CompuClever Blog

How to Choose a Good USB Data and Charging Cable

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You may have noticed that no two USB cables are created the same. Why does one USB cable seem to charge your devices more quickly than another? To help you answer this question, we’ve created this short guide about what to look for when you buy a new USB charging cable.

Some USB chargers will charge your devices more quickly than others. However, your charger is not the only determining factor. The wrong USB cable can also slow down charging speeds.

The Lower the Gauge, the Faster the Charge

It all has to do with the gauge of the internal wires that make up your USB cable. “Gauge” refers to the thickness of the wires; the higher the gauge, the thinner the wire. Cheaper USB cables will often have thinner wires.

Thinner, higher-gauge wires are obviously made with less material and therefore cannot deliver as much current – charging will take longer. This is because a thicker wire reduces electrical resistance and allows for a better flow of electrons.

The length of your USB cable also affects how fast you can charge your device. For example, cheap, short cables may charge your device fairly quickly, while cheap, long cables could take longer. Continue reading...

Speed up Your PC with ReadyBoost

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All PC users have likely experienced the frustration related to slow performance.  There’s something just not right about having to wait for your PC to switch from one application to another.  We want to multi-task and we want a PC system that does not suffer any delays.  And, we ask, why not?  It’s an extension of what we are capable of.  So what are the choices in dealing with slow performing systems?  We can keep our original PC just as it is with very few applications (not taking full advantage of its capabilities and not much fun).  We can live with frustration and wait for the PC to respond when it is slow.  We can look at the costs associated with adding more RAM or increasing other hardware.  Instead of these options, we suggest a fast, easy, free alternative offered by Microsoft called ReadyBoost.

In our previous article we provided information about USB technology including USB flash drives.  With that information in hand you are ready to speed up your PC with ReadyBoost.  Let’s start with an overview of the technology.

Who Will Benefit?

Using this technology is best for users with 8 GB of RAM or lower, using a traditional spinning platter hard drive (HDD), and an operating system of Windows Vista or higher. Continue reading...

How to Identify Your Windows Version and Edition

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Can you guess what version of Windows is the most popular among all PC users? Is it Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, or even Windows XP?

Answer: Windows 7. According to NetMarketShare.com, Windows 7 dominates over 45% of the entire desktop market.

Do you know how to identify the version and edition of your Windows Operating System (OS)? Sometimes, it is critical that you have all the necessary version and edition information, including the type of system, whether it is 32-bit or 64-bit. For instance, when you need to refresh, repair, or even reinstall your Windows OS, you must have all this data ready. This article instructs you how obtain it.

The System Properties Dialog Box

It turns out that you can find the complete set of Windows version and edition information from the System Properties dialog box. It provides an overview of your PC’s hardware and OS information including Windows OS version, edition, and system type.

For instance, the System Properties dialog box shown above provides us with the following information:

  • Windows OS version: Windows 7 (Windows Edition section)
  • Windows 7 edition: Windows 7 Professional (Windows Edition section)
  • System type: 64-bit OS (System | System type section)

To summarize this and to use the most technically correct format, we can say this PC is running: Windows 7 Professional (64-bit). Continue reading...

How to Identify and Avoid Fraud

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phone fraud
Fraud can be dangerous for even the most savvy individuals. However, with a little knowledge, and some handy online tools, anyone can defeat online fraud.

Online fraud, especially phone scams, is a big business these days. Someone official-sounding phones you up, and the next thing you know they have somehow persuaded you to hand over your banking information.

Law enforcement agencies are powerless to hunt down the culprits — there are so many scams that police are overworked.

Compounding the problem is that there are a stunning variety of successful scams that you must avoid, and police must somehow track.

For example, technical support fraudsters will trick you into downloading harmful software that holds your computer for ransom unless you pay. In another fraud, “IRS scammers” phone you up and bully you into paying for back taxes.

Fraud can be dangerous for even the most savvy individuals among us. However, with a little advance knowledge, and some handy online tools, anyone can defeat online fraud.

Let’s take a look at two common scams.

Technical Support Fraud

Have you ever received a phone call from someone claiming to be from “Microsoft technical support?” If you haven’t, you will soon. Welcome to the world of “telephone support fraud.” Continue reading...

CompuClever Antivirus PLUS – VB100 Award!

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CompuClever VB100 Test Results

 
CompuClever is pleased to release the latest VB100 test results for CompuClever Antivirus PLUS.  We will present these results and help you to understand them as part of our ongoing testimony to the effectiveness of our AV product.  As is evident with these results… CompuClever Antivirus PLUS offers outstanding protection without slowing down your PC!

The Test Results

We’ve had four positive test results from the VB100 test lab, one of the few independently operated testing facilities focused on providing comprehensive examination of security software and solutions.  Let’s start with an overview of these four tests that are available for online viewing.  These tests were conducted between August 2015 and October 2016 on various Windows platforms.

Overview & Breakdown

The specific results of each test are based on test markers which you can get an idea of when you mouse over the column title (RAP Score, Performance impact %, etc.)  We define them here:

  • Platform:  This is the selected operating system that VB100 performs its test on. VB100 tries to cover a spectrum of the most popular Windows OS with their tests focusing on one version at a time.  Note:  CompuClever Antivirus PLUS supports Windows 10, Windows 8, 7, Vista, & XP.
Continue reading...