Another Day With My PC

Many users and experts bill Windows XP and Vista as complete packages. It seems that Microsoft has already integrated countless tools and programs in its operating systems that would ensure its viability and survival for years to come. Among the various types of applications that Redmond bestowed upon its two most popular programs are sets of security and optimization tools.

As far as malware protection is concerned, users wonder if there’s even a need to buy third-party software for security. Service Pack 2 barbed-wire XP with a good and decent firewall, while the downloadable Windows Defender and Malicious Software Removal Tool proved to be good antivirus and anti-spyware tag team partners.

Optimization under XP and even its current successor, Vista, has also already been taken cared of. Defragging hard drives costs nothing as such tool comes for free on Microsoft’s operating systems. You don’t have to buy a disk fixer, too, as ScanDisk is already integrated in the programs.

The Missing Link

Despite the integration of such applications, Vista and XP are still vulnerable to malware as both lack one very important security and optimization tool – a registry cleaner.

One should not belittle the role that registry cleaners play in keeping PCs in tip top shape. In case you don’t know, many system slowdowns are caused by clogged registries rather than by cluttered or scattered files on hard drives. The fact that your operating system always refers to the registry whenever it runs programs impels users to install a good registry cleaner in order to ensure that access to it is unhampered.

Don’t just rely on the freebies that Microsoft throws at its operating systems. Be prudent enough to fortify those free apps or fill in the holes or gaps with third-party security suites. The first thing that you should install is a registry cleaner as Vista and XP do not have one. RegCure is highly recommended by many specialists and users. Try it.

If you’ve been an avid reader of this blog, then you definitely know by now that defragging is a must. Arranging files in their proper order could definitely optimize your PC’s performance as this would decrease the amount of time that your hard drive’s read-write heads have to look for the files that your programs need.

While defragging is desirable, running your defrag on a daily basis might be a little bit too much already. While hard drives these days are built to outlive your dog or cat, constant defragging could stress it out. Although I’m quite certain that it could bear the stress, I don’t think that you could bear the wait. Depending on the number of files or programs that you have in your primary storage device, the process could take anywhere from a few minutes to around an hour.

So, how often should you defrag? Well, it depends. If you have tons of files or programs in your hard drive and you constantly add or erase many of them, then regular defragging is a must. Once or twice a week would already do. However, if you rarely add or remove any file in your hard disk, then a daily session of this optimization method would already be overkill.

What do you do when your PC slows down?

While some people try to examine what’s wrong with their computer when it’s performing under par, others are quick to put their unit out of its misery by discarding it and replacing it with a new one.

Computer manufacturers have mix reactions as to the option or solution of early retirement for PCs performing below expectations. Of course, they’re very happy with people buying new computers all the time since this would mean millions or billions in profits. However, this impatient and wasteful attitude of PC owners may also damage their name and goodwill since their units’ underperformance might be taken as a sign of poor manufacturing techniques.

Many users exhibit more patience in handling PC slowdown situations, though. Oftentimes, the problem lies not on the hardware but on the applications that are running the show. Indeed, Acer, HP, Dell, and other PC makers take pride in their units and warrant them for any defects.

PC slowdowns are usually caused by malware. You don’t have to kick the hard drive out of your system when viruses or spyware make it their abode. The simple, most effective, and cost-efficient solution for this is to run an antivirus and registry cleaner scan on your system. This does the trick almost 99% of the time. So please, don’t euthanize your computer. There are many cures out their in the market, such as RegCure.

The tool that enables us to work at Speedy Gonzales’ pace and punch out at the bundy clock faster than our boss could say “overtime!” is ironically also the very thing that could sometimes keep us from catching the 5 p.m. bus.

I’m sure there have been times when Windows wasn’t so enthusiastic as you in rushing out of the office. Laggard shut down times puts a shame on dual or multiple core processors. If only we could simply press the power button to automatically shut down the system. We all know that this is a no no, though, as abruptly shutting down the computer could bring about catastrophic consequences, such as data loss and future system crashes.

However, Windows Vista allows us to jump over this rule by giving users the option to reprogram the power button. To do this, click Start, type power options, then press the enter key. Click on Choose what the power button does, then select Shut down. Save the changes and presto! It’s as easy and simple as that

Don’t you just hate the fact that Mac users just seem to have it all? They have the coolest brand, the hippest laptops, and the sleekest operating system. If you own an Intel/PC-based laptop that’s running on Windows, you definitely know what I’m talking about.

If those facts (disputable) are not enough to make you sinfully envious, then check out PC Mech’s article regarding the file systems which Mac OS X and Windows use. Although the article is littered with geeky gobbledygook, it simply says that Apple’s operating system is virtually maintenance free compared to Windows XP and Vista in terms of defragmenting.

Despite the seeming lead of Mac over Windows, I still prefer the latter because of its superior compatibility with every program available in the market. Maybe the reason why the occurrence of file fragmentation is low in Mac systems is because there are few programs or files that are compatible with OS X (I sound like Bill Gates sour graping over Steve Jobs’ success ).  Just kidding.

There’s no reason for us PC/Windows users to envy Mac people that much. We have excellent system tools which make our lives a little bit less complicated like the ones that our Mac counterparts have.  Support and compatibility is our advantage.  Even though Windows is unceasingly being attacked by various types of malware, the most widely-used OS is backed and defended by all known antivirus and registry cleaners available. So what’s the worry? :)

If you’re not a very demanding PC owner, then you’ve probably never heard of the term “overclocking.” I bet that if I dare you to guess right now what that IT gobbledygook means, you’d probably give me answers relating to time settings. Of course, answers following that line are far from being correct.

Overclocking refers to that process or method by which you speed up your PC by pushing its processor beyond the limit set by its manufacturer. CPU speed varies depending on its model. The one that I have right now is a 2.4 GHz Intel Dual Core processor. If you’re not into extreme gaming or heavy multimedia tasking, then a 2.4 GHz Dual Core chip would already satisfy your needs. However, if you think that God’s Will for you is to primarily play every online game that EA sports have created, then I bet my CPU’s second core that you’ve already mulled of trying to squeeze more out of your processor by putting a few more ticks into its clock.

Costless But Costly Upgrade

Overclocking is very tempting for both gamers and ordinary users alike. This is not surprising considering that putting a few more gigahertz into your CPU is like having your PC upgraded without being concomitantly punched on the pocket. And the difference is far from being negligible. You’ll definitely see a considerable enhancement in PC speed after overclocking it.

As with all things, there’s a downside to it. Overzealous overclocking could drive your PC to extreme exhaustion. This would eventually lead to a massive computer cardiac arrest. Overclocking your PC to almost twice its prescribed speed is like whipping a horse every second in order to make it run two times faster than it normally does. It will definitely run faster, but not for long.

Intel Roasting on an Open Fire

If you’re bent on adding a few digits on your CPU, be ready for the consequences. I’m not saying though, that overclocking would always lead to disaster. I just want you to be aware of the possible results or consequences, both good and bad (especially the latter), when you try to demand more from your processor. Make sure that your CPU and other PC fans are also working double time as overclocking is also synonymous to overheating. Don’t you dare put steroids into your PC when you can’t put ice in your system.

Overclocking is a very effective, but also very risky way of increasing PC speed. As with all quick fixes, they are littered with perils. I therefore suggest that you try other optimization methods first before resorting to this extreme measure. There are many ways by which you could speed up your PC, such as by defragging your hard drive or cleaning up your Windows registry so that no unnecessary instructions are flexing your PC’s muscles. These overclocking alternatives may cost you a bit, but in the end, it would actually save you from spending more when you eventually have buy a new chip and motherboard if overclocking toast your computers’ internals.

I’m sure you already know by now that this site is dedicated into making sure that you get the most out of your PC. There are a myriad of ways by which you could inject steroids into your computer so that you could squeeze every gigahertz that its processor could offer.

But as with any performance-enhancing drug, there are side effects. The medicine or solutions that we offer you in this site are the ones approved by the FDA (pardon the metaphor). Like the human body, computers also have their limits and could breakdown if it is pushed beyond its capacity.

This doesn’t mean that we won’t give in to your curiosity. We’re of the belief that one should know the dark side of things in order to understand and fully appreciate the lighter face of things. Hence, on Wednesday, we’ll be featuring an optimization method that sometimes put PCs into cardiac arrest – overclocking.

What do you do when you encounter an error message?

I bet many of you just click “ok” after reading the first 4 words that are written in the notice or warning. I don’t blame you for having that kind of attitude towards Windows’ occasional ranting. I myself am guilty of that sometimes. The words in the warning or message box seem either gibberish or too technical to comprehend. In the fatalistic hope that things would turn out just fine by clicking ok (after all, ok means ok, right?), many users blindly click the first button that they see, especially if it’s selected or highlighted by default.

It’s Actually Telling You Something

The authors of Windows didn’t just randomly copy a page of the operating system’s manual and paste it on the error or warning boxes, though. You can bet your mouse’s left button that the designers carefully thought out all the error messages that Windows could utter in case it hiccups. I would even dare say that around 50 cents of the operating system’s price tag accounts for the time that the programmers have spent in writing those error messages.

It’s not wise to ignore error messages. Warning or error boxes that pop up on your screen are Windows’ way of telling you that it’s not feeling well and that it probably needs some tweaking. The fact that you know nothing technical other than Ctrl+Alt+Del doesn’t mean that you don’t have to exert any effort to try to address those messages. The most prudent thing to do when you see Windows coughing is to take note of the thing’s that it’s telling you and try to Google on it for clarifications and solutions.

The Blue Screen of Death

If you’re too lazy to open Google, then just continue reading this post. I’ll just spoon-feed you as to the possible causes.

One of the well known (and dreadful) error messages that you could get is the blue screen of death (BSoD). This curse is usually caused by faulty hardware, such as the motherboard and SIMM modules. Overheating on the CPU can also cause your monitor to spray blue paint all over its screen.

Solving BSoD problems caused by faulty hardware can easily be solved. However, the solution could be a bit of a burden on your pocket. Sputtering peripherals usually need to be changed. Although you could have it examined and dissected by a technician, chances are is that the numbers on the repair costs are almost the same as the price tag for a brand new part. I recommend that you just buy a brand new component rather than having your old peripheral undergo e-surgery.

Soft Solution for a Hard Problem

Before you buy a new component, though, make sure that it is really the problem. There are times when the peripheral is actually ok but appears to be not working due to a defective or incompatible device driver. Make sure that all the supporting applications or drivers that are necessary in order for the component to function are already installed. Update them regularly by visiting its manufacturer’s Web site for new releases or by checking driver repositories on the Internet, such as Driver Detective.

BSoDs are also caused by faulty Registry. If this is the cause of your operating system’s problem, you can solve it by running System Restore. If you failed to create a restore point, then seek the help of a Registry cleaner, such as RegCure. This program could rid your operating system’s registry of unwanted lines and instructions.

Even before Vista was released, experts have already warned about the operating system’s appetite for RAM. Indeed, it’s the most demanding program as far as system resources are concerned. 2GB would usually already suffice for Microsoft’s latest OS. However, you might be in for a surprise when you take a peek at your system’s gauges.

Being the OC that I am with regard to system performance, I usually check on the meters as to how my PC is doing. Upon checking my RAM, I was surprised to discover that only a tiny fraction of it was left available. I nearly panicked, thinking that one or both my SIMM modules are either defective or totally went dead on me.

Before rushing to the phone to call my RAM maker’s customer service hotline, I decided to pour ice-cold water on my simmering fear and anxiety first by researching on the problem. I was only a few pages on Vista’s guidebook when I discovered that the OS has a unique way of handling Alzheimer’s. A lot of RAM was still left in my PC after all. What happened was Vista just placed the unused memory space in a cache labeled as SuperFetch.

SuperFetch allocates memory space to programs or processes as they need them. This ensures that each kilobyte is used to its fullest. This is definitely better than leaving memory to rot in idleness.

So the next time you check on your RAM meter, don’t be surprised if you see that you only have a few megabytes left to burn even if you’re not running any program at all. But this doesn’t mean that you can be complacent when your system slows down. Don’t just blame it on the possibility that SuperFetch might be conking out on you. Consider every possible problem. Who knows, your PC’s slowdown might really be caused by a bad memory module.

You don’t have to read every post in this blog to realize that running a full virus and registry scan at least once a week is as imperative as taking a bath at least once a day (I really hope that you do). We’ve devoted almost every article in this blog to campaign for PC optimization and security, and you cannot attain either if you don’t check your PC regularly for viruses and other malware.

At first glance, it seems that there’s no excuse for us to skip or fail to run a full system scan. After all, it takes just one click to scan your whole PC for malware. However, a typical hard drive contains thousands of system and other data files. Depending upon the depth or thoroughness of the scan that you’ve set, the antivirus software would generally rummage through every item in your computer. This process would definitely be time-consuming.

In this era where time is more valuable than gold, many simply cannot afford to freeze their tasks just to make way for their antivirus and anti-spyware programs to do their job. While there is such a thing as multitasking, sharing PC resources with an antivirus could be a problem since a security suite that’s running a full system scan would be very jealous of anything that tries to get the CPU’s attention.

Deadlines and other tasks should not be made as seemingly reasonable excuses to skip a full system scan. Unless you’re working 24 hours a day, there will definitely be pockets of time where your PC’s CPU would feel useless or neglected. Make use of these periods to flex your antivirus and registry scanner’s muscles. Schedule scans during lunch breaks or even after office hours. Every PC task can be done automatically, so you don’t have to baby sit the whole process. Trust everything in your anti-malware programs or to your task scheduler. It will take care of everything.

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