Sooner or later you are going to want to buy a new laptop. This is especially true if you are still running XP since the end of support for this great operating system is April 8, 2014. Microsoft has delayed this date several times but it looks like they are sticking to their guns this time around. When shopping for a new machine they are lots of factors you will need to look at before making your purchase. First and foremost is the operating system. Almost all computers that are sold at retail stores will ship with Windows 8.1 installed. For many folks, this will not be a comfortable option. Windows 8 is not user friendly unless you are using a touch screen computer or laptop. In addition, it is slower and more sluggish then Windows 7. I have yet to see a “snappy” Windows 8 computer. If you do want a Windows 7 system, you will need to look online at Tiger Direct or HP online. Both places have them available. The next thing you need to decide is what brand you want to purchase. The truth is, most manufacturers get their parts from primarily the same places. They are almost all made overseas and are similar in quality. I would put more emphasis on how much you can get for the money over buying a specific brand. Many folks have a pet peeve for a certain brand and that is fine. For me, I like Toshiba laptops. They have a great looking screen and the ones I have seen are all fast, as long as you get Windows 7. So brand should not be a limiting factor in buying a new laptop. All brands have certain “bugs” that might show up in certain models, as it did for us a few years back from Dell. Overall, almost all the Dells that we purchased were perfect and ran fast. Next, you need to decide how you will use the machine. If you are doing mostly browsing and a few word documents, the standard video card that comes with the laptop will be enough. If you like games and working with videos a lot, then a more powerful video...
Read MoreIs your PC not switching on no matter how many times you hold the power button? There can be few things worse in life then realizing your computer won’t switch on. That dreaded feeling that your computer has died and it will never work again is a common one. However try not to despair, there are a few steps that you can take and checks you can follow to locate the source of the problem. This brief guide will help you identify what is causing the computer power failure and what you can do to try to fix it? Below are our 5 top tips to identifying your computer power problem: 1) Check your power connection – It may seem obvious but the first step you should do is check your power connection and outlet socket. If all of your other electrical appliances are working then you can be confident it’s solely your computer at fault. Ensure that the AC power cable is secure both in the back of the machine and in the wall socket by completely unplugging the cable and reconnecting. It can be easy for power cords to accidentally get tangled and pull away from the wall. If everything is secure then you can also try plugging your computer into another power socket to rule out any individual supply connection issue. 2) Check for computer LED lights – The easiest way to identify if your computer has had a total loss of power is by checking its LED lights. These are normally small green/yellow/orange/blue lights located on the front and back of your computer case. If you can see any lights illuminated, then you can rule out a total loss of power. You can also check if the lights on a physically connected keyboard are displaying, for example the caps lock light. If there are no lights illuminated anywhere then you can be confident your machine has a total power loss. 3) Check your monitor’s power – Your monitor will usually have its own power supply and so you should next check if this is working by turning on the monitor. Even if your computer has a total loss of power you monitor’s front LED light...
Read MoreThere are so many instances when our personal computers suddenly function at a snail pace. This may be caused by so many files stored in your computers or you are lacking maintenance of your PC. There are always so many ways to speed up your slow computer and I will only be discussing a few important ones. A computer user should always check his or her PC for infections that may have cause the sudden decline in the functioning of ones computer. Viruses and spyware are the usual types of these infections. These viruses go into the system of your PCs and affect its overall performance. Usually these infectious softwares come with games and other computer applications and when they are already in the computer system, they quickly spread to its different vital parts. These do not only slow down a computer but it may also cause errors in the system and may eventually lead to the destruction of ones computer system. So for one to avoid this problem, he or she must always scan his or her PC for possible viruses or infections that has crept into the computer software. Using an antivirus program can also be very helpful in eliminating harmful viruses in your computer. A slow computer may also take its roots from a full registry. Sometimes when you are working on your PC much information still gets left behind even if you have already erased them. This can cause a truly slow computer response. So in order for you to prevent this problem, you should always clean your registry to avoid the stacking up of unneeded information and files. A registry cleaner tool can be very helpful in doing this job for you. Another cause of the decline of computer function is jumbled hard disk. The hard disk is a very vital part of your PC because it stores all your information and data. So when this disk gets loaded of information and programs, your computer may slow down in functioning. So for one to maintain a healthy hard disk, he or she must not install programs which are not important. A disk cleanup must also be done to be sure that all irrelevant information...
Read MoreWays to a trouble free computer There are many people that greatly depend on computers as they do their daily assigned tasks. Thus, their routines normally entail them to have little or more contact with computers. With this, you would most probably aim that your computer would function the right and fast way so that you would also be able to function properly in daily life. This would be important so that the things that you do in your computer would also be done faster. You should then be able to do the ten ways to keep your pc clean and healthy. In this article, you will learn, understand and try to apply them more often. An error free computer can be possible if you follow the ten ways to keep your pc clean and healthy. You would not want to allow any virus infection in your computer as it would be hindering you from doing your everyday operations. Thus, you should know that there are many anti-virus, anti-malware, and anti-spyware programs in the Internet. You should be able to select the best possible program and do the scan regularly. There are more important steps to do for your computer to better function. To summarize, you should know these ten ways to keep your pc clean and healthy. Make sure that the firewall functions properly so that malicious programs in the computer would not be transferred to other more important files in your computer as you are using the Internet. Regularly scan your computer for possible viruses through anti-virus scans. Regular anti spyware scans should also be done. If found, you should immediately eliminate them to avoid further damages in the computer system. Keep a healthy system through getting updated or latest version of programs. Thus, the performance of your computer would improve as you get updates in the Internet. Doing the regular hard disk maintenance would also a big help if you would be able to clean up a considerable amount of cleared space. This step is easy to use and Windows can give you the steps on how to do this. Scan the windows registry more often. Additionally, you should make sure that you do the registry...
Read MoreA computer crash is one of the last things you would want to experience in the middle of an important business you are doing on your PC. It also would ruin an otherwise enjoyable and relaxing web surfing or research experience. The hardest part, of course, is dealing with a computer crash problem, which is a very tedious task. It may also cost you a fortune. The most common causes of a computer crash are (1) a damaged registry; (2) spyware programs; (3) an overcrowded hard disk; and (4) too much startup programs installed. A computer’s registry contains important configuration information that supports all hardware and software operations. It is one of the most vulnerable components of your Windows operating system. The prolonged use of your PC system opens it up to malicious, incorrect, and harmful information carried by malicious spyware. These unwanted data fills up your PC memory, causing the whole system to slow down, read errors, and eventually, crash. A slow registry slows the computer down because it would take longer to read requests sent by your software and hardware programs. A reliable registry cleaning tool is the best option you have to solve your problem. Such tools dispose of unwanted and malicious files in your registry. Use registry cleaner tools to defrag your registry and create registry backups. This way your registry could be restored in case it fails because of malware. Registry problems do not develop overnight. However, one virus could send your computer crashing within a matter of minutes. It is the responsibility of computer owners to install anti-spyware and anti-virus on their computers. If you plan on buying a new PC, make sure such programs are already installed. Update your anti-virus programs regularly. New viruses and malware programs are developed every passing minute, ready to invade your system if you make the wrong move. Choose tools that have a real-time protection system to be able to combat incoming malware and viruses as they make their first move. Anti-virus and anti-spyware tools can usually be set to hold full system scans at regular intervals. Take advantage of this function. Once your disk space has been cleaned, it is advisable to activate your Disk Defragmenter,...
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