How To Test Your PC For Failing Hardware

How To Test Your PC For Failing Hardware

How To Test Your PC For Failing Hardware

Good PC ownership is a lot like good car ownership. You do more than just use it, you learn something about how it works. You don’t need to be a PC technician or a mechanic, but you should be able to identify certain signs of trouble so you can get your rig in for maintenance. Unfortunately, checking out your PC for failing hardware isn’t quite as hands-on and easy to do as checking your car for worn tires or dirty oil. Fortunately, you have access to the minds of 1shortnote.com and a wide web of free tools to test for failing hardware. Or, more appropriately, to check on the health of your hardware.

If you’ve ever opened up your computer, you know there is a lot of hardware in there, a lot of potential points of failure. That’s how pessimists and engineers talk. However, there are certain points which are more prime for failure than others. Those pieces of hardware that either generate heat or have moving parts tend to be the ones that fail most often.

Now that you’re thinking along those lines, you’re probably thinking of fans, hard disk drives, and CPU’s or GPU’s. You’d be correct that those are probably the most common points of failure in a system. RAM also tends to fail too, since it is constantly being written and re-written to, or flashed as they say in the electronics world. Solid-state memory can only handle so many flashes before it begins to fail, and this also applies to solid-state hard drives.

Windows 7 & 8

Windows 7 and 8 have some great utilities already built into them. In fact, there is so much in Windows that most of us don’t even know about, that we go and buy software that already does what Windows does. Even so-called power users can get caught in this trap. It’s almost like having a Swiss Army knife with so many blades, that we just go out and buy a normal pocket knife.

Resource & Performance Monitor

Both of these operating systems have a built-in diagnostic tool you might not have ever known about. To access the Resource and Performance Monitor, simply hold down your Windows key and press the letter R. A new window will open and you can type in the command perfmon /report, then click on OK.

A new window will open and will begin collecting data. This process takes a minute.

Then you’ll get a report with more information than you or I will probably ever know what to do with. The main report that you want to look at though is the Diagnostic Results - Warnings and the Resource Overview. The Diagnostic Results Warning only comes up if there are some warnings.

What’s nice about this is that there are links to more information about the situation and how to remedy it.

The Resource Overview is going to give you the red-yellow-green light overview of the major parts of your system. This gives you an instant overview of the health of these major components. Apparently my computer could use some more RAM, as I have a red light on my Memory. Or I could close a few applications I don’t need running right now.

There are several other reports available from the Performance Monitor, but most of those are advanced information. If you want to take the time to read up on them and understand them better, then good for you! You will become more intimate and proficient with your Windows system than you ever thought possible. 

Go for it!

Test Your RAM - Windows Memory Diagnostic

Another Windows feature is the ability to test your RAM, or memory, and see how that’s all working. What you’re looking for is the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool. You can find that on your Start Menu > Administrative Tools > Windows Memory Diagnostic.

Once you click on that, you’ll be given the option to either restart the computer and test the memory now, or to test the memory on the next system restart. Unless you’re in a rush right now to find out, go ahead and choose the restart option.

Now, when you restart your computer you are going to see a text-based screen telling you that the memory test is being performed. There are things about the test that you can change, but it will run a Standard Test by default. That will be good enough for our purposes. Once the test is done, if there are errors, Windows Memory Diagnostic will try to figure out what memory module is causing the problem and tell you. That’s a good time to replace that bit of RAM.

Error messages will also be recorded in the system log in that you can access via the Event Viewer – another cool piece of Windows software you might not have known about. We have found an article that delves into that a lot more by Saikat – it’s an oldie but a goodie and still applies - How To Solve Any Windows Problem with Event ID.

What Else Can I Do To Check My Hardware?

Seriously? That’s not enough for you? Oh alright, I guess we do have a reputation of providing you with information about awesome freeware to uphold. Here’s a trio to get you started.

PC Wizard – CPUID

Great software, just be a little bit careful on the installation or you’re going to end up with the Ask.com toolbar installed and have your homepage changed to Ask.com. Minor annoyances really, when you look at the value of the software package. It will tell you everything you’d ever want to know about your hardware, system configuration, resources, and help you set benchmarks for testing your hardware.

That way, you can have a historical view of how your hardware is performing and identify any decline over time.

Speccy – Piriform

I’m a Piriform fanboy. Since I first started using CCleaner and Defraggler back before 2009, I’ve liked the way they design their software and user interfaces. Unobtrusive, instinctive, and they just plain work. Speccy, like PC Wizard, will tell you all about your hardware and then some. The Summary page gives you a great overview of where things are at, at a glance.

Sandra Lite – SiSoftware

SiSoftware is another long time player in the bench marking software world. I recall getting a trial version of this on a CD that came with a PC magazine back when I was in college. Yes that was last century. I was excited!! I have no idea what system I ran it on or what it told me, but I knew that it was industry standard software. There wasn’t a whole lot of freeware or even trials back in those days.

Sandra is still an industry standard and you can get a Lite version of her for free. If you’re looking for more details on this version, it’s worth the time to read Matt’s article, Benchmark & Explore Your PC With SiSoft Sandra 2011 Lite. All of the benchmarks are still in the newest version, whether it be your GPU, CPU, RAM, or HDD, Sandra will tell you where you are at.

The Take Away

What you should get from this article is that with just a little work and planning, you really should be able to avoid hardware failure surprises. Much like checking your tire pressure weekly, and changing the oil every 5000 km, computer maintenance by you should be habit and require the simplest of tools. You’ve already got them at your disposal, so why not make them part of your routine? You might save yourself a few bucks and you’ll definitely save yourself a LOT of heartaches.

Did you find this article useful? Learn a little something that you didn’t know? How about any other good tools for monitoring your hardware health? We’re always open and sharing – after all, we all in this together. Hit us up in the comments.

Pls subscribe to our Social Media Pages to stay connected with us. Facebook @1SHORTNOTE. +Aguden Udensi, for Google Plus. You could also get most of our other stuffs like, Digital Advertising, News, Africa News, Tunisia President, Crisis Talks, Funny videos, Dance, Germany dialogue, Crisis in Tunisia, News, Kidnap in Nigeria, Zimbabwe Police, election monitor's office, Tips, conserve your Battery, How to conserve smartphone Battery, Themed Games, iOS, Android, Manage files, Cloud Storage, Android, buy cars in America, Auction cars in America, BBPIN Nigeria, Exchange BB Pins, Get BB Pins of Girls, Pinging, BB Hanging Problem, How to use Apploader, Blackberry Porsche Price in Nigeria, Backup your BB, Track stolen BB, Glo, codes for Glo BIS, Free Apps for BB, Free Apps for Black Berry, How to lock BBM, Pictures, BB Pictures, Blackberry Pictures, Pin Share App for BB, Screen Grabber for BB, BBM Chat, MTN BB service, Airtell, Airtel BIS, Watch DSTV with Blackberry, Nokia Phones, Applications, Social Applications, Mobile Applications, bbmanimated.com, Free BBM Animated Avatars, bloggers guide, Boost Traffic in Blogger, CSS3 in Blogger, Web Design, Audio Player in Blog, Audio player, website, chose Blogging, Guide to BuddyPress, Tips and Resources, Buddy Press, designs, Graphics, facebook tips, facebook updates, wallpapers, Valentine's gift, apps for ipod, Games, PlayStation 4, Kitchen Tools, Gadgets, Cloud Operating System, Free Cloud Operating Systems, PC Tips, Windows Programs, Internet Usage, Cloud Hosting, Backup WhatsApp, Iphone to computer, Repair your PC, Repair your laptop, Tutorials on how to repair your PC yourself, Podcast, seo tools, Publishing, Making money with Affiliate Programs, Free Skype Calls, Sports News, Technology News, Templates, codes, how to create Ajax-Based HTML5, create Gmail logo with CSS3, E-book Readers, E-book Managers, Firefox plugins, how to Protect your computer, CSS Editors, Essential Tools and Applications for Bloggers, Web designing tools, keyboard shortcuts you should know, Table of contents page for Blogger, How to, download tweets, from twitter, Youtube Tutorials, Beginners Guide, and many more...

Good PC ownership is a lot like good car ownership. You do more than just use it, you learn something about how it works. You don’t need to be a PC technician or a mechanic, but you should be able to identify certain signs of trouble so you can get your rig in for maintenance. Unfortunately, checking out your PC for failing hardware isn’t quite as hands-on and easy to do as checking your car for worn tires or dirty oil. Fortunately, you have access to the minds of 1shortnote.com and a wide web of free tools to test for failing hardware. Or, more appropriately, to check on the health of your hardware.

If you’ve ever opened up your computer, you know there is a lot of hardware in there, a lot of potential points of failure. That’s how pessimists and engineers talk. However, there are certain points which are more prime for failure than others. Those pieces of hardware that either generate heat or have moving parts tend to be the ones that fail most often.

Now that you’re thinking along those lines, you’re probably thinking of fans, hard disk drives, and CPU’s or GPU’s. You’d be correct that those are probably the most common points of failure in a system. RAM also tends to fail too, since it is constantly being written and re-written to, or flashed as they say in the electronics world. Solid-state memory can only handle so many flashes before it begins to fail, and this also applies to solid-state hard drives.

Windows 7 & 8

Windows 7 and 8 have some great utilities already built into them. In fact, there is so much in Windows that most of us don’t even know about, that we go and buy software that already does what Windows does. Even so-called power users can get caught in this trap. It’s almost like having a Swiss Army knife with so many blades, that we just go out and buy a normal pocket knife.

Resource & Performance Monitor

Both of these operating systems have a built-in diagnostic tool you might not have ever known about. To access the Resource and Performance Monitor, simply hold down your Windows key and press the letter R. A new window will open and you can type in the command perfmon /report, then click on OK.

A new window will open and will begin collecting data. This process takes a minute.

Then you’ll get a report with more information than you or I will probably ever know what to do with. The main report that you want to look at though is the Diagnostic Results - Warnings and the Resource Overview. The Diagnostic Results Warning only comes up if there are some warnings.

What’s nice about this is that there are links to more information about the situation and how to remedy it.

The Resource Overview is going to give you the red-yellow-green light overview of the major parts of your system. This gives you an instant overview of the health of these major components. Apparently my computer could use some more RAM, as I have a red light on my Memory. Or I could close a few applications I don’t need running right now.

There are several other reports available from the Performance Monitor, but most of those are advanced information. If you want to take the time to read up on them and understand them better, then good for you! You will become more intimate and proficient with your Windows system than you ever thought possible. 

Go for it!

Test Your RAM - Windows Memory Diagnostic

Another Windows feature is the ability to test your RAM, or memory, and see how that’s all working. What you’re looking for is the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool. You can find that on your Start Menu > Administrative Tools > Windows Memory Diagnostic.

Once you click on that, you’ll be given the option to either restart the computer and test the memory now, or to test the memory on the next system restart. Unless you’re in a rush right now to find out, go ahead and choose the restart option.

Now, when you restart your computer you are going to see a text-based screen telling you that the memory test is being performed. There are things about the test that you can change, but it will run a Standard Test by default. That will be good enough for our purposes. Once the test is done, if there are errors, Windows Memory Diagnostic will try to figure out what memory module is causing the problem and tell you. That’s a good time to replace that bit of RAM.

Error messages will also be recorded in the system log in that you can access via the Event Viewer – another cool piece of Windows software you might not have known about. We have found an article that delves into that a lot more by Saikat – it’s an oldie but a goodie and still applies - How To Solve Any Windows Problem with Event ID.

What Else Can I Do To Check My Hardware?

Seriously? That’s not enough for you? Oh alright, I guess we do have a reputation of providing you with information about awesome freeware to uphold. Here’s a trio to get you started.

PC Wizard – CPUID

Great software, just be a little bit careful on the installation or you’re going to end up with the Ask.com toolbar installed and have your homepage changed to Ask.com. Minor annoyances really, when you look at the value of the software package. It will tell you everything you’d ever want to know about your hardware, system configuration, resources, and help you set benchmarks for testing your hardware.

That way, you can have a historical view of how your hardware is performing and identify any decline over time.

Speccy – Piriform

I’m a Piriform fanboy. Since I first started using CCleaner and Defraggler back before 2009, I’ve liked the way they design their software and user interfaces. Unobtrusive, instinctive, and they just plain work. Speccy, like PC Wizard, will tell you all about your hardware and then some. The Summary page gives you a great overview of where things are at, at a glance.

Sandra Lite – SiSoftware

SiSoftware is another long time player in the bench marking software world. I recall getting a trial version of this on a CD that came with a PC magazine back when I was in college. Yes that was last century. I was excited!! I have no idea what system I ran it on or what it told me, but I knew that it was industry standard software. There wasn’t a whole lot of freeware or even trials back in those days.

Sandra is still an industry standard and you can get a Lite version of her for free. If you’re looking for more details on this version, it’s worth the time to read Matt’s article, Benchmark & Explore Your PC With SiSoft Sandra 2011 Lite. All of the benchmarks are still in the newest version, whether it be your GPU, CPU, RAM, or HDD, Sandra will tell you where you are at.

The Take Away

What you should get from this article is that with just a little work and planning, you really should be able to avoid hardware failure surprises. Much like checking your tire pressure weekly, and changing the oil every 5000 km, computer maintenance by you should be habit and require the simplest of tools. You’ve already got them at your disposal, so why not make them part of your routine? You might save yourself a few bucks and you’ll definitely save yourself a LOT of heartaches.

Did you find this article useful? Learn a little something that you didn’t know? How about any other good tools for monitoring your hardware health? We’re always open and sharing – after all, we all in this together. Hit us up in the comments.

Pls subscribe to our Social Media Pages to stay connected with us. Facebook @1SHORTNOTE. +Aguden Udensi, for Google Plus. You could also get most of our other stuffs like, Digital Advertising, News, Africa News, Tunisia President, Crisis Talks, Funny videos, Dance, Germany dialogue, Crisis in Tunisia, News, Kidnap in Nigeria, Zimbabwe Police, election monitor's office, Tips, conserve your Battery, How to conserve smartphone Battery, Themed Games, iOS, Android, Manage files, Cloud Storage, Android, buy cars in America, Auction cars in America, BBPIN Nigeria, Exchange BB Pins, Get BB Pins of Girls, Pinging, BB Hanging Problem, How to use Apploader, Blackberry Porsche Price in Nigeria, Backup your BB, Track stolen BB, Glo, codes for Glo BIS, Free Apps for BB, Free Apps for Black Berry, How to lock BBM, Pictures, BB Pictures, Blackberry Pictures, Pin Share App for BB, Screen Grabber for BB, BBM Chat, MTN BB service, Airtell, Airtel BIS, Watch DSTV with Blackberry, Nokia Phones, Applications, Social Applications, Mobile Applications, bbmanimated.com, Free BBM Animated Avatars, bloggers guide, Boost Traffic in Blogger, CSS3 in Blogger, Web Design, Audio Player in Blog, Audio player, website, chose Blogging, Guide to BuddyPress, Tips and Resources, Buddy Press, designs, Graphics, facebook tips, facebook updates, wallpapers, Valentine's gift, apps for ipod, Games, PlayStation 4, Kitchen Tools, Gadgets, Cloud Operating System, Free Cloud Operating Systems, PC Tips, Windows Programs, Internet Usage, Cloud Hosting, Backup WhatsApp, Iphone to computer, Repair your PC, Repair your laptop, Tutorials on how to repair your PC yourself, Podcast, seo tools, Publishing, Making money with Affiliate Programs, Free Skype Calls, Sports News, Technology News, Templates, codes, how to create Ajax-Based HTML5, create Gmail logo with CSS3, E-book Readers, E-book Managers, Firefox plugins, how to Protect your computer, CSS Editors, Essential Tools and Applications for Bloggers, Web designing tools, keyboard shortcuts you should know, Table of contents page for Blogger, How to, download tweets, from twitter, Youtube Tutorials, Beginners Guide, and many more...

How To Test Your PC For Failing Hardware

WARNING TIPS: 25 YEAR OLD SON DIES OF PC "OVERHEATING"

WARNING TIPS: 25 YEAR OLD SON DIES OF PC "OVERHEATING"

WARNING TIPS: 25 YEAR OLD SON DIES OF PC "OVERHEATING"

A couple lost their 25 year old son in a fire at home on June 4th. The son who had graduated with MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison two weeks earlier had come home for a while. He had lunch with his dad at home and decided to go back to clean up his hostel room. His father told him to wait, to meet his mother, before he went back for a few days. He decided to take a nap while waiting for his mom to come back home from work. Some time later their neighbors called 911 when they saw black smoke coming out of the house.

               

Unfortunately, the 25 years old died in the three year old house. It took several days of investigation to find out the cause of the fire. It was determined that the fire was caused by the laptop resting on the bed. When the laptop was on the bed cooling fan did not get the air to cool the computer and that is what caused the fire. He did not even wake up to get out of the bed because he died of breathing in carbon monoxide.

The reason I am writing this to all of you is that I have seen many of us using the laptop while in bed. Let us all decide and make it a practice not to do that. The risk is real. Let us make it a rule not to use the laptop on bed with blankets and pillows around. Please educate as many people as you can.

"Please pass to everyone you know, you might save one's life"

SHARE!

Were you Satisfied? Pls subscribe to our Social Media Pages to stay connected with us. Facebook @1SHORTNOTE. +Aguden Udensi, for Google Plus. You could also get most of our other stuffs like, Digital Advertising, News, Africa News, Tunisia President, Crisis Talks, Funny videos, Dance, Germany dialogue, Crisis in Tunisia, News, Kidnap in Nigeria, Zimbabwe Police, election monitor's office, Tips, conserve your Battery, How to conserve smartphone Battery, Themed Games, iOS, Android, Manage files, Cloud Storage, Android, buy cars in America, Auction cars in America, BBPIN Nigeria, Exchange BB Pins, Get BB Pins of Girls, Pinging, BB Hanging Problem, How to use Apploader, Blackberry Porsche Price in Nigeria, Backup your BB, Track stolen BB, Glo, codes for Glo BIS, Free Apps for BB, Free Apps for Black Berry, How to lock BBM, Pictures, BB Pictures, Blackberry Pictures, Pin Share App for BB, Screen Grabber for BB, BBM Chat, MTN BB service, Airtell, Airtel BIS, Watch DSTV with Blackberry, Nokia Phones, Applications, Social Applications, Mobile Applications, bbmanimated.com, Free BBM Animated Avatars, bloggers guide, Boost Traffic in Blogger, CSS3 in Blogger, Web Design, Audio Player in Blog, Audio player, website, chose Blogging, Guide to BuddyPress, Tips and Resources, Buddy Press, designs, Graphics, facebook tips, facebook updates, wallpapers, Valentine's gift, apps for ipod, Games, PlayStation 4, Kitchen Tools, Gadgets, Cloud Operating System, Free Cloud Operating Systems, PC Tips, Windows Programs, Internet Usage, Cloud Hosting, Backup WhatsApp, Iphone to computer, Repair your PC, Repair your laptop, Tutorials on how to repair your PC yourself, Podcast, seo tools, Publishing, Making money with Affiliate Programs, Free Skype Calls, Sports News, Technology News, Templates, codes, how to create Ajax-Based HTML5, create Gmail logo with CSS3, E-book Readers, E-book Managers, Firefox plugins, how to Protect your computer, CSS Editors, Essential Tools and Applications for Bloggers, Web designing tools, keyboard shortcuts you should know, Table of contents page for Blogger, How to, download tweets, from twitter, Youtube Tutorials, Beginners Guide, and many more...

A couple lost their 25 year old son in a fire at home on June 4th. The son who had graduated with MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison two weeks earlier had come home for a while. He had lunch with his dad at home and decided to go back to clean up his hostel room. His father told him to wait, to meet his mother, before he went back for a few days. He decided to take a nap while waiting for his mom to come back home from work. Some time later their neighbors called 911 when they saw black smoke coming out of the house.

               

Unfortunately, the 25 years old died in the three year old house. It took several days of investigation to find out the cause of the fire. It was determined that the fire was caused by the laptop resting on the bed. When the laptop was on the bed cooling fan did not get the air to cool the computer and that is what caused the fire. He did not even wake up to get out of the bed because he died of breathing in carbon monoxide.

The reason I am writing this to all of you is that I have seen many of us using the laptop while in bed. Let us all decide and make it a practice not to do that. The risk is real. Let us make it a rule not to use the laptop on bed with blankets and pillows around. Please educate as many people as you can.

"Please pass to everyone you know, you might save one's life"

SHARE!

Were you Satisfied? Pls subscribe to our Social Media Pages to stay connected with us. Facebook @1SHORTNOTE. +Aguden Udensi, for Google Plus. You could also get most of our other stuffs like, Digital Advertising, News, Africa News, Tunisia President, Crisis Talks, Funny videos, Dance, Germany dialogue, Crisis in Tunisia, News, Kidnap in Nigeria, Zimbabwe Police, election monitor's office, Tips, conserve your Battery, How to conserve smartphone Battery, Themed Games, iOS, Android, Manage files, Cloud Storage, Android, buy cars in America, Auction cars in America, BBPIN Nigeria, Exchange BB Pins, Get BB Pins of Girls, Pinging, BB Hanging Problem, How to use Apploader, Blackberry Porsche Price in Nigeria, Backup your BB, Track stolen BB, Glo, codes for Glo BIS, Free Apps for BB, Free Apps for Black Berry, How to lock BBM, Pictures, BB Pictures, Blackberry Pictures, Pin Share App for BB, Screen Grabber for BB, BBM Chat, MTN BB service, Airtell, Airtel BIS, Watch DSTV with Blackberry, Nokia Phones, Applications, Social Applications, Mobile Applications, bbmanimated.com, Free BBM Animated Avatars, bloggers guide, Boost Traffic in Blogger, CSS3 in Blogger, Web Design, Audio Player in Blog, Audio player, website, chose Blogging, Guide to BuddyPress, Tips and Resources, Buddy Press, designs, Graphics, facebook tips, facebook updates, wallpapers, Valentine's gift, apps for ipod, Games, PlayStation 4, Kitchen Tools, Gadgets, Cloud Operating System, Free Cloud Operating Systems, PC Tips, Windows Programs, Internet Usage, Cloud Hosting, Backup WhatsApp, Iphone to computer, Repair your PC, Repair your laptop, Tutorials on how to repair your PC yourself, Podcast, seo tools, Publishing, Making money with Affiliate Programs, Free Skype Calls, Sports News, Technology News, Templates, codes, how to create Ajax-Based HTML5, create Gmail logo with CSS3, E-book Readers, E-book Managers, Firefox plugins, how to Protect your computer, CSS Editors, Essential Tools and Applications for Bloggers, Web designing tools, keyboard shortcuts you should know, Table of contents page for Blogger, How to, download tweets, from twitter, Youtube Tutorials, Beginners Guide, and many more...

WARNING TIPS: 25 YEAR OLD SON DIES OF PC "OVERHEATING"

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4Ja1hbHl1mzoteoUL1R0MhhmETTBlWQLdqkT7HCxIHKUKbUE9KLYbSpjPlw5hGnQFzJyT6LLy1K065XTxUZPPOX2vxuq6Qe-zPwoX2SWE5k1ApbmvXm7ADUF-cqfsyt1GNnR8TaITcYn/s72-c/545934_10151433279758409_24276591_n.jpg

5 Free Windows Programs To Monitor Your Internet Usage

5 Free Windows Programs To Monitor Your Internet Usage

5 Free Windows Programs To Monitor Your Internet Usage

Home internet nowadays comes with a quota of how much bandwidth you can use in a month. It’s unavoidable and if you happen to exceed that quota, your internet provider might  charge you a premium , or slow your speeds down to dial-up levels. If you don’t want this to happen to you, then you should monitor your internet usage.

Here are 5 free programs for your Windows PC to help monitor your Internet usage  . This is great for readers who are on a student budget, studying abroad on a limited mobile broadband plan. Those broadband plans normally have a quota that includes both upload and download bandwidths and we’ve tested these 5 programs to see how they fare. 

1. NetWorx

Once you install NetWorx, it will track all your Internet usage with an icon on the taskbar. You can click and launch the program to view usage graphs of each day. What’s good about NetWorx is the ability to set a daily, weekly or monthly quota to track uploads or downloads or both. You can also set the on/off peak usage that some internet providers have and it’ll warn you if you’re about to reach the limit.

2. BitMeter 2

This program comes with a desktop widget meter graph of your download and upload speeds. Similar to NetWorx, you can add a quota limit — in the case of BitMeter 2, it is named ISP Restrictions . Once set, it’ll tell you how many days and bandwidth you can use before reaching your limit. You can also view your usage stats that can be sorted by hours, days, and months.

3. NetSpeedMonitor

This program permanently sits on your taskbar showing upload and download speeds. To enable this, right click on your taskbar and under Toolbars click on NetSpeedMonitor. Apart from showing connection speeds, it can track your daily usage. You can see track your daily or monthly usage, and also see what programs are connected to the internet. Unlike the other programs though, there is no quota reminder.

4. Cucusoft Net Guard

This program has a very clean user interface that is easy to understand. Upon installing it, you’ll have to provide an email address to register for a free product code. After that, you can begin tracking your internet usage and even see what programs are connected to the internet. It also allows you to set your monthly quota with reminders sent to you as you near the limit.

5. ISP Monitor

ISP Monitor is a lightweight program to easily track your daily or monthly internet usages. You’ll have to set it up first by changing the adapter settings under Settings > Traffic Monitor > Adapter to choose between a wired or Wi-Fi connection. Unlike the previous programs, you cannot set a quota reminder. It has easy-to-read logs where you can instantly see your daily upload and download usage.

Home internet nowadays comes with a quota of how much bandwidth you can use in a month. It’s unavoidable and if you happen to exceed that quota, your internet provider might  charge you a premium , or slow your speeds down to dial-up levels. If you don’t want this to happen to you, then you should monitor your internet usage.

Here are 5 free programs for your Windows PC to help monitor your Internet usage  . This is great for readers who are on a student budget, studying abroad on a limited mobile broadband plan. Those broadband plans normally have a quota that includes both upload and download bandwidths and we’ve tested these 5 programs to see how they fare. 

1. NetWorx

Once you install NetWorx, it will track all your Internet usage with an icon on the taskbar. You can click and launch the program to view usage graphs of each day. What’s good about NetWorx is the ability to set a daily, weekly or monthly quota to track uploads or downloads or both. You can also set the on/off peak usage that some internet providers have and it’ll warn you if you’re about to reach the limit.

2. BitMeter 2

This program comes with a desktop widget meter graph of your download and upload speeds. Similar to NetWorx, you can add a quota limit — in the case of BitMeter 2, it is named ISP Restrictions . Once set, it’ll tell you how many days and bandwidth you can use before reaching your limit. You can also view your usage stats that can be sorted by hours, days, and months.

3. NetSpeedMonitor

This program permanently sits on your taskbar showing upload and download speeds. To enable this, right click on your taskbar and under Toolbars click on NetSpeedMonitor. Apart from showing connection speeds, it can track your daily usage. You can see track your daily or monthly usage, and also see what programs are connected to the internet. Unlike the other programs though, there is no quota reminder.

4. Cucusoft Net Guard

This program has a very clean user interface that is easy to understand. Upon installing it, you’ll have to provide an email address to register for a free product code. After that, you can begin tracking your internet usage and even see what programs are connected to the internet. It also allows you to set your monthly quota with reminders sent to you as you near the limit.

5. ISP Monitor

ISP Monitor is a lightweight program to easily track your daily or monthly internet usages. You’ll have to set it up first by changing the adapter settings under Settings > Traffic Monitor > Adapter to choose between a wired or Wi-Fi connection. Unlike the previous programs, you cannot set a quota reminder. It has easy-to-read logs where you can instantly see your daily upload and download usage.

5 Free Windows Programs To Monitor Your Internet Usage

How to repair your laptop

How to repair your laptop

How to repair your laptop

Tutorial on Our laptop repair guide shows you the parts you can repair, replace and upgrade

Page 1 of 3How to repair your laptop

• 1.How to repair your laptop
• 2.How to repair your gaming laptop
• 3. How to fix a larger laptop

If you're looking for specific components for a repair, try eBay

Related stories

• How to replace a broken laptop screen
• How to build the best PC for your needs
• Toshiba sounds netbook death knell in US but UK gets reprieve

Wondering how to repair a broken laptop? We're going to crack open three common laptops; a netbook, an older gaming laptop and a modern Intel model.
In the process we're going to take a look at just how we got inside, how easy it is to remove cases and components and once inside just what you can do in there.
From replacing dodgy audio and data connections, to upgrading or replacing damaged parts. By the time you've read this guide no longer should you be afraid to open up your laptop.
Like any epic quest you'll need the help of some trusty companions. The most important is a good precision screwdriver set. We picked up a cheap 11-piece set from a large yellow DIY store for £8. To shift firm screws a set of pliers is useful for giving a little more purchase to your screwdriver.
For soldering duties a soldering kit including a stand and helper will also be required, these cost around £15 from eBay. A well-lit, clear work space is also advantageous.
Somewhere you can store all the parts you remove and containers for the many, many tiny, easily lost screws laptops seem to produce. With all of that to hand let's start our teardown.

How to repair your netbook

Starting small seems like a good idea to us and our first Dexter-style victim is a trusty netbook. This is an ideal place to start as the construction and internal components are at a minimum, reducing the internal clutter and confusion, plus it provides a perfect way of getting to know the basic insides of a laptop before we move on to more complex models.
The first thing to do is disconnect this thing from the mains and remove the battery. This makes sure the damn netbook isn't going to try and spring back into life as we're poking around inside it. The other reason is that many models hide securing screws within the battery bay, so we need to poke around in there anyway.
Before attempting any teardown it's worth stepping back and assessing how the land lies. For us this means checking to see what screws are clearly visible in the base, flexing obvious areas to see if they look like they will un-clip and trying to spot screws hidden behind rubber feet or stickers.
The first job is to remove all the visible screws.

Gentle stripping

We suggest having some sort of system for storing the screws. We tend to try and place them on the bench in a mirror of where they were unscrewed from. You could take a piece of A4 and draw an outline of the laptop and place the screws in the corresponding position on the paper.
We do that as there's such a varied mix of sizes it saves trying to remember and guess where they should go. Alternatively you could sling them all into various tupperware pots, we just hope you have the kind of mind that can remember where they all go!
If there are any access panels these will also need to be removed , but this is more of an issue with laptop models. Often on netbooks this simply isn't the case, they're not designed to be upgraded in this way, which is another good reason for performing a teardown. So you know just how to replace the hidden internals.
With all the visible screws out of the way it's time to start teasing off the bottom of the netbook's chassis. There are dedicated pry tools for this usually made from plastic, though small flat-head precision screwdrivers work as well. Be as gentle as possible at this stage, the main thing is to check for any hidden screws that can often be hiding in the case.
Once the main back has been removed as, you'll see for the other models, netbooks effectively come in two main pieces: the base and the display. Usually you won't want to detach the two unless you're performing a screen replacement but they will always come apart in two stages: the first being the electrical connections and the second being the physical hinge.
Delving further than this into a netbook is a case of continuing to remove visible screen and cable connections, the next main piece being the motherboard and with that out of the way you're done.

Dismantling an old friend

Armed with just a screwdriver and our cunning
01. Start with the screws

We'll start with removing all the screws. Switching to your finger tools see how amenable the bottom of the case is to being removed, in this case the bottom pretty much fell off.

Normally you'll need a small flat-head driver to carefully un-clip the loosest area of the case and take it from there. Keep an eye out for screws hidden behind stickers or rubber feet.
02. Look at what you've done

Often this is as far as you'll need to venture as you have access to all the main components including the hard drive, memory expansion, wireless mini-PCI-e module, cooling module and backup battery. For keyboard and touchpad repairs, screen replacements and motherboard repairs you have to venture further. First, taking a photo for reference.
03. Getting sticky

There will be a lot of tape holding various wires and components tidily in place. You'll need to remove all of these, which is why a reference photo will be handy when putting everything back.

Some removable components, such as the hard drive or wireless module will be screwed into place. It's likely these will need to be removed if you want to remove the mobo.
04. The screening process

The last major component to go is the screen. On most models this is firmly held in place by a screw beside each hinge.

On top of this you'll find a number of cables going into the screen that carry the power, the video data, any wireless antenna that are embedded in it, plus data cables for webcams or mics. Undo and unplug these and the screen should come away.
05. Get your mother out

The keyboard, touchpad, speakers, chassis, LEDs and other sensors, such as Bluetooth adaptors will trail cables to the top and bottom sides of the mobo.
The ribbon connectors usually flip up; older types have a pull up section. You'll often find the keyboard ribbon awkwardly connects to the underside, you may have to yank the mobo away from this.
06. Keyboard popping

Keyboards are usually stronger than they look as they are designed to be highly flexible. The main issue is trying to work out if they're designed to be removed from the outside or from inside. Often if you look along the top row of keys you can spy tabbed areas to insert a flat-head screwdriver and pop them out. With this model it had to be popped from the rear.

Tutorial on Our laptop repair guide shows you the parts you can repair, replace and upgrade

Page 1 of 3How to repair your laptop

• 1.How to repair your laptop
• 2.How to repair your gaming laptop
• 3. How to fix a larger laptop

If you're looking for specific components for a repair, try eBay

Related stories

• How to replace a broken laptop screen
• How to build the best PC for your needs
• Toshiba sounds netbook death knell in US but UK gets reprieve

Wondering how to repair a broken laptop? We're going to crack open three common laptops; a netbook, an older gaming laptop and a modern Intel model.
In the process we're going to take a look at just how we got inside, how easy it is to remove cases and components and once inside just what you can do in there.
From replacing dodgy audio and data connections, to upgrading or replacing damaged parts. By the time you've read this guide no longer should you be afraid to open up your laptop.
Like any epic quest you'll need the help of some trusty companions. The most important is a good precision screwdriver set. We picked up a cheap 11-piece set from a large yellow DIY store for £8. To shift firm screws a set of pliers is useful for giving a little more purchase to your screwdriver.
For soldering duties a soldering kit including a stand and helper will also be required, these cost around £15 from eBay. A well-lit, clear work space is also advantageous.
Somewhere you can store all the parts you remove and containers for the many, many tiny, easily lost screws laptops seem to produce. With all of that to hand let's start our teardown.

How to repair your netbook

Starting small seems like a good idea to us and our first Dexter-style victim is a trusty netbook. This is an ideal place to start as the construction and internal components are at a minimum, reducing the internal clutter and confusion, plus it provides a perfect way of getting to know the basic insides of a laptop before we move on to more complex models.
The first thing to do is disconnect this thing from the mains and remove the battery. This makes sure the damn netbook isn't going to try and spring back into life as we're poking around inside it. The other reason is that many models hide securing screws within the battery bay, so we need to poke around in there anyway.
Before attempting any teardown it's worth stepping back and assessing how the land lies. For us this means checking to see what screws are clearly visible in the base, flexing obvious areas to see if they look like they will un-clip and trying to spot screws hidden behind rubber feet or stickers.
The first job is to remove all the visible screws.

Gentle stripping

We suggest having some sort of system for storing the screws. We tend to try and place them on the bench in a mirror of where they were unscrewed from. You could take a piece of A4 and draw an outline of the laptop and place the screws in the corresponding position on the paper.
We do that as there's such a varied mix of sizes it saves trying to remember and guess where they should go. Alternatively you could sling them all into various tupperware pots, we just hope you have the kind of mind that can remember where they all go!
If there are any access panels these will also need to be removed , but this is more of an issue with laptop models. Often on netbooks this simply isn't the case, they're not designed to be upgraded in this way, which is another good reason for performing a teardown. So you know just how to replace the hidden internals.
With all the visible screws out of the way it's time to start teasing off the bottom of the netbook's chassis. There are dedicated pry tools for this usually made from plastic, though small flat-head precision screwdrivers work as well. Be as gentle as possible at this stage, the main thing is to check for any hidden screws that can often be hiding in the case.
Once the main back has been removed as, you'll see for the other models, netbooks effectively come in two main pieces: the base and the display. Usually you won't want to detach the two unless you're performing a screen replacement but they will always come apart in two stages: the first being the electrical connections and the second being the physical hinge.
Delving further than this into a netbook is a case of continuing to remove visible screen and cable connections, the next main piece being the motherboard and with that out of the way you're done.

Dismantling an old friend

Armed with just a screwdriver and our cunning
01. Start with the screws

We'll start with removing all the screws. Switching to your finger tools see how amenable the bottom of the case is to being removed, in this case the bottom pretty much fell off.

Normally you'll need a small flat-head driver to carefully un-clip the loosest area of the case and take it from there. Keep an eye out for screws hidden behind stickers or rubber feet.
02. Look at what you've done

Often this is as far as you'll need to venture as you have access to all the main components including the hard drive, memory expansion, wireless mini-PCI-e module, cooling module and backup battery. For keyboard and touchpad repairs, screen replacements and motherboard repairs you have to venture further. First, taking a photo for reference.
03. Getting sticky

There will be a lot of tape holding various wires and components tidily in place. You'll need to remove all of these, which is why a reference photo will be handy when putting everything back.

Some removable components, such as the hard drive or wireless module will be screwed into place. It's likely these will need to be removed if you want to remove the mobo.
04. The screening process

The last major component to go is the screen. On most models this is firmly held in place by a screw beside each hinge.

On top of this you'll find a number of cables going into the screen that carry the power, the video data, any wireless antenna that are embedded in it, plus data cables for webcams or mics. Undo and unplug these and the screen should come away.
05. Get your mother out

The keyboard, touchpad, speakers, chassis, LEDs and other sensors, such as Bluetooth adaptors will trail cables to the top and bottom sides of the mobo.
The ribbon connectors usually flip up; older types have a pull up section. You'll often find the keyboard ribbon awkwardly connects to the underside, you may have to yank the mobo away from this.
06. Keyboard popping

Keyboards are usually stronger than they look as they are designed to be highly flexible. The main issue is trying to work out if they're designed to be removed from the outside or from inside. Often if you look along the top row of keys you can spy tabbed areas to insert a flat-head screwdriver and pop them out. With this model it had to be popped from the rear.

How to repair your laptop

Tutorial on how to repair and speed-up your PC yourself

Tutorial on how to repair and speed-up your PC yourself

Tutorial on how to repair and speed-up your PC yourself

Learn to repair your PC yourself 

On this page you'll find how-to guides to help you repair, manage and maintain your own computer. They're posts from my blog. I put them here to make them more accessible and easier to read in order. Check back often for new tutorials. Or read the newest on my blog.

If you want to prevent losing your precious photos, music, and documents. And if you want to save a lot of money and trouble over the years to come--your computer repair costs due to spyware problems--then follow the instructions from the below link. It's a very inexpensive (free!) preventative measure, considering how much reformatting and tech support services cost.

Use Google as a Computer Repair Tool

If you have a problem with your computer that you need help with, you can always get expert advice by searching with Google for the answer. For instance, if your computer is infected with the System Tools virus, you can search on Google for "Remove System Tools Virus" and you'll get some advice that may let you repair your computer yourself. Or else you can call or contact us at Ducktoes and we'll fix it for you.

Protect Your Computer from Spyware and Viruses

Most computers have spyware or malware of some sort. If you go out on the web without both anti-virus and anti-spyware protection or if your protection is expired or compromised, you probably have spyware on your computer, you may even have hundreds of different kinds. Or thousands. Just this week, I cleaned 1095 different spyware off one computer. It was infernally slow. Ai, yai, yai, our eyes glazed over while waiting for it to boot.

Sometimes spyware doesn't effect the performance of your computer perceptibly, at least not at first, but often it slows it way, way down. And it always makes your data and personal information insecure.

Many people think their virus software is enough, that it protects against spyware and trojan horses too. This is a dangerous misconception because anti-virus software, for the most part, is only good for removing viruses. It misses most spyware and trojan horses. So it's imperative that you have both anti-virus and some dedicated anti-spyware protection.

This is what you should do to protect yourself:

1. First download Malwarebytes from Malwarebytes.org. Update and run it. Here's a how-to. Then for even more protection, download Spy bot (Spy bot Search and Destroy 1.5), Ad-aware (Ad-Aware 2007 7.0.2.5). Run them on your machine every week. They are all free.
   If you are confused about 'download, install, and run them, there are tutorials available to help you. Here's Spy bot's tutorial. Here's Ad-aware's manual. I used to think that these free anti-spyware were enough. It will also prevent new spyware from being downloaded into your computer.
2. After you've cleaned up the spyware, then install a virus software. AVG Personal is a free version. It's excellent. They also have an anti-spyware utility. You can upgrade both by buying the software.
3. Make sure your Window's Updates is set for Automatic.
4. Turn on your Windows Firewall. Click the Start button, then Control Panel. Inside the Control Panel, find Security Center. At the bottom of the Security Center page, click Windows Firewall. A Windows Firewall page will open. Click the little circle in front of On (recommended.) At the bottom on the page, Click "Okay."

If you want more protection from hackers than the Windows Firewall provides, I recommend Zone Alarm's firewall, which also has a free version, although it can block Internet access if you don't manage the exceptions well, and may be frustrating, depending on your computer expertise.

Spead Up Your Computer

Part One: Clean-up the Hard Drive.

The first thing you do to speed up your computer is to get rid of spyware and viruses. What if you've already done the above and your computer doesn't have spyware or viruses, but it is still way too slow? Or what if you've just removed the viruses but your computer still has only sped up a little. Then this section's for you.

The first thing I do to speed up a computer, is clean up the hard drive. If your hard drive has no room to run swap files, this can significantly slow down your operating system. Running Disk Cleanup on a regular maintenance basis can really enhance system performance (that includes speed!).

To start, click the Start button, then All Programs, then Accessories. Among the categories listed on the Accessories, is System Tools. And within System Tools, you'll find the one you want, Disk Cleanup.

You will be presented with a drop-down menu. Select the disk you want to clean. If you have two hard drives or your hard drive is partitioned into two or more virtual drives, you'll want to clean up all of them.

After you select the drive, click the OK button. Disk Cleanup will analyze the drive and see how much room can be freed. Now be prepared to twiddle your thumbs, since this can be a loooooong process depending how much stuff you have on your hard drive. And you know the old adage about watched pots never boil, a watched computer process never “boils” either, so go grab a cuppa or have quality time with your significant other (the one you've been neglecting while going online with your so slow computer.)

After the drive is analyzed, you will be presented with a list of items to be selected for cleanup. Select them. Get them outta there.

Now you're finished with Part One.

See here for other computer tutorials on tutorial website.

Part Two: Defragment the Hard Drive

After you run Disk Cleanup (see Part One), you'll want to defragment the hard drive. Hard drives have arms that retrieve data much like those on old phonograph players. (Some of us actually remember those!) Except instead of staying in one place as a phonograph arm and needle does as the record goes around underneath it, hard drive arms move back and forth across their round platters. When data is too scattered, the hard drive arm has to move excessively to retrieve it, therefore wearing out the hard drive prematurely. (I learned this from my friend Ken Wicker who was a computer teacher at Swainston Middle School in North Las Vegas when I was an ECS there. Ken is amazing a hardware expert!) So fragmention also slows down the computer.

Defragging puts files together saving time and wear and tear on your hard drive. Contiguous files are much easier and faster to retrieve and process.

To defrag in XP, from the Start button, go to All Programs, then to Accessories. Under Accessories you'll find System Tools. Inside System Tools, you'll want Disk Defragmenter.

The Disk Defragmenter window will open. You'll be presented with a list of volumes. Select one to start with, that is, if there is more than one listed. (C:) is usually the main drive, but there also may be (D:) and (E:). Then click the button “Defragment.” Defragging a drive can take a long time, so outside and go for a walk or play with your kids or dog.

I've learned from my friend Zenon, of Computer Junkyard, to defragment over and over again, until–in XP–all the blue is together and the red has vanished. The red are the fragmented files. One of the unfortunate things about Vista is that you can't see the defragmentation process happening. Here's what Mauricio Freitas has to say about this. I know, I know, only a geek would like to watch the defragmentation process. But I find it satisfying somehow, where all the blue lines come together into a blue band, like a solution being forged from disparate ideas, or the papers in a “to be sorted box” collected into the proper folders in your filing cabinet.

Speaking of Vista, defragmentation is set to run automatically, every Wednesday, at 1 a.m., unless your computer is powered off. You can modify the settings by going to the Start button, All Programs, Accessories, and System Tools.

Part Three: Turn on Automatic Updates

Windows works best and is most secure when Automatic Updates are turned on, so the most recent updates from Microsoft are installed regularly.

To turn on the updates, open your Internet Explorer and then go to Tools on the menu bar at the top, next to Favorites. On the Tools drop-down menu you'll find Windows Update. (If, as is sometimes the case with Internet Explorer 7 , the menu bar is not visible, go to the Tools (with the small picture of a grey gear by it) on the far right of the browser, just about the open browser window. Click on Tools. On the drop-down menu, click the words “Menu Bar” so a check mark appears next to the words. Now your menu bar should be visible back at the top left.)

When you click the Tools on the menu bar, a drop-down menu appears. Click on the words "Windows Update". The Microsoft Windows Update webpage will open. If your Windows Updates are turned off, you'll see a red shield and the warning "Help protect you PC." Underneath you'll find a button that says "Turn on Automatic Updates." Click it. A new smaller window will open. Select the time when you want your computer to download the updates. Mine is set for "Everyday" at 12 p.m. Click "Okay".

If you'd like to install the Updates right away, go back to the Windows Update website and click, "Express Updates." Follow the instructions that Microsoft gives you.

If you have any questions please e-mail me.

Part Four: Uninstall your P2Ps.

I know that among some people, this suggestion will be a very unpopular, but if your computer is too slow you really ought to remove your free file sharing music and video P2Ps, such as Bearshare, Grokster, etc. If just reading this advice makes you howl and scream on the floor, you might, after you pull yourself together, reconsider. All that free music is filling up your hard drive and making your computer more cluttered than it needs to be, plus it allows other people access to your computer.

This traffic uses up resources and slows your computer down. It also degrade your network performance, making going on-line a lengthy process. You can always buy music from iTunes for 99 cents each, which is much cheaper than all the computer maintenance, troubleshooting, and computer hardware will cost you in time and money. Also using legitimate music sources will force you to be more selective and download only songs you really like. How many songs can one person listen to in a lifetime anyway? Paying for downloads gives royalties to your favorite musicians, which might inspire them to record more albums.

Some diehard P2P lovers tell me that the artists only get a small percentage of the money--the corporate record labels get most of it. True. Yet who is going produce albums and promote groups if it is not profitable enough for corporations? Also almost all peer-to-peers have adware and spyware attached to the software downloads. If you think corporations are bad, cyber-criminals are worse. They steal from ordinary people without doing anything positive in return.

To uninstall your P2Ps or any programs, go to Start, then Control Panel, then Add or Remove Programs. Wait for the list to form. Select the name of the P2P you want to uninstall and click remove. After you delete your file sharing program, you'll need to run your anti-spyware to get rid of the spyware and adware. Spyware and adware do not show up in the Add and Remove Programs tool of the Control Panel, since the creators and promoters of such applications, don't want you to be able to remove them.

So get rid of the illegal file sharing P2Ps and use iTunes or Napster or other legal music downloader instead.

There's also a part five I haven't moved over to this page yet. It may be the most helpful tip yet.

Part Five: Clean-up the Registry.

Why should you clean the registry? The registry is a listing of all the settings and options in Windows. They are listed in the form of “keys”. When the registry gets cluttered with unfunctional and useless keys the computer still has to refer to and process them and this slows booting, running applications and going on-line. To fix this and speed things up, you can delete or edit the keys manually, which is tedious and risky, since changing the registry is a good way of messing up the computer completely, if you don't know what you're doing.

There is a free registry cleaner called EasyCleaner by Tony Arts. It works well. If you use it, please leave the creator/owner a donation. You should use EasyCleaner as part of your regular computer maintenance routine.

The best registry tool is jv16 PowerTools by Macecraft. The trial of 30 days is not limited but gives you access to the full version. In some computers, it is the tool that makes the most significant difference in speed. Use both the Registry Cleaner and the Registry Compacter components.

Part Six: Run Checkdisk.

Another way to speed up your computer is to run checkdisk. The process is easy and fun to do (what I think is fun may seem strange to you). But at least this tunes up your computer and should be part of your regular computer maintenance.

Go to the Start button, then to Run. In the text box that appears, type "cmd" (but without the quotation marks. This will bring up the dos prompt. Type this in: chkdsk c: /f /r /x You have to type this in exactly. Hit enter. It will ask if you want to run this next time you start your computer. Type Y for yes. Restart your computer. Now go do something non-computer related. The process can take 30 minutes to a couple of hours.

Part Seven: Turn off Indexing

The Indexing Service runs constantly, memorizing and making a list of where your files are, so when you search for something, you can find it quickly. The service makes searches faster, but it slows down the rest of your computer. If you have a really fast computer you won't mind or notice this, however if you have a SLOW computer, you'll probably want a faster computer over a faster search.

To turn off Indexing do this:

Go to the Start button then find "My Computer." Double click "My Computer."

Find your hard drive(s), usually C, or C and D if you have more than one. Right click on the hard drive. Select "Properties."

Near the bottom find "Allow indexing service to index this disk for for faster searches." Uncheck the box. Click Ok. When a new window opens select "Apply to all folders and subfolders."

Contact Information

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Friday - Saturday, 
10:00am - 5:00pm

Learn to repair your PC yourself 

On this page you'll find how-to guides to help you repair, manage and maintain your own computer. They're posts from my blog. I put them here to make them more accessible and easier to read in order. Check back often for new tutorials. Or read the newest on my blog.

If you want to prevent losing your precious photos, music, and documents. And if you want to save a lot of money and trouble over the years to come--your computer repair costs due to spyware problems--then follow the instructions from the below link. It's a very inexpensive (free!) preventative measure, considering how much reformatting and tech support services cost.

Use Google as a Computer Repair Tool

If you have a problem with your computer that you need help with, you can always get expert advice by searching with Google for the answer. For instance, if your computer is infected with the System Tools virus, you can search on Google for "Remove System Tools Virus" and you'll get some advice that may let you repair your computer yourself. Or else you can call or contact us at Ducktoes and we'll fix it for you.

Protect Your Computer from Spyware and Viruses

Most computers have spyware or malware of some sort. If you go out on the web without both anti-virus and anti-spyware protection or if your protection is expired or compromised, you probably have spyware on your computer, you may even have hundreds of different kinds. Or thousands. Just this week, I cleaned 1095 different spyware off one computer. It was infernally slow. Ai, yai, yai, our eyes glazed over while waiting for it to boot.

Sometimes spyware doesn't effect the performance of your computer perceptibly, at least not at first, but often it slows it way, way down. And it always makes your data and personal information insecure.

Many people think their virus software is enough, that it protects against spyware and trojan horses too. This is a dangerous misconception because anti-virus software, for the most part, is only good for removing viruses. It misses most spyware and trojan horses. So it's imperative that you have both anti-virus and some dedicated anti-spyware protection.

This is what you should do to protect yourself:

1. First download Malwarebytes from Malwarebytes.org. Update and run it. Here's a how-to. Then for even more protection, download Spy bot (Spy bot Search and Destroy 1.5), Ad-aware (Ad-Aware 2007 7.0.2.5). Run them on your machine every week. They are all free.
   If you are confused about 'download, install, and run them, there are tutorials available to help you. Here's Spy bot's tutorial. Here's Ad-aware's manual. I used to think that these free anti-spyware were enough. It will also prevent new spyware from being downloaded into your computer.
2. After you've cleaned up the spyware, then install a virus software. AVG Personal is a free version. It's excellent. They also have an anti-spyware utility. You can upgrade both by buying the software.
3. Make sure your Window's Updates is set for Automatic.
4. Turn on your Windows Firewall. Click the Start button, then Control Panel. Inside the Control Panel, find Security Center. At the bottom of the Security Center page, click Windows Firewall. A Windows Firewall page will open. Click the little circle in front of On (recommended.) At the bottom on the page, Click "Okay."

If you want more protection from hackers than the Windows Firewall provides, I recommend Zone Alarm's firewall, which also has a free version, although it can block Internet access if you don't manage the exceptions well, and may be frustrating, depending on your computer expertise.

Spead Up Your Computer

Part One: Clean-up the Hard Drive.

The first thing you do to speed up your computer is to get rid of spyware and viruses. What if you've already done the above and your computer doesn't have spyware or viruses, but it is still way too slow? Or what if you've just removed the viruses but your computer still has only sped up a little. Then this section's for you.

The first thing I do to speed up a computer, is clean up the hard drive. If your hard drive has no room to run swap files, this can significantly slow down your operating system. Running Disk Cleanup on a regular maintenance basis can really enhance system performance (that includes speed!).

To start, click the Start button, then All Programs, then Accessories. Among the categories listed on the Accessories, is System Tools. And within System Tools, you'll find the one you want, Disk Cleanup.

You will be presented with a drop-down menu. Select the disk you want to clean. If you have two hard drives or your hard drive is partitioned into two or more virtual drives, you'll want to clean up all of them.

After you select the drive, click the OK button. Disk Cleanup will analyze the drive and see how much room can be freed. Now be prepared to twiddle your thumbs, since this can be a loooooong process depending how much stuff you have on your hard drive. And you know the old adage about watched pots never boil, a watched computer process never “boils” either, so go grab a cuppa or have quality time with your significant other (the one you've been neglecting while going online with your so slow computer.)

After the drive is analyzed, you will be presented with a list of items to be selected for cleanup. Select them. Get them outta there.

Now you're finished with Part One.

See here for other computer tutorials on tutorial website.

Part Two: Defragment the Hard Drive

After you run Disk Cleanup (see Part One), you'll want to defragment the hard drive. Hard drives have arms that retrieve data much like those on old phonograph players. (Some of us actually remember those!) Except instead of staying in one place as a phonograph arm and needle does as the record goes around underneath it, hard drive arms move back and forth across their round platters. When data is too scattered, the hard drive arm has to move excessively to retrieve it, therefore wearing out the hard drive prematurely. (I learned this from my friend Ken Wicker who was a computer teacher at Swainston Middle School in North Las Vegas when I was an ECS there. Ken is amazing a hardware expert!) So fragmention also slows down the computer.

Defragging puts files together saving time and wear and tear on your hard drive. Contiguous files are much easier and faster to retrieve and process.

To defrag in XP, from the Start button, go to All Programs, then to Accessories. Under Accessories you'll find System Tools. Inside System Tools, you'll want Disk Defragmenter.

The Disk Defragmenter window will open. You'll be presented with a list of volumes. Select one to start with, that is, if there is more than one listed. (C:) is usually the main drive, but there also may be (D:) and (E:). Then click the button “Defragment.” Defragging a drive can take a long time, so outside and go for a walk or play with your kids or dog.

I've learned from my friend Zenon, of Computer Junkyard, to defragment over and over again, until–in XP–all the blue is together and the red has vanished. The red are the fragmented files. One of the unfortunate things about Vista is that you can't see the defragmentation process happening. Here's what Mauricio Freitas has to say about this. I know, I know, only a geek would like to watch the defragmentation process. But I find it satisfying somehow, where all the blue lines come together into a blue band, like a solution being forged from disparate ideas, or the papers in a “to be sorted box” collected into the proper folders in your filing cabinet.

Speaking of Vista, defragmentation is set to run automatically, every Wednesday, at 1 a.m., unless your computer is powered off. You can modify the settings by going to the Start button, All Programs, Accessories, and System Tools.

Part Three: Turn on Automatic Updates

Windows works best and is most secure when Automatic Updates are turned on, so the most recent updates from Microsoft are installed regularly.

To turn on the updates, open your Internet Explorer and then go to Tools on the menu bar at the top, next to Favorites. On the Tools drop-down menu you'll find Windows Update. (If, as is sometimes the case with Internet Explorer 7 , the menu bar is not visible, go to the Tools (with the small picture of a grey gear by it) on the far right of the browser, just about the open browser window. Click on Tools. On the drop-down menu, click the words “Menu Bar” so a check mark appears next to the words. Now your menu bar should be visible back at the top left.)

When you click the Tools on the menu bar, a drop-down menu appears. Click on the words "Windows Update". The Microsoft Windows Update webpage will open. If your Windows Updates are turned off, you'll see a red shield and the warning "Help protect you PC." Underneath you'll find a button that says "Turn on Automatic Updates." Click it. A new smaller window will open. Select the time when you want your computer to download the updates. Mine is set for "Everyday" at 12 p.m. Click "Okay".

If you'd like to install the Updates right away, go back to the Windows Update website and click, "Express Updates." Follow the instructions that Microsoft gives you.

If you have any questions please e-mail me.

Part Four: Uninstall your P2Ps.

I know that among some people, this suggestion will be a very unpopular, but if your computer is too slow you really ought to remove your free file sharing music and video P2Ps, such as Bearshare, Grokster, etc. If just reading this advice makes you howl and scream on the floor, you might, after you pull yourself together, reconsider. All that free music is filling up your hard drive and making your computer more cluttered than it needs to be, plus it allows other people access to your computer.

This traffic uses up resources and slows your computer down. It also degrade your network performance, making going on-line a lengthy process. You can always buy music from iTunes for 99 cents each, which is much cheaper than all the computer maintenance, troubleshooting, and computer hardware will cost you in time and money. Also using legitimate music sources will force you to be more selective and download only songs you really like. How many songs can one person listen to in a lifetime anyway? Paying for downloads gives royalties to your favorite musicians, which might inspire them to record more albums.

Some diehard P2P lovers tell me that the artists only get a small percentage of the money--the corporate record labels get most of it. True. Yet who is going produce albums and promote groups if it is not profitable enough for corporations? Also almost all peer-to-peers have adware and spyware attached to the software downloads. If you think corporations are bad, cyber-criminals are worse. They steal from ordinary people without doing anything positive in return.

To uninstall your P2Ps or any programs, go to Start, then Control Panel, then Add or Remove Programs. Wait for the list to form. Select the name of the P2P you want to uninstall and click remove. After you delete your file sharing program, you'll need to run your anti-spyware to get rid of the spyware and adware. Spyware and adware do not show up in the Add and Remove Programs tool of the Control Panel, since the creators and promoters of such applications, don't want you to be able to remove them.

So get rid of the illegal file sharing P2Ps and use iTunes or Napster or other legal music downloader instead.

There's also a part five I haven't moved over to this page yet. It may be the most helpful tip yet.

Part Five: Clean-up the Registry.

Why should you clean the registry? The registry is a listing of all the settings and options in Windows. They are listed in the form of “keys”. When the registry gets cluttered with unfunctional and useless keys the computer still has to refer to and process them and this slows booting, running applications and going on-line. To fix this and speed things up, you can delete or edit the keys manually, which is tedious and risky, since changing the registry is a good way of messing up the computer completely, if you don't know what you're doing.

There is a free registry cleaner called EasyCleaner by Tony Arts. It works well. If you use it, please leave the creator/owner a donation. You should use EasyCleaner as part of your regular computer maintenance routine.

The best registry tool is jv16 PowerTools by Macecraft. The trial of 30 days is not limited but gives you access to the full version. In some computers, it is the tool that makes the most significant difference in speed. Use both the Registry Cleaner and the Registry Compacter components.

Part Six: Run Checkdisk.

Another way to speed up your computer is to run checkdisk. The process is easy and fun to do (what I think is fun may seem strange to you). But at least this tunes up your computer and should be part of your regular computer maintenance.

Go to the Start button, then to Run. In the text box that appears, type "cmd" (but without the quotation marks. This will bring up the dos prompt. Type this in: chkdsk c: /f /r /x You have to type this in exactly. Hit enter. It will ask if you want to run this next time you start your computer. Type Y for yes. Restart your computer. Now go do something non-computer related. The process can take 30 minutes to a couple of hours.

Part Seven: Turn off Indexing

The Indexing Service runs constantly, memorizing and making a list of where your files are, so when you search for something, you can find it quickly. The service makes searches faster, but it slows down the rest of your computer. If you have a really fast computer you won't mind or notice this, however if you have a SLOW computer, you'll probably want a faster computer over a faster search.

To turn off Indexing do this:

Go to the Start button then find "My Computer." Double click "My Computer."

Find your hard drive(s), usually C, or C and D if you have more than one. Right click on the hard drive. Select "Properties."

Near the bottom find "Allow indexing service to index this disk for for faster searches." Uncheck the box. Click Ok. When a new window opens select "Apply to all folders and subfolders."

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How to Maintain and Repair your PC

How to Maintain and Repair your PC

How to Maintain and Repair your PC

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Learn the skills you need to work in PC Maintenance and Repair — at home, at your own pace, with Penn Foster Career School International.

There are certain skills you need to begin a career as a PC Maintenance and Repair Technician. Penn Foster PC Maintenance and Repair training helps you learn them quickly and conveniently. Study topics such as:

• The elements and function of hardware devices
• The techniques used in PC Maintenance and Repair
• The use of software and an overview of operating systems
• How computers communicate and are grouped to form networks

And you’ll learn it all at home — no classroom needed!

Get Started Today.
Request information or enroll online and you could be working on your first lesson – and toward a new career – in a matter of minutes!
Start a new career in the growing field of PC Maintenance and Repair.

Why take the Penn Foster PC Maintenance and Repair Program? With the right credentials, you can:

• Work for businesses of all types that rely on computers.
• Work for an existing repair business, or begin one of your own.

As more companies do business on the Internet and more purchases are make online, more computers are needed. That means more employment opportunities for you!

Contact Penn Foster Today.
We’ll send you FREE information – with absolutely no obligation! Find out more about Penn Foster's PC Maintenance and Repair training which includes:

• All the books, lessons, and learning aids you need
• Unlimited instructional support
• Access to student services by phone, mail, fax, and website

Get more information today and in as little as nine months from enrollment, you can be on your way to a career as a PC Maintenance and Repair Technician!

How to Maintain and Repair your PC