CompuClever Blog

Windows keyboard shortcuts

by

Sometimes, speeding up your computer can be as easy as avoiding using the mouse.

Believe it or not, keeping your hands on the keyboard, rather than reaching for peripheral like the mouse can really improve your computer’s performance. Here are a few keyboard shortcuts:

First of all, the” Window” is going to play an important role in this blog post; it’s the button with the little Windows logo located at the lower left of your keyboard, and will be abbreviated as “Win”. The Windows  key brings up the Start menu, and can be used in combination with other keys:

  • Win-D toggles between showing the desktop and restoring all windows.
  • Win-E invokes the Windows Explorer window.
  • Win-L locks your system until you enter your password–or lets you switch active users
  • Win-M minimizes all windows.
  • Win-R brings up the Run dialog.
  • Win-U invokes the Utility Manager, which controls accessibility program options.
  • Win-Pause/Break brings up the System Properties dialog.

Instead of using the Windows key, combining Ctrl+Esc  will call up the Windows Start menu.

There are  a couple of other favourite keyboard shortcuts are:

  • Alt-Tab, which allows you to cycle through all of the open windows on your desktop
  • Ctrl-Tab allows you to scroll through all of the open tabs in whatever browser is active
  • Ctrl-Alt-Delete allows you to call up the Task Manager, in order to kill unresponsive programs

Finally, the most important keyboard shortcut has to be Ctrl-S, which saves your work in Word, Excel or PowerPoint.

If you’re looking for other ways to speed up computer performance, why not take a look at PC TuneUp Maestro?

Improve computer performance by disabling some features

by

Every time you buy a new Windows computer, it comes with a lot of software programs that you may not want or need, and this can really slow down your PC.

You can optimize your system, making it faster and saving hard drive space, by disabling the applications that just aren’t useful. Here’s how:

Using Windows 7:

1. Click the circular Windows button at the bottom left and then select the Control Panel.
2. Select “Programs and Features”.
3. Click on the link “Enable or disable Windows features”.
4. You should see a list of system features. De-select or uncheck the boxes of the software applications you want to disable. For instance, you can uncheck the box in front of optional components for Tablet PC if you do not have a Tablet PC, or Windows Gadget Platform if you don’t use or plan on using gadgets on your desktop.
6. Finally, click on the OK button at any time you can re-checking features and return them in their previous state.

Using other versions of Windows:

1. Click on the Start button and then Settings > Control Panel.
2. Click on the Add/Remove Programs icon.
3. Now click Add/Remove Windows Components.
4. A list of default Windows features will be displayed; remove the ones you don’t need, such as Message Queuing and Fax Services (if you use neither).
5. Select the “Next” button to save your changes.

You can also speed up Windows by managing what programs launch at startup. This is a little harder to do by yourself, but PC TuneUp Maestro has tools that can help.

 

Is your PC slow?

by

We all want to make our computer run faster. There’s nothing more frustrating than a computer that takes a long time to start up or execute basic tasks.

But what actually causes a slow PC?

One of the most common reasons is unwanted applications and programs that are launched, without your permission, when your computer starts.  Many computers come “bundled” with dozens of free or trial software programs, and many of these start up when your computer does.  It’s a good idea to find out what these programs and applications are and disable anything that is not essential to how you use your computer.

Reducing the number of programs that launch at startup will help improve the speed of your PC.

Another cause of slow computer performance is a cluttered registry.  The registry is basically a database which stores settings and other information the computer needs to run software programs, as well as the operating system itself.

If the registry is full of information about programs that are unnecessary or that you never use, your computer can become error-prone and slow.  Scanning and cleaning your registry to remove unwanted files can help speed up your computer performance, and can even help reduce errors.

As well, the registry system can become “fragmented.” Information is not stored efficiently and becomes fragmented within the registry, which causes your computer to slow down as it searches for the registry files it needs to make programs run.

Performing registry defragmentation will help your computer find the information it needs more quickly, which means faster PC performance.

In summary, if you think your PC is slow, investigate how many programs are launching at startup. Also, take a look the registry system, which may be fragmented, or even cluttered with unnecessary files.  If this seems daunting, why not give PC Tuneup Maestro a try?

How to set up a home network

by

Thanks to larger hard drives that hold hours and hours of music and movies, as well as internet-enabled devices that also can stream and record television, creating a home network is probably one of  coolest things any PC owner can do to get not only the most out of their media collection, but also to get the most out of every PC in the house, as well as their home entertainment system.

However, after years of living with Windows XP, many people often wonder how to set up a home network. Thankfully, Windows 7 makes it pretty easy. Here are a few tips and tricks for setting one up.

1. Getting started

To get started, you’ll need three things:

  • At least two computers or laptops running Windows 7
  • A modem, usually provided by your ISP, that is connected to the Internet
  • A wireless router

You’re going to need at least two PCs or laptops, because it takes more than one to create a network, and for this explanation they’re going to need to be outfitted with Windows 7. While all laptops these days have a wireless internet receiver, most PCs do not. If you want to connect a PC to the internet and it is not equipped with a wireless internet receiver, they’re easy to find at any computer store, and can be plugged in via USB.

The modem is the big box that is provided by your internet company, while you’ll have to purchase a wireless router yourself.

2. Make sure your router is connected to internet…

…And your computers are connected to the router and have access to the internet

First of all, make sure your modem is connected to the internet. Connect the router to the modem with an ethernet cable, and follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer to name the router (this will become the name of your network). However, even if all of the computer in your house are connected to the internet via a wireless router, you may still not be able to share files easily. So…

3. Set up sharing and control by using W7’s HomeGroup feature

Now that your computers are all connected to the internet using the same router, it’s possible to share files, such as music and movies, from machine to machine. Windows 7 makes sharing really easy through something called a “HomeGroup.” Just like its name suggests, a HomeGroup is a group of computers that have been identified as being trusted to share information. Computers that are not part of the HomeGroup will have a much hard time gaining access to files – and this is a good thing.

Please note that in Windows 7 Starter and Windows 7 Home Basic, you can join a HomeGroup, but you can’t create one.

To add computers to your HomeGroup, you’ll need to “set current network location.” Make sure the machine is set to “Home network.”

Next, go to the Control Panel, and select “Create a Homegroup.” For every Windows 7 client that you want to give access to the HomeGroup, open HomeGroup in the Control Panel of those machines and then click “Join now” (those machines have to physically or wirelessly connected to the network).

While you’re creating a homegroup, you can select whether or not each computer shares printers, libraries, or individual files and folders. A great first step is to have computers share the “Music” and “Video” libraries.

And you’re done! You can use the left-hand pane in Windows Explorer to navigate around the folders you’ve decided to share amongst different computers in the HomeGroup.

Windows 7 also allows you to set up “user accounts” with passwords. This is an added layer of security that ensures that your data remains safe. You can also set up permissions for files and folder via the “Sharing” tab.

4. Get the most out of your home network

You don’t need a big screen TV to create a home network, but if you do have one, it’s a fantastic way to watch recorded movies, or go over family vacation photos and videos, right in your living room. If you do want to connect your big screen TV to your home network, you need to make sure it has an HDMI port (most televisions these days come equipped with them), and you also need to make sure you have a laptop that features an HDMI output.

HDMI resembles a USB cable, except that it can more easily transmit sound and video at the same time with a minimum of fuss.

Simply connect your laptop or PC to your television using an HDMI cable, and then use your home network views files on any PC in the house that’s on the network. It’s a great way to get the most out of all your computers.

Windows 7 provides a lot of great tools and utilities that make computing easy and even fun. However, not all of these Windows 7 features are easy to access. For example, PC TuneUp Maestro offers a tool that lets you manage (and eliminate) startup programs, in order to help improve computer speed and performance.

It’s the little things that count.

Optimize Windows performance by cleaning your hard disk

by

It’s becoming easier and easier to fill up the space on the hard drive of your computer. People are increasingly using their home computers as media centers, for example, and download movies, television programs, and music. As well, as computer power and performance has increased over the past few years, software programs have gotten bigger, and take up more space on your computer. Finally, we all love to take photos and videos, and to store them someplace, and that someplace is our PC.

Eventually, we all find ourselves running out of hard disk space.

The obvious solution is to purchase additional storage. However, there are ways to squeeze more room out of your existing hard drive. Saving hard disk memory on your PC is important, because your operating system needs on-board memory (besides RAM) to function at its best.

So, before you go out and purchase a new portable disk drive to take some of the strain off of your poor hard disk, what are some ways to perform hard drive cleanup and optimize Windows performance?

First off all, it’s important to know that every time you open a software program or browse the internet, information is stored on your computer. Also, System Restore, a great Windows feature that allows you to backup and recover your computer in case it crashes or gets a virus, also can store (large!) backups on your hard disk.

So, even without downloading movies or vacation photos, it’s possible to fill up your hard drive quite soon after purchase. And, as mentioned, a full hard drive can sometimes lead to a slow computer.

However, there are several ways you can free up space:

  • Clean your browsing history
  • Remove temporary internet files
  • Delete adware and cookies
  • Clean up other sensitive internet data
  • Permanently erase deleted files
  • Erase autosave documents
  • Clear windows explorer search terms

Of course, this is easier said than done. It can be difficult to identify the correct folders where these files reside, and even more difficult to determine if you have safely removed everything. While there is a Windows utility that can help, PC TuneUp Maestro integrates Disk Cleanup into its suite of features. This means that it’s possible to conduct registry defrag and hard drive cleanup all at the same time, with the push of a button.

It’s all part of CompuClever’s mission of improving PC performance.