CompuClever Blog

Top 5 Simple Tasks Every Computer User Should Know

by

As computing power has increased rapidly over the past few years, maintaining a computer has become as complicated as looking after a car. And, because of that, it’s easy to miss out on all of the great features and abilities our computers have.

Here are 5 things about using your computer you should know:

Know how to create a computer backup

Computer hard disks fail pretty regularly, which can be traumatic because the hard disk is used to store everything from the computer’s operating system and main programs (Microsoft Word) that can be expensive to replace, to photos and media libraries. Microsoft Windows 7 actually features a Windows backup feature, and you’ll need an external hard drive or a number of DVD’s to do this. To be even safer, you can use a service like CrashPlan to back up your computer online.

Understand how to set up your home WiFi

Understanding routers, modems, and the other things that make up your network can seem daunting, but there are a few basics that can fix most problems that come your way. Does your router constantly need resetting? Make sure it isn’t overheating or clogged with traffic. Is your Wi-Fi speed and range less than ideal?  Continue reading...

How to Start Your PC Faster

by

speed up windows computer

Unlike super-quick iPhone and iPad mobile devices that turn on and off nearly instantly, PC’s often take forever to “boot up” or start. It’s one of the minor annoyances of owning a Windows computer.

What’s causing all of this?

There are two culprits responsible for preventing your PC from starting up more quickly:

1) Many applications are set up start up automatically when Windows starts without you even knowing or agreeing beforehand!

2) Some of these programs are rarely or never used, and are not needed to run your Windows computer.

It is annoying and painstaking to wait for 5 minutes before your PC finishes booting and is ready for you to use, all on the account of unneeded programs.

It’s not only slow Startup times…

And there’s another problem:

All of those and unused programs that slow your computer’s Startup times can even slow down the process of shutting down your PC!

And PC’s need to be shut down a lot. Windows security patches and updates need to be installed or a low battery, means laptops and PC’s often need to be shut down and booted up on a daily basis.

What’s the solution to slow boot-up and shutdown times? Continue reading...

How to fix Flash on your computer

by

If you have ever heard of Flash, you’ve probably asked yourself the question: “How do I fix Flash on my computer?” Flash is a finicky program that often crashes. And it’s not only buggy – Flash can also be dangerous for your computer if it’s not updated regularly.

First of all, what is Flash? Flash is a “multimedia platform” created and maintained by Adobe, and is used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash typically helps your computer play streaming media such as radio broadcast, or, most regularly, YouTube videos.

Without Flash, most computer browsers would not be able to play YouTube (although that may change as new technologies are introduced).

So, if Flash is out of date and refuses to work, it can be extremely annoying because you won’t be able to watch videos or listen to music. Flash also sometimes powers webpages as well.

Why Flash can be dangerous for your computer

Flash is also used to display things like banner ads on webpages. Almost every website we visit has some sort of banner ad. However if your browser’s Flash plugin is not up to date, it can be a serious security issue. Hackers can find vulnerabilities, and can find ways to transmit viruses to your computer via Flash (often this risk is paired with the failure of the website owner to either make sure their own site is updated, or they may have chosen a really inept and risky way to build their website, making it easy for hackers to find a foothold). Continue reading...

Speed up Internet Explorer

by

There’s a couple of tips and tricks for both Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer that should speed things up.

If you use the IE browser and want instant access to your favorite websites, add a sub-menu from the Windows 7 Start Menu to get instant access to your Favorites. Here’s how you do it:

  1. Right-click an empty area of the Taskbar and choose “Properties”
  2. The “Taskbar and Start Menu Properties” multi-tabbed dialog box should appears
  3. Click the “Start Menu” tab
  4. Click the “Customize” button
  5. The “Customize Start Menu” dialog box appears
  6. Check “Favorites menu”
  7. Click “OK” on the dialog boxes to close them

You now have instant access to your favorites!

A cool shortcut for Windows Explorer – use check boxes!

You can select non-adjacent files in Explorer using Ctrl-click, but there is an easier way using check boxes. In Windows Explorer, click Organize, then select Folder and search options.

On the View tab, under Advanced Settings, scroll down to select Use check boxes to select items. Now you can easily select multiple items using only the mouse. Continue reading...

How to defrag your hard disk to speed up your PC

by

How to defrag your hard drive to speed up your PC

Your PC’s hard drives and system registry can become fragmented if not maintained regularly. Fragmentation of your hard drive and system registry causes everything to slow to a crawl while your computer attempts to perform seek and write commands. This, in turn, slows down the performance of your entire system.

Sometimes, if you want speed up your computer, you need to “defrag” your computer’s hard disk.
Defragmentation is a process that reduces the amount of fragmentation in file systems. It does this by physically organizing the contents of the disk to store the pieces of each file close together and contiguously.

It also attempts to create larger regions of free space using compaction to impede the return of fragmentation. Defragmenters also keep smaller files within a single directory together, as they are often accessed in sequence.

Defrag your hard drive to speed things up

“Defragging” your hard drive completely removes fragmentation gaps and produces a cleaner, more compact file organization that takes up less disk space and consumes fewer memory resources. The result is that your computer has optimal access to its files and programs, so your system and application response times are improved.

Continue reading...