CompuClever Blog

Optimize Windows performance by cleaning your hard disk

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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.

 

How to protect your PC from viruses

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We’ve all been there at some point: our computer has suddenly become slow, or perhaps unwanted popups are appearing even if you haven’t navigated to a new page. There’s a million-and-one symptoms that point to one awful cause: you’ve downloaded a computer virus.

While there are plenty of tools out there that can help clean your PC if you’ve downloaded a virus or some malware, it’s a cumbersome process that can be by turns annoying and even annoying. Once your computer starts acting funny, it makes you wonder if the hardware itself has been damaged, or if you have somehow leaked information onto the internet. Contracting a computer virus can be a traumatic experience that’s best avoided in the first place?

But what’s the best way to avoid computer viruses?

Just like in real-life, computers contract viruses via “vectors” or by common pathways, much like human being contract colds. Here’s a couple of common vectors and how to protect against them:

Clicking on malicious links

One of the most common “vectors” is by clicking a link on a website that activates malicious code in your web browser, which then (speaking in very general terms) infects your computer. You may see an an ad prompting you to download a security patch for Windows, or it may be a “warning” that  you’ve got a security threat (possibly a virus) on your computer, but if you click on the button you can get “help” immediately. Once you click on the button, of course, you download a virus or malicious program.

How to protect yourself: Think before you click! It pays to know that not everything you see on the internet is legitimate. Examine the site to see if it is a genuinely bonafide business. Do a bit of internet sleuthing first to make sure the site is legitimate.

Downloading an .exe program by mistake from email

With computer security, “trust” is always one of the first things to think about. If you are reasonably sure you trust a website such as YouTube or your local newspaper, you feel comfortable clicking on links. As well, when you receive an email from a family member or work colleague, you generally trust that whatever they’re sending you is going to be safe.

However, sometimes viruses take advantage of the trust built into email. For example, a trusted colleague may send you something that looks like a photo, but is actually an “.exe” program (.exe programs are “executable” programs that have permission to make changes to your computer, and can install something malicious). So, you click on a photo that instead turns out to be a nasty program.

How to protect yourself: Think before you click! If it seems unusual that someone is sending you a photo or other document as an email attachment, check with the person first, as their own computer may have become infected with a virus. Warning signs can include spelling mistakes in the message, or failing to use your name in the salutation. As well, it pays to use a webmail service like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or Windows Live Mail. Webmail services will scan email attachments automatically with up-to-date virus directories. It’s safe, easy and fast.

Making sure your computer’s anti-virus software is kept up to date is also important as well.

If you’re keeping safe online and your computer is healthy and clean, but you’re still experiencing a slow PC, then it may be time to give PC Tuneup Maestro a try.

 

 

How to fix wireless internet problems

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It’s a common issue: you’ve paid $75 for a new wireless router, you’ve set up a home wireless network, but you have problmes connecting your laptop or home PC to the network.

The most basic (and most time-consuming) way to fix wireless internet connectivity problems is to restart everything:

  1. Unplug (power down) your modem
  2. Unplug (power down) your router
  3. Turn off your computer

As a rule of thumb, when trying to fix wireless router connectivity issues, you should wait at least 10 seconds before turning your modem back on, and then powering up your router. This is because the modem itself will save in its memory network information (such as IP addresses), and sometimes this network information may be causing the wireless router problem in the first place.

After 10 seconds or so, the modem has completely powered down and information should be fully removed. Some modems routers also actually physically reset various switches.

After everything has been powered down:

  1. Restart (power up) your modem.
  2. Wait for about 20 seconds (or until your modem is fully powered up), and then power up your wireless router.
  3. Restart your computer.

This usually is enough to fix wireless connectivity problems. If you’re still having problems, use an ethernet cable and try connecting your computer directly to the modem. If still you can’t get onto the internet even when plugged into the modem, call your internet service provider. There may be a problem with their network (or you may have forgotten to pay your bill).

If you can access the internet when plugged into your modem, but not via your wireless router, try changing the location of your wireless router – there may be some issues with the architecture of your house, or there may be interference from another electronic device close by.

For example, walls can affect the quality of the wireless signal throughout your house. Some houses (and most apartments and condos) use steel and aluminum studs and frames, and this can really affect wireless signals.

As well, newer home entertainment systems often use powerful speakers, and even speakers that connect wirelessly. These sorts of signals can affect wireless connectivity.

There’s one final basic solution for wireless internet problems, and that’s to purchase or lease a wireless router directly from your cable company. While it may cost a little more to set up, at the same time if you ever have any problems you can call your cable company or internet service provider to come and help you out, ideally for no initial cost.

Core i3, Core i5, Core i7: what’s the difference? And which is right for you?

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We’ve come a long since an Intel 386 processor chip was considered the defacto standard for home computer CPUs (you’ll recall that the CPU is a “processor” or “chip” that acts as your computer’s engine).

Since the 386 days, PCs have moved on to be powered by Pentiums, Atoms, Celerons and everything in between.
However, if you go computer shopping these days, you’ll most likely encounter 3 different names: Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7. What’s the difference, and which one is right for you?

Generally speaking, Intel’s Core series of CPU microprocessors are faster, more powerful variations of the earlier Celeron and Pentium chips. They actually started out as “Core 2” “Core Duo” and other confusing names, but the Core i3, i5, and i7 are yet another generation of this chip.
As you might expect, the higher the number of the chip, the more powerful it is. So, the Core i3 is an entry-level chip, while the Core i7 is considered to be quite powerful.

But which one is right for you?

The answer, of course, depends on what you want to use your computer for. If you do any kind of video processing at all, you’ll probably want a more powerful chip. Professional graphic designers or video editors are probably going to prefer the Core i7. Anything less, and they probably will not be able to do their jobs efficiently.

However, if you generally use your computer to surf the Internet, send email, and do your taxes, a Core i3 will be more than enough for your needs.

Or will it? One factor that has been driving computer performance for the past decade has been media consumption, and this includes everything from online games to using your home computer has a media center.

If you have plans to make your computer more central to your entertainment needs, and are maybe planning to purchase new software in the coming years to achieve this, why not purchase a computer equipped with a Core i5? This way you’ll ensure your computer will be useful for a longer period of time. A Core i3 may not be enough to power software applications coming out over the next few years.

As well, if you’re into home movies, a Core i3 may not be the best choice – a Core i5 may be better, although an i7 may be overkill.
Still, a Core i3 should be enough to use the Internet, make a Skype call, and edit a Word document, all at the same time.

Finally, one other important factor to consider when purchasing a new computer is the amount of RAM it has. 4GB of RAM is the minimum amount you should settle for when purchasing a new machine. If you’re into gaming or video editing, well, the more the better.

RAM helps improve computer performance and computer speeds; having enough RAM is one way to ensure you have a more enjoyable PC experience.

How to speed up Windows startup

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If you’ve owned your computer for more than six months, it’s more than likely that it’s taking longer and longer to start up every time you press the “On” button. With the newer Windows 7 operating system, it generally takes between 30 and 50 seconds from bootup until the login screen (where you enter your username and password) appears. Once you’ve entered your credentials, it may take another minute or so for your computer to be ready to use. That’s a total of at least 90 seconds! That may not seem like long, but the seconds can drag on.

And remember, as a rule, the older it is, the longer it takes your computer  longer to start up.

So, what causes slow Windows startup times?

One cause of slower startup times is the number of new programs you’ve installed in your computer since you bought it. Every time you add a new program, new files are added to the system registry. The more registry files there are, the slower it can take for a computer to start up. Registry files also become “fragmented” or dispersed inefficiently throughout the system, and this can also slow computer startup speeds.

So regularly maintaining your registry may help speed things up at startup.

As well, every time you download and install a new software program, that program will generally “run at startup” by default. Popular programs such as Skype and Adobe Acrobat are (infamous) for this. The more programs that run at startup up, the slower the process will become.

So, it’s a good idea to periodically review what software programs are “launching” at startup, assessing which are necessary and which are not, and then ensuring the unneeded programs only start when you want them to, rather than automatically whenever you press the “On” button on your computer.

However, managing startup programs is not a simple task – you need to know what you’re doing. For one thing, you need to be familiar with the Windows “command line” to access the startup control panel. Plus, if you’re not that familiar with the Windows OS, it’s never a good idea to deselect startup programs that you think are unnecessary. Some startup programs are necessary for your computer to work, and if you remove them you may do significant harm to your system that can quite costly to fix.

Not to brag, but PC TuneUp Maestro helps safely speed up Windows startup times. It helps you discover the origin and the purpose of each startup application , and then make informed decision about pausing or removing unnecessary startup items.

It’s all part of improving PC performance.