restart Windows in Safe Mode, tap the F8 key about every half-second or so, at computer startup, once you see the manufacturer's logo. You'll then be brought to a screen where you will use the arrow keys to choose the boot mode. Use the arrow up or down key to choose SAFE MODE. Press enter and let Windows do it's thing. When the computer has fully booted, complete FULL SYSTEM scans with your antivirus and antispyware programs. When they are completed, reboot the computer, normally.

Registry Cleanup

After all of the unwanted programs and all of the viruses and spyware have been removed, you're going to want to clean your system registry. There is always a ton of "junk" left in the registry, after you uninstall programs and remove malware. That's gotta go! I've never been big on using an automatic registry cleaner, until recently. I started using PC Tools Registry Mechanic, a short while ago, and it works really well. Use the link to download the demo. Run the program and see how much junk it finds. Invalid registry entries are one of the major causes of computer crashes.PC Tools Registry Mechanic will "tighten-up" your registry to decrease the chances of computer crashes and it may even speed-up your computer!

Defragment The Harddrive(s)

This is the final step in your major computer cleaning. This will insure that the files on the disk are organized in such a way that makes them more quickly accessible, causing less "wait time" and less wear and tear on your drive.

1. Click START.

2. Navigate through ALL PROGRAMS to get to the ACCESSORIES folder.

3. Choose SYSTEM TOOLS.

4. Choose DISK DEFRAGMENTER.

5. Select the main disk (C:).

6. You shouldn't need to "analyze" the drive. At this point, it's better just to choose "DEFRAGMENT".

7. Let the program run through the process and reboot the computer, normally, when completed.

That's it! You should see a HUGE improvement in the performance of your computer.

source:searchwarp.com

3 ความคิดเห็น | Posted in » antispyware, Antivirus software, Registry, Unused User Accounts, Windows Updates    

Registry Problems Trouble the Working of Operating System

by: Sam Mike

Why and when registry slows down the computer?

Registry structure of the operating system saves all the registry files related to the software which are frequently installed and removed from computer. It keeps track of all the DLL (Dynamic Link Library) files of all the installed components. Registry needs to be monitored and troubleshoot on regular basis, for healthy processing of computer.

According to the research made by computer repair agencies that almost 90% computing power of computers is affected by corrupted registry files. Most of the computer systems report errors due to missing important registry files.

The registry is affected only when you have installed programs on the computer and uninstall them after some time. Most of the time uninstall utility dose not work properly, and leaves some unnecessary files in the computer. The size of the registry grows and makes use of large space of memory. Frequent addition and deletion of software from computer gives rise to the registry fragmentation, corruption and registry failure.

Most common problems of the computers, when registry fails are listed below

Being a layman, a computer user is not much familiar to cope with such kind of computer problems. Some of the symptoms are mentioned below, which indicate the failure of registry files.

These problems are only encountered when programs are constantly installed and removed from the computer. Some of the files are left behind in computer registry even the un-installation process is finished. Such files create problems for the operating system to work properly. The best solution for this issue is to scan the whole computer and use of efficient registry cleaner software.

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