Showing posts with label Computer tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Computer tips. Show all posts

Rename recycle Bin

How to Remane Recycle Bin?

1. Start, Run, 'Regedit'.

2. Press 'Ctrl'+'F' to open find box and type 'Recycle Bin' to search.

3. Change any value data with 'Recycle Bin' to whatever name you want to give it ( ie, like 'Trash Can' or 'Dump' etc).

4. Press F3 to continue searching for 'Recycle Bin' and change wherever you come across 'Recycle Bin' to new its new name.

5. Repeat step 4 until you have finished with searching and changed all values to its new name.

6. Close regedit and hit F5 on desktop to see the new name on screen.

Note: As a good practice, always backup your registry before changing anything although changing 'Recycle Bin' name is a simple tweak   and doesnt affect anything else.

Speed Up Bandwidth

How to Speed Up Bandwidth?

Windows uses 20% of your bandwidth Here's how to Get it back

A nice little tweak for XP. Microsoft reserve 20% of your available bandwidth for their own purposes (suspect for updates and interrogating your machine etc..)

Here's how to get it back:

Click Start ->Run -> type gpedit.msc

This opens the group policy editor. Then go to:

Local Computer Policy ->Computer Configuration ->Administrative Templates ->Network ->QOS Packet Scheduler ->Limit Reservable Bandwidth

Double click on Limit Reservable bandwidth. It will say it is not configured, but the truth is under the 'Explain' tab :

"By default, the Packet Scheduler limits the system to 20 percent of the bandwidth of a connection, but you can use this setting to override the default."

So the trick is to ENABLE reservable bandwidth then set it to ZERO.

This will allow the system to reserve nothing
rather than the default 20%.

Stop Windows Error Blue Screen

Sometimes it just keeps happening over and over again and usually without any warning. Unfortunately when your computer shows up with a blue screen it will usually be set to automatically shutdown the computer or sometimes restart it. This makes many people panic because they cannot see, or even have time to write down all of the information on that particular blue screen.

Stop the Windows error blue screen on your screen and stopping it from restarting can be done in all Windows versions. I do not use Windows XP at the moment, however I am sure that this option exists in that operating system as well. The screen shots I have taken below are from Windows Vista, but Windows 7 is very similar to this.

How to stop the Windows error blue screen: Follow this step:

1. Go to My Computer on Display and Right Click on My Computer Icon.

2. Click on Properties.

3. Now the systems properties will open. Click on Advanced Tab.

4. Under the Startup and Recovery section, press on settings.

5. The start up and recovery box will appear. Go to the System Failure section.

6. Uncheck the box where it says Automatically restart.

7. Press ok to finish.

Clean Your MotherBoard

How to Clean your Case, now is the time to do so. Look at the blades of the fan in the back of the computer. Also look at any vents. Is there clusters of dust there? Is there grime caked on to it? If so, the inside needs to be cleaned. If the fan blades are clean but it has been several years since you have cleaned the motherboard or if the computer is around cigarette smoke, it probably should be cleaned anyway. Dust and particles in the air can build up on the circuitry of the motherboard and cause it to heat up and/or corrode.

The first thing that you need to do is unplug your computer. Then open up the case to get access to the motherboard. Cases open differently. If you don't know how to open your case, look on the back of your computer along the edge for some screws. These screws may hold on side panels or an upside down U shaped panel that covers the sides and top. Removing the screws will allow you to take off the cover. Other cases have the screws on the front of the computer. To get access to these screws, you must first remove the front panel by pressing a hidden latch. The cover is there to give easy access to the inside of your computer, so if you look hard enough, you should be able to figure out how to remove it.

Remember that if you touch anything on the motherboard, you should be grounded by either touching the metal frame of the computer with your other hand or by wearing a special grounding device.

The goal of cleaning the motherboard is to remove all dust and debris from the motherboard and all components inside of the case. This can be done using one of three methods.

The preferred method is to use a can of compressed air to blow it out. Always hold the can in an up-right position to prevent the propellent chemicals which can damage or corrode components from coming out. Dust and dirt should be blown away from the motherboard and out of the case.

Another way to remove dust is to use a vacuum. The common advice is to only use a battery operated vacuum because an AC powered vacuum causes static and static can ruin the motherboard. I have used an AC powered vacuum (before I knew that it was not recommended) to clean my motherboard many times and it has never caused any problems, but I may have just been lucky. When using the vacuum, keep the nozzle a couple of inches away from the motherboard or any other components so that it does not come in contact with them and so that any small parts are not sucked into the vacuum.

If you do not have a can of compressed air or a vacuum, you can use a dry cloth and brush to clean the motherboard. Be careful not to dislodge or break anything using this method.

While cleaning the motherboard, be careful not to unplug any cables or connections or to dislodge any loose components, such as, jumpers.

Methodically clean the whole inside of the case going over all of the motherboard from one end to the other and all other components. Don't forget to clean the fans and heat sinks. Do not open up the power supply box or stick anything in it beyond the fan. If you do, you could get a shocking surprise and ruin your computer.

If your computer does not work when you put it back together, something was obviously dislodged during the cleaning. Open the case back up and push all connections and cards into their slots. Look for anything that may have become disconnected.

Cleaning the motherboard is probably the most dangerous form of cleaning but it is necessary to prevent an early death of your computer.

The Seven Golden Rules Of Data Backups

The Seven Golden Rules Of Data Backups

Backups of company data are carried out for two main reasons. The first is to cater for those times when a document is inadvertently deleted or damaged and you wish to recover the original document; the second is as part of a disaster recovery plan in case something catastrophic happens to your computers (e.g., victims of a fire or theft).

Backups cost time, money and effort to implement, and they are of no value right up until the time you need them. This means they tend to be given a low priority, but ultimately they may easily represent the difference between your business surviving and failing. In this TipSheet, we look at the most common mistakes businesses make with backups.

1. Backup often

Re-entering data is tedious and frustrating. Backing up your company data once a week means that the most you should ever have to re-input is one week's worth Backing up your company data once a day means the most you should ever have to re-input is one day's worth. Frequent backups lessen the impact of data loss.

2. Don't keep any volatile data on desktop PCs

In many organisations, documents are kept on the hard drive of desktop PCs. It is unlikely that this is backed up regularly, if at all. A PC can easily be replaced: last week's quotations may not be so easy to replace. In particular, check that email is not stored on the local hard drive (this is very common in small to medium size businesses). All documents, spreadsheets, email, etc should be kept on a central server, which is in turn backed up regularly.

3. Automate the backup process

Backups are tedious to do. At 6:30pm, most people would prefer to set off home or join colleagues in the bar rather than stay in the office to find the correct tape and start a backup. Automating tedious tasks means they get done.

4. Monitor the backup process

While automating backups is a good idea, do check that they are running correctly. Make sure new files are being backed up; make sure the files of new users are being backed up. A quick check once a week could avert a much more serious problem later.

5. Keep backups offsite

If your business premises suffer a fire or flood, it is likely that backup media will be lost as well. Fireproof safes only protect media for a given time, typically one hour - if you use one, check the manufacturer's specification. If you always keep your backup tape in the server then when it is stolen the thief will probably throw the tape away. It's worth nothing to him, but it could represent bankruptcy to you.

6. Produce a "backup recovery" manual

A major disaster is not the time to try to remember how to recover data from your backup media. Have an idiot-proof, step-by-step procedure written - with a copy stored off-site - detailing how to reinstate your company data.

7. Test the recovery procedure periodically

Without warning, give the backup recovery manual to a member of staff and see how long it takes them to recover data. Many organisations never do this! No one involved with creating the manual or the backups themselves should be involved in the test. The results of the test should be analysed and the manual updated accordingly. A recovery test should be carried out at least twice a year. This proves both that the backups themselves are usable, and that your organisation understands how to use them if necessary.

How to Log on to PC If You Forgot Windows 7 Password

Windows Password could help people protect their important data that is stored in their computer. But many people are forgetful and easy to forget their password. So what should you do to log on to PC when you forgot Windows 7 password? show you 3 solutions.

Method 1: Reset Windows 7 Password with Password Reset Disk

A strong password can be easily forgotten or lost, creating a password reset disk is necessary. If you forget Windows 7 password, you can use the password reset disk to reset the password. With it, you can easily reset your Windows 7 password and log on to your PC in a minute.

Creating a password reset disk in case of forgetting password is necessary. But there are still many people forget to create one in advance. So it is highly recommend that creating a password reset disk when you create your logon password.

Method 2: Reset Windows 7 Password with Third-party tool

In addition to reset Windows 7 password with password reset disk, you can also reset the forgotten password with third-party Windows password reset software. Windows password reset software allows you to reset forgotten Windows 7 password by creating a bootable CD/DVD or USB flash drive. Here we suggest Rekeysoft Windows Password Recovery.

Rekeysoft Windows Password Recovery is professional Windows password reset tool. It provides you fast and secure way to reset forgotten password in any versions of Windows, including Windows 7/Vista/XP etc. You only need to create a bootable CD/DVD or USB flash drive.

Method 3: Re-install Windows 7 Operating System

If you cannot log on to computer with the methods above, you can re-install Windows 7. It is the last choice for you. Insert the Windows 7 installation disc into your computer and restart it. Once the computer is running, follow the onscreen instructions to re-install Windows 7.

The methods above are effective for you when you forgot windows 7 password. And they can be also useful when you forgot Windows password of Windows Vista and Windows XP. You can choose one of them when you lost of forgot Windows 7 password.

7 ways to speed up your computer

How to speed up My Computer?

If so, there are tons of simple tasks and hardware upgrades that you can do to get your computer back to running at its top speed. Stop wondering why is my computer so slow. Listed below are 7 super effective ways to speed up your computer.

1 - Identify and remove malware

To start off with you'll want to make sure there isn't any hidden malware currently infecting your system. Even if you think there isn't, chances are some type of malware is hidden somewhere in your system. If you don't already have security software installed such as antivirus or internet security, your computer is most likely infected. Malware includes all malicious computer threats such as viruses, spyware, and adware.

Malware can really slow down your computer and you can't identify malware on your computer without the help of a decent security program. To identify and remove malware you'll need to run a full system scan using your security program. Once you've removed all hidden malware on your computer, you should also consider setting up an automatic weekly virus scan to run so you won't have to remember to do so yourself!

2 - Uninstall unnecessary programs

The more high memory programs you have stored on your computer, the less free hard drive space you'll have and the slower your computer will run. There are most likely at least a couple of unnecessary programs eating away at your computer's memory and performance. Even brand new computers come preinstalled with lots of bundled software crap that you really don't need or may ever use. Uninstalling any programs and services that you find unnecessary will really help to clear out the clutter and free up some extra memory on your hard drive.

3 - Eliminate startup services

You may not even realize it, but as soon as you hit the power button to your computer tons of random services and programs launch which you probably don't need slowing down the startup process. If you find yourself wondering why is my computer so slow during the startup process, eliminating unnecessary programs and services from starting up with your computer will do just that. Over time many programs and services are automatically added to the startup list which can tremendously slow down the startup process for your computer.

To eliminate startup programs and services using Microsoft Windows, navigate to the System Configuration window (windows key + R and type in msconfig) and click the Startup tab at the top. In Mac OS X, you can navigate to System Preferences, Accounts, and open LoginItems.

4 - Update device drivers

Every computer has a big list of drivers for every attached or installed device and over time those drivers will most likely become outdated. Most computers don't automatically update outdated drivers making this a separate task you'll have to take on yourself if you suspect your drivers are out of date. The quickest way to locate and install the newest drivers for your computer is with a simple Google search including your exact computer model name such as, drivers for HP TouchSmart 1050. You'll usually be able to download a complete driver package including all up to date drivers for your computer model on your computer manufacturers website.

5 - Reinstall or upgrade the OS

You probably aren't aware of all the unnecessary clutter that can accumulate over time and really slow down your computer. Sometimes the easiest and most effective solution to regain your computers top performance is to simply upgrade or reinstall the entire operating system. Upgrading to the latest OS edition will certainly provide the most effective speed boost, but reinstalling your current operating system will work just as well to give your computer a fresh start. Ideally, you should first back up only your most important files and documents to a separate secure location such as a flash drive or external hard drive, that way you can safely install the operating system and restore your files after.

6 - Add more RAM (random access memory)

RAM (random access memory) is basically like a turbo kit for your computer and is a physical hardware component that is easily upgradable. If you wonder why is my computer so slow whenever you have lots of open windows and/or programs open, adding more RAM to your computer can certainly allow you to run more powerful programs at once. Although working with a hardware component yourself may sound a little out of your comfort level, the RAM is one of the easiest hardware devices to replace. Since no data is ever permanently stored on the RAM, you can easily swap out and upgrade RAM in your system without worries of losing or damaging data. The more RAM your computer has, the more high memory programs you can run at once and the more powerful your system will become. 64-bit operating systems can support a whole lot more RAM compared to 32-bit systems which typically have a max RAM limit of 4 GB.

7 - Upgrade to a solid state drive (SSD)

If you're still using one of those old fashioned hard disk drives it's definitely time to upgrade to something a little faster. Solid state drives are much faster and more powerful compared to hard disk drives because they eliminate file fragmenting, meaning data can be loaded a lot faster and defragmenting the hard drive becomes a thing of the past.

Solid state drives are also entirely flash-based and contain no physical moving parts such as spinning discs or a moving read/write head. With traditional hard disk drives, the read/write head has to physically move around to access data which is stored in fragments. With solid states drives, no physical moving parts are required and you can access and load your data significantly faster. Tip: Installing the operating system directly onto a solid state drive can increase startup performance up to 8x.