Thanks for choosing Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc, featuring Microsoft ReadyBoost technology. Before you start, please save all your documents and exit all running applications. Follow the steps below to install your Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc and optimize your PC.

Step 1. Insert the Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc to a USB slot of your choice.

Step 2. If AutoPlay/AutoRun is enabled, you can click the Speed up my system using Windows ReadyBoost option.

Alternatively, you can open Windows | File Explorer (or use keyboard shortcut: Windows Key + E), right-click the newly discovered removable drive and select Properties from the menu. Select the ReadyBoost tab from the Properties dialog box that appears.

If Windows states that “This device cannot be used for ReadyBoost – The device does not have the required performance characteristics for use in speeding up your system“, follow the instructions of Reformatting Your Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc below. And then come back to this step.

If Windows states that “ReadyBoost is not enabled because this computer is fast enough that ReadyBoost is unlikely to provide additional benefit“, this probably means that Windows is installed on an SSD and no performance gain is possible. Please contact our support team (support@paretologic.com) for further options of how to speed up your PC.

Step 3. If ReadyBoost options appear, you can use the device for speeding up Windows Vista, 7, 8/8.1 or 10.

In Windows Vista, enable the Use this device option and move the Space to reserve for system speed slider all the way to the right.

In Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10, select the Dedicate this device to ReadyBoost option.

Click OK and your Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc device is ready!

Reformatting Your Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc

Occasionally, your Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc requires initial reformatting prior being used. Follow the steps below to format your drive.

Step 1. Open Windows | File Explorer (or use keyboard shortcut: Windows Key + E), right-click the newly discovered removable drive and select Format.

Step 2. In File system dropdown menu, choose NTFS. In Allocation unit size, choose Default allocation size. And check Quick Format under Format options. Click Start.

You will be notified once your Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc has been formatted and ready for being used. Simply follow the steps in the previous section to finish setting up your Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc.

Need Support or Help?

Email us at support@compuclever.com for more information and get help with using your Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc device.

The post A Quick Start Guide for Digital Care ReadyBoost USB Disc appeared first on CompuClever.

A: ReadyBoost is a Microsoft Windows technology that allows you to use ReadyBoost compatible USB flash drive, such as Digital Care ReadyBoost USB Disc, as an additional memory. Doing so, ReadyBoost improves your system’s performance by providing quicker access to data compared to accessing the information from the hard drive. To learn more about the ReadyBoost technology, please read this blog post.

Q: What’s the System Requirement for Digital Care ReadyBoost USB Disc?

A: Digital Care ReadyBoost USB Disc supports Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, and Windows 10

Q: Do all USB flash drives support the ReadyBoost technology?

A: No. A USB flash drive must meet the minimum random ready and write speeds requirements to support the ReadyBoost feature.  In order for ReadyBoost to work, it requires a USB storage device to have at least: 64MB, USB 2.0, read at 3.5 MB/s, and write at 2.5 MB/s. Our Digital Care ReadyBoost USB Disc well exceeds this requirements.

Q: Aren’t Hard Disks faster than flash? My HDD has 80MB/sec throughput.
A: Hard drives are great for large sequential I/O. For those situations, ReadyBoost gets out of the way. We concentrate on improving the performance of small, random I/Os, like paging to and from disk.

Q: What’s the recommended capacity for a USB flash drive for ReadyBoost?

A: We recommend a 1:1 ratio of flash to system memory at the low end and as high as 3:1 flash to system memory. So if your existing PC has a 4 GB of RAM, then you should choose a 4 GB USB flash drive for ReadyBoost, or consider an 8 GB or 12 GB USB flash drive if possible.

Q: I encounter the message: “This device cannot be used for ReadyBoost – The device does not have the required performance characteristics for use in speeding up your system”. What should I do?

A: Your Digital Care ReadyBoost USB Disc is fully compatible for Microsoft ReadyBoost technology. When you encounter this message, you simply need to format your USB flash drive.

To do so, open Windows | File Explorer (or use keyboard shortcut: Windows Key + E), right-click the newly discovered removable drive and select Format…

In File system dropdown menu, choose NTFS. In Allocation unit size, choose Default allocation size. And check Quick Format under Format options. Click Start.

Once the formatting is completed, your Digital Care ReadyBoost USB Disc is ready to be used.

Q: What does it mean if Windows states that “ReadyBoost is not enabled because this computer is fast enough that ReadyBoost is unlikely to provide additional benefit“?

A: This probably means that your Windows operating systems is installed on an SSD and no performance gain is possible. This is only true in theory because each PC is different. If you feel that your PC is sluggish and requires optimization, please contact our support team (support@CompuClever.com) for further options of how to speed up your PC.

Q: What happens when you remove the drive?
A: When a surprise remove event occurs and we can’t find the drive, Windows fall back to disk. Again, all pages on the device are backed by a page on disk. No exceptions. This isn’t a separate page file store, but rather a cache to speed up access to frequently used data. So no data loss will occur.

Q: Won’t ReadyBoost wear out the drive?
A: Nope. ReadyBoost technology is designed to take care of the lifecycle issues with flash drives and are smart about how and when it performs writes to the device. Relevant third party tests show that you will get at least 10+ years out of flash devices by using the ReadyBoost technology.

Q: How secure is ReadyBoost?

A: ReadyBoost is secure. ReadyBoost by default uses Advanced Encryption Standard 128 (AES-128) encryption, which should be sufficient as the chances of exposing sensitive data are very slim.

Q: What alternatives are there to ReadyBoost?

A: Two alternatives that will significantly improve performance over ReadyBoost are:

• Using a Solid State Drive (SSD) for your Operating System drive.
• Adding additional memory (RAM) to your computer.

Nevertheless, neither alternatives are cheap or easy to perform, as compared to using the ReadyBoost option.

The post FAQ – Digital Care ReadyBoost USB Disc appeared first on CompuClever.

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.

ReadyBoost will have little performance improvement or will be irrelevant if:

The Technology:

From the many articles we have passed on to you in the past, you likely have a good idea that CompuClever programs such as PC TuneUp Maestro and PC Clean Maestro can regain performance that has been lost due to: defragmentation; clutter of junk files and unwanted applications (leading to the reduction of available space).  These tools can also assist you when faced with a bogged down Internet connectivity as well as using functions related to improving browser speed and startup speed.

Now we can shine some light on a technology that can take your PC as it is, and can extend its performance abilities.  Keep in mind we still recommend that you enhance your performance through regular clean up and maintenance.

The basics of the technology involve being able to cache data to a device.  In this case, the device is a USB flash drive.  You can also use CompactFlash and SD cards.  How it works is that data is temporarily stored on the flash drive so that it can be retrieved faster than using the internal hard drive and available memory (RAM or “Random Access Memory”).  Flash memory, such as a USB drive or SSD (Solid State Drive), benefit from faster seek times than standard magnetic hard disk drives.  The only limitation is that USB flash drives will wear out in time.  By some estimates^[1] this won’t be for approximately 10 years.

Here’s How To:

You can begin by using a USB flash card that has at least 1 gigabyte (GB) of available space.  For best results, use a flash drive or flash memory card with at least double the amount of available space as the amount of memory (RAM) in your computer.^[2]

To enable or disable ReadyBoost:

Windows displays the recommended space to use for optimal performance.  If there isn’t enough space for ReadyBoost, a message is displayed telling you to free some space on the device.

The Benefits:

Our CompuClever team members have used ReadyBoost on a few systems that were so slow we faced having to replace them.  We noted significant gains in performance of these computers.  For systems that have only 2 or 4 GBs of RAM, the performance gains are significant.

We researched test results for ReadyBoost and found a very good site.  Here is a list of improvements as well as situations where there are no performance gains.

When enabling ReadyBoost on a system with low amounts of RAM, you can experience:

This same site states:

Ejecting Flash Drives:

It is good practice to eject flash drives that are in use.  This means closing windows and applications using the device and then using the Safely Remove Hardware icon.  In doing so, you eliminate the risk of losing data or experiencing data corruption – especially when files are being transferred.

To properly eject a drive:
Use the Safely Remove Hardware icon and eject your device before pulling it out of the USB port.
You can also locate the drive in the Computer window (Windows / File Explorer) right-click it, and select Eject.  Windows will tell you when it’s safe to remove the device thereby eliminating any chances of data corruption.

The exception:

In our research we found that:

In fact, you can leave your ReadyBoost enabled drive inserted in the port and shutdown your system.  In this way, when you start up your PC you can also enhance startup time performance.

Summary:

There are few disadvantages to this free technology.  You need to dedicate a USB port for your drive (using a USB hub is possible but not preferred).  Also, your flash drive will eventually need to be replaced… but before that happens you’ll likely have purchased a new system entirely.  Cost is not really a factor though.  Flash memory drives are fairly inexpensive and certainly not as much as installing new hardware or buying a new system altogether.

Given all this, we strongly feel that ReadyBoost can extend the life of older PCs that are lacking the necessary RAM and are not able to keep up in a fast computing world.  We hope you enjoy the benefits as we have.

We will continue to provide story lines like this that benefit all of us and we will describe them in a manner that is within reach of everyday computer users.  If you have some ideas of topics you would like us to cover, email us at: newsletter@compuclever.com

The post Speed up Your PC with ReadyBoost appeared first on CompuClever.

Today, I am going to explain what device drivers are, why you should update your PC’s device drivers, and how to do it safely and effectively.

What device drivers are

Your Windows PC is made of the following “building blocks”: the hardware, the Operating System (also known as Windows OS), and application software. But have you ever wondered how your OS and application software interact with hardware?

This is where a device driver comes into play. A device driver, commonly known as a driver, is a computer program that controls or drives a particular set of hardware.  It serves as an interface between the OS and the hardware device. For instance, your mouse is controlled by a mouse device driver and your keyboard is controlled by a keyboard driver. And this pretty much applies to any hardware that’s in, or attached to, your PC.  This includes the monitor, hard drive, CPU, web camera, printer, scanner, speaker, and more.

When should you update drivers

As we have pointed out, drivers are an essential component of the Windows OS as they ensure your PC runs smoothly. Similarly to the Windows OS and software programs, drivers can become outdated or even obsolete. There are three primary reasons that can cause your drivers to become outdated or even damaged.

1. Windows update: when you perform a major Windows update, like upgrading to Windows 10, some of your existing (“legacy”) hardware devices may not be properly detected by the new OS.
2. Hardware update: when you add new hardware, such as a mouse, keyboard, web cam, or printer, your Windows OS may not necessarily carry the latest driver for that specific piece of hardware.
3. Malware attack or invalid operations: when your PC has been attacked by malware or a third-party software that performs invalid operations, it can damage device drivers and cause issues beyond what is strictly security-related.

If your PC experiences one of the following symptoms commonly related to drivers, you definitely need to consider checking the status of your device drivers:

• Your PC or software freezes or crashes frequently or even occasionally, but obviously enough to cause you concern.
• Your hardware simply stops working or malfunctions. For instance, your speakers produce no sound or your printer doesn’t work.
• Your PC or laptop generates unusual noise or heat, which can indicate issues originating with how hardware is being used.
• You encounter general PC performance issues that can’t be addressed with the steps suggested in the “5 Tips for a Fast PC”.

Based on my experience, a majority of the mysterious PC performance or stability issues can be explained and addressed by performing a device driver check.

How to update device drivers

There are two ways to update devices drivers: manually and automatically.

You can manually update device drivers by accessing the Control Panel, opening the Device Manager, right-mouse click a specific hardware, and select Update Driver Software. You then have the option of letting Windows find the most updated driver for you, or installing the latest driver software that you download from the hardware manufacture’s website.

Although the manual process works in theory, it depends on two important factors. Number one, you know which hardware requires a driver update, and secondly, you trust Microsoft has the latest and best driver for you to download. Nevertheless, we found the second condition to be particularly unreliable for those who already perform Windows update on a regular basis. If Microsoft has the right device drivers for a piece of hardware you suspect is causing issues, then it stands to reason you would have automatically received a Windows update already.

Using device update software

Some advanced users are able to manually update drivers by searching the Internet for the correct version of drivers.  However, we suggest using reliable driver update software to perform this task safely and effectively. The advantages of using a professional driver update program are:

• It’s automated: a driver update application scans all hardware on your PC and identifies associated drivers that are updated or damaged.
• It’s efficient: an effective and accredited driver application would take advantage of cloud-based resources and thereby have access to a comprehensive collection of device drivers for almost any hardware devices, for any PC brand.
• It’s safe: a reputable device driver software would be digitally signed and approved by Microsoft to operate on your PC and thus be free from any security concern or threat.

Our test and recommendation

Building an effective driver update software program and maintaining a comprehensive driver database requires very specific knowledge and experience. We here at CompuClever evaluated three top driver software programs available on the market based on the criteria of coverage, effectiveness, and ease-of-use.  These are the top three:

• Driver Finder
• Driver Agent
• Driver Assist

Of these three, our final recommendation is Driver Finder for the following three reasons:

1. Driver Finder offers a massive coverage of 400,000+ hardware devices from over 5,000 different companies.
2. Diver Finder is digitally signed by Norton and is Microsoft Windows logo certified.
3. Driver Finder supports Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10, making it easy for any PC users.

Click here to learn more about Driver Finder, we recommend you download a free scan to conduct a quick and complete assessment of your PC’s device drivers.

We hope you have better understanding about device drivers and how to update them. Let us know if you have any questions about how to keep your PC clean, optimized, and updated.

The post Refresh Your PC with Device Driver Update appeared first on CompuClever.

The Technology

To put it simply, f.lux automatically changes the color of your screen depending on the time of the day, for the purpose of reducing blue light exposure.  During the day time, your screen appears normal and as evening approaches it becomes pinker or rose colored.  It works well with computers and laptops and it can be used to work with iPhones and iPads.  There are also similar applications for Android devices.

Theory

PC screens, monitors, and mobile phones all emit full spectrum light to resemble full daylight conditions.  The makers of f.lux state:

Day time – we have bright sunlight to help stimulate wakefulness. Night time – lighting is dim and our brains secrete melatonin which causes us to feel sleepy.  It’s a 24-hour rhythm based on an internal circadian clock that is affected by our exposure to light and dark cycles.

While some computers adjust the brightness levels based on sensors, the color temperature does not change.  This is why you see more pink tones when using f.lux which help with melatonin levels and eye strain.

f.lux – The Company

The f.lux site, like the application, is pretty easy to pick up and understand.  Right up front they describe their technology as a “labor of love”.  It’s free as they pay for the development based on donations received.  They state that 100% of donated money goes to the ongoing development and operations related to f.lux.

In terms of the future of this technology, it appears as though major platform developers are beginning to include some form of night time mode in their operating system.  There is NightShift for Mac and there is Blue Shade for Amazon Fire tablets and Night Mode for Android N.  The makers of f.lux are working to make their technology available on a wide range of operating systems but they have had a hard time with mobile devices due to restrictions from the platform makers.

Before You Decide:

You can always get a preview of how your screen would look if you decide on trying out the f.lux software.  Simply go to the fluxometer page.  You can select your computer or device and try out different levels.

To Start:

If you are running Windows, Mac, or Linux… you can download and install f.lux from their website.  There is also a version for Android devices but there are some limitations – we recommend using Twilight.  Twilight is an Android app that offers similar functions to those of f.lux and we have used the free version of it and find it meets our use requirements and expectations.

For iPhone and iPad users, Mac has a similar feature called Night Shift (for more information on setting this up click here: Enable NightShift on Your iPhone).

When you have done downloading and installing the software, f.lux will attempt to detect your location.  This may not work so well and we recommend that you click the Change button as seen below and set your location.  As it says on their site: “f.lux works a lot better if it knows exactly where you are (we make a guess, but it’s not always good.)”

You also have the option of adjusting the lighting level for day or night as well as the transition speed.

When Not To Use It:

You may want to disable f.lux at certain times.  For instance if you are working on graphics or images, you can choose to disable it for an hour using the disable option as seen above, or use the Alt-End key combination.  There is a movie mode that disables f.lux for 2 ½ hours.  As the company states on their website: “We designed Movie Mode to preserve sky colors and shadow detail, while still providing a warmer color tone. It’s not perfect on either count, but it strikes a balance.”

FAQ:

If you have questions or issues, start with the frequently asked questions page which has lots of useful information: https://justgetflux.com/faq.html

Final Words:

There are still shortcomings with this technology including a reduction of contrast (blacks turn to a dark shade of red), and with Android, certain buttons can be inaccessible.^[1] Overall, you will notice that it is easier on the eyes and decreases glare.

As for sleep… the American Medical Association’s Council on Science and Public Health states: “…exposure to excessive light at night, including extended use of various electronic media, can disrupt sleep or exacerbate sleep disorders”.^[2]

If you have to be in front of a monitor or device screen… it makes sense to try f.lux.  We have enjoyed the benefits of this free technology and hope it will help you as well.

We will continue to provide story lines like this that benefit all of us and we will describe them in a manner that is within reach of everyday computer users.  To view our archive of past articles, follow this link: Back Issues. If you have some ideas of topics you would like us to cover, email us at: newsletter@compuclever.com

The post f.lux – How to Elinimate Digital Eye Strain appeared first on CompuClever.

With our previous article (ReadyBoost) we received some email responses that were very positive. One email responder stated that he and a group of friends got some real benefit from the free technology we presented. One of the members of the group stated that their PC was “…working much more smoothly after implementing your USB know how.” The email went on to suggest we cover the topic of making sure that the “computers processor runs as cool as possible and what to do if it is running to hot.” That’s a great suggestion and we had already begun to write about this subject.

We’ll get started with a story from one of our Tech Support specialists.

Fan or Wireless Connection?

You can find all sorts of odd occurrences with your PC system and sometimes the oddest issue can arise with what appears to be no solution in sight. My system had been in use for a few years and when I heard a small high pitched squeal, I figured a fan was going. No problem, the case was cool and the temperature was not anywhere near being a problem.

The problem that was driving me crazy however was my internet connection. The system was using a wireless connection and it had developed an intermittent disconnect. The first couple of connection drops I put down to just a random issue and ignored. But they continued to happen and eventually the system could not connect to the internet. Okay… time to put on the troubleshooting hat and work this out.

I checked the wireless connection using a laptop, it worked so the issue was not the wireless. I checked the router to make certain there was not some sort of issue where the computer was not being allowed onto the network. I found nothing of the sort.

Next, I reinstalled the software for connecting to the router, double and triple-checked the settings only to find that everything was correct. I spent a couple of evenings going over every possible inch of the network wireless connection and could not find a problem.

In frustration, and after listening to the fan for a couple of days, I said: “Fine! I’ll replace the fan, at least that much I can fix!” I powered the computer off, pulled the problem fan and got a replacement. After I had it installed and started a system back up, my jaw promptly went slack! My PC had signed onto the network right away. I had my wireless internet connection once again.

Potential Problems and Pointers:

The PC system does not have one temperature. It has several components and each run at a different temperature. The CPU (Central Processing Unit), for your PC does most of the work so that Windows and running programs perform as expected. That is to say, it processes all the tasks. Ideally it should be running at room temperature. Most recently built CPU’s have protection features to deal with the heat. However, there are circumstances where it can run hot for extended periods of time and problems can arise including system crashes and even physical damage to the CPU or other components.

There are other components that can use electricity and generate heat such as your hard disk drives, the optical drive (for CD’s and DVD’s), and the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) which really comes into play when playing games. Excessive heat can damage components rendering them inoperable. With respect to hard drives, one source states:

Heat can also warp the hard drive disks to the point that you would no longer be able to retrieve the data stored on them. Even recovering data in these situations may not be possible. The effects of this are greater with older components. Another factor to consider, one that most experts will agree, is that the lifespan of your PC will be lessened by excessive heat.

There are free utility programs to check for PC temperatures if you feel your system is running hot and we’ll leave that for you to search online. A few basic precautionary measures can go a long way to prevent issues arising from over-heating your system.

Recommendations:

Excessive heat is typically due to inability to cool your PC down. It could be a faulty fan or it could be due to poor ventilation. Ventilation is quite often affected by a number of easily remedied factors. Check if any of these could be what you are facing:

If you are experiencing any of these contributing factors, you may find it easy to fix the situation and get your PC operating at normal temperatures. Keep your system clean and make sure the ambient temperatures are reasonable. For your laptop, you can easily provide better exposure to air circulation by putting it up on a box (you might have to look at using a USB keyboard and mouse).

As our technician detected right away… high pitched whirling sounds need to be addressed. Make sure your fan is working. If it is not within your level of expertise, get a quote from a technician. Fixing a PC fan is not very expensive – you should be able to have this done for under a hundred dollars.

And, in case you are wondering what the connection is between a malfunctioning fan and not being able to get a wireless connection… it was discovered by our technician that the fan was emitting a high frequency tone. It was this tone that caused an interference with the wireless connection!

Conclusions:

As our email responder has stated to us, there are many PC users who have no interest in keeping up with the endless “…trend of system upgrades”. We want our systems to last. We want them to run efficiently. We hope this article serves that purpose and we welcome more feedback and suggestions!

Feel free to visit our Support Center at: https://www.compuclever.com/support/

If you have some ideas of topics you would like us to cover or have other feedback to offer, email us at: newsletter@compuclever.com

The post Keep’n It Cool appeared first on CompuClever.

The Connection

Speaking of buses… in case you didn’t know, USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. USB has been around for a long time and it serves to standardize the connection, communication, and in some cases the power supply between a device and your PC.  USB is used for printers, cameras, keyboards, media players, as well as hard drive disks and flash drives.

In general, there are three basic kinds or sizes related to the USB connectors and types of established connection: the older “standard” size, in its USB 1.1, 2.0, and 3.0 variants (for example, on USB flash drives). ^[1]

USB Comparison

You are most likely dealing with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 (as well as 3.1).  We’ll focus on these specifically.  The most significant difference between them is speed; the rate at which information can transfer from one device to another.  Compared to USB 2.0, USB 3.0 is about 10 times faster and USB 3.1 is about 20 times faster.  Along with being faster, USB 3.0 also has the ability to provide power if the device does not have a power connection of its own.

USB Cable and Repeaters:

The maximum regular cable length for USB 2.0 is 16 feet 5 inches (5 meters) and for USB 3.0 it is 9 feet 10 inches (3 meters).  You can use active, also known as “repeater”, extension cables which are essentially one port USB hubs (as seen below).  For further information about cables we recommend you click the link to this site.

USB 3.0 – Do You Need It?

Is version 3 necessary for your needs?  It what situations will the speed advantage make a difference?  The answers are fairly straightforward.  The speed advantage gained by using USB 3.0 and 3.1 is useful when dealing with large files or with many files.  If you have a camera with a 32 GB memory stick in it and you take a lot of pictures, USB 3.0 / 3.1 will be much easier in transferring files.  If you use an external hard drive to back up your computer, using the fastest connection and devices will save you time.

Items like mice, keyboards, and your USB nick-nacks to keep your drink warm or cool can connect via USB 2.0 as the speed will mean nothing to these items.  For you serious gamers… plugging your mouse into a USB 3.0 port has no more benefit than 2.0.^[3] If you print large files you may get some improvement in printing using USB 3.0 when printing large files, but for most home users getting prints faster is not a pressing need.

Backwards Compatibility

USB 3.0 and 3.1 are backwards compatible.  This means that they support 2.0 but that you will not benefit from the faster speeds available with version 3.  You can plug a USB 2.0 device into a 3.0 port, and a 3.0 device into a USB 2.0 port.  However, connection / transfer speeds will be at the slower rate.  So it is not a matter of needing to remember which device can be connected where, but realizing that you may not be getting the full benefits of the transfer speed.

Also, the cables connecting a USB 3.0 / 3.1 device need to support the standard or else you will be reduced to the slower speed.  The cables for USB version 3 have twice the amount of wire to be able to transfer the electrical current and support the higher transfer rate and thus are more expensive.  In most cases, devices come with the cables and are part of the cost.

USB Hub

A USB hub can expand one port to several so that you can plug in more than one device.  Laptops can come with several USB ports, and an external USB hub can “…consolidate several everyday devices (like a mouse and a printer) into a single hub to enable one-step attachment and removal of all the devices.” ^[4]

You need to keep in mind that a USB hub draws its power from the host computer’s interface.  This is referred to as a “bus-powered” hub.  There are self-powered hubs available as well that can provide full power to every port using an external power supply.  Rule of thumb is, if using a bus-powered hub and your device draws a lot of power, it is best to plug your device in a port directly to your PC.  Also keep in mind that if you are using a USB 2.0 hub in a USB 3.0 port, it will work but there is a data transfer bottleneck as you are not getting the full potential transfer speed.

USB 3.0 hubs will support USB 2.0 devices but the Super-Speed capability of 3.0 is, again, not achieved in these situations.  USB 3.0 also includes some power management, so when you have multiple devices connected via a USB 3.0 hub and the devices are drawing power from the hub, only the device in use will receive power so as to not waste power.

The Stick

The USB flash drive is also known by many other names including: jump drive, data stick, pen drive, thumb drive, key chain drive, USB key, USB memory stick, and the list goes on.  It is a portable storage device as seen in the image presented here.

Here are the quick facts:

What is important to note is that these are an easy way to store and to transfer data.  They do not have any moving parts like an external hard disk drive, they use little power, and the data is safe from dust, shock, magnetic fields, and mechanical shock.  Some specially designed flash drives are even made to be waterproof and virtually unbreakable.

To Use it:
A flash drive can be used like any drive on your computer.  Start by inserting the flash drive into a front or back USB port or to a USB hub.  Once connected, open My Computer and you should see the drive labeled as “Removable Disk”, “Flash drive”, or as the manufacturer’s name.  Once the drive has been determined, you can copy any file you want and paste it into the flash drive or drag-and-drop the files to the flash drive.^[5]

In Summary

Picking USB 3.0 or 3.1 devices depends largely on your demands for speedy transfers.  If you are not working with a lot of files or large files, then we recommend checking out the price point between USB 2.0 and more recent versions.  However, keep in mind that technology keeps getting better and if your PC doesn’t support 3.0 now, your next one likely will.

As for USB hubs, we recommend using them for connecting keyboard and mouse peripherals and other devices that do not require speed.  USB flash drives are really handy.  Just keep in mind that they can go missing or be stolen.  Back up and encrypt sensitive data.

We will continue to provide story lines like this that benefit all of us and we will describe them in a manner that is within reach of everyday computer users.  If you have some ideas of topics you would like us to cover, email us at: newsletter@compuclever.com

The post The Key – USB appeared first on CompuClever.

Stages

We have come up with a list of items that we feel constitute the “necessities” of first running you brand new PC. In an attempt to make it easier for you we have broken these items into stages – that way it doesn’t seem overwhelming and tedious. We have also included an approximate time of completion. These may vary based on many factors but it is intended to give you an idea of what to expect. By having this information available you can determine how many items you can take on based on your schedule. If you want to bite the bullet and complete the tasks on the same day… go for it!

Let’s get started.

Stage1

Warranty and Registration Cards (Time to Complete: Approximately 5 minutes)
Fill warranty and registration cards in right away. Required information such as serial numbers can usually be found on the back of printers and computers. So before you connect the cables and set the device into its location, get the information written down while it is still easy to read. Once the system is up and running, you can then send in the cards to be registered. While most retailers will act on your behalf for warranty concerns if the store closes its doors, the computer maker will require that you provide proof that it is their device and it was purchased within the warranty period. Save yourself the frustration and do this early.

Restore Disks (Time to Complete: No more than 10 minutes)
Your new system most likely comes with Windows 10 preinstalled. That’s great – that saves some work! You need to realize though this likely means you do not have CD’s to reinstall Windows if the need arises. So, to be on the safe side, you will need to create restore disks. Use this Microsoft link and follow the directions.

Windows Live Account (Time to Complete: 2 – 3 minutes)
When you first start your computer, Windows will ask you to either sign on to your Windows Live email account or to create an account with Microsoft. This is not necessary but it does add some functions to using Windows across multiple units such as those between your desktop, laptop, tablet, or Windows phone. If you do not have any of these other items, ignore the offer to create an account. If you have logon credentials with MSN or Outlook.com then that login is your Windows account. For more information follow this Microsoft FAQ link.

Set the System Restore (Time to Complete: 2 – 3 minutes)
System Restore, by default, is not enabled. You need to set this up to keep the system as safe as possible. Information on how to enable the system restore can be found by following this Microsoft link.

Backup Admin Account (Time to Complete: 5 – 10 minutes)
Create a Backup Admin account. Many problems can arise should you have one admin account and it gets damaged. If you create a backup admin account you can simply work around the issue rather than working through hours of trying to undo whatever created the issue. Save yourself the time and unpleasantness by setting up a second one right away.

You can use this helpful site with easy to use instructions.

Stage 2

Beware Freeware (Time to Complete: Up to 30 minutes)
Check the “All Programs” list in PC Clean Maestro. Open the program, click the Uninstaller tab and review the items in the list provided. Many new systems include a list of freeware and trialware programs.

If you have already purchased an antivirus program and are going to install it, do not leave a free antivirus on the system as you could experience interference and compatibility issues. Stay with the programs you know and save yourself the frustration of programs popping up on the screen.

Remove Remnants (Time to Complete: Up to 3 minutes)
After installing your programs remember to clear up the install remnants so the drive is clear of unwanted files. Open PC Clean Maestro and from the “Clean” page, confirm that the items you want to scan and clean are checked. Next, click the Start button. The scan will be quick and you can easily review items before removing them. It will take more time to review the findings then to scan or clean them.

Registry Scan and Fix (Time to Complete: Up to 3 minutes)
Now that you have removed unnecessary and unwanted files, it’s time to clear the registry as there may be remnants that have not been removed. To scan and clean your registry open PC TuneUp Maestro and click the “Optimize PC” page in the left panel. Click the Registry Defrag option and perform the Express Scan.

HD Defrag (Time to Complete: Up to 30 minutes)
After removing items from your computer it’s time to address sorting – defragmenting – the hard drive for best performance.

If your new PC uses the traditional spinning platter hard drive (HDD), we recommend using good PC habits right from the start and defragmenting it. Good practice is to defrag your HD when you remove items of significant size (applications, media files, etc.). To defrag your drive, Open PC TuneUp Maestro and click the “Optimize PC” page in the left panel. Click the Disk Defrag option at the top of the list and follow the instructions.

Stage 3

Power Bar (Time to Complete: Varies)
Is the light on the power bar flashing or flickering? If so… replace it. This is the least expensive insurance policy you can buy for your new computer. That flashing or flickering light means it needs to be replaced.

Windows Updates (Time to Complete: 10 – 30 minutes)
Check for updates from Windows. Windows 10 supplies driver updates for all your devices (video cards, printers, etc.), so it is possible that when Windows was installed the devices were not connected. To be certain everything has the correct drivers you need to run an update: use this Microsoft site for details. Please note Windows 10 could start performing updates before you choose to do so. If it does let the process complete itself as trying to stop it could lead to Windows having problems before you get to use your computer.

Conclusions:

Now that you have completed the steps – there is no reason why your PC shouldn’t be performing at top speeds. You should notice fast startup times as well as exceptional file access and program startup performance. We hope this article has helped you to feel less intimidated with your new and somewhat unfamiliar PC acquisition. Taking the right steps right from the get go is critical and we think these tips will support you well in that regard.

Feel free to visit our Support Center at: https://www.compuclever.com/support/ If you have some ideas of topics you would like us to cover or have other feedback to offer, email us at: newsletter@compuclever.com

The post My New PC Arrival appeared first on CompuClever.

So let’s begin.  We won’t go into all the details of the offer but we will highlight the most important ones.  We encourage you to go to this page to find out more if your questions are still left unanswered.

What is it?

As Microsoft states:

It is for a full upgrade if you have the right OS.  “Windows 8.1, Windows 8.1 with Bing, Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic, and Windows 7 Home Premium will upgrade for free to Windows 10 Home.  While Windows 8.1 Pro, Windows 7 Professional, and Windows 7 Ultimate will upgrade for free to Windows 10 Pro. (This promotional offer excludes the Enterprise version.)”

To be clear, users have to be running a valid version of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or Windows 8.1 Update.  So, you may have to update your existing OS before getting Windows 10.  Also… you cannot create a dual boot install where you can keep your existing OS and choose to boot into Windows 10.  The update requires installing on top of a Windows 7 or 8.1 OS.

When?

• The offer begins July 29th, 2015 and expires July 29th, 2016.
• Prior to July 29th you can make a reservation to have Windows 10 installed.
• On July 29th “Microsoft will begin notifying devices that there is a free upgrade available.  Then users will see the ‘Get Windows 10’ app, which they can use to schedule the upgrade.”

How?

As of June 1st, Microsoft began offering users the option to reserve a copy of Windows 10.

After July 29th, “Microsoft will begin notifying devices that there is a free upgrade available. Then users will see the “Get Windows 10” app, which they can use to schedule the upgrade.”

What Will You Need?

As stated you need to have a qualified device; that is, one running Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 Update.

Note:  You can check out your System Information by doing the following:

A window appears with information including: OS, Processor type, RAM, and more.

How much?

For users who don’t qualify for the free upgrade, or for those who want to build a new PC, or want to run a dual boot system… you will have to pay the full price.  The retail pricing information is as follow:

What Is Missing?

Microsoft lists the following items as not being included in Windows 10:

Why?

There is talk that this is the last major Microsoft OS:

There is also the advantage of having the majority of users running the most recent version which includes being able to provide support and further updates to their user base. Microsoft states that they are

Concerns?

Roll Back / Go Back:

“You can roll back to the previous version of the operating system from the recovery partition or by using the recovery media that came with your system. Alternatively, Microsoft will offer the ‘Go back to the previous version of Windows’ option in the Recovery settings. The setting will only be available when the system was upgraded from Windows 7 or Windows 8.”

Our Recommendations:

If after reading the information stated here you feel positive about what is being offered we suggest you take advantage of the free offer.  We feel that Windows 10 is an improvement from Windows 8.  Windows 10 has made several noticeable improvements over fundamental UI designs and interaction by bringing back the classical Start button and making it easier to launch both desktop applications and tablet apps.

Those of us who are traditional Windows users will be more pleased with Windows 10 compared to the initial confusion we experienced when we first used Windows 8.  With Windows 10 the emphasis is on desktop software with seamless integration of tablet apps.  CNN’s review of Windows 10 provides a quick snapshot of what’s new in Windows 10.

Backup

We suggest and fully agree with Microsoft – if you do choose to go for the free upgrade, make sure to back up your PC.  We suggest you back up your files and data as well as other items not easily replaced such as contact information (email address and the like).

For those running previous versions such as Windows XP or Vista, before you consider upgrading to Windows 10, we recommend you evaluate if your existing PC hardware will be enough to meet your daily computing needs.   You will have to make sure you meet the minimum system requirements shown above.  Most likely, you have a PC that’s more than 5-10 years old.  But it could still function well and provide service as intended.  If not… it could be time to think about acquiring a new PC with better hardware and possibly getting Windows 10 pre-installed instead.  Check your PC dealerships for details of Windows 10.

For those users who qualify and are on board, you can get instructions on how to reserve your free upgrade here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/windows/windows-10-upgrade

CompuClever Apps:

Let’s not forget the important part… all CompuClever products are Windows 10 compatible.  This includes our CompuClever Antivirus PLUS which will be launched soon.  So please rest assured that we will continue to be available to serve your needs in providing a safe and optimized PC no matter what OS you are running now or in the future.

In Summary:

Generally speaking, the Windows 10 upgrade comes with enhancements to both PC performance and onboard security.  We are encouraged that Microsoft has been able to optimize their core OS architecture and design as well as improve on safety and security measures.  If you do qualify for the free upgrade and can navigate past some of the shortcomings we have presented here, we feel you stand to benefit from this offer.  It does mean jumping in with both feet.

The post Introducing Windows 10 appeared first on CompuClever.

In the News: Fair and Equal

At the end of February of this year, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to have the same rules applied to broadband as what is governed by the telephone service.  This is in the hope that ISP companies provide fair and equal treatment. This means net neutrality regulations will be adopted “…based on a new definition of broadband that will let the government regulate Internet infrastructure as it could the old telephone network.”^[1] The good news is that there will be no blocking or slowing down traffic by service providers. They are also banned from offering paid priority services to charge companies like Netflix fees for Internet “fast lanes” when facing congested network lines.  The common carrier principle will mean that every customer gets equal access to the network.

There are critics to this decision – Michael Powell, a former FCC chairman referred to it as “…heavy-handed government regulation in a space celebrated for its free enterprise”.  There is a concern about the government getting too involved and applying new tax and tariffs.  President Obama has released a statement saying that “…there should be no toll takers between you and your Internet content”.  If you would like to find out more about this, including an instructive video, see this link: money.cnn.com

It is likely there could be further developments and this will continue to be a hot debate moving forward; be prepared to hear more about “net neutrality”. For now, it is useful for us to focus on what we currently experience with our Internet network speeds.

The Terms

There are several terms that require a quick definition for us to continue.  These are:

Types of connection vary as do speeds of data transmission:

Speed:

Now that you have a better idea of the various components of Internet connections, let’s talk about speed of transfer.  If you have ever had to deal with using a dial-up modem you know how important speed of access is.  The units of measure for bandwidth speed are kilobit per second (KBit/s) or megabit per second (MBit/s or Mbps). While it may be challenging to wrap your head around 1 Mbps being one million bits of data transferred in 1 second, it is useful to get an overall idea of the average speeds achieved by various types of connection.  For example, the top speed for dial-up is about 56 kbps.  The slowest of the High Speed Internet options is more than 15 times this speed starting around 768 kbps to 1.5 Mbps.

Testing Your Speed:

We have examined four speed tests sites and provided the results here.  We focus primarily on ease of use with these sites.  We will also provide some information on the results in terms of accuracy and lack of accuracy.

The four sites we tested are:1) Speed of Me, 2) Speed test.net, 3) Speakeasy.net, and 4) Bell Aliant.

1. Speed of Me

Of our four tests this is the only one that is not powered by Ookla.  This means it could differ in its results from the others (we will speak to this later).  What we first notice when visiting this page is the amount of advertisements that are presented.  This site, like many others, gets revenues from other companies that benefit from users with slow PC performance.  As there are several ads we have a difficult time finding the place to start.  Eventually we notice a small “Start Test…” button.  The test itself takes under a minute to complete and was reliably the fastest of the test sites we examined.  The results, as can be seen from our image below, are presented in a bar graph style.  The graph is a great representation of what is going on – in this example, considerable spikes of Internet speed.  What we do not like about this test is that they point out only the maximum speeds.  For example, the maximum here is 7.42 Mbps.  We would have to guess at the average speed we would be getting and assume it is around 3 Mbps.

2. Speedtest.net

There have been over 7 billion speed tests run on this site.  We can’t deny its popularity.  However, once again, we see a lot of ads.  On the plus side, it does have an easier place to launch from – there is a very visible “BEGIN TEST” button.  Again the test itself takes under a minute.  The results are less visually representative and the main results are provided: ping, download speed, and upload speed.  Unfortunately there are other ads presented as well. We do like the fact that speedtest.net utilizes ping test techniques to determine the closest server so you do not have to choose.  We don’t like the fact that the results are considerably different from the other tests.

3. SpeakEasy

Again, there are ads present from the first display to the final presentation of the results.  With this test you are required to pick a location although it is not clear as to which one you need to pick.  Most of us would pick the closest in proximity to our own location but it is important to note that web pages we visit on a daily basis can be located anywhere in the world.  This test provides the option to choose a location if this is important to you – all the other sites determine a server location for you.  After making a selection the test begins and then it appears to be doing nothing.  From our tests we found it to be the slowest of these contenders at well over a minute.  The results information displayed is minimal with ads taking up more space and the “Choose A Location” option remaining so that you can begin again.

4. Bell Aliant

When you first arrive at this site you see only about three items: the name of the company, the “Ookla” logo, and the “Begin Test” button right in the center of the page.  This speed test is easy to run and as clean as can be.  It takes about a minute to complete based on our connection but you see the progress as it runs through various testing stages.  The results are displayed below and are more detailed than some of the options we have covered while still being easy to analyze.  The Download speed includes a small graph although it could be better displayed with actual measurements – that way we could determine if this is an average or the maximum speed.  Despite this we find this test to be the best of the four here.

Speed results

As can be seen when examining the results of these four tests, the actual download speed can vary to a large degree.  In our case, from 7.42 Mbps (Speed of Me results) and 0.34 Mbps (from Speedtest.net).  If we are to throw away these two results and average the last two tests, we find that the real speed may be around 2.25 Mbps.  So why is there this discrepancy?  We don’t want to rely on taking more than one test and averaging.  In our example, we are testing using a Satellite ISP service.  We have also tested from a high-speed wireless service (requiring a receiver dish using line-of-sight), and from Broadband cable (coaxial).

Our test results

We found that the satellite tests were the most inconsistent.  The large spikes in connectivity depicted in some results graphs may explain the discrepancy.  The fastest and most consistent results we achieved were with the Broadband cable connection (TV cabling) with high-speed wireless showing more consistent speeds but being slower than cable and as slow as, or slower, than satellite.  The rule of thumb here is that direct lines (copper, cable, fiber optics) will provide the most consistent and fastest speeds.  However, this does not mean that these types do not suffer from poor connectivity.

Wrapping it up…

For now, we have had a good start into introducing this area of computing – one we use daily and take for granted.  In the next article we are going to look more closely at why our connection speed suffers and what we can do about it.  Stay tuned.

We will continue to provide story lines like this that benefit all of us and we will describe them in a manner that is within reach of everyday computer users.  If you have some ideas of topics you would like us to cover, email us at: newsletter@compuclever.com

The post Test Your Internet Speed appeared first on CompuClever.