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I'll be adding tips about web browsing, internet in general, software, hardware
and computers to help people out and maybe dispel some rumors.
Cookies - Can they do harm? (click here)
Cookies have been a worry for many people. Spyware programs usually label them
as malicious, but are they really?
The truth is, you need cookies for most browsing. Cookies can NOT harm your
computer in any way. Mainly cookies are used to store data when you visit a
site. An example I like to use is TV Guide. When you go to their site you can
set your area for viewing so you see the channels in your area. These settings
are then stored on your computer in a cookie. This way when you return to TV
Guide's web site it will know your listings and display them without you having
to re-enter the data. No other site can read this cookie, only the site that put
it on can read a cookie.
This also goes for shopping carts on sites like Best Buy, Sears, Kmart and so on
that need cookies to work properly. However, there are site's that put cookies
that can record the sites you visit. Then when you go to another site that uses
that same cookie it will be able to know where you've been but there is a way to
stop this without turning your cookies off (tools/Internet Options).
To keep cookies from following you around go to the setting of your browser and
stop it from accepting 3rd party cookies (Internet Explorer go to
"tools/Internet Options" and click on the "Privacy" tab and set it to "Low" at
least, I recommend "Medium") (in Firefox go to "Tools/Options" and click on the
"Privacy" tab and un-check the box that says "Accept third-party cookies").
Your Email Address (click here)
When you sign up for internet service you are given an email address
by your internet service provider, i.e. Road Runner, ATT, etc.
The problem with this is that
when you decide to change services you lose that email address. Then later you
change again, you lose it again. This is a hassle, not just for you but for
everyone you exchange email with.
The solution? Get an email from a third party source that will not change. There
are many places that offer free email service.... the main two being Yahoo and
Google. My recommendation is to get a Gmail account from Google.
At the time I'm writing this Gmail (Google) is offering 7.2 gigs of space and
it's growing as you're reading this. This means you never have to delete any old
mail. They also have one of the best spam filters out there.
Something Gmail offers that Yahoo does not is the ability to use your own email
program like Outlook, Outlook Express and so on as well as using a web browser.
This is useful when you're on the road and need to access your email. They also offer the
ability to have Gmail get your email from other servers. An example would be if
you're using your IP's (internet provider's) email (you@wi.rr.com) and you want to
switch to Gmail, you can have Gmail get the mail from your old account in case
some people didn't get your new address.
Actually, they have many options. To see more, sign up for an account here (gmail.com).
How to truly speed up your computer (click here)
Here is how to truly speed up your computer:
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If your CPU is running warmer than it should
it will slow down to protect itself. I found this to be very common. (more
here)
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Make sure you have at least 5 gigs of free space on the drive that
Windows is on.
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Make sure you do not have any viruses, spyware, adware and malware on
your computer (see
extra info here).
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Run a good disc defragmenter (see
extra info here).
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Make sure you don't have any programs starting with Windows that aren't
needed (this
is often a problem, see extra info below)
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If you can, have Windows on its own partition all by its self (see
extra info below).
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Turn off some or all of Windows animations (see
info below).
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Make sure you have enough memory, you should have a minimum
of 512 megs.
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Remove optional Windows components that you don't use (see
info below).
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Uninstall programs that you no longer use.
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Registry cleaning programs claim to speed up Windows, this
is not a good idea. (more
info here)
Overheating:
If your CPU (Central Processing Unit, i.e. Pentium IV, Pentium III, Core 2 Do
and so on). is running too warm it will slow down to protect itself. This
happens from dust getting into the heatsink and on the fan blades or it can be
caused because it's too hot inside your computer case also caused by dust on fan
blades. Another cause of this could be that your fans are getting old and not
running as fast as they did when new. You should make sure the CPU heatsink is
clean, all fans are running as they should and most of all make sure you have
enough air flow through the case. Warning: Only a
qualified person should remove the CPU or the heat sink from the CPU.
Removing viruses, spyware, adware and malware:
I have not found any antivirus/antispyware program that will remove all
infections. What one leaves behind another will find but what that leaves behind
another will find, but I've never seen one that can remove all instances of all
infections. What I do is use special programs that will show me everything on
your computer then I need to manually remove the infected files and references
to those files in the Windows registry. Making changes to the Windows
registry is very tricky, one wrong addition or deletion will leave Windows
unable to run so only experts should work in this area.
Defragmenting your hard drive:
Windows comes with a disc defragmenter but it is not that good. If you want to
truly have your computer run as efficient as possible you should buy a good
defragmenting program, I recommend Diskeeper2008 Pro.
Windows start up:
Many times Windows is slowed down because to many programs are opening when
Windows starts. Most programs have a place in their settings to enable it to run
on startup, you should always disable this feature. There are other ways to stop
programs from starting up but this can be tricky, you don't want to stop the wrong program/file/.dll from
starting with Windows or you might disable a needed feature (this should only be
done by someone with experience).
Windows on a separate partition:
Putting Windows on a separate partition has two benefits. First, it will help
Windows run faster and more efficient. It will also protect your data in case
you ever need to re-install Windows. If you have Windows on your C drive, for
example, and all your other data on your D drive then Windows goes bad (virus or
any other problem), you can format C and re-install Windows without loosing your
data that is on D. As far as speed goes, When Windows is working and needs to
find a system file, it only has to wade through its own files, not all your
pictures, videos, documents and so on, thus, speeding up the process.
Windows animation:
Windows has all kinds of visual effects that slow down your computer. Sliding
menus in and out, animating a window to the task bar when minimizing, sliding
the buttons on the task bar and so on. These are useless, it's just for looks
and can slow Windows down so it is suggested to turn them off. The only
visual effects I keep on are "show contents while moving window" and "Use visual
styles on windows and buttons", the first helps me place the window where I want
them easier and the second just makes Windows look nicer to me, my preferences.
Unneeded Windows components:
Windows includes many components that you may not be using, these should be
turned off. These are components such as MSN Explorer (most people are using
Internet Explorer or Firefox or both, but hardly anyone uses MSN), Outlook
Express (this is not needed if you use Outlook or an online service like Yahoo
mail, Google mail or a similar email), Windows messenger, Fax Services, Indexing
Service, Internet Information Services, Management and Monitoring Tools, Message
Queuing and so on.
Windows registry:
This is an area that can cause major damage to Windows. DO
NOT use registry cleaners, they are not 100% accurate and could render your
Windows useless. I don't want you to take my word for this, so here are some
articles:
Ed Bott's opinion
miekiemoes' Blog
From Spybot Search & Destroys site (very informative)
Wikipedia
Ask Leo
Windows Vista, a Flop/Failure (click here)
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 Error?
Successful?, ahhh, yea, a successful error....
Vista is considered to
be Windows ME of the 2000's (Windows ME was Microsoft's big flop of the
90's). Vista does not do anything that XP can't (it actually does less), the main difference is
the way it looks. Also there is a problem where it doesn't run a lot of
software that XP does and many printers won't work. The biggest
complaint is that it runs slow, the price you pay for the fancy look.
Windows XP has been rock solid since service pack 2.
Many people have downgraded their new computers to XP because Vista
causes so many problems as well as running slow, I've even had people hire
me to install XP on their new Vista ready computers. What I do is leave
Vista on and install XP so when they turn their computers on they have a
choice on which OS (operating system) they want to use.
Why am I bringing all this up? To try and stop people from making a
mistake and spending money on Vista when XP is all they need. Besides,
Micro$oft already gave up on Vista and are planning on releasing Windows
7 very soon
(more info here)
Anyway, enough of my opinion, here's what the pro's say: |
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Computerworld - Vista: The kiss of death for
Microsoft execs
(click here)
"Think Microsoft is happy with Vista? Think again. Numerous top execs
involved in its development and launch are no longer at the company, at
least in one instance because an exec was put in a position that was
certainly a demotion."
(more) |
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Newsweek - A Gloomy Vista for Microsoft
(click here)
"It's the same with smaller customers like Mouli Ramani, vice president
of business development at Lilliputian Systems, a tech company in
Wilmington, Mass. He's sticking with XP because he knows it won't conk
out on him. "I'm not willing to risk my career on Vista," he says."
"It was sluggish. It had trouble going to sleep and waking up. It
wouldn't work with some printers and accessories. Users launched a
massive online petition begging Microsoft not to discontinue its old
operating system, XP, which is stable, fast and, after six years of
patches, pretty reliable. Many consumers like me, who'd bought new PCs
loaded with Vista, reloaded them with XP."(more) |
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PC Magazine - Vista's 11 Pillars of Failure
(click here)
"You're not supposed to deliver
a new operating system that's been in development for more than four
years yet performs worse than the previous OS. Performance should be at
the top, not the bottom, of the to-do list. You get the sense that
Microsoft just piles code on top of code and somewhere in the middle of
it all is MS-DOS 1.0."
(more) |
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PC Magazine - The Vista Irrelevancy
(click here)
Here's when you know your operating-system upgrade isn't working: when
people come into stores asking for its 7-year-old predecessor. But
that's what's happening as shoppers come up to counters begging for
Windows XP machines. For too many people, Windows Vista is just
irrelevant.
(more) |
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XP beats Vista? Could be the OS or poor drivers
(click here)
By Dennis O'Reilly
For at least one organization, the choice is clear: you'll get more work
done in less time when you use Windows XP instead of Vista. On the other
hand, some problems you encounter while using Vista are not caused by
the OS but by a third-party driver.
(more) |
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The Inquirer - Microsoft admits Vista failure
(click here)
"WITH TWO OVERLAPPING events, Microsoft admitted what we have been
saying all along, Vista, aka Windows Me Two (Me II), is a joke that no
one wants."
(more) |
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I could go on but I think my point is made... |
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