Tiplet expert tips & tech support

April 18, 2009

How Can I Avoid, Prepare For, and Recover from PC and Technology Disasters?

Filed under: computer performance,data storage and recovery,privacy & security — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 8:00 am

by Gabe Goldberg

The best disaster is the one that doesn’t happen. Next best is one that doesn’t matter, because it was anticipated. Worse than that are events that require some recovery time, and worst of all are … well, real disasters.

The most common computer-related advice used to be backup, backup, backup (your data). And when DID you last backup your hard drive? But these days, that advice is equaled by urgent reminders to keep your computer and applications updated and patched against viruses, spyware, and the like.
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April 17, 2009

How to Make Windows XP Shut Down Faster

Filed under: computer performance,Windows — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

When its time to reboot your computer, it can be frustratingly slow sometimes to wait out the reboot, especially if you need to use your system. There are a few things you can do to help speed up the process, though.
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Are There Simple, Free Tools for Checking My PC’s Status and Health?

Filed under: computer performance,privacy & security,Windows — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 8:00 am

by Gabe Goldberg

In order to renew my car’s registration, I recently needed to have its pollution emissions tested. Since this was the first time my 2007 Honda had this check, I found it interesting that instead of using a tailpipe probe as was done with my previous (1989) auto, the mechanic simply connected his equipment to the car’s diagnostic port and read out a few numbers.

Considering how complex it is to maintain Windows computers – needing to worry about operating system patches, application updates, security settings, and many more issues — it would be nice to have a simple and automatic process for checking security, patches, reliability, performance, and everything else that matters.
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April 15, 2009

How to Disable Windows Services

Filed under: computer performance,Windows — Tags: , , , — admin @ 5:00 pm

by David Hakala

When Windows starts up, it loads many small programs that run “services.” Many of these services are necessary on all computers. Some, such as the fax service, are used heavily by businesses but not by as many home users. Others are used only under the rarest circumstances. But Windows loads these services “just in case” they are needed, and that can degrade performance.
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What is the Java Runtime Environment and How Do I Install It?

Filed under: applications,computer performance,Internet — Tags: , , , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is the application that allows Java programs to run on your computer, whether online or offline. The JRE executes JAVA code and makes sure that whatever application you want to run looks and feels right on your system, whatever your operating system version and whatever hardware you have.
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April 12, 2009

What Are Windows XP Service Packs?

Filed under: computer performance,privacy & security,Windows — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 8:00 am

by David Hakala

Microsoft releases “critical” updates to Windows every month. Those are fixes for bugs that should be fixed immediately, such as security holes in the operating system or things that can make your computer crash. Much less often Microsoft releases very large “service packs” that fix a whole lot of non-critical and critical bugs in one installation. Service packs also include new features and improvements to existing, unflawed features.
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April 9, 2009

How Can I Protect My PC From Power Problems?

Filed under: computer performance — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 8:00 am

by Gabe Goldberg

Computers are fragile creatures; because of internal moving parts and delicate electronics, they dislike jostling and shaking. Less obviously, they’re also subject to damage or destruction by electrical problems.
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April 3, 2009

When Windows XP Shuts Down Very Slowly

Filed under: applications,computer performance,Windows — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 5:00 pm

by David Hakala

Q: My five-year-old computer running MS Windows XP turns off very slowly. It takes minutes to shut down completely. Any economical suggestions or recommendations? — Alan

Alan, you don’t have to spend a dime, just a little time.

When Windows shuts down, it must save many system settings to use when it starts up again. It saves these settings in a group of files collectively known as “the registry.” Over time, the registry becomes cluttered with invalid settings as you add, remove, and relocate files, shortcuts, programs, etc. Cleaning up such clutter will help Windows shut down and start up much faster.
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March 31, 2009

How to Disable Outlook 2007 Synchronizing Folders

Filed under: computer performance,e-mail,Vista — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 1:00 pm

by David Hakala

Q: I use Windows Outlook 2007 on my Vista Ultimate machine. Can you tell me how to turn off the “synchronizing folders” option in Outlook 2007? Whenever this runs, it really hogs the resources, and I don’t know that this needs to be done as frequently as it is being done. Thanks! – Bill

“Synchronizing folders” simply means that Outlook 2007 is sending and receiving email and RSS messages, updating Internet-based calendars, and other tasks that require communication with other computers on the Internet. Many users complain that Outlook 2007 takes far too long and uses far too many resources for this task. But synchronization is not an “option,” it’s an essential feature. You can’t turn it off permanently or you won’t have any email, RSS feeds, etc. You might as well uninstall Outlook, a solution quite a few people choose in favor of Mozilla Thunderbird or another email client, including an earlier version of Outlook.
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March 28, 2009

March 26, 2009

How to Tell If Your Windows XP Computer Has High-Speed USB

Filed under: computer hardware,computer performance,Windows — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 5:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

Microsoft reports that most computers sold after 2002 are USB 2.0 enabled. USB 2.0 is the latest version of USB, also called high-speed USB because it supports devices that use the high-speed specification. Most new USB devices are made using this specification. If you plug one of these into a computer that is not equipped with a high-speed USB port, or one that does have a USB 2.0 port but is missing the proper drivers, you will either get an error message, or the device will work, but at less than its full capability. That would be a waste of your money – so it’s better to make sure your device capability matches your computer capability.
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