Tag: Windows
Do You Really Need More Than 4GB of RAM?
posted by Rob Johnson on Nov.30, 2009, under Tech News, Tips
With the price of upgrading system RAM extremely low these days, people are always asking me whether it’s really worth it to upgrade beyond 4GB; today we’ll answer that question for everybody.
More RAM Means Better Multi-Tasking
First, let’s take a moment to clarify what exactly more RAM can (and can’t) do for you. The biggest benefit of upgrading your PC’s memory is better multi-tasking, especially for those of us using RAM-hogging applications like Photoshop, Outlook, or Firefox 5 minutes after we’ve opened it. Having a lot of memory means that you can quickly switch back and forth between the different applications without Windows writing the process memory out to the pagefile. (The pagefile performs much the same purpose as RAM, but the data is stored on your much slower hard drive.) (continue reading…)
Optimize your computer for peak performance
posted by Rob Johnson on Nov.25, 2009, under Tips
Our personal computers are like fine automobiles—they need preventive maintenance to run efficiently and avoid major breakdowns.
The following tips can help improve your computer’s performance. These examples use Microsoft Windows XP. Some of the screens may differ from version to version, but overall you’ll find these tips work for all versions of Windows, including Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition (Me), Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Vista.
By the way, in no way can you blow up your computer or files with any of these procedures. These tasks use utilities provided within the Windows operating systems to aid you in achieving the best system performance. This article does not address tinkering with the registry files.
Clean up disk errors
Run once a week
Whenever a program crashes, or you experience some power outage, your computer may create errors on your computer’s hard disk. Over time, the errors can slow your computer. Luckily, the Windows operating system includes a Disk Check program to check and clean any errors on your computer and keep it running smoothly.
To run Disk Check:
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In your Start menu, click My Computer.
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In the My Computer dialog box, right-click on the drive you wish to check for errors (for most of us this will be the C: drive, unless you have multiple drives on your computer), and click Properties.
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In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab. In the Error-Checking section, press the Check Now… button. A Check Disk dialog box displays, as shown below.
Access Check Disk to check for errors on your computer.
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In the Check Disk dialog box, check all the check boxes. Click Start.
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You will see a message box that says you can schedule the disk check to start the next time you restart your computer. Click Yes. The next time you restart your computer, it will automatically run through a disk check before displaying your login screen. After the disk check finishes, Windows will automatically bring you to your login screen.
Note: Check Disk can take more than an hour to check and clean errors on your computer. (continue reading…)
Linux Migration Guide: Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Linux Maintenance
posted by Travis Eichelberger on Aug.13, 2009, under Tech News
Tux
There’s no avoiding it, if you’re using a computer (or just about anything else) the operating system needs to be maintained. This article addresses Linux maintenance issues and techniques, along with things you would expect to deal with, coming from a Windows background.
Windows 7 Has Been Released to Manufacturing
posted by Rob Johnson on Jul.23, 2009, under Tech News
Well, were getting closer to the release of Windows 7, the next major release from Redmond. Announced today on the official Windows Blog was that the RTM version has shipped!
- Brandon LeBlanc
“I am pleased to announce that Windows 7 has RTM’d!
As I mentioned previously, RTM officially happens only after sign-off occurs. What happens is a build gets designated as a RTM contender after going through significant testing and meeting our quality bar for RTM. Then, it goes though all the validation checks required for RTM including having all languages of that build completed. If all the validation checks have passed – sign-off for RTM can occur. Today after all the validation checks were met, we signed off and declared build 7600 as RTM.”
read the rest @ The Windows Blog
GuiPulp.com – Great site for customization!
posted by Rob Johnson on Jul.12, 2009, under Tech News
Was driving my Ferrari on the information super highway this morning when I came across this site. What caught my attention was their gorgeous wordpress theme. Then I happen to browse their site. They have some really great artwork for your computer. Go see if they have something for you.
Firefox 3.5 Portable Available for Download
posted by Rob Johnson on Jul.02, 2009, under Tech News
Windows only: Firefox lovers have no doubt already updated to the recently released Firefox 3.5 for its amazing new features, but if you’re more the portable type, Firefox 3.5 Portable Edition is officially available for download.
This portable version comes to us from the reliable folks at PortableApps.com, makers of the popular, previously mentioned Portable Apps Suite, and brings all the goodies of Firefox 3.5 to your thumb drive. You may still need to perform a little about:config tweaking to get your extensions working with Firefox 3.5, but apart from that the portable version looks like it’s ready to go.
Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition [PortableApps.com]
via Lifehacker – Firefox 3.5 Portable Available for Download – Firefox 3.5 Portable.
CornDog Computers – Screencast 013
posted by Rob Johnson on Jan.22, 2009, under Youtube
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Learn how to kill a stuck program without forcing down your computer. I mean really, who wants to reboot.
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CornDog Computers – Screencast 005
posted by Rob Johnson on Nov.28, 2008, under Youtube
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Heres one to show you how to take advantage of your taskbar while working in multiple open windows on a smaller monitor. I also show you how to copy a table from a spreadsheet to a word document. Got a suggestion for a screencast? Let us know.
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CornDog Computers – Screencast 002
posted by Rob Johnson on Nov.25, 2008, under Youtube
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This screencast is directed at user education for detecting threats and keeping yourself out of harms way. Also I teach you how to install and configure AVG Free Anti-Virus software. It's a little longer than the last one, but I tried to fit a lot of info in. I am still working out the best screen resolution to work well with Youtube. Keep watching and I'll keep posting.
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CornDog Computers – Screencast 001
posted by Rob Johnson on Nov.25, 2008, under Youtube
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Just a quick screencast showing you how to create web shortcuts on your desktop for quick access to pages you may need to get to. Also a quick look at how to find keyboard shortcuts in most windows programs. This is a beginner screencast so if you're looking for something more in-depth, I'll have more soon!
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"The CornDog"
Rob Johnson
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