Showing posts with label COMPUTER MAINTENANCE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label COMPUTER MAINTENANCE. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

HOW TO INCREASE COMPUTER SPEED

Have you ever wondered why your computer becomes slow as the day goes by, suddenly your programs take longer time to come up, it can be really frustrating. This is caused by so much junk files in your temp folder; recycle bin, temp internet files and cookies. The second is that your computers virtual memory needs to be increased.

Just follow these simple steps to increase your computers speed:
1. Cleaning temp folder, cookies, temporary internet files, and performing disk clean up. These locations take as much as 2GB of your disk space and your ram needs to run these programs instead of running the important programs you use to for your work.
To clean up these files double click on my computer icon, drive C:, document and settings, select the user profile folder that you are using, open local settings, if you don’t see local settings click on tools menu, folder option check show hiding files and folders, click apply and then ok to show all hiding files.
By now you should see local setting folder nowOpen the folder, open the temp folder, you will see the files that it contains. To view the size of the temp folder select all files using CTR + A, right click on any file and click properties you will see the disc space that its occupying, close the property box and delete all the files. If some files refuse to delete, it may be that the computer is making use of those files at the moment, do same clean up for the temporary internet files and cookies folder, after deleting these files do same for other user profiles in your computer. When that is done you have to use the disk cleanup to clean those files from recycle bin any other location where they may be. Now click start, point your mouse to program files, and to accessories and to system tool click disk clean up.
Select the drive where you have your operating system click ok, it will scan the files and show you a dialog box, check the boxes with size above 0 kb then click ok and another dialog box will open asking you if you really want to delete these files click yes. In addition, it will clean all the location. After cleaning including recycle bin your computer should faster than before.

2. Increase your virtual memory. A virtual memory is an area of the hard disk that the computer uses as ram. If the virtual memory of your machine is low, your computer will become very slow when you try to use some application simultaneously. To increase the virtual memory of your computer will also increase your system speed, Right click on my Computer, click properties, click advance tab, click settings under performance option, click advance tab on performance option, click change, now change the number there to close or the number that the machine has. Click set, OK and closes the dialog boxes. Now restart your machine you will notice that the speed of your machine has increased.

How to partition your hard drive with FDISK

Have you ever seen a computer with one hard drive but when you boot the computer you always see two drives. This is usually done using FDISK. FDISK is a utility that let you partition your hard disk. It is also used to delete a partition.Before you can format your hard drive, you must partition it. Most drives only have a Primary partition, but that partition can be split into an Extended partition which can be further divided into Logical Drives. The C: drive is normally the Primary partition. The logical drives after that can be labeled D: E: F: etc. To partition the drive you'll need a boot disk. This disk (sometimes called a Startup Disk) will contain the FDISK utility. We recommend downloading one from bootdisk.com to match your Operating System, or you can get windows 98 bootable CD. You can use FDISK utility.

Creating Partition
Once the boot disk has been created, insert the disk and reboot. You will eventually wind up at the A:/ prompt. Type FDISK and hit enter. You will be taken to a screen with the following options: or you can use windows 98 bootable CD
1. Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive
2. Set active partition
3. Delete Partitions or Logical DOS Drive
4. Display partition information
5. Change current fixed drive
You will choose option one first, then when asked if you want to use the entire amount of space for this you will say Y if you have no intention of partitioning further, or N if you want to create an extended partition (recommended). Your extended partition must take up the remaining space on the disk. You will then be able to create Logical drives.
Your Primary partition should automatically be set as the Active partition. If not, you may need to go to the option 2 to designate it as such.Keep in mind that there are some restrictions on partition sizes. You may need to partition huge drives into 64 gigs or smaller.
Deleting Partitions
Before creating partitions on older drives, you will have to delete the current partitions. Backup any important data because all data will be lost after deleting a partition. To avoid losing data, you can use non-destructive partitioning software such as Partition Magic--but it's wise to backup just in case.If you have an NTFS partition on a drive FDISK will not be able to remove it. You'll probably see an error like this NTLDR is missing. Press any key to restart. You can use a utility called delpart.exe to remove the NTFS partition. This is also available at bootdisk.com.
Hard Drive Utilities
Most hard drive manufacturers include partitioning and copying software with the new drives. This will be a disk similar to a boot disk that will provide a graphical interface that walks you through the process of transferring files from one drive to another and partitioning the new disk into the FAT 32 or NTFS format. This is by far the easiest way to go. However, it is still recommended that you know the differences between a Primary, Extended and Logical drive.

HOW TO BACK UP DATA ON YOUR COMPUTER

HOW TO BACK UP DATA ON YOUR COMPUTER
Routinely backing up our important data is something we should all do. Unfortunately, we don't realize this until we're scrambling to recover data on a hard drive that has just gone south. Family photos, MP3s, that spreadsheet you've been doing for work--all gone. You can avoid this traumatic experience by using the backup utility that comes with Windows. This article outlines a few simple techniques you can use to make sure your computer data is safe.
Storage locations
Get a CD burner and occasionally drag and drop your files onto a disk using the software that came with the device (Usually something like Roxio Easy CD Creator or Nero). A flaw in this technique is that you will inevitably forget to do this, and before you realize it, it's been a year since your last backup.If you're determined to use this method, we suggest weekly backups as well as monthly backups, where you physically remove the backed up data from your home or office and store it at another location. A house fire or other disaster could destroy both your PC and your backup sitting beside it on the desk. So you'll increase your odds if you keep a monthly copy in a safe deposit box, at work, or at a family member's home.

Windows Backup
Windows has a backup program ready to go on your system. Navigate to START, PROGRAMS, ACCESSORIES, then SYSTEM TOOLS and you'll find the backup utility. While older versions of this utility will differ slightly from XP Professional's, you'll be able to follow the Wizard when backing up.You can backup the entire system, which isn't a great idea. Windows and other programs can be reinstalled. So you're probably better off keeping your data in a centralized location, such as your My Documents folder. You can add folders within that directory by opening My Documents and right-clicking an empty space. Name the new folders whatever you want and organize your data. Then use the Windows backup utility to create a backup of your data. Put this file on another hard drive, burn it to disk, or copy it over to another computer on your network.Also, take a moment to schedule backups. The Windows backup utility will give you a chance to schedule backups automatically. This is normally located under the advanced tab at the end of the backup process. Take a moment to set this up.
Use online storage
If you're having a problem with finding media to backup to, take advantage of free Yahoo Mail, Google Gmail accounts and other free email providers. You can get up to 2 Gigabytes of storage space on these accounts. What does this mean? You can email yourself attachments containing data. So you essentially have an invisible hard drive Out There on the Internet. This is great for temporary or redundant storage, but do not rely on it for the long term.
External disk
Another way to back up your document is to get an external hard disk and always back up to this disk at least once every week.

Finally ,
No matter how you backup, make sure you never rely on a single source. Rotate your backups out of the home, Email them to yourself or place them on a separate partition on your hard drive. Take advantage of the backup utility in Windows and use the scheduler feature to automate things. Be proactive with your data, and you will be better off when your system fails....and it will fail eventually.

WHEN COMPUTER REFUSES TO BOOT: WHAT TO DO

WHEN COMPUTER REFUSES TO BOOT: WHAT TO DO
At times it do happen that your computer may fail to turn on or boot to desktop even when it was properly shut down the last time it was used. This may turn out very frustrating. However, there are some effective ways to manage this problem whenever it rears its head. They are as follows.

WHEN COMPUTER DOES NOT POWER ON
1. Check the AC current if it is up to the normal AC rating in your country. Over here in Nigeria, check if the AC current is up to 230-240 Volts because that is the normal current in Nigeria. If that is the case, then that means it can power the computer.2. Check the power pack: If your power pack smells burnt, it means the power pack is blown. Some power pack has a switch that can switch to either 110 volts or 230 Volts. If that is how your power pack is, then switch it to your country’s current rating.
Make sure the computer is correctly connected before powering it. If the computer does not come up, do the following:
WHEN COMPUTER DOES NOT BOOT
If your computer refuses to boot to desktop, but restarts in each attempt,
1. Check the ram: before you proceed, disconnect the power cable form source. Open the computer system unit. If your computer has two ram slots, remove the ram and wipe it with a clean soft cloth. Insert the ram back in the other slot. Connect the power cord and power the computer. If it still does not come up,2. Check the CMOS battery: With a tester, test the battery voltage to see the voltage. If it reads lower that 2.5 volts then it may be the cmos battery. Change the cmos battery. Next, ensure that the cmos jumper cap is in pin 1 and 2. Then power the computer. If it still does not come up,

3. Isolate system component:
This means that you have to isolate the entire system component and reinstall them one after the other. Finally,

4. Check Processor: Uninstall the cooling fan and heat sink, insert the processor without the cooling fan and heat sink, them connect other component and power the computer. Place your hand on the processor to know if the processor is hot or cold if its cold that means the processor is bad, and vice versa. If the processor has gone bad, then the only option will be to replace it!

GOOD LUCK!

HOW TO RECOVER DATA FROM A SYSTEM

HOW TO RECOVER YOUR DATA WHEN YOUR SYSTEM FAILS
A lot of times we have been victims of data lose in one way or the other. Hard disk failure is an inevitable problem associated with computers. And through this, lots of important documents and data are lost, often leading to huge loss to companies and individual businesses alike. As such, it is therefore very important to know what to do when such happens.
When your computer suddenly refuses to boot or turn on, the following are some simple steps to take to retrieve your files, which can save you a reasonable amount of money.

1. Get an External Case
Once your computer refuses to boot, the most reliable means of retrieving your data is to get a Hard disk external case that you can connect to another computer using a USB cable. This method gives you access to your files before calling a pro.

2. Use a LiveCD
If you do not have a second computer to do the above method, using LiveCD will be ideal. You’ll need to get temporary access to a computer with Internet and a DVD burner. Download a Linux LiveCD, Small Linux is the smallest, but also has issues mounting hard drives. The most simple for an average computer user would be Puppy Linux. It has a larger file size, but should recognize your drive. Burn the Live CD ISO to a CD and insert it into your computer (the one with the crashed hard drive). Restart the computer and when it the computer logo appears, press F2 (or whatever key for your system) to enter BIOS. Change the boot sequence to CD first, Save and then Exit.
The Live CD will start, simply follow the directions on the screen. The OS will start, and you should see your hard drive mounted on the desktop–something like “60GB”, etc. Plug in a second drive and copy and paste the folders over.

3. Data Recovery Software
If the two options above sound confusing, you can get a data recovery software for a few bucks. Personally, I used EASY RECOVERY, and it was very effective. I got the software for a reasonable amount, and I have not regretted because it has proved its worth. In fact, the software can even recover windows applications and registry files intact. The software can even be used to repair Microsoft office documents. You really need to give a try to this software if you chose to recover your lost files.

If you need the software, you can send an email to ketuzkoncept1@yahoo.com with subject: SEND SOFTWARE. After that sending the email, in the next 48hrs, the software will be sent to your box with guides on how to use it.

4. Call a Professional: If you fell is very difficult for you, simply take your hard drive a professional that will be able to retrieve your document, it may be costly but it’s worth it except the files are not very important.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Friday, September 3, 2010

HOW TO DOWNGRADE FROM WINDOWS VISTA TO WINDOWS XP

HOW TO DOWNGRADE FROM WINDOWS VISTA TO WINDOWS XP
Since the advent of Windows Vista, one will agree with me that the ICT-compliant community has faced some challenges. However, these challenges, can be attributed the unfamiliarity that ensues from the initial interaction with newly developed softwares and programs. At other times, the problems may be above that attributable to unfamiliarity. The challenges of Windows Vista experienced include excessive consumption of system memory, software incompatibility, as well as the seeming impracticality of downgrading the Operating System from Vista to Windows XP.

Well, if you have a laptop or desktop that had Windows Vista installed on it and you probably want to downgrade it to Windows XP, it is very possible to do so. Or, if you bought a new hard drive and could not install windows XP on it as it keeps telling you that “no hard drive” was found, this article is for you. Just follow the simple steps below:

First, power your computer and enter the BIOS setup. For most motherboards the key to press to enter the BIOS is F1 or F2 or F10 or DELETE. Press the key relevant to your system to enter the BIOS setup. In the BIOS setup utility, locate “SATA native support” under System Configuration, and then disable it. Press F10 to save and exit the BIOS setup.
Next, insert windows XP CD in the CD-ROM drive. Restart the computer and set it to boot from cd rom drive. For some computer F12, esc, F10 will take you to the boot menu, select the CD-ROM drive and hit the Enter key for the windows xp installation process to start. Follow the accompanying instructions and install windows XP.
Goodluck

How to change windows start up and log off sound

How to change windows start up and log off sound
Do you know that you can change the windows logon or log off sound, or any other program event like low battery alarm, system notification, etc, of your computer? You can change the default windows start up and logoff sound to any tune of your choice, provided that the music file is of a compatible format. That is, you can configure your windows xp computer to play your favorite song/tune each time it boots, shuts down or gives notification, instead of the normal windows sound.
How to Configure:
To configure, click on the start menu and then open the control panel. When it opens double click on sounds, speech and audio devices, the Sounds, Audio and Speech dialog box similar to the figure below will open. Click on the Sounds tab; thereafter, under the Program events, scroll down to Exit Windows and click on it.
Under the Sounds caption you will see Windows XP Shutdown. You can click on the play button to hear the sound, or click on Browse button to locate the music file that you want to change to.
Note: The music file must be in WAV format.

However, if you have a music file other than the ones in the default windows media folder, you can still select it. But, you must convert the file to a .WAV format. You can do this with the use of a video converter software, e.g. Total Video Converter.

To change the start up sound, still in program events, scroll down to start windows, to be sure its start windows click the play button beside Windows XP Startup to listen to the sound. Click on Browse to locate the music file that you want to use. Also make sure that the music file is in WAV format. Click on Apply and Ok. Now restart your computer and you will hear your new sound/tune play as windows log off and log on.

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