The easiest way to decorate your PC or to express yourself through it is by changing its wallpaper. Indeed, the first thing that users often do to broadcast or signify their ‘dominion’ over their PC is to change its wallpaper.

Windows has a vast repository of wallpapers (Vista wallpapers anyone?)that could match the taste or personality of almost every PC user. However, not everybody wants to be dictated upon as to how their desktop should look. Most of the time, people scrap the pre-installed or pre-loaded designs for third-party ones.

Of course, there’s no ‘rule’ as regards the kind of wallpaper that you should paste on your desktop. You could post any picture or painting that you like. However, there are some instances where you may have to limit your choices.

Wallpapers consume memory space. The bigger the file, the less space you’re going to have for other applications. If you’re quite short on RAM, I suggest that you choose designs which are not that intricate. Keep it simple. Plain-looking wallpapers are usually small in terms of file size; hence, they are easier to load.

PC optimization doesn’t just mean cleaning your cache or registry. If you want your unit to always perform at its best, you should first ascertain and acknowledge its limitations. If you only have 128MB of RAM, don’t use an intricate photo of a Da Vinci Masterpiece for a wallpaper. Every byte counts. Save valuable memory for more important processes.

Re-Tweet This Post

Hi Folks. It’s Friday and you know what that means… it’s time for our Cartoon of the Week!

How many of you folks out there can relate to this?

Re-Tweet This Post

“15 seconds just to load Microsoft Word? You’ve got to be kidding me!”

I’ve heard this a lot of times, especially during the days when Intel’s Celeron was reigning it over the other processors in terms of sales. It’s not surprising why applications ran slower a few years ago. There used to be a time when 64MB of RAM was an impressive spec already.

You may argue that the programs back then were not that big or complicated. True. However, multitasking was already as heavy and demanding three years ago as it is today. And with just 64MB of RAM, you shouldn’t wonder why it was hard running several applications simultaneously during the years when Shaq and Kobe were still together.

As you may have noticed, IT years are like dog years. Your Pentium IV may just be a year old, but it has actually reached its prime already. Dual core processors are the way to go today. Never has there been a time when the computer was so fast and powerful. For the first time, chip makers can claim that they have outpaced software manufacturers. No application today can complain that the available processors are not that powerful enough to satisfy its demands.

With all this computing power at your disposal, does this mean that applications should load up or run in a heartbeat? Theoretically, it should. However, the shriek at the beginning of this article continues to reverberate, and a number of them even come from people who have the best commercially-available laptop or desktop in the market.

How is this possible?

Well, for one thing, applications continue to get bigger and more complicated. But with a Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of memory, size shouldn’t really matter. So what’s really causing the slowdown?

Chip manufacturers blame software developers for faulty programming. They claim that there are applications which don’t terminate properly or completely. As a result, the RAM that it uses doesn’t become free. It continues to get occupied. This virtually and effectively reduces the size of your system memory. And if you’re physical memory is heavily clogged with programs, Windows will now use virtual memory. In case you don’t know, virtual memory is slower since it is just a space in your hard drive.

What if you’re just running one application and your system is acting as if it is running ten?

Don’t blame the software developer on this one. If your Core 2 Duo PC is performing like a Pentium II, then chances are that it’s infected with spyware. Spyware is often blamed (and rightly so) for most cases or incidents of computer slowdowns. No amount of optimization or hardware upgrade could fully improve the performance of your PC if it is infested with malicious programs.

Removing spyware can be challenging. However, there are many third-party programs out there which could make this task as easy as deleting a file from your hard drive. PC World has just featured a great article on how to determine if your PC is plagued by malware and how to remove them.

Don’t automatically tag spyware as the guilty party whenever your PC’s stamina is dropping. Malware infestation is just one of the many causes of computer slowdown. Determine the problem first before performing the remedy.

Re-Tweet This Post

I guess you already know by now that I’m an ardent advocate of simple optimization techniques as a means of improving PC performance. I always dissuade my friends from buying new hardware components or in junking their whole unit for a new one whenever they’re disgusted with their computer.

I hate it when hardware makers, especially those manufacturing processors, frequently release new products which make their previous ones obsolete. Many people feel obligated to buy the latest version even though their existing unit or its components are not yet that old.

All of us want our PC to run faster. However, speed has usually been solely associated with the processor. This is an unfortunate misconception. You can easily improve the performance of your PC by just cleaning up its registry. If you feel that it’s imperative to add or replace a peripheral, then just buy a few memory modules to increase your RAM. Don’t blame your processor or motherboard every time your PC emulates a turtle. Your unit has a lot more to give than you might think!

Re-Tweet This Post

I guess you’ve already seen the cartoon in my previous entry. I hope that took the stress out of your day because it certainly kicked the frown out of my friends’ faces

Some of you might be laughing your hearts out at PC cartoon strips such as the one I just featured, but believe me, things or situations like that do happen. How many of you techie people out there get so frustrated with PC questions or PC problems that you get asked all the time?

But seriously, experiencing computer problems is anything but funny. They are frustrating, stressing and if you have no clues as to what is happening, it can completely ruin your day!

My advice? Don’t fiddle with your PC if you have no idea what’s going on with it. Run some basic PC utilities and see if their recommendations work. If not, ask a tech-savvy friend to help you out. Ain’t got one? Bring your PC to a technician. It may cost but it would probably be less than having to buy a new PC altogether.

Re-Tweet This Post

Re-Tweet This Post

Do you ever wonder why your hard drive sometimes spins like crazy even if you’re not doing anything with your computer? Halloween is still 9 months away so don’t suspect that this is another ghost story. However, the reason behind that mindless spinning can be equally terrifying.

We all know that malware usually works behind the scenes. No self-respecting virus author would expose his work to any third-rate anti-virus software. So in order to increase the life span of his creation, he would develop it in such a way that it could run without being noticed.

Fortunately, no bad deed goes unnoticed. There are many ways by which you could detect the presence of unwanted applications without resorting to a laborious full-system scan.

If your hard drive is working overtime without you demanding anything from it, then chances are is that it’s working for somebody or something else. A virus or a malicious code may have been inserted in your registry which instructs your system to do needless loops, or worse, perform destructive functions.

Be very observant when you’re using your PC. If it slows down, try rebooting. If it still runs at a laggard pace, then run your anti-virus and check if your system is clean.

Re-Tweet This Post

It has been a month since my blog went live. In almost all of my entries, I have emphasized the importance of optimizing your computer in order to fully enjoy its potentials or capabilities. However, is the task of making your PC a lean, mean office (or gaming;) machine that simple?

If you’ve read an ad by an optimization tool-maker, you might think that cleaning Window’s registry is as easy as cleaning your room. I did. So instead of relying on such an application, I decided to do it myself. Reckless? Maybe. But peeking through the registry file is not that difficult. In fact, it’s just like opening a Microsoft Word file. It doesn’t contain binary codes or any other esoteric number combinations. You could even actually read the lines written therein.

I went through the contents of the file and tried to find out which lines were unnecessary. My computer was really a slowpoke back then and a free online scan revealed that my registry was indeed clogged by needless instructions. In case you don’t know, a registry contains information or directives that the computer frequently refers to in order to function properly. So what would happen if your unit follows pointless instructions? Well, I’m sure you’ve already guessed it right. Your PC would be busy doing loops instead of running the applications that you want. Worse, it may even execute instructions that could lead to the destruction of your files.

I realized quite belatedly that an unaided examination or repair of one’s registry is a dangerous and suicidal act:( It nearly killed my PC since I removed the wrong set of instructions. As a consequence, it refused to boot properly anymore. Luckily, I had a back up of the file that I modified. Despite the fact that I’m quite knowledgeable with computers, the complexity of the registry overwhelmed me. The seemingly simple task turned out to be a complicated undertaking.

Moral lesson here? Don’t tinker with your registry if you don’t know anything about it. Even programmers like me rarely dare do so. There are many registry cleaners that are available in the market that can spare you the trouble of having to go at it with your bare hands. These cleaners will basically browse through the registry and rid it of redundant lines, and more importantly, of malicious instructions.

As each computer is unique, so is its registry. It’s not your average .dll or .exe file where you could just easily replace it if it gets erroneously modified or corrupted. It’s definitely not an inconsequential file. Remember that this is the file that the computer frequently refers to when running applications. Needless to say, your PC will become a lame, paralytic duck if this file gets damaged.

Registries are the favorite targets of hackers since they can easily take over your system through these files. Invest in a good registry cleaner and check it frequently for unauthorized modifications. You won’t be able to fully enjoy or appreciate the power of your system if it’s busy executing erroneous instructions.

Re-Tweet This Post

How’s your cache? If you’re not a techie, then chances are that you might think that I’m asking for your current financial condition.

A cache is a space in your system’s memory that stores data that you frequently use or access. Your computer usually checks this storage first before it goes to other sources for the information that you’re requesting. This saves time since your PC won’t have to go far in order to find the data that you need.

However, your cache may actually slow down your PC if it’s clogged with unnecessary files or data. Hence, it is advisable that you clear it regularly. Clearing your browser’s cache is very simple. Just click on Tools then select Internet Options. There are also third-party software which allows you to sort out the files or data that you want to retain or delete.

Optimizing your PC is very simple. However, it’s not a one-time task that you could just forget about after performing it the first time. Clearing your cache, as well as your registry and hard drive, is a task that you should be doing as often as you clean your room (my analogy would be flawed if you only clean your room once a year )

Re-Tweet This Post

Some of my friends at the office got intrigued by the entry that I posted on my blog yesterday. Apparently, they have little or no idea about remote computing. That’s quite surprising considering that we’re at an age where almost anything is done through the Internet.

I explained to them that even ordinary users like us can access PCs remotely from virtually anywhere. No special equipment is required. All that is usually needed is an Internet access and third-party software that allows a person to tap or get in to a willing unit.

Many of them are now excited to try it. I can’t fully understand their child-like interest in it though. I mean remote computing has been around for quite some time now, and that the “in” thing today is mobile computing.

There’s one problem in accessing your desktop at home from the office. Most of the time, the computers at home are already old. This is true in my case. My home PC is just a Pentium III, while the one that I’m using at the office has a Core 2 Duo processor. The speed of my office unit will be inconsequential if the computer that I’m accessing has a slow CPU.

I advised them to make sure that their home PCs are functioning well. I also clarified that they don’t need to buy a new one just to be able to enjoy remote computing. As long as their home units are optimized and in good condition, they can expect a satisfactory experience.

Re-Tweet This Post