Windows Registry

With so many computer users online in the current day and age, it is inevitable that PC problems will be encountered by mostof them from time to time.

A lot of these problems are easily avoided, but that's easy to say for someone with technical knowledge and experience, and not so easy for a huge number of users who just want their machines to run as reliably and hassle free as possible.

A great number of people do not even know where to begin when it comes to keeping their PC running as sweetly as the day it was first plugged in, and over a period of time they start  to notice the length of time it takes to boot up in the mornings, and that it seems reluctant to carry out tasks that once upon a time it simply sailed through. By the time they start to notice this degradation in performance, the workings of their machine have beome horribly clogged with internet and software "garbage" that the machine has been accumulating every day for months on end.

There are a variety of reasons for this, but this article aims to deal with just one of them - the Windows Registry - so long an area excluded to all but the techno geeks among us, with dire warnings of the dangers of editing your registry!

This was fair, because an inexperienced user running rampant with their delete key in the registry minefield would certainly spell danger for the unfortunate copy of Windows on their machine. Nowadays, things have become a lot easier....

It is quite simple now for people to look after their Windows Registry and this is fortunate indeed, because with high speed internet connections allowing people to download and install a whole host of applications and files, it does not take long for the registry to become horribly clogged with extraneous bits and pieces, all of which will slowly but surely degrade performance of your operating system.

If you don't like the idea of delving around and trying to understand the workings of this mysterious area of Windows, there are plenty of affordable software solutions on the market today - see the foot of this article for a couple of suggestions. Many will offer free trial periods, and will demonstrate in an easy to understand format, just how bad things have become! If you haven't checked your registry in a while, or maybe even never, you should serioulsy consider doing so. You will probably be very happy with the results of a thorough clean up, all at the push of a button and without risking the ruination of your valuable Windows operating system.

Just like anti virus, anti spyware/adware programs, a good registry leaner should be high on your shopping list. When I've shown people the results of a registry scan after just one week of internet use, they are extremely surprised by the large number of conflicts thrown up - often into  the hundreds!

In conclusion, keep your registry clean, and if your other system maintenance tasks are kept up to  date, you and your  PC will be far happier in your partnership for a long time to come.

Computer Backup System

Hard Disk Failures Cause Bankruptcy  -  Is Your Home Office Computer Protected?

Computers are wonderful inventions, until they go wrong. Every company stores data on its computers, instead of in filing cabinets. That data includes invoices payable, customer details, debts, etc. If something goes wrong with the computer hard drive the data could be lost. Every day, companies go out of business because of catastrophic data loss caused by computer crashes.

Large companies do back up their data, but what about the one-man company where the paperwork is done on a Sunday morning? More and more people are working from home on personal computers that have zero protection against data loss caused by hard disk failure or power surges.

Every company, large or small should back up their data, preferably to an alternative location, yet most one-man businesses fail to follow this basic survival strategy because of the time it takes to back up the data each day.

Even these companies need to develop the habit of backing up all customer information to a removable hard disk, pen-drive or similar, or to a CD/DVD. Another alternative is to buy a RAID hard drive for your PC. These drives save your data to more than one hard disk, and check for inconsistencies between the two or more data sets. If there are differences then this can be a sign that one of the hard disks will fail soon, enabling you to avoid losing the data in the first place.

Hard drive disks spin at up to 8,000 revolutions a minute, They are highly engineered, but, because they have moving parts, wear occurs, and disks stop working.

There are many companies who will attempt to retrieve your data from a non-functional hard drive. The service is not cheap, and if you employ a contractor to do this who is not using the correct software, you have a 50% chance of your data being totally destroyed.

If your company depends on that data for its survival, and it does, the high cost is worth it. Much better though, to get into the habit of backing up your data every night

Windows XP Professional

9 Tips To Keep Windows XP Running Smooth

There are many things that cause a computer to be sluggish from software to hardware.  It can be too small a hard drive or not enough RAM. It can be anything from BIOS and/or Operating System Settings to programs that are eating up your CPU and RAM (no matter how much you have). Or it can be your network.

Personally, I work my computer like a young mother with a house full of kids 12 to 18 hours a day. 

That mother needs to unwind at the end of the day and so does my computer and probably yours too.

Here are 9 Tips in the order they should be completed that can help keep your computer happy and working without complaining:

1.  This is so basic I shouldn't need to say it, Keep Which Ever E-Mail Program You Use Cleaned Out. I have clients who are always complaining, but who refuse to dump years and years of accumulated e-mail.

2.  Make sure you have a good anti virus program (Only one per computer please), have it up to date, and auto monitoring.

3.  Make sure you have a good anti spy ware program (Only one per computer), have it up to date, and auto monitoring.

4.  Run Disk Clean Up Daily (Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Clean Up - a box opens - make sure each box is checked, click 'OK' - a box pops up - Click Yes).

5.  Delete Cookies and Cached Files Daily (Start, Control Panel -if you have not done it yet, click 'Switch To Classic View', Internet Options - a pop up box will appear - Delete Cookies, Click OK, Click Delete Files - check 'Delete All Offline Content' - Click OK, Now Set Your Clear History to no more than 7 Days - if you haven't used it for a week you probably won't miss it - Click OK)

6.  A very important step almost everyone misses:  Empty The Prefetch Folder (Start, My Computer, 'C' , Windows, Prefetch Folder, Edit, Select All, File, Delete - pop up box appears - Click Yes, Close Windows Window)

7.  Empty Recycle Bin. For the sake of brevity, I am assuming everyone knows where it is and how to empty it.

8.  Scan Hard Drive 'C' (Start, My Computer, Right Click 'C' - box opens - Click Properties at the bottom - another box opens - Click Tools,  Click Check Now, Make sure both 'Automatically fix file system errors' and 'Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors' are checked, Click Start.  Get a cup of java (oh, black, thank you) and Wait !

9.  Defrag Computer (Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter - window opens - Select 'C' Drive, Click Defragment). Pop a top and Wait !

The last two steps (8 and 9) can take awhile if they have not been done recently.  I complete this entire routine on my computer just before I stop work for the day everyday and the entire sequence takes no longer than 20 minutes and often much less.

Data Recovery Denver

Have you ever wondered if what you know about data recovery is accurate? Consider the following paragraphs and compare what you know to the latest info on data recovery.

Sooner or later your company could become the victim of a natural disaster, or something much more common like a lightning storm or downed power lines.

Just because your company may be a small business doesn't mean it's immune to data disasters. If a small business does not have a good and tested disaster recovery plan in place when disaster hits they may never fully recuperate and it may even cause them to go out of business. Sometimes even a data recovery service is unable to be of any help.

Following are some questions that should be answered in order to give you some idea of what you need to do to that will help you if you do have a data disaster situation.

Do you know where your company's most important data files are located?

Are these files being backed up and by what means?

How often do you run these data backups and are they verified and tested?

Do you have automated controls that correctly and on a consistent basis do the backups?

Do your data backup tapes go off-site and how often?

Do you have some kind of security against tampering or theft of your data backups?

Do you keep your servers, routers, hubs, and phone system controllers in locked areas to keep them more secure?

Does just anyone have access to your servers and your other technology assets or do you limit access to at least two, but no more than four people?

Do you run a locally securable operating system, such as Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, Microsoft Windows XP, or Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4,on the company's desktop PCs and notebooks?

Do you have any confidential data stored locally on any desktop PCs or notebooks? Are any of these systems running an inherently in-secure operating system, such as Microsoft Windows 9x or Microsoft Windows Me?

Do you prevent unauthorized boot-ups or tampering with BIOS configuration settings by using power-on passwords?

On your desktop PCs and notebooks, how are main updates, service packs and releases kept current?

The bottom line is that you can't plan when a data disaster may strike but taking a few steps beforehand may help with your company's survival in the days and weeks following a disaster.

Random Access Memory (RAM).

Computer memory is called Random Access Memory (RAM). The information stored in RAM can be accessed randomly, rather than sequentially. This means that data can be found in any location at the same rate of speed. Other storage media, such as CD-Rom and hard drives, must wait while the drive spins to the correct location before the data can be accessed.

Computer memory is simply a storage area for the program code and the data that program uses. Computer programs use RAM to write and retrieve information, allowing for fast data retrieval and manipulation.

How Much RAM is Enough?

Simply stated, the answer is, as much as possible. Keep in mind, though, once you've reached a certain upper limit, which is determined by the computer program(s) used, investment in more memory will see a diminished return.

Adding more memory is one of the best ways to maximize computer performance. If you compare 2 identical computer systems, the one with the most memory will over-all be the faster. More RAM allows the computer to place more program instructions into memory, relying less on the slower hard drive.

Think of 512 Megabytes (MB) as the base standard for a modern computer. With that you can multi-task (run several applications concurrently). For instance, you can check email and download MP3s, without noticeable sluggishness.

Some applications, however, are more memory-hungry than others. Graphics programs, for example, are notoriously greedy. Memory needs are further exagerated by the operating system used. Microsoft Windows is far more demanding than, say, Linux. Currently, most PCs use Windows, though.

Should you notice your computer slowing down, consider adding more memory. Before committing to that option, however, try de-fragmenting your hard drive with a utility (program) designed for that sole purpose. A fragmented hard drive is a common cause of stalled computer performance.

Types of RAM

Right now DDR SDRAM is the most popular memory module. DDR stands for Double Data Rate, which means that the memory can be accessed twice per clock-cycle. SDRAM, the acronym for Synchronous Data Random Access Memory, has been the standard for memory modules for nearly a decade.

To add memory to your computer, you must install modules with the correct contact layout. Before purchasing new memory, you must know which type your motherboard will accept. The most common form factors are 168 pin, 184 pin and 200 pin.

You'll also need to know whether there are slots available on your motherboard. If all the slots are already in use, you'll have to replace 1 or all of the current modules with higher capacity ones. If there is at least 1 free slot, you can simply buy a new memory module and insert it in the empty slot.

A word of caution: whereas some motherboards can accept either SDRAM or DDR SDRAM, the 2 types cannot be mixed. You must decide on 1 or the other. Check the motherboard manual first to determine which kind of memory your computer requires.

And finally, when you are ready to install your brand new memory module, make sure of 2 things: the power is off (for your safety) and you are electrically grounded (for your computer's safety).