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Computer Tips: Speeding Up Computer Boot Time

Think about how long it took to turn your computer on today? Unless you have a recent computer chances are you experienced a wait time anywhere from three minutes to twenty minutes. It might be surprising to find out that most computer boot times shouldn’t take that long. While there is nothing you can do if your computer’s boot time is slow due to the age of the computer there are certain things that you can do to try to speed up your computer’s boot time.

Software That Loads on Boot. Boot times can be delayed because there are certain software programs that are set to load upon startup. This will prevent the computer from starting when it should. If you notice that certain software programs load when you start up the computer you can easily disable the software program to load when you click on it. This will speed up the boot time by a few minutes.

Check for Adware/Trojan Viruses. Another common problem that will delay the boot process is the issue of adware and trojan viruses. Many of these programs are designed to slow the computer down, especially during boot time. Running an antivirus and antispyware program will spot any of these problems and clean them up so your boot time is quicker.

Overloaded System. It is important to make sure that you do your regular maintenance on your computer. Longer boot times can be caused by temporary Internet files being filled up, cache being filled, defragged files and registry errors. A routine maintenance can fix these problems and could help speed up the boot time of your computer.

Doing these three basic steps should help you speed up the boot time of your computer. However, if it doesn’t there is always the option to leave the computer in stand-by or in hibernate mode. This will allow you to skip the long boot times and turn the computer on quicker because there is no need to upload the software and programs again.

Filed Under: Computers, Technology Tagged With: Booting, Computer program, Microsoft Windows, Operating system, Speed, Temporary Internet Files

Protecting Your Home Computer from Food

Most people think about protecting their home computer in terms of having up to date virus software and running periodic scans. Protection can also mean performing frequent back-ups and keeping your files secure and passwords secret. One thing we don’t always think about is how to protect your home computer from the grime and damage that comes from food and drink.

The Habit

Many people eat or drink at their home computer to increase their efficiency. A cup of coffee at the computer is a morning routine, just like eating lunch while getting some work done seems like a harmless habit. The crumbs from food can cause serious damage and stick inside your keyboard long after you’ve finished that sandwich. Greasy food can be especially problematic as greasey fingers can har your keyboard and mouse, leaving difficult marks on the surface that are tough to get out safely.

Combatting the Problem

Alwasy wash your hands after eating at your desk and avoid touching your computer during mealtime. If you can move away from your computer for meals, do it. You can set up a sound to alert you to new emails or anything that needs attending to during lunch. If you must drink at your computer, keep the mug or cup far away from your computer to avoid spills. Mark your calendar with regular times to clean out your computer keyboard and if you notice crumbs, clean them out immediately with tape, compressed air, or a full-out keyboard clean.

Damage Control

If you do severe damage, like spilling a beverage on your computer, try to act quickly and don’t panic. With water or tea, sometimes you can let the keyboard drain out and use a hairdryer to clean up the spill with no harm done. Sugarly drinks like sodas can be more problematic, causing lasting damage and causing sticking keys. Sugary drinks and food can also attract ants to your home office.

Filed Under: Computers, General Tagged With: Drink, Eating, Home computer, Keyboard instrument, Original equipment manufacturer, Spyware

Choosing a New Home Computer

There are many things to consider when choosing a new home computer. While the people at the store will be able to help you narrow your options and understand the differences between the choices, it’s best to go into the store having already given some thought to the following things.

Desktop or Laptop

Often the very first thing you’ll need to consider is whether you want a laptop or a desktop. This choice often comes down to knowing whether you will want to take your computer with you to different places or be able to take it with you when you travel. If so, the decision is a no brainer. Some people, however, strongly prefer the keyboards on a desktop and may feel more comfortable with a desktop for their regular home useage. You can still consider a laptop for travel, but keep a desktop as your primary home computer.

Mac or PC

If you’re considering making a change from what you already use, it’s worth the time and research to learn all that you can about the differences and talk with friends who are currently using what you’re switching over to. This is critical because you will often need to shop at a different location depending on which option you are looking for.

Primary Uses

One of the first things you may be asked as you shop for your computer is what you will be using it for. If you really enjoy computer games, you will want a computer with good graphics and the ability to run these programs. If you take a lot of home videos and photos, your computer should reflect that and offer plenty of space to store your records and albums. If you just need word processing and email, tell them that. Giving some thought to your computer habits ahead of time can reduce stress at the store and help the people there match you with the perfect computer.

Filed Under: Computers Tagged With: Personal computer

The Basics of Computer Posture

When you’re spending significant amounts of time working at your home computer, it’s important to know how to sit and how to protect your body while you work. Posture can help to protect your back, shoulders, and wrists from injury and ensure that you can work at your computer comfortably for extended periods of time now and in the future.

Computer Chair and Screen Adjustment

Taking the time to properly adjust your desk chair is one of the first steps to proper computer posture. You should be able to sit with your feet flat on the floor and legs at a 90 degree angle. Adjust the chair and computer screen so you can look straight ahead at the screen without hunching your back to see your work. A chair with good lower back support can also make a huge difference in keeping your computer desk comfortable.

Training Your Body

Posture is a habit and people with good posture take the time to learn how to stand and sit properly. One of the most important steps in perfecting computer posture is to pay attention to your body and be mindful of your position. Practice will help you to keep proper posture while you work at your home computer. Train yourself to keep your shoulders back and down and your back even and alligned. Arching and hunching can lead to problems down the road.

Protecting Your Wrists and Arms

Wrists and arms take a lot of wear at the computer. A padded wrist rest can help when positioned properly and used consistantly. Relax your arms and keep them even to prevent twisting and discomfort as you work. Taking the time to flex and stretch while you work can also help to relieve pain and prevent injuries from the regular use of a computer keyboard.

Filed Under: Computers, Technology Tagged With: Computer desk, Computer monitor, Office chair, Posture, Wrist

The Importance of Offsite Computer Back Ups

The average person keeps a lot of vital information on his or her home computer. It can be difficult to know how to protect it in case your computer should crash and you should lose your important documents, sentimental photos, and works-in-progress. Offsite automatic computer back-up is one way to ensure that the contents of your home computer are always safe.

An offsite automatic computer back up will back up your home computer files without you having to worry about doing it at regular intervals. All you need to do is install the software on your computer that will do the regular back up to keep your files safe.

For people who are not computer experts, this is particularly important to remember. You don’t ever want to have to panic about a computer problem thinking that you have lost all of your data. Even computer pros should conder automatic software to guard against lost files. It’s not just computer viruses or system crashes, you could lose the files on your computer in the event that you have a home fire or flood. Protecting your computer files offsite just makes the most sense.

One offsite automaic computer back up service is called Mozy. Mozy is inexpensive and easy to use, this reliable software will keep your files safe on your computer if you should ever have a problem. Carbonite is another option that provides a similar service to home computer users.

To download the files, simply search for them online and install them on your computer. They will continue to back up your files month after month until you cancel the service. Knowing that your home files are protected is a lot like owning a safe for your physical paperwork and important documents, it is an easy step to guard against future problems.

Filed Under: Computers, Technology Tagged With: Backup, Computer file, Off-site data protection, Windows

How to Clean a Computer Keyboard

Image by splorp via Flickr

Many people use their home computer everyday and never think about cleaning their keyboard. Keyboards can become filled with dust, dirt, and crumbs, requiring regular cleanings to stay in good working condition. Safely cleaning your keyboard requires a few basic tools and a little time and patience.

Compressed air is a good ay to regularly remove dirt and crumbs from a keyboard. The air will help to dislodge particles and clean where you cannot reach. A piece of scotch tape wedged between the keys can also help to collect dirt in a pinch. Wipe down your keyboard frequently with a cleansing, antibacterial wipe to prevent spreading of germs. This is especially important when your home computer is shared by many family members. Wipe down your mouse too as this is another spot that can get germy if not cleaned regularly.

To thoroughly clean your keyboard, you will need a bucket of warm water and a screwdriver. Using the screwdriver, carefully remove the keys from the keyboard. Don’t worry, they will snap back into place when you’re done. Place the keys in warm water to soak as you clean under them. Shake your keyboard out upside down to remove loose dirt, then hit it with compressed air or wipe down with an anti-static dust rag meant for cleaning electronics.

Swirl the keys around in the water to clean and then lay them out on a towl to dry. Once the keys are dry, you can snap them back in place on your keyboard. Your keyboard is now fresh, clean, and ready to use again. Regularly cleaning your keyboard thoroughly can help to prolong its life, prevent debris from gathering under the keys, and help keep it sanitary for all users.

Remember to also clean your work computer’s keyboard and mouse regularly, especially if you use one in a communal space or eat lunch at your desk.

Filed Under: Computers, Technology Tagged With: Antistatic agent, Cleanliness, keyboard, Keyboard instrument, Occupational safety and health

Organizing Photos on Your Computer

Keeping digital photos organized on your home computer can be a challenge. Everyone needs to find a method that works for them to be sure that they can always find a photo and know where everything is kept. There are several ways to go about organizing digital photos.

Dated Folders

Consider breaking down your photo folder on your computer by dates depending on how many photos you take in a year. For most people, seasonal folders are a good method. Label your folders with the season and year so that you can isolate photos by when they were taken.For people who take more photos, consider breaking it down by month or even by week to better organize your files.

Assign File Names that Make Sense

Immediately after you upload pictures from your camera onto your computer, take the time to go through and assign file names to each. This can be time consuming, but it will make it much easier to find your photos later on. Use descriptive names that will help you to remember which photos you are viewing.While you are labeling photos, take the time to delete pictures that you don’t like and organize them for the future. When you delay organizing your photos, you’ll only be left with a mess of file numbers and unwanted photos to deal with later.

Consider Photo Programs

Google’s Picasa is one great option that is free to download online. The program will search your computer for photos and import them all into a format that allows you to organize, edit, and fix your photos. This is a great option for people whose computers are filled with duplicate photos and old folders as it allows you to see everything in one place.

Organizing your photos can take some time, but it will make life much easier knowing you have everything accounted for on your home computer.

Filed Under: Computers, Internet Tagged With: Digital photography, Folder (computing), Organizing, Photograph, Picasa

Smart Phones: Why You Need One and Which to Choose

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The world is quickly becoming more and more interconnected through technology, and products are constantly being invented and introduced to the market that help achieve this. One of the most important inventions of the current age is the smart phone: a cellular telephone that is capable of making phone calls, sending text messages, accessing the internet and, most importantly, performing a number of tasks through installed applications, or “apps.” Even though you probably have a computer at home, there are still a number of reasons why you could also benefit from having a smart phone.

iPhone: The iPhone was created by Apple, the makers of the iMac computer, and has been around since 2007. It runs on an operating system called iOS. This was the first of the current age of smart phones. Because of this, iPhones have the largest number of applications developed and most programmers will design applications for the iPhone before all other types. iPhones run on the AT&T cellular network, although there is a method for unlocking the phone so that you can use a different provider. Doing so will most likely invalidate the warranty on the product.

Android: The Android mobile operating system is not quite as popular as the iOS on Apple’s iPhone, but phones that use it can be found on most other cellular providers. The technology was purchased by Google in 2005 and is based on the Linux operating system. Those who enjoy Google’s suite of computer-based applications like Gmail, Chrome and Google Docs will probably prefer the Android.

Windows: â€‹Windows Phone 7 is Microsoft’s addition to the mobile operating system and as such, is based upon its PC operating system namesake. Launched in late 2010, Windows Phone 7 is the newest of the three major phone operating systems and has the advantage of being compatible with Microsoft’s other entertainment offerings: Zune and Xbox Live.

Filed Under: Computers, Internet, Technology Tagged With: Apple, , , iMac, IOS (Apple), IPhone, Smartphone

PC or Mac: Which is Best for You?

We have all seen the commercials comparing the PC to the Mac, but it is obvious that those for one are skewed unfavorably toward the other. How can you tell which operating system best fits your personality and suits your needs? Is your image a concern when you choose an operating system? What type of work do you do on the computer? What types of entertainment do you enjoy? The answers to these questions will help you decide whether you are a PC or a Mac.

PC: The overwhelming dominator of the market, most computers in the U.S. market use a version of Microsof’s operating system, Windows. The Windows operating system, or OS, has gone through numerous versions over the years, each trying to improve upon the previous. The benefit to choosing a PC is mainly convenience: almost all software and peripherals are made and available for PC. You will not have a hard time finding replacement or upgrading products for the PC, and advanced users can often build their own PCs by buying just the components that they want for a completely personalized and tailored system. Computer gamers prefer PCs over Macs, as well.

Mac: One of the main benefits to using a Mac is its resistance to viruses. One rarely hears of a Mac infected with spyware or other malicious programs. Also, Mac computers are typically the preferred of those who work with media. The Adobe suite of products like Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign were programmed with the Mac in mind, and will probably be most intuitive when used on that operating system. Another benefit of choosing a Mac is counter-intuitive; most high-end Macs are capable of having the Windows operating system installed on a separate partition, making it accessible for software that requires a PC. While this is not one of Apple’s major selling points, it can be useful for those who are having a hard time making the decision.

Filed Under: Computers, Internet, Technology Tagged With: Apple, IPad, Mac OS, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, Operating system, Personal computer

Windows Internet Browsers

: Image via Wikipedia

In the beginning of the Internet, there were only two: Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and AOL’s Netscape Navigator. Even though Microsoft’s bundling of its own browser with the Windows operating system was found in violation of antitrust laws, Explorer eventually became the standard in web browsers. That is not to say that it is the best browser, by any means. Most PC users simply were not aware that they had a choice. For that reason, users simply booted up the included Explorer program whenever they accessed the web.

Since then, several other browsers have been created for Internet access. Mozilla’s Firefox is an open-source browser, meaning it is free to download from their website. Firefox has many fewer security issues than Explorer and was among the first of the open source browsers. It also allows for the installation of add-ons and plug-ins, which can greatly enhance the functionality of the software. Users design these add-ons, which are also open-source, and most of them are highly stable.

Chrome is another open-source web browser, this one offered by the major player Google. Chrome is marketed as being the fastest browser available. It also is capable of running user-designed and coded add-ons and plug-ins for a more personalized experience. In addition, Chrome offers a toolkit for developers, Gears, which will eventually be phased out in favor of HTML5 coding. Chrome and Firefox both are far more secure than Microsoft’s Explorer, proving that popular does not equal best, especially not when it comes to computer software.

Another, smaller browser is the Opera program. Opera is faster than both Explorer and Firefox, but not quite as fast as Google’s Chrome. It is capable of running installed “widgets” for greater functionality, and also provides a customizable user experience. Opera fights viruses and malware with a system that helps to protect user passwords while on the Internet, making it one of the most secure browsers available.

Filed Under: Computers, Internet, Technology Tagged With: Firefox, , , Internet Explorer, Microsoft, Mozilla Firefox, Netscape Navigator, Web browser