|
Things to
remember
Windows - all versions
With the release of Windows 7 last
week, some of you undoubtedly will be going buying a new computer
- or buying the Windows 7 upgrade for your current computer. If you're
using Windows XP, then your computer is probably older and we think
you'd be better off waiting until the time comes to buy a new
computer (which will come with Windows 7 pre-installed). And, some of you
have already upgraded to Windows 7 - you just couldn't wait, right?
Whether you're upgrading now or not, these tips are basic to good
computing and ones that you should always follow. Sometimes though,
being human, we forget the basics and someone has to remind us.
We're that someone today - we're going to remind you.
1.
Control your start-up programs
Do not allow a large number of programs to start with Windows.
Almost everything that you install these days thinks it's so
important to you that you'll need it running in the background just
in case you need to use it. However, very few things really need to
be set to start with Windows. These few things are:
a. Anything Windows-related (i.e. things that Windows needs to run)
b. Your anti-virus
c. Your anti-spyware program(s)
d. Your touchpad software if you're using a laptop and you use the
touchpad instead of a mouse.
e. Device drivers
That's it. You don't need your scanner or printer software running
all the time. These will automatically start when you scan or print
something. You don't need your chat programs running in the
background, start them from the start menu or desktop shortcuts. You
don't need browsers, graphics software, email programs, or anything
else that you've installed to run in the background - unless it is a
program like CalendarPal where it needs to be running to display
weather alerts, reminders you've set, and to provide you with
current weather information and instant weather warnings. There may
well be a few programs you can't live without that you want to start
with Windows. But you shouldn't have more than 3 or 4 of these kinds
of programs. Be selective with your start-up programs. You might
have 16GB of RAM but there's no sense wasting resources on programs
you only use occasionally. Remember: Anything that starts with
Windows uses up resources - and continues to run in the background
using up resources during your entire Windows session. It's sort of
like leaving lights on in every room of your house just in case you
have to go into that room sometime. Use a program like WinPatrol to
control startup programs. WinPatrol offers a free version that gives
you basic details about those startup programs and allows you to
remove them from Windows startup very easily.
2. Remove all the programs you don't use
This is for everyone - although if you get a new computer you
probably won't have a bunch of programs installed yet -- except for
the junk your computer manufacturer installed. Wasting hard drive
space on programs you never use is just wasted space. Plus all those
registry entries that those programs created are just adding
unnecessary bloat to your registry. You want a clean, mean computing
machine, not a loaded-down oxen. So use a program like Revo
Uninstaller and spend a few hours removing all those programs you
thought you'd use when you installed them, but find that you seldom,
if ever, use. RevoUninstaller can also help you remove junk that
always comes installed on new computers too.
So whether your computer is old or new, whether you're running XP,
Vista or Windows 7, remove the programs you'll never use and save
that hard drive space for something else. Removing unnecessary or
unused programs with RevoUninstaller also helps keep your registry
free from unnecessary registry keys - a compact, uncluttered
registry is a plus.
3. Keep organized
This is for those of you who've purchased a new computer recently or
will be purchasing one soon. This has to be done BEFORE you start
installing programs. Once you've installed a bunch of programs you
can't go moving them around into other folders, The links and the
shortcuts and everything else would be messed up. So only do this on
a new computer or one that has been freshly formatted - BEFORE you
start installing a lot of programs.
Most programs install to the Windows
drive's Program Files folder. That's cool. But if you want to really
stay organized, create several new folders in your program files
folder - with names like "Graphic Programs", "Office Programs",
"Chat Programs" "Browsers" - etc. You get the idea. That way if you
downloaded a graphics-related program like Irfanview, you would
install it to c: \Program Files\Graphic Programs\Irfanview. If you
installed "Jarte" you'd install it to C:\ Program Files\Office
Programs\Jarte. If you installed Google Chrome Browser, you'd
install it to c: \Program Files\Bowers\Chrome. Get the idea?
You get the
idea. If you have a new computer or will be getting one soon - then
now is the time to start getting organized.
If your computer is several years old - well forget it now. You
can't move programs around after you've installed them.
Your clutter is your clutter. Just remember next time you have a
chance to make a fresh start to start off being organized. It makes
you look like you know what you're doing -- and you'll be able to
find things easier too.
There are a lot of other things you can do to become a more
efficient computer user, but these three stand out as easy, simple
things you can do to make your computer perform better, help you get
rid of some unnecessary clutter, and keep your computer neat and
organized.
InfoAve Premium E-Book Volume 6 is Available Now!
Includes Windows 7 Tips!
Our brand new Cloudeight InfoAve Premium Volume 6 E-Book contains all the
content of all 52 issues of InfoAve Premium from our sixth year of publication
- from October 2008 to October 2009! InfoAve Premium Volume 6 E-Book is
available as a download, on CD-ROM, or on USB Flash Drive! Have it your
way...get
more information here - or
get
your copy of our biggest and best E-book ever -- here!
Get an InfoAve Premium Subscription! -
Follow us on Twitter.
Save 20% Instantly on Registry Mechanic
Registry Mechanic is Cloudeight approved and endorsed - we use it on our
personal and business computers. When you buy Registry Mechanic you'll be
helping Cloudeight and yourself too!
Read our review of one of the best programs you can install on your
computer -
Registry Mechanic. You'll learn why your Windows registry is like the
engine of your car and why you need to take care of it. Registry Mechanic
automates the task of optimizing, cleaning, and removing errors from your
Windows registry. This makes your computer run faster, last longer, and
gets rid of a lot of the aggravations you experience - program crashes,
error messages and slow startups and shutdowns. If you're tired of your
computer running like a tortoise through quicksand -
take a moment to learn why - and how Registry Mechanic can make your
computer run better, run faster, and last longer - all automatically. All
you have to do is click a button - really.
Save 20% on
Registry Mechanic, help yourself, and help us too!
Get your 20%-off
coupon code and order or try Registry Mechanic right now!
|
 |
