Discount Computers

Are you frustrated with your PC? Is it feeling sluggish or
crawling at a snail\’s pace? Are programs running slower than
they used to? Are you just plain fed up with frequent slowdowns,
freezes or crashes?

Then it\’s time to stop what you\’re doing and optimize your
system to improve PC performance!

Follow these 6 simple sure-fire tips to help improve PC
performance and you\’ll be surprised by the results! Each comes
with an indication of how often you should do it.

Improve PC Performance Tip #1: CLEAN UP YOUR WINDOWS REGISTRY
(Frequency = Daily)

This is an essential, but often overlooked, task to improve PC
performance. In fact most PC users are unaware of the necessity
to regularly clean the Registry as Microsoft does not include a
cleanup tool in any version of Windows.

Every time a program is installed it makes changes to the
Windows Registry – a huge internal database of Windows\’
settings. Virtually all Windows programs, and Windows itself,
store a massive array of information inside the database. These
thousands of entries control the behavior and appearance of
virtually everything on your system.

Changes to your PC system are not always handled correctly in
the Registry, leading to conflicts and the slowing down of your
PC. Over time this leads to a bloated and possibly, corrupted
Registry. Reasons for this include:

– frequently installing or uninstalling programs – removing a
program which leaves traces behind – leftover entries from a
hardware uninstall – unused drivers on your system – Spyware or
similar programs that reappear every time you reboot

You can edit the Registry manually using a Windows program
called Regedit, but this is really a job best left for hardened
PC experts.

Thankfully, programs are available that can clean up your
Registry automatically to help improve PC performance, such as
\”Registry Optimizer \’06\”. This scans your Registry, looks for
entries that are redundant or invalid and lists them so that
they can be corrected with one mouse click. As an added bonus,
to improve PC performance, it runs automatically in the
background every time you start your PC. You even get a
complimentary PC Windows Health Check.

Improve PC Performance Tip #2: EMPTY THE RECYCLE BIN (Frequency
= Weekly)

Regularly empty Windows\’ Recycle Bin.

This will release hard drive space and help improve PC
performance.

When you choose to delete a file, rather than removing it
completely from your computer, Windows first puts it into the
Recycle Bin. This gives you a second chance, as it means you can
restore flies from the Recycle Bin back to their original place
on your computer.

To ensure optimum PC performance, empty your Recycle Bin weekly
(or even daily). To do so, right-click the Recycle Bin icon on
your desktop, and choose Empty Recycle Bin.

Improve PC Performance Tip #3: REMOVE PROGRAMS (Frequency =
Monthly)

Installing programs is easy – but once you have, it\’s just as
easy to end up leaving them languishing, forgotten, on your hard
disk.

Most programs come with their own uninstaller. You\’ll find this
under the program\’s entry in All Programs, from the Start menu.

If the program doesn\’t come with its own uninstaller, open
Control Panel from the Start menu, and double-click Add/Remove
Programs. Your PC will pause briefly while it gathers a list of
all the programs you have installed.

Once it has done so, find the program you\’d like to get rid of,
click it and then select Change/Remove.

Be aware that some programs leave uninstalled traces all over
the Windows Registry! Therefore, to improve PC performance after
an uninstall, it\’s essential to clean the Registry.

Improve PC Performance Tip #4: RUN DISK CLEAN UP (Frequency =
Monthly)

Windows\’ Disk Clean Up is a fantastic built-in utility that
automates regular maintenance tasks to improve PC performance,
such as deleting Temporary Internet files, Setup log files, etc.

To start Disk Clean Up, double-click My Computer, right click on
your \’C:\’ drive and then select Properties. Now click Disk
Cleanup. Your computer will then spend a few moments analysing
itself.

When it has completed the audit Windows will give you a list of
areas where it has found files to cleanup. To clean an area, put
a tick in the box next to it. To leave something intact, such as
Temporary files, just remove the tick next to the item and click
OK.

Your computer will then begin the removal process to improve PC
performance – this can take some time.

Improve PC Performance Tip #5: DISK DEFRAGMENTATION (Frequency =
Quarterly)

When Windows stores programs on your PC hard disk it saves
fragments of files in the nearest empty spaces.

This slows down your PC as it has to spend time hunting down the
fragments and piecing files together.

There is a simple cure – running the Windows program Disk
Defragmenter. This gathers together the fragments of programs
and puts them back in the right order.

This makes it far easier for your hard disk to find what it\’s
looking for, enabling programs and files to load more quickly -
a sure-fired way for improving PC performance.

To defragment your hard disk click Start, All Programs,
Accessories, System Tools and then Disk Defragment. When the
program has loaded, click Defragment.

The process can take well over an hour. Because defragmenting
your hard disk takes such a long time, you really don\’t want to
go through the process too often.

Defragment your hard disk every 3 months or so – this way you\’ll
get the best results and optimize the performance of your PC.

Improve PC Performance Tip #6: EMPTY THE PREFETCH CACHE
(Frequency = Quarterly)

To improve the time it takes to load programs, Windows guesses
which files are likely to be needed next and loads them into a
pool or \’cache\’.

This process is called prefetching, and it generally works well.
Overtime, though, the prefetch cache can become clogged with
files you no longer need – and that can slow down Windows\’
startup.

To clear Prefetch, choose Run from the Start menu, and enter
Prefetch into the text box that appears. When you\’ve done that,
you\’ll be confronted by a window filled with icons. Press Alt+A
to select them all and press Delete.

The cache will quickly refill with links and files that Windows
really needs. As a result, your system will feel more responsive
and benefit from a PC performance speed up.

So there you have it, 6 sure-fired PC performance tips to
revitalize your PC. Now you know how to improve PC performance -
simply follow these steps and repeat them regularly.

About the author:
Michael Braid makes it easy to clean up your system and improve
PC performance. For details and to claim your free PC Windows
Health Check, visit this website now: http://protect-soft.com

Q : What is over clocking?

Overclocking is when you make your system processor run faster
that its normal speed. This has many advantages and
dis-advantages.

Advantages : This is obvious, your system will run faster

Dis-Advantages : Your hardware is likely to have a less life
span. Your components will run at higher temperatures and there
is an increased chance your system will overheat and crash. You
need to be very careful or you could blow up your processor and
/ or motherboard.

Q: What components do I need?

You need to buy a special motherboard. Most motherboards will
automatically detect your processor make and speed and you can
not make any configuration changes. When buying a motherboard
you need to make sure that you can change the processors bus
speed. You will also need to buy some extra fans for your
computer as it will be working harder and as a result everything
will run at a higher temperature. It might also be worth looking
for a case that can hold lots of case fans.

Q: How do I overclock a processor?

What you need to do is over clock the processors bus speed. You
will need to check the manual that came with your motherboard on
how to do this. I would recommend that you start by only
overclocking a little bit before you try to get the most out of
your processor.

Q: Tips for Over clocking?

Start by overclocking only by a small amount. If you overclock
your processor to much your system will not come on and there is
a chance that you could damage the processor and motherboard. If
you do overclock your processor to much and the computer does
not come on you can reset your motherboards configuration by
removing the power at the back of your PC and also removing the
battery on the motherboard for a few minutes.

- Monitor the temperature of your processor. You can sometimes
check this by going into your computer BIOS as it will be
displayed in there. If it is not in there, there are freeware
programs that you can download, Try searching www.download.com

- Make sure you have a descent processor fan. Always buy a fan
that supports much faster processors as this will cool your
processor much better. Buy and fit as many case fans as you can.

- Before overclocking your processor do some research by
searching the internet for stories of what other people have
done. This way you will know how much you can realistically
overclock.

Article -processor-46.htm\">http://www.computing-forums.com/computer/how-t
o-overclock-a-processor-46.htm

By Jason Barrett www.computing-forums.com

About the author:
None

Wireless networking is simple in theory: just install a wireless
network adapter in each computer and forget about drilling holes
and running cable. When you deal with equipment based on the
802.11b (or Wi-Fi) standard, unfortunately, the reality often
falls short of claimed specifications. Your wireless network
will have a limited range – you\’ve probably experienced a
decrease in speed at a certain distance from an access point.
That\’s why you must adjust the location and configuration of
your wireless setup to obtain the best possible performance,
range, and reliability. Follow expert advice and your connection
will be faster across longer distances–and you\’ll have fewer
dropped connections.

Pick the best location: The farther your wireless networked
computer is from a wireless access point–and the greater the
number of solid objects that stand in the way–the slower your
connection will be. To optimize your network\’s speed and range,
position your wireless access point at least a few feet above
the floor and away from metal objects, particularly large
appliances like refrigerators. Though most manuals for
networking products tell you to position the access point in the
middle of the coverage area, it\’s often better to identify the
locations where you expect to use a computer and put the access
point where it will be in a direct line of sight (or close to
it) to as many of those places as possible.

Don\’t waste time worrying about \”dead spots\” if no one is likely
to use a computer there. Once your wireless network is up and
running, even slight changes in your wireless network card\’s
position (say, a shift in the orientation of your laptop as you
recline on the couch) may dramatically improve throughput or
even restore a dropped connection.

For larger areas–or areas with many obstructions–your only
option may be to shell out the cash for multiple access points.
If you go this route, you\’ll find that wireless setup is easy:
Simply make sure that the access points have identical settings.
Virtually all wireless network adapters support \”roaming\”: In
areas where access point coverage overlaps, the adapter will
latch on to the strongest signal.

About the author:
Lana Hampton makes it easy to find the right wireless product
for your needs. Visit http://www.yowswireless.com today for the
latest wireless information.