Basically, the more stuff you have on your startup list, the slower things will become. Not only are programs starting up, but they will continue running after your computer has booted and you have logged in. So there can be a massive loss in performance.

The startup list gets bigger and bigger, because many software programs are automatically added to this list during installation. The fact is, you probably don’t need half of these apps to run at boot time. You should just be opening most programs when you need them.

OK, to edit the startup, just do the following. On the quick search box, type in msconfig (for XP click Run, then type in msconfig).

Next step is to click on the “Startup” tab, and you will see something like the following:

Now you can just check or uncheck items as desired. Do NOT uncheck anything you are not sure of. After you are done, just click “OK”.

The next time you boot up, things should be faster.

Note: You can also use software to help you manage startup items and other optimization tasks, one of the best products available is PC Health Advisor, which you can download right now by clicking the link.

Say for an example, you have a shelf which accommodates 10 cartons of files. You remove two cartons which are displaced from one another, thus creating 2 units of independent space. Now you have a bigger carton (‘a’) containing 10 extra files than the previous ones. In order to place it on the shelf, we would fit the optimum number of files in the first slot and then move on to the next. This means that the contents of ‘a’ have been scattered, or fragmented. Thus when you want to access ‘a’ it would need time to collect data from various positions. Thus the scattering of allocated memory blocks is termed as fragmentation. This same principle when applied to data storage in computers would cause a delay, or a lag in file access. Thus it is crucial to minimize the extent of disk fragmentation.

Defragmentation is a process wherein the contents of the disk are physically organized to ensure contiguous data storage. In simple words it is a process to rearrange and reallocate memory locations in order to enhance computer performance. This can be done by increasing individual memory allocations so that the probability of splitting up of data is minimized.

Defragging is required when:

1.)    There is a frequent copying and pasting of contents from the hard disk

2.)    The system has a sluggish response even in the absence of any visible virus or spyware.

Ideally, defragging is recommended at least once every month. Defragging can take time on a large hard drive. So you should do it whenever you are going to be away from your computer for a while.

You can defrag with built-in Windows tools or you can use third party tools.

Windows 7 is a pretty sleek operating system and does what I think Vista was supposed to. Although I am running like 8GB on the 64bit version, so thats probably why performance is running nice and smooth.

Nonetheless, most users we have talked to seem to like Windows 7. Certainly there isn’t the lashback that we saw with Vista. Anyway, we are adding Windows 7 tweaks and tips to our articles section, so do check them out.

Windows 7 Tweaks and Tips

Well there is a great new program that can easily find the right program for any file extension. If you are missing file extensions, this will tell you what program you need. It can also fix up file extension associations and save a lot of headaches.

The product is called FileCure and it is highly recommended for fixing up any type of file or file extension problems. You can download it right here, or read more below.

Download FileCure

Read More About FileCure and Fixing File Extensions

There are tons of Registry cleaners on the market, but only a few are worth the download. One of our favorites is RegCure, which has been around for years and downloaded by millions of users. You can our full RegCure review on our reviews section.

RegCure review

Live Movie Maker is a replacement for the old Windows Movie Maker. However, this is not just an updated version, but a fully redesigned program that is far superior to the old Movie Maker.

With Live Movie Maker you can also create slide shows using photos and music.   Web publishing has been streamlined and videos can be directly uploaded to YouTube.  This is an excellent program and recommended for anyone that does video editing. You can get it from the link below.

Download Windows Live Movie Maker

Google claimed to have support of at least one major manufacturer and it looks like that could be Sony.  The Sony Vaio laptop range will be the first to feature the Google Chrome operating system.  Although no official word has come down from Sony, we think its a pretty safe bet at this stage.

The Vaios will also include Internet Explorer as the web browser. However, once Google Chrome OS starts circulating, this should help increase market share for the Chrome browser. Currently their browser made a quick grab at over 2% of the global market. This was in a very short period of time.

It is very easy to forget about these types of tasks, but you might already be infected without even knowing about it. Malware can get onto your system via malicious websites, emails, from compromised networks, USB drives and much more.

The obvious type of malware known as adware will display random pop-ups and hijack your browser. You will know when you are infected. But things like trojans can sit on your PC and record keystrokes and send this data to a remote location. These threats are far more serious and you can lose important data and financial information.

We recommend that you use a third party anti-spyware tool and run this on a regular basis. At least once per week. The good software will automatically scan your PC on a regular basis and they will download the latest definitions to ensure you are not infected with the latest and greatest malware.

You can try a free scan with XoftSpySE below. This is a great product and will keep your PC safe.

Run a Spyware and Malware Scan Now – Free Download

This laptop is in response to many users wanting more productivity from their laptops, especially when it comes to things like video and editing.

gScreen Spacebook

gScreen Specs

Spacebook planned Specs:
- 2 LED backlit display screens
- Windows VISTA/ WIN XP PRO (optional)
- Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26-GHz
- 4 GB of RAM (2GB DDR2 SO-DIMM x 2)
- 320GB 7200-rpm HD
- NVIDIA® GeForce® 9800M GT with 512MB dedicated memory (or)
- NVIDIA® Quadro FX 1700M Graphics with 512MB dedicated memory
- 9-cell battery
- IEEE 1394 1 Graphics Card Output (15-pin, D-Sub) X 1, HDMI X 1 Mic-in X 1, Line-in x 1, Headphone X 1 PCI Express Card X 1 AC Power Adaptor Output: 19V DC, 90W Input: 100~240V AC, 50/60Hz universal Battery Pack Li-ion 9 cells

Can’t wait to see one in the flesh.

gScreen Spacebook website

The leaked version is available in both the 32bit and 64bit variants. These are reportedly available from various torrent sites around the web.  We don’t recommend downloading any illegal software, but a quick search on Google would probably yield plenty of results.

Microsoft hasn’t been saying much about the latest build or what we can expect. It is believed that this is a beta version and no longer just a technical preview. If you have seen it, let us know what you think. 

——————————————
Fix Office Errors – Free Download