Sunday, March 25, 2007

Choosing The Right Notebook - A Buyers Guide

By: Harry Love

Notebooks - Finding the Right System to Meet Your Needs

A computer is a major purchase and should not be taken lightly,
especially if you are purchasing a notebook computer. There are
a number of factors that need to be considered before you even
get to the store to take a look at what is available.

The most important thing is to decide what are the tasks you
would like to be able to do with your notebook, is it going to
be just for work, or home use. Are you going to need it to be
able to play memory intensive games? Once you have decided all
these things and you have internet access take a look at some of
the various types of notebooks available. Review sites are some
of the best places to check out what notebooks are good for
what. Some of the things you do need to consider are the monitor
size, memory, processor, graphics, drives, hard drive, and
software.

Larger monitor size are excellent for people who need to have a
lot of different windows open at the same time or who like to
have their fonts and icons on the larger size. Memory, this
refers to computers Ram. Depending on the types of programs you
are planning on running this will be an important consideration.
More Ram means the more programs can be open at the same time.
If you are just going to search the web, you will not need as
much Ram as someone who is planning on doing graphic design with
their notebook. The processor is another consideration. Just
like with Ram, the more you plan to do, the larger this needs to
be.

If you are plan on gaming with your Notebook, you will
definitely want to pay attention to the graphics card. This
determines just how well things are rendered on your monitor.
The better the graphics card, the better the rendering. There
are many games that will tell you the type and size of card
necessary for play check out the requirements before purchasing
your notebook. Notebooks come with a wide variety of drive
options if you just want to do things like watch movies or run
CD's than a CD/DVD rom is probably enough. If you would like to
burn data then a CDRW might be what your looking for and if you
need to burn a lot of data or would like to burn movies, then a
DVD burner is something you should look into adding to your
Notebook. Hard drives are based also on need. If you are
planning on handing a lot of data, get a larger capacity hard
drive on the other hand if you are only planning on saving
things like word files, a higher capacity hard drive may not be
necessary. When it comes to software, there are a wide variety
of different packages available. Consider your needs and look at
getting the notebook that has the majority if not all of the
software you will need.

Now that you have the basics on choosing your next or first
notebook, you might want to check out some of these top
manufacturers MSI, ACER, IBM, HP, or FUJITSU.

About the author:
Harry Love writes on behalf of Spire Technology
(http://www.spire.co.uk/) and specialises in I.T and A.V
equipment, with his experience in cutting edge technology and up
to the minute product knowledge he prides himself at being at
the forefront of the technology industry.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Speed Up Your Computer - Clean Your Registry

By: Alan Forbes

What is the registry?

The registry is a database that stores information necessary to
configure the system for your computers users, applications, and
hardware devices.

Why does it need to be cleaned (repaired)?

Every time you install software on your computer, change a
system setting, delete a program, all the changes are kept in
the registry.

Over time, your registry grows, however, it also can end up
fragmented and full of unwanted registry items.

These unwanted items occur by removing attributes of programs or
deleting programs you no longer want without using the Add or
Remove Programs function.

Some programs do not always come with proper uninstall programs,
so you are only able to delete a portion of the program.

Or possibly you have moved a file, and now the program that used
this file is unable to find it or it's an orphan file left over
from an unsuccessful attempt to delete a program completely.

In short, over time you end up with numerous misplaced files and
objects which your computer can not process, this can slow your
computer considerably, make start-up take forever and sometimes
cause errors that will "crash" your computer.

How can you fix this problem?

I'll admit that I was horrified with the amount of errors I
found when I finally got around to cleaning my registry.

My computer start-up had become terribly sluggish, opening
programs took twice as long as they should have, and every so
often I would get the dreaded "blue screen", or my computer
would lock up, usually when I was in the middle of something I
had not yet saved.

Once I cleaned my registry, the speed was noticeably quicker and
the program errors disappeared.

There are numerous registry cleaners available which can be
downloaded online and most are very easy to use.

Once downloaded start the program and the cleaner scans your
registry for all the lost and misplaced items that are no longer
in use and deletes them.

Most cleaners also offer backup and restore functions, so you
can revert back to your previous configuration if needed.

If you scan your registry regularly your computer will stop
accumulating fragmented information giving you a faster computer
with minimal errors.

For more information go to: Registry
Reviews


About the author:
Alan Forbes is a writer, marketer and freelance web designer.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

3 Easy Ways To Protect Your Computer Againts Hackers

By: John Miels


Protecting your computer is one of the most important things
that you need to do as soon as you build or buy your pc, there
is a lot of identity theft and other issues that can bring you
problems for example if you have personal information stored in
your hard drive someone could connect to your pc if you are
online or on a network and steal your information.



Here are three easy ways to protect your computer against
hackers and spy ware.

  1. Install a firewall, most
    operating systems have built in firewalls but sometimes they are
    not turned on another good option is to buy a firewall from your
    local retail store.
  2. Install Spy ware removal software
    in your comp
    uter
    , this is a must have you need to have updated virus and
    spy ware software in your system, there are a lot of malicious
    websites online that try to install tracking cookies or programs
    that can make your system vulnerable to hackers.
  3. Run
    automatic updates yes make sure that your copy of your operating
    system is up to date, you can set your updates to automatic so
    you don't forget to do this.


Follow this simple instructions and your system will be safe
from hackers and spy ware.



About the author:
For more computer tips visit http://www.CompuTips.info

Monday, March 12, 2007

Recover File and Recover Deleted File Tools

By: Sam Roberts

Data recovery software is a very effective way of retrieving
data from a worn or damaged hard disk drive. Data recovery will
easily and effortlessly recover files you have mistakenly
deleted from your computer or have lost after formatting the
drives, and it will work for up to three formats.

Huge companies around the world have lost expensive information
due to corrupt hard drives, viruses and Trojans, and due to
those circumstances these companies have lost huge amounts of
money - and a few of them watched as their businesses came
plummeting to the ground for something as small and fragile as a
hard drive.

There is no longer any reason for your valuable information to
get lost on your hard drive. Data recovery software will recover
your data long after they have been removed from the recycle bin
or lost as a result from a really bad virus over load.

We all ignore the "Hard Drive Back Up" option that pops up on
our Operating Systems every now and again. The fact is that
people have just become too busy to leave their computer to
stand even for an hour to get backed up. Hence, you will have
hard drive crashes and data loss, which is where data recovery
software comes handy.

Data recovery software performs a deep scan, a quick scan, a
file scan or a scan over your entire hard drive. The best part
is that it does not take up a lot of system resources, so you
can still use you computer while the scan is running. So now
there is no need to leave your desk for a long back up process,
however data recovery does not replace the need to do a system
back up on regular intervals.

Another important feature of data recovery software is that you
can select the full system scan and choose which files you would
like to recover after the scan is complete, and you can choose
to save it to a removable drive or you could choose to burn it
straight to CD, remember that most data recovery software
programs do not allow you to save information on the same drive
you have recovered it from, as there is always a possibility of
the same problem occurring.

The great thing about most data recovery systems is that you can
recover data from you local hard drive, which means the drive
your operating system is working on, or you could recover data
from an extra hard drive, a removable or portable hard drive,
memory disks for cameras and even old CD's.

Majority of the data recovery software available today is easy
to install and is quite user friendly. Also, most data recovery
software's offer a free trial version, which can be easily
downloaded, from one of the many sites in the internet.

About the author:
Sam is CEO of recover
file
and recover
deleted file
Tools

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

How To Tuneup Your PC

By: Gary Bracken

Make Your PC Run Fast Again By Scheduling A Regular Tune Up:

Your computer is just like a fine race car! Both must be
expertly maintained to run at their optimum speed and
performance levels. Unlike a formula 1 racer however, your PC is
relatively easy to fine-tune, and we will guide you through the
process with simple step-by-step instructions.

Initial tune-up

After getting all the programs setup on your PC the way you
want, there are a few tasks that will help you get the most out
of your system. The following maintenance tasks should be
performed initially and will form the basis of a solid tune-up
program for your PC:

1. Install and Update your Antivirus & Anti Spyware software:

The last thing you need is a computer virus ruining your day by
infecting your computer and either destroying valuable data, or
spreading your personal information all over the internet! We
cannot stress enough the importance of making sure you have a
solid and reliable Anti-Virus program installed on your computer.

Spyware and Adware is almost an even bigger problem these days
than Computer Viruses! If you have ever downloaded anything
online, music, books, files, etc...or if you have ever installed
downloaded programs on your computer, chances are you have
multiple spyware infections.

Pop-up windows and windows error messages are a prime indicator
of Spyware and Adware infections on your computer.

Spyware is a hidden software program created to steal your
personal information, and report back to their creators with
anything from your online browsing habits and patterns, to your
stored credit card numbers! identity theft is a growing problem,
propagated in part by Spyware!

2. Update your software and drivers

Make sure your computer has the latest video, hardware and
software drivers it needs to run at optimum speed and
efficiency. We recommend that Microsoft Windows Update be used
on a consistent basis. Microsoft and other hardware and software
manufacturers will regularly post updated drivers and fixes for
their products. Most vendors use the Windows Update tool to
distribute their updates.

The Windows Update tool can be accessed on your computer by
clicking Start, right-click My Computer, and select Properties.

Click the Automatic Updates tab, and select Keep my computer up
to date.

Keeping Windows updated can solve many errors you may experience.

3. Defragment your hard drive

Defragmenting your hard drive is an easy task that will improve
your system's speed and performance (especially noticeable with
larger programs).

As you install and uninstall different software programs, data
becomes scattered across your hard drive in various areas. This
results in your computer taking a longer amount of time to find
data it needs, which makes your system run slower. This holds
true even after installing a new program on your computer.

Starting Disk Defragmenter

Using Disk Defragmenter is easy and once started will work
without the need to monitor the process. Depending on the size
of your hard drive and the amount of fragmented files
defragmentation of your files can take up to several hours to
complete. Follow the procedures below to start defragmenting
your hard drive.

* 1. Shut Down all programs that are running. including
background programs and screensavers. * 2. Click Start, All
Programs, Accessories, then System Tools. * 3. Click Disk
Defragmenter. Follow the onscreen instructions. If Disk
Defragmenter starts itself over and over, then a hidden
background program is still accessing the hard drive. Restart
the computer in Safe mode and try again.

4. Create a Backup Or Restore Point Regularly On Your Computer

A Virus, Spyware or other bug could easily wipe out your data
without chance of recovery! Make sure you are regularly backing
up any data you don't want to lose (burning it to disk is an
easy and cost effective way of backing up important data).

Microsoft offers a Data Backup to automate the process, A virus
or software bug could wipe out data without any chance of
recovery. Devise a strategy for backing up your files now. Any
important data that you do not want to lose should be backed up
regularly. This can be done in any of a number of ways. Simply
write the files to a floppy diskette, USB drive, or a CD-R. You
might also consider using RecordNow!'s System Backup or
Microsoft's Data Backup to automate the backup process.

5. Clean Your Computer Registry Regularly

If you're running any version of Windows on your computer, then
you have a Windows registry. This Windows Registry is where all
the information about your computer is stored. The registry
includes installation data about the software you run and all of
your computer's preferences, settings, and registry keys.
Everything about your computer is essentially stored in your
windows registry.

Over time, as you install new programs, delete others, and use
your computer, the Windows Registry grows. Sometimes you will
get errors when you start your computer. In extreme instances
you will experience computer freeze-ups and possibly even system
crashes. Your computer can start running 'slower' as well, which
makes for annoying and time consuming 'hang' times, where you
essentially stare at your monitor in a trance, waiting for
control of your mouse cursor to be restored to you once again!

Fortunately, there is an easy solution to Registry build-up. You
need to run a registry cleaner tool on a regular basis
(depending on computer usage). This software will scan your
Registry to find the unnecessary data and delete it...the end
result should be a computer that runs as fast as the day you
brought it home!

RECOMMENDED: Put Your Computer Tune Up Schedule On Auto Pilot by
downloading and running our recommended Free PC Optimizer:
RegCure.

About the author:
Gary Bracken maintains RegCure.Registry-
Cleaner-Help.com
and recommends you put your Computer Tuneup
Schedule on autopilot by running the FREE RegCure Registry
Cleaner Scan
.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Why Can't I Access Certain Websites With Vista?

By: George Christodoulou

One of the visitors to this site left a comment the other day
stating that he had problems visiting certain sites. I noticed
this problem has occurred to others on my daily forum and
research routines. Some users are unable to reach vital websites
that are important to work and school. According to a variety of
sources, the problem could be because the type of sites being
accessed are secure (SSL - Secure Sockets Layer ) sites. For
individuals with this access problem, I did a little research
and found a few answers.

Basically, from what I have read, this inability to access
certain websites stems from the security measures that Vista
comes with. All it takes is a little tweak of a few options and
the problem should be solved. The following is one step by step
solution to this problem: 1. Go to "tools" in the Internet
explorer or firefox. (I don't think it matters) 2. Go to the sub
category "Internet options" (This is only in Internet explorer -
for firefox, you must go to "options" at the bottom.) 3. Now, go
to advanced (IE) and uncheck, "use TLS 1.0″ ( For firefox,
you don't have to go to "advanced, you can see the box there.)

This is the basic rundown of what must be done. If you have this
problem, there is a chance the above steps may not help you with
your problem. That's okay because you may have a very similar
problem in which the sites you are viewing are set to only allow
SSLv3 enabled explorers. The steps to solve this problem are the
same as the above except this time you check the SSLv2 box.

Similarly, if a site you visit frequently is not displaying
anymore, it may be because the site has not updated the
configurations yet and has not changed from SSlv3. When
Microsoft updated Internet Explorer to version 7, they changed
the settings from SSlv2 to 3 in an act to make surfing the web
safer. All you need to know is how you can change the settings
on your explorer. I hope, your problems are solved.

If you have any personal problem that is related or not...
please feel free to leave the comment. If you surf through the
site, you will see that I try to answer everyones questions with
well researched and experienced answers.

About the author:
GeorgeChristodoulou

If you are still asking, "Why Can't I Access
Certain Websites With Vista?
",

Please visit, http://download-microsoft-vista.com for more
information today!

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Buying a Computer with Vista Installed

By: George Christodoulou

As we all know, Computer technology changes rapidly. For this
reason, we all run to the nearest shop to get a new computer
when our machines are obsolete. No matter what financial status
you have, you are not exempt from having to take part of this
ritual. Sadly, if you're on a tight budget, you have to consider
the decision of buying a new computer because it will have a
greater effect on you economically. Since Vista was released,
many people are deciding to purchase a new computer because the
operating system is out and they needed to upgrade anyway. It's
time to look at vital information for anyone who is in this
situation and wonders if a Vista is a reason to make the upgrade
today.

It's all around the news that Vista has had its problems. For
example, if you use certain wireless adapters you might be stuck
with a computer that can't be connected to the internet because
a patch or update has not been released yet. Many "experts" warn
against purchasing a computer with Vista because it has many
bugs and compatibility problems. They say everyone should hold
off on the switch from XP until an updated version comes out. In
addition, many say that Vista takes up entirely too much memory
and computer processing capacity. Luckily, anyone who decides to
buy a new computer with Vista installed will have enough RAM and
other components made perfectly for running Vista. This makes
this dilemma void to you.

Glitter and graphics are boasted by all who have seen and
experienced Microsoft Vista. This is the main attraction of the
software. These features are only in the Home Premium edition of
Vista. The basic version has only a few features and the most
optically exciting are not present. Buying the software form a
store and upgrading a current machine would mean a smaller price
tag for purchasing the basic addition. Luckily for anyone buying
a whole new machine, they get to experience everything Microsoft
has to offer since they usually come with Home Premium
installed. The other features also shine through when Vista is
spoken about. New entertainment features and improvements on
games and other aspects of computer use. With any operating
system improvements are inevitable and Vista is no exception.

Now that the information is laid out in a simple format, a
decision can be made. Depending on your situation, you can
choose to buy a new computer now, and have Vista installed or
you can wait and have an updated version included. Actually,
some people are saying that Vista will be like the forgotten
Windows ME which left as fast as it came in. These days, nobody
can wait for the outcome of new technology. If you run an old
machine begging to be upgraded, by all means do so; but, if you
can wait for the update exercise a little patience. If you are
too impulsive, remember computers don't come cheap to all and
you may regret it later. On the other hand, if you can afford
the expense; by all means go for the upgrade, have fun, and
enjoy.

About the author:
George Christodoulou



If you still have questions about buying a computer
with microsoft Vista installed
,

please visit, http://download-microsoft-vista.com for more
information!