Getting the most out of your computer
This section concentrates upon high level strategies or goals, rather than a step by step approach - which has been done better elsewhere on the internet.
The first point of interest is that Google search is available on every UKtech page, (top right), which can be used with additional commands to perform specific tasks. For example, if you precede a word with <define>, Google will open dictionary pages for your word.
Try "define hamster" for example. Jokes aside, you can use other modifiers also.
'Everything' is controlled by software.
The screen, keyboard, mouse, hard disk, speakers - everything is controlled by software installed on your hard disk, inside your computer.
What's installed and how much effort you put into learning, determines how much you will get out. I can't help with the effort, but can certainly help with setting up your computer to get the best configuration.
UKtech Top Websites
The following are virtually indispensible!
Organise!
First up, 'organisation' - yes, I know, not the most glamorous of topics, but organising your documents and software requirements really is the key, to successful computing.
Tip: spend some time and effort learning two things - 'folder structures' and 'context sensitivity' - these topics are essential for an organised and speedy use of your computer!
If you know what you have installed on your computer and where your documents are stored, you are already halfway home!
Tip: Store all your documents in subfolders within one 'high level' folder - this way, they are easy to index and easy to backup.
The importance of organising your documents in a clear and straightforward manner can not be over emphasised. When documents are scattered all over the computer, they become very difficult to backup and even harder to find. Use a folder structure that has a top level folder called something like "My Docs", then inside this folder, create subfolders as necessary: "Work", "Pictures", "Interests", "Wallpaper" etc.
Tip: If you use an application that indexes your documents, like Copernic or Google, using a simple folder structure will make the indexing and searching faster and help boost the performance of your PC!
Software
This governs everything you do on your PC, and can be rather expensive. However, help is at hand with two forms of free software, that you can legally download and use on your PC: Freeware and Open Source. Generally, both forms are completely free for personal use, but you need to be aware that almost all software comes with a written 'license' agreement. Using software normally implies agreement with the licence conditions - so you need to make sure that the software you use is either really free, or that you have paid for a licence!
UKtech has dedicated software pages to help you find a particular application and also makes recommendations, toward the best-in-class free software, currently available.
There are links to top review sites, so you don't have to take my word for it - you can follow the links to research your own application requirements.
Tip: Try not to install loads of downloaded applications - these can slowdown your PC, sometimes contain viruses and generally make a mess!
Essential Applications
While not life saving, these Apps are very useful to have installed ready to go:
- Firefox Web Browser - so much more than merely a browser, try it with the Xmarks add-on to backup you r bookmarks.
- FoxIT Reader - this application allows you to read PDF formatted documents - which are almost a de-facto standard on the web. You will need a 'reader' program and FoxIT is one of the better free ones.
- Adobe Flash Player is a very popular format for animated graphics
- Zip archives - Windows comes with 'zipping' (file compression) software built into the operating system, but 7Zip and IZarc have more features and generally perform better - they can zip and un-zip more archive formats than Windows.
- Instant Messenger - Pidgin is my top pick. Open source, it connects to a huge variety of different IM networks - which means you don't have to install IM for each separate network, like Yahoo, MSN, AIM, ICQ etc. A massive bonus in my book!
- CD Burning - almost everyone has a CD or DVD burner these days, and although Windows has support for CD creation, it's not really very good. Much better would be to use CD BurnerXP
- Video Player - Windows has a very good player, but unfortunately can't play many formats. Enter VideoLAN stage left - straightforward player that can play almost any format.
- Revo Uninstaller - does exactly what it says on the tin! Uninstalls software and even attempts to remove all the crud built up in the Registry for each program you want to uninstall.
Performance
There is much myth and poor advice and information regarding speeding up your PC. As a rule, the longer you have a PC the more likely that you will have installed, uninstalled, deleted and re-ordered huge amounts of data. You may have acquired viruses, malware, spyware and all sorts of crud designed to slow everything down.
On top of this, Windows operating systems produce temporary files, which add to the general malaise.
What to do? Well, backup your computer first (!) then:
- Download and install Ccleaner: this program gets rid of all the temporary crud that has built up over the years. Run it monthly to keep everything clear.
- Defrag your hard disk - use Smart Defrag to re-organise your hard disk - but don't defrag too often, once a month should be fine.
- Use CHKDSK on your hard disk: right click your C: Drive>Properties>tools>Check Now. This program checks your hard drive for errors and attempts to correct them - automatically. Do not use if you have 'lost' documents / pictures etc. See Data Recovery bellow.
- Install only one antivirus program and run a full scan, periodically. AVG is currently highly regarded. (More than this and a the law of diminishing returns applies!)
- Run a full antispyware scan using a product like SuperAntiSpyware to check for the presence of any malware etc. It can be a good idea to leave SAS on your computer for some added protection, however almost all anti virus and anti spyware scanners decrease performance. Never stop your Antivirus software though, as this is your first line of defence.
There is a vast amount of information on the web regarding performance issues, but, generally speaking if you follow these guidelines all should be well. If problems persist, it might be time to seek expert advice!
Diagnostics
There are a number of hardware and software diagnostic tests you can perform on your computer, to help you trace faults. You need to proceed with caution however, as diagnostics software can be difficult to interpret and often requires a high degree of experience and knowledge.
Arm yourself with some basic knowledge before calling technical support.
Start here:
- Windows 'Event Logs'. These can be accessed through the Computer Management console (Right click My Computer Icon>Manage) and are listed under 'Event Viewer'. There is detailed information about what has happened on the PC during it's use, and can provide an indicator of where the problem lies.
- Also in the Computer Management console, is the 'Device Manager'. Use this to ascertain if specific pieces of hardware have stopped working - can also give an indicator reason.
- A fantastic piece of software called SIW can list almost everything on your computer - while not really diagnostic software, it is invaluable in documenting your PC.
- PC Wizard software can run benchmarks and tests on hard disks and memory.
You can test your PC with a variety of online tests!
SpeedTest.net - broadband speed checking to see if your getting the correct performance from your ISP.
Shields up - a range of Firewall tests from Gibson Research - an online tool to test it is working properly.
What Is my IP - this program reports your external IP address, the IP address by which you communicate with others over the internet. You can find you internal IP address by opening a command prompt: click Start>Run then type the letters 'cmd' and press return. You are now at a command prompt and can type <ipconfig /all> to display your IP address details.
Data Recovery
Tip: Get expert advice first - before you
do anything! The worst kind of problems are almost always encountered
after novices try 'everything' before requesting help!
Deleting things accidentally could well be right at the top of the list, when it comes to computer issues. I don't think I have met anyone who hasn't at some time, deleted something they later decided they needed.
When you delete something in Windows, it is not necessarily deleted. First up, there is always the recycle bin - if this fails then your backup is the best bet. You did do a backup didn't you?
No? Then all is not lost, but generally from now on it's going to cost time and or money to resove.
Tip: if the lost information is really important, don't do ** anything ** to try and recover it yourself - get expert advice first. This is very likely to cost a fortune, but only you can decide if it is worth the cost, and 'self recovery' can ruin your chances of getting your work back.
It's not all gloom though, as several manufacturers make very good free recovery software, both of these can recover files, even if you have emptied the Recycle Bin:
Successful data recovery depends on exactly what happened and in what sequence, to the missing data.
If you lost your laptop overboard whilst on a cruise, you could be forgiven for thinking all was lost. But this isn't necessarily so, as there are companies who will try and recover data from waterlogged and even burnt hard disks. They are surprisingly successful too, as data stored on a hard disk is quite difficult to destroy - given you have sufficient funds to pay for a forensic recovery company.