Increase PC Speed

Increase PC Speed. Everyone wants a faster computer, right? There are several things you can do to make your computer faster. You can get it back to the speed it was when you first bought it, or you can invest in a few hardware upgrades to boost performance. Or you can do some things to make the Internet or network faster. Follow these helpful tips to kick your computer into hyperdrive.

Computer Maintenance

If you were happy with the way the computer use to run, some simple maintenance might help increase the speed of your computer. Over time, a computer will slow down because of temporary files and hard drive fragmentation. Your hard drive might even be going bad. Perform the follow basic maintenance and see if your computer speed improves:

• Uninstall unnecessary programs from within the control panel. In older versions of Windows you can do this from Add / Remove Programs. In Windows 7 it is called Uninstall A Program.
• Run Disk Cleanup by going to Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Cleanup.
• Run Disk Defragmentor from the same location.
• Run Error Checking. Open My Computer, then right-click your C drive. Under the Tools tab, look for “Error Checking” and click the Check Now button. Check the boxes for Automatically fix errors and scan for bad sectors.

If maintenance didn’t quite get your PC back up to original speed, it might be time for a System Recovery. This is the act of inserting the recovery CDs you were given by the manufacturer and using them to erase your hard drive and revert it back to original factory condition. If you opt for this method, be sure to backup everything of importance. If you need help with system recovery, just ask.

Upgrade Your Hardware

If your computer is running as fast as it always did, but is still not fast enough to play games or surf the web, It might be time for a hardware upgrade. Upgrading a PC is a slippery slope, as you might ultimately find yourself paying as much to upgrade as it would cost to buy a newer, faster computer. Everything is dependent on the motherboard–the type of RAM you use, the type of CPU and even the kind of graphics card you can install. If you’re looking to improve your PC’s speed, the first upgrades should be the RAM and the video card.

Upgrading your computers RAM – Visit a site like Crucial.com and search for your computer’s brand. Crucial’s memory configurator  will tell you what memory your computer currently has, and how much it can hold. RAM is cheap, so try and get it up to at least 4GBs, if possible. In most cases, 2GBs will also be fine.

Upgrading your video card – You’ll need to determine what type of slot your motherboard has in order to buy a faster video card. You will also need to check the specs on your power supply to make sure you have enough power to drive it. If your computer is only a couple of years old, you most definitely will have a PCI-Express video slot. If it’s older, you might have an AGP slot. The video card slot is at the top of the row of slots. An AGP slot is a short, brown slot. A PCI-E slot is white and longer than the others. Be sure to read the system requirements for the video card you want to buy, as video cards can be very demanding on your computer.

Make The Internet Faster

A slow computer can make the Internet slow, too, because your computer needs to be able to process the information it is receiving. If you’re sure your computer is not the bottleneck, your next step will be to improve your network and Internet Service Provider. There are several options for Internet, and we’ll list them in order of our favorites:

• Verizon FiOS
• Cable
• DSL
• Wireless 4G
• Wireless 3G
• Satellite
• Dial-up

If you want blazing speed, Verizon FiOs or your local cable company are the best option. Compare speeds and rates, because not all cable companies are as reliable or as fast as FiOS. A good resource for checking speeds in your area is Broadband Reports.

You might also want to look at your network infrastructure. 802.11n is the latest standard in WiFi. This Gigabit router can drastically speed up your network. So if you’re looking to improve your network speed, upgrade your router and the network adapters in each of your computers to take advantage of the speed and range an 802.11n router can provide.

In conclusion, there are several factors that dictate the perceived speed of your computer. Before you spend money on upgrades, determine where the money will be best spent. If you’re not sure, be sure to ask and we’ll try and help.

via: [pctech]

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Troubleshooting Blue Screen of Death Errors

Any frequent Windows user has encountered the big bad BSOD, short for the Blue Screen of Death. This common error will make its presence known whenever the system senses that an application, piece of hardware or device driver is experiencing issues behind the scenes. What makes this particular issue so tricky is that it can be an indicator of anything from a minor glitch to a major error that causes your system to malfunction and leave you staring at the infamous blue screen.

On rare occasions, getting rid of a blue screen error is as simple as rebooting the system. Some have been lucky enough to restart their PC and never encounter the problem again. Unfortunately, this error usually means that your system is suffering from a critical error and when this is the case, it will not go away until you address the matter.

There is no standard solution to fixing the blue screen problems, mainly because there are so many problems that can result in such an error. This could be anything from a new program you just installed to a memory stick you added to the computer. In order to eliminate this nuisance, you must first diagnosis the problem to find out what’s actually going on. By doing a little troubleshooting, you can narrow things down and actually find the culprit.

Check Software and Hardware Components

The easiest step to eliminating blue screens is uninstalling any new software or hardware recently installed on the machine. If you encountered the problem after adding on a new component, this is likely the source of your problem. This could be due to a failed installation or incompatibility issues related to the software or a driver the device needs to function.

Check Your Memory Status

Blue screen errors could also appear if you recently added more RAM to your computer. You can find out if your RAM is faulty by running a diagnostic utility. If you don’t have such a tool handy, you will have to get more hands on by opening the computer case and removing the stick of RAM you just installed. From there, you can fire up the machine to see if the blue screen still shows up. This is actually easier than it sounds, but if you don’t feel comfortable opening your computer find yourself a professional technician who won’t charge an arm and leg to do the job.

Fix the Registry

The Windows registry is one of the most common causes of the BSOD. Over time, the registry gets cluttered with invalid files and other unwanted items that can make your system unstable. A blue screen of death occurrence is the ultimate sign of instability. You can run a registry cleaner to find out if the registry is stirring up all the trouble on your PC. These programs are fairly inexpensive and have the ability to automatically detect and remove the questionable items hiding out on your PC.

Conclusion

When the blue screen of death shows up, it will be accompanied by a STOP code that gives details on what caused the problem. Be sure to jot down this information when troubleshooting to better your chances of successfully fixing the issue.

Via [PCTechBytes]

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