11 WINDOWS TWEAKS AND TIPAS &TRICKS

11. Increase Performance by Adjusting Vista Visual Effects and Performance Properties!!!!




I'm going to take the time to really let you control your system through visual and performance effects right now.



Change your Power Setting



I'll start first with a simple trick that most will laugh once they learn. Have you ever wondered why sometimes your system runs very slow, expecially after plug in from battery power with Vista???



To help you in controlling performance and battery power, Vista has a new option that lets you decide at what level you want your system to perform. You simply 'left click' on the battery icon in your system tray and decide whether you want your system running in balanced, power saver or high performance mode. It as easy as that.



Yes...I know... this is really a cheat tweak that many know already but, its really a reminder for all that will be a performance increase at some point. How many times have we wondered why our system was running slow only to go into the power option and see that we are still on power saver mode?



Now... on to the real tweak!!!!! Dum Dum Dum Dum du Dum. okok not quite yet... another mini-cheat tweak.



Enable or Disable Vista Aero



Vista uses up alot of resources to allow it to look great, some of which slow the system down just for the visual effect. There is a simple way to decide, as far as the desktop goes, what exactly you want and don't want.



1. Right click on the desktop background and select 'Personalize' and 'Windows Colour and Appearance'.

2. Experiment with turning off Vista Aero by checking and unchecking 'Enable Transparency'.



This, along with others I will cover shortly, results in a performance increase because, each time you click on new windows, that window has to be rendered as the system is set up. So... if you don't need Aero, uncheck the box and the system does not have to work that much harder every time you open a new window.



Change your Vista Colour Scheme



We can actually carry this a step further. Click on 'Open Classic Appearance Properties for More Colour Options'. Here, you will find that you can adjust your colour scheme which results in a less demanding appearance.



For example, Windows Vista Basic is much less demanding than Windows Aero and similarly Windows Standard is less demanding than Vista Basic. One can see this by simply clicking on the menu selection. Play around and make the system your own and how you want it.



Adjust Vista Visual Effects



Now, lets get to the meat and gravy shall we? (or soya for those vegetarians)



1. Click Start/Control Panel/Classic View/Performance information and Effects/Adjust Visual Effects



Here you can play around with each and every little setting that you choose to make your system speedier and more in tune with what you want.



Want an example?



One of the boxes you can select or deselect is ' Use a background image for Each Folder type' If you deselect it, your folders (ie. picture folders) won't have to take the time to put a picture on its face every time you select it. This can be particularly obvious with systems with lesser memory and no graphics card.



Personally, I leave every boxed checked, but then again Im running with a dual 2 core processor,4Gb RAM and in 64 Bit mode. Life is great!



Security Settings



12. Remove that Annoying Security Center Notification!!



Sometimes I take for granted that things will work themselves out when they occur as should be the response to Vista 's Security Center alerts. For example, if you turn off UAC in the tweak above, you will continually get security balloon tip warnings that display the 'Red Armour X' with a balloon warning. I am surprised to learn that many leave it on and are alerted continually because they aren't sure of how to turn it off.



Well, for all those who fall into this category, your gonna chuckle at the simplicity of it. But first, a bit of a background if I may...



Security is placed in Vista to ensure that your system is as protected as it can be. It not only gives you an idea of what to do to protect your system and keep it protected, but it alerts you if something is not working.



It monitors your antivirus program, firewall, automatic updating, spyware, internet security settings as well as UAC. If I left mine on, I would be getting alerts every 2 seconds as I am tweaked and have many of these systems adjusted.



If you are computer savvy and want to rid yourself of this annoying 'Coat of Armor' and its balloon tips, just do the following:



1. Double click on the Armour icon in your system panel to go into Security Center;

2. On the left, click on 'Change the way Security Center Alerts me'; and

3. Choose to either have the icon remain and get rid of the balloon alerts or to remove the icon and not be alerted.



You can always change back or check it later if you would like by going into Control Panel/Security Center and modifying your options.



13. Turn Off User Account Control (UAC)(Ty and Rep Sequoia225)



This tweak is best followed after a 'clean' install with respect to the below listed advisory.



One of the most annoying things in Vista is the protection of your system through UAC. Before I knew how to disable it I considered throwing the system out the window. The purpose of UAC is to make you confirm a large number of everyday functions in order to somehow protect your system from malware infections. In any case heres how to shut it off (or turn it back on).



1. Click on start and then click on your username picture top right of the start menu.

2. Click on 'Turn User Account Control on or off.'

3. Uncheck (or check) User Account Control, select ok and restart.



Thats it except...



There needs to be a word of caution in turning UAC on and off. There is a process called virtualization that, when UAC is 'on' saves program data files (things like INI files, configuration files, saved game files etc.) within a totally separate area for each individual user. If you then turn UAC off, there have been reports that certain programs may be unable to find that saved data. The truth, in fact, is that the data is still there but only visible to the program in this 'virtualization folder' once UAC has been turned on again.



An example is... If UAC is on and you install some game, and the game then saves files to that program's main directory and subsequently you turn UAC off. Those files may appear to the game that they have been deleted when, in all actuality, they are stored in this folder and only accessible through virtualization when UAC is on. (Thanks to SchuderiaConchiglia and Crash for an enormous amount of background study on this.)



14. Turn off System Restore (just not quite yet)



One of the most powerful tweaks available to Vista has to do with the System Restore feature. Back in the days of 3.1/Me/Millenium and even XP, we would have screamed to have something this effective in restoring our system when we made a mistake. Quite simply, System Restore will restore your system to how it was when the last restore point was created....which is why the top title has 'just not quite yet'. The power during our tweaking is that, should we make a mistake, we can just revert back to a previous state.



First, you can access system restore by several methods, a few as follows:



1. Start/Control Panel/Backup and Restore Centre/Create or Repair a Restore Point; or

2. Start/All Programs/Maintenance/Backup and Restore Center.



System Restore is on automatically. To turn it off, you simply go into 'Create a Restore Point or Change Settings' and turn it off (or on) by checking or unchecking options.



Now to the meat and gravy of this tweak....I'm going to describe it to you through the words of an old Clint Eastwood movie:



The Good: When System Restore is turned off, it saves a large amount of disk space because it is not continually creating restore points. It also enhances performance significantly as it is not running in the background and creating these restore points.



The Bad: When it is turned off, you cannot revert to a previously saved restore point; and



The Ugly: If you make a significant mistake with it off, there is usually no turning back. You may need to completely reinstall, if its bad enough, which can be time consuming.



My Own Opinion??? Ok...sure I would suggest you leave it on for now, anyway, and reduce your saved restore points to just the one by:



Start/Computer/Right click on 'C'/Properties/Disk CleanUp/More Options/System restore and Shadow Copies (Clean Up).



When your tweaking is nearing an end and you are comfortable with what you have, make a disk backup and by all means shut it down. You will see a world of difference.



System Maintenance



15. Use TuneXP 1.5 (TY and Rep Trebuin)(Click for File)



Trebuin introduced me to this little XP program which works great on Vista and reduces your boot time by reorganizing it. The program is phenomenal andhas no side effects except a much quicker start speed. As you get more knowledgeable, there are a bunch of other great utilities in the program.



It takes all your boot files and places them at the front of the disk.



This is the best Tweak in our arsenal as there are several reports that it will cut your start time in half. I have verified this with my Vista 64Bit (20 sec) and have cut my sons 32Bit time in half to 40 seconds.



I use it on both my Vista 32 and 64 bit systems and it works great. Word to the wise though...dont use later versions. This version is the only tested for this.



1. Install Program and if asked to select a drive, select 'C';

2. Go to Memory and File System and Click on Ultra-Fast booting (it may appear to freeze but its working);

3. Once its done, it will inform you not to reboot your system until defragmentation is complete;

4. Bring up your Task Manager from your system tray by right clicking in the tray bottom right and select Task Manager;

5. Go to processes;

6. You will see two processes relating to defrag. Dont restart your machine until they dissappear.



WARNING!!! Although many have gotten phenomenal results from the Ultra Fast Booting option, DO NOT utilize any other options in TuneXP.



16. Get CCleaner!!! It Works with 32/64Bit (Click here!)



CCleaner (formerly Crap Cleaner) is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused and temporary files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster, more efficiently and giving you more hard disk space. The best part is that it's fast! (normally taking less than a second to run) and Free.



It cleans the following:



1. Internet Explorer Cache, History, Cookies, Index.dat;

2. Recycle Bin, Temporary files and Log files;

3. Recently opened URLs and files;

4. Third-party application temp files and recent file lists (MRUs);

5. Including: Firefox, Opera, Media Player, eMule, Kazaa, Google Toolbar, Netscape, Office XP, Nero, Adobe Acrobat, WinRAR, WinAce, WinZip and more...



It also contains an 'Advanced Registry Scanner' and cleaner to remove unused and old entries to include File Extensions, ActiveX Controls, ClassIDs, ProgIDs, Uninstallers, Shared DLLs, Fonts, Help Files, Application Paths, Icons, Invalid Shortcuts and more...



There is also a Windows Startup editor as well as a back-up tool just in case you delete something your not supposed to.



17. Commit to a Weekly Maintenance Schedule.



I think one of the best tweaks we can do is to commit to doing a proper cleanup of our system at least weekly. I will confess Im a nut for this and do it daily but, most importantly, it does ensure your system is in top shape and running its best.



Through internet use, trying new things and...yes tweaking, your system will save internet and tmp files which will build up over time to an incredible size, slowing your system down quite a bit. Further, installing and uninstalling new programs and applications leaves tons of unneeded registry entries in your system.



So...I will walk you through my regime. I hope it helps you along.



1. Clean Internet files. I use Internet Explorer but have used FireFox which is similar. Lets start by going into the 'tools' menu (IE) and deleting our browsing history. I choose to delete all the different allowable otions just to make sure we got everything.



2. Clean your Registry. In Tweak # 4 above, we downloaded CCleaner. Lets use it now to first clean our windows files, then applications and follow this with a registry scan and fix.



3. Scrub your System Clean. Im gonna let you in on a little secret that the God's are gonna condemn me for. I do a thorough scrub of my system with a program called Easy Cleaner 2.0 by ToniArts. BE CAREFUL THOUGH! This program was originally intended for XP and is over a year old. Do not touch the 'Registry' or 'Duplicates; buttons. Its more of a 64Bit concern but they are not fine tuned for Vista. Use 'Unnecessary' and click to choose all file types. 'Find' followed by 'Delete all'. You will be surprised at the vast amount of files that are found and cleaned.



4. Empty your Recycle Bin.Go to the Recycle Bin and empty it. EasyCleaner puts all its discarded files there.



5. Confirm with a Disk Cleanup. Start/Computer/Rt Click on 'C'/Properties/Disk Cleanup.



6. Finish with a System Defrag. Start/Computer/Rt Click on 'C'/Properties/Tools/Defragment Now.



Feels like your computer just had a good bath doesn't it. This regime has been used by me for the longest time and I have found my system stays in tip top shape with this.



For the hard disk users (Im SSD personally), lack of cleaning and continuous use will cause a huge buildup of garbage files followed by extreme file fragmentation which will slow your system immensely.



To put this into perspective, its like walking down a road and then walking down it again once its been hit by a few hundred bombs. Which would be the quicker trip?



General Tips, Tricks and Software



18. Windows Snipping Tool IS AMAZING!



I let the cat out of the bag in the last tweak so I figured I might as well spill the beans. If you have Vista Premium or above you have a great new tool called Snipping Tool. It enables you to freeze whatever is on your screen and take a picture of it. You may notice that I use this in tons of my threads as it is so easy.



To get to it...



1. Click Start/All Programs/Accessories and voila ; or

2. Start 'Run' and type 'snippingtool'.



Just for a bit of a background, tthis is Microsofts description of 'The Tool':

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Win...605b41033.mspx



NOTE: If you delete Tablet PC above, this will not work!!



19. Improve your Battery Life with Vista Battery Saver!!!!!!!(TY and Rep ScuderiaConchiglia)



Its been awhile since I threw a program in here and, for the most part, its because they need to pass my standards to make it here. They must be complete freeware and not share/trial ware and there also can't be advertisements or limited execution of the program, prompting one to buy the 'better' version.



Having said that, I just have to throw this one in!!! Its called Vista Battery Saver by Codeplex and is created for the sole purpose of allowing more manipulation of battery modes as well as applying hidden tweaks that increase battery life automatically. It is a system tray icon that does reside in the system tray which, normally, would knock it out of contention automatically. It is an .msi installation file though that, from what I can see, creates NO cpu usage or increase of its own and, serves the purpose of increasing battery life. My start time hasn't suffered as well!!



There is a plus in this program that Vista, for some reason, hasn't included. It allows you to set the performance mode (high performance, balanced and power savor) automatically when it is plugged in or on battery. It also enables you to choose when to keep MS Aero and sidebar on or off, again to improve battery life.



Ok enough of my jibber jabber and go here:

Vista Battery Saver



20. Increase or Decrease Desktop Icon Size in just a click!!!!(TY and Rep Trebuin)



Its nice every now and then to find a neat little trick that you never knew. This is the case with this appearance tweak which allows you to increase or decrease the size of your desktop icons.



Simply....



1. Click on your Desktop screen.

2. Hold the Control key down; and

3. Move your mouse scroll wheel up or down.

Tadaaa. You can control the size of your icons.



21. Can't Afford Office? Get OpenOffice for Free!!!



Yes, this inclusion is going to be a programmers nightmare because I'm supporting yet another program that is absolutely free. To pass my standards, the program has to be free of any limitations, time constraints, upgrades that cost us money and openly distributed to everyone. This one fits that bill and more!!



The program is called OpenOffice and it is described in detail here. The direct download is here. Quite frankly, it looks like the other software, acts like the other software, saves documents just like the other software..plus lots more and doesn't cost you a penny.



I'de probably list this as the best freebee on the net with respect to the amount of money saved. Now that I am using this, I don't understand why one would get the other program.



As a brief overview it has a very detailed word processor (that resembles the other one almost exactly), spreadsheet (same same), presentation creator (again same same), database which seems actually simpler, and add to this a drawing tool and mathematical function creator. Just click on the word to see the specific function page.



Heads up as it is a large download but worth every bit of space it takes and dont take just my word for it, see what others are saying.
                                                                                                                     

10 windows tweaks tips and tricks for your windows operating system

Image via CrunchBase

Top Vista Tweaks

The following guide is a compilation of the absolute best tips and tweaks found on the net as contributed through NBR members. These tips tweaks are presented to enhance the Vista user experience and have been tried and tested by several, each tweak proven very effective if the instructions are followed as described. Although these have been tested, their is no guarantee as to their effectiveness on any one system as individual hardware, software and manufacturer limitations must be considered.

Good luck. Don't panic if something appears not to work correctly and, most of all, ensure you follow the instructions VERBATUM when effecting a tweak. Members are always available in the forum to help you along.

Boot Enhancements

The following tweaks will help you in achieving a better speed at startup and shutdown of you computer, general performance as well as showing you how to display Vista's secret boot screen.

1. Disable TMM (TY and Rep NinjaNoodles)

This tweak is responsible cutting system start time 3-5 seconds and eliminating that blank screen flash when you start Vista. This normally occcurs when Vista searches for external monitors on startup of Vista. If you are not using an external monitor, or dont switch back and forth always...turn TMM off.

Here's how to fix that annoying black flicker on boot:

1. Go start/control panel/administrative options/task scheduler.
2. On the left-hand side, click "Task Scheduler Local" (you should already be there, but just in case).
Expand "Task Scheduler Library," then "Microsoft," then "Windows," then click "MobilePC."
Up top, you'll see a task called "TMM." Click it, and on the right-hand side, click "Disable."

If you use an external monitor occasionally as I do, just press and hold FN and press F8 twice to switch monitors.

2. Eliminate Unneeded Startup Programs (Tx and Pls Rep Harpreet1998)

When your computer starts, there are a number of programs that start automatically and remain running in the background which steal away much needed memory. They add up in time and although many have no real use to the average user, others can be eliminated from starting automatically and started from the 'All Programs' or 'Quick Launch' menu as required. My best example of this is Messenger (or AIM/ICQ) which starts and hogs valuable resources even when your not using it.

First lets see how to get there to see what we have shall we?

1. Type 'msconfig' in the Run command (Winkey + R) (new trick for you here lol);
2. Press Start/Control Panel/Admin Tools/System Configuration/Startup; or
3. Download this excellent freeware program called Startup Inspector

This is an excellent program for the newby because it has a consultant which, not only tells you what each program is, but also tells you which are required by the system (user chosen, recommended, not required or unknown).

Now what can we disable and eliminate from the startup process? This is much an individual choice but I personally have shut down all that start 'NVIDIA, Messenger, Office, Nwiz, and quicktime.

The good thing about disabling is, if you see a negative result...go into safe mode, Run, Msconfig and undo your changes.

3. Cut Shut Down Time In Half!!

I need to precede this with a warning that we are going to advance ourselves a bit here by moving into editing our registry. It means that its absolutely necessary to follow the exact steps as a wrong entry or deletion my cause a reinstall of Vista at worst.

Before we start, by default, there is a 20 second delay in shutdown of Vista, a process that vista has set in order to allow software to shutdown correctly. You can adjust this to a much shorter time, thus significantly reducing the total time it takes to shutdown your computer.

Ready? Ok lets go..

1. Press the Start Orb (bottom left and then go into the Run command (remember Windows key + R).
2. Type 'Regedit' (without the quotes) and hit enter.
3. As the Registry File is so large, Im going to ask you to go top right and maximize this to full screen...and follow me.
4. Click the little triangle to the left of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/ SYSTEM/ CurrentControlSet/ Control.
5. Click on the "Control" Folder. Select "WaitToKillServiceTimeout" Right click on it and select Modify. The default value is 20000. Setting it to a lower 4 digit value, say 5000
6. Simply exit when done.

The 20000 signifies a 20 second delay wheres 5000 signifies a 5 second delay. I cut 20 seconds off my shutdown time by changing this as it suggests so don't try and figure out exact time reduction by numbers...just play with it bit by bit.

You may want to remain at the 5000 mark as Vista does need time to shut software down. If this is not enough, come back and increase the size.

4. Use Vista's Secret Boot Screen!!

This is more of a trick than a tweak as it does nothing for performance. Simply, if your bored of that ole bar scrolling across the screen, do this:

1. Go into 'Run' by clicking WINkey + R,type 'msconfig and hit enter; and
2. Go into the boot menu, click 'No GUI Boot' so its checked, apply, ok and reboot the system.

You will see the new boot screen as it starts. If you don't like it, just go back and uncheck the box

Speed and Performance

5. Disable Vista Search Indexing

All versions of Vista have Search Indexing enabled by default which is an unneeded resource for most. Its function is to continuously update files on your system so that they can be made available for faster searching. Unfortunately, this takes its toll on system performance which is why its listed in several tweaking programs as a top teak; I agree totally.

To disable Windows indexing:

1. Click Start, then computer;
2. Right click on Local Disk 'C:'
3. Left click on Properties;
4. Uncheck 'Index this Drive for Faster Searching';
5. Let it complete and select 'Include subfolders and files' in any subsequent dialog box

EDIT: From here we will go one step further and turn off Windows Search in your services as per Trebuins recommendation. I was going to wait and shut all useless services down at once but, he is right and, this does pertain strictly to this so...

1. Click on start/run and type in 'MSConfig' and hit ok;
2. Click on Services tab and find Windows Search
3. Uncheck/Apply and Ok...Your done!!!

Voila!! Its funny eh, a feature that is supposed to speed up searching that is one of the worst reasons for system slowdown.
                                


                                




6. Disable Excess Windows Processes at Boot! (TY and Pls Rep Trebuin)

Im going to give a bit of a background to this as it is probably the one tweak that can really screw anyone up if they make the wrong move. I think its better to walk through slowly and make sure we are all clear then to jump into and have someone go into a panic if they do something wrong. Windows Vista starts somewhere just short of a hundred processes running each and every time you boot into Vista, many of these being unneeded. Their are four options that describe how each process is started, these being manual (start), automatic, automatic delayed and disabled. Having said that, you dont want to disable something your not sure of, it could prevent you from getting into Vista again.

Trebuin has been kind enough to make a chart of very safe changes we can make in Vista. It is here: Trebuin Safe Process Changes I would suggest you start with his values as they are proven.

There are two ways to affect these changes, the first of which is by typing 'services.msc' into the run command which should be on your Vista Menu. (If its not rt click on the Vista Orb lower left/properties/start menu-customize and check Run).

The second is to simply enable or disable services by typing 'msconfig' into the Run bar or:

Press Start/Control Panel/Administrative Tools/System Configuration and Services.

There...I have taught you just enough to really hurt yourself (lol) and a good acrobat has a safety net just in case so....

If you make a mistake, this link will allow you to reset your services back to the original Vista Values, no matter what version of Vista:http://www.speedyvista.com/registry.html

A safe idea would be to actually copy and save the bat file that applies to you, on a disk, so you can get to it if you need it. Myself, I was fooling around one day and found that my Internet wouldn't work as I disabled the wrong service; it creates a bit more wrk.

For those wanting to venture even further, I am going to promote a site (http://www.blackviper.com/) and include this link which will enable you to not only learn about each and every process, but also, explore his ideas on safe settings, his choices as well as bare bones settings. I have personally used his choice settings without a problem. Blackviper Service Configurations

7. Turn Off Unused Windows Features (Tx and Rep LIVEFRMNYC)

This tweak is actually a 'two in one' as it saves disk space by turning off unneeded windows features as well as improving performance by shutting down Remote Differential Compression (RDC). Briefly RDC monitors changes in files in order to transfer them with minimum compression over a network, thus eliminating the transfer of an entire file which has been already moved. This checking and rechecking can hinder system performance. With respect to the other features that I will suggest shutting off, I myself only leave Games, Ultimate Extras (both self explanatory) and Tablet PC. I choose to leave tablet PC as it enables a little feature called Snipping Tool which I absolutely love. Anyone who hasn't used it, type 'snipping tool' in the 'Run' box and enjoy.

In anycase, the tweak is as follows:

1. Press Start/Control Panel/Classic View and select Programs and Features;
2. Choose 'Turn Windows Features On and Off;
3. You can safely unselect 'Indexing Service, Remote Differential Compression, Tablet PC Optional Components (if you don't want Snipping Tool), Windows DFS Replication Service, Windows Fax & Scan (unless you use Fax through a modem) and Windows Meeting Space.

Oh and if you want to be real smart, DFS Replication duplicates files for use among multiple PCs in a network and keeps them in sync. Its not very useful on a stand alone.

8. Get a Flash Drive and Use ReadyBoost!!!

To start, this does not apply to us SSD users as there is no significant access time increase from the SSD and the USB storage drive.

For the rest, lucky you!! You can literally add memory to your system by popping in a USB storage drive and enabling ReadyBoost on that drive. For systems with limited RAM, Vista has a file on the hard drive called pagefile.sys. When it gets low on ram, it uses pagefile to store and retrieve files accessed most often. If you can imagine, this results in a huge performance drop as accessing the hard drive for ram is exactly what we do not want to do.

Vista now enables us to pop in a USB drive and create a disk cache through the added memory which in some systems can be a huge step up, especially when 2Gb storage drives are so common now.

First, if your going to buy a drive, it has to have the following specifications:

1. It must be USB 2.0 compatible;
2. It must be at least 64mb in size; and
3. It must be able to read at 3.5mb/sec and write at 2.5mb/sec which all pretty much are in any case.

Next... How do we do it???

1. Plug in the USB storage drive;
2. Press Start/Computer and right click on the new drive;
3. If the drive is compatible there will be a tab for ReadyBoost, click on it;
4. Select 'Use this Device' and select the amount of space you want to use.

Now, there is no need for restarting the system and the effects occur instantaneously. It is nice to know that when you restart with this drive again, it automatically defaults to ReadyBoost again. I would expect those running Vista with 512mb will see a huge difference by sticking a 2Gb drive in performance where those with 1Gb will still visibly see the difference.

Wanna learn more about ReadyBoost or any other new windows feature for that fact??? Just Click on the word!!

9. Turn on Write Caching for Better SATA Disk Performance!!!!

This tweak speeds up the performance of your hard disk by enabling write caching. There is a danger to this, if you have no backup power supply, as a loss of power would result in loss of any information within the cache at the time of the outage. So.... make sure to continually backup your files in data programs such as Word, Excel, and so on...

To enable write caching:

1. Press Vista Orb/Computer/right click on 'C'/Properties;
2. Click on Hardware and double click on your hard drive;
3. Go to Policies and check 'Enable Write caching on the Disk'
4. You can go one step further by checking 'Enable Advanced performance' but pay attention to the underlying warning.

This option isn't available to all. Newer systems are automatically set to run in AHCI mode through the BIOS and utilize a program called the 'Intel Matrix Storage Manager'. Together, these already enably higher performance of your system and prevent you from 'Enhancing Write Caching' on your own. You may be able to check it off but when you exit and return, its unchecked again. Don't panic!!! Thats just the way it presently works.

10. Ensure Your Video Drivers are Up To Date!!!! (NVidia Drivers only)

To start, I know that some of you are going to read this and realize you never had a clue that you should update your video drivers!! To a great extent, if the driver you are using works for you, why stick a fly in the ointment right? For many however, video driver updates can, not only improve upon performance but also, fix problems associated with the older drivers in use. You need to read the driver information to, not only ensure it is compatible with your graphics adapter, but also to recognize that the updates and fixes will help you in some way.

Many of the most recent fixes have this little issue solved which has been recognized in so many trouble posts here at NBR:

"The display is corrupt or there is no display upon resume from sleep mode" ISSUE RESOLVED

So..first off go here for the latest video driver update: LaptopVideo2Go
You will see on the left, your choices first which you need to make sure are correct. If you are using Vista as a 32Bit environment, select it. Also, if you have updated previously, the latest and greatest drivers are listed on the right.

As far as updating simply find the latest driver and double click on the exact file number you want. It is in the version column. DONT CLICK ON THE DOWN ARROW!! This will bring you to the screen where you can verify all the information I mentioned above.

Now, once in this screen, I want you to click on the driver as well as modded inf. Download them both to the same location on your computer; the desktop is simplest. Look at that...there is even a quickstart guide to help you along if your hesitant or unsure!!! You can browse this and even look through the pictures for reference but PLEASE...follow my directions exactly to ensure this works for you.

Next double click on the downloaded driver file to extract it. It will create a folder with tons of files in it. Once thats done, I need you to click on the modded inf file, hold the clicker down, and drag that file into the new folder. It will ask you and I want you to replace the 'inf' file from the driver with the 'modded inf' file.

IF YOU DO NOT, you may get some silly message later that says that your system is not compatible with the driver.

All that is required now is to find the file entitled 'Setup' inside the folder and double click on it.

Once the process starts, you will get a red warning label that says 'Windows can't verify the publisher of this driver software' Install the driver software anyway.

Thats it!! Restart your system and enjoy.

As for cleanup, you can now delete the original compressed file, any modded inf file still there, as well as the newly extracted folder that was created. They are all no longer of any use.
                                       

Ten tips to buy a good laptop computer

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Todays market is crowded with offers from computer vendors that want to sell you their products. And sometimes these offers promote computers and accessories that don't satisfy your personal requirements - and just dig a big whole in your pocket. If you are a student, a small business owner, or just a regular professional, you need to look for a laptop that will be reliable and at the same time will not suck all your money.

These are a set of tips that have worked for me and several other people when buying laptop computers. Although the number of options in the market is vast, there are a few things that, when you put the required attention, will result in an excellent buying choice.

Finding the best deal in computers is not always that easy. Many stores, specially when the holidays are approaching, put together deals that look promising at first sight, but that are really bad if you don't pay enough attention.

Getting a good computer comes up to select quality for the right price. Although saving money is important, it is not a matter of just saving in the store. You should look at the long term savings by your equipment. That is why it is important to look at some of the items bellow.

1. Be aware of the warranty

One of the most overlooked issues when buying a laptop is the warranty. In the excitement of the new toy you don't even care about this. However, when the laptop has a problem this can be a real headache.

Make sure that you get informed if the warranty for your equipment is good enough. Check with friends that had to use the customer services if the company is efficient. Finally, check if you need to buy an additional coverage package. (more information about laptop warranty can be seen here.)

2. Choose a processor that is adequate but not too expensive

processor is something very important for every laptop a good processor will help you to get a good performance and more amount of work and it will consuming less time bcoz processing is faster

speed plays very important role in our today's life of computer world good speed will help you more for being good at work

Many processors nowadays have a dual core, which means that they have a copy of itself available for similar work. This is great because different programs can use different processors, and therefore can run faster as a result. Dual cores are the ones with such capability, and quad-cores (with four processors) are coming to the market.

Intel has made available in the last year a lot of new processors that bring extra processing capacity for laptops. You can find these dual-core process in the new laptops from Dell, HP, and even
                                       

3. Find a laptop with enough room for growth

Laptops are different from desktop computers mainly in that it is difficult to expand its capacity. If your hard disk, for example, gets full after a few months, it is difficult to replace it with a bigger one. Especially if you find out that this is not allowed by the company.

You should always plan to buy a laptop that has features that allow it to grow without major headaches. For example, extra slots for memory extension, several ports for communication with external devices, replaceable drives, etc. This will certainly pay off when you need to improve your laptop in the future.

4. Do not be cheap with memory: you always need more

Memory is like money: you always need more. The general law of programming is that each program is made to use ALL memory available at any given time. And companies spend their time creating software that tries to eat even more memory, such as Windows Vista, Java programs, etc.

The good thing is that memory is cheap these days. So, make a good investment and buy enough memory to satisfy the hunger of your preferred applications.

memory is of two types i.e. RAM and ROM very imp in todays world is ram ram helps you to multi-tasking with your program the greater the ram more number of programs you can multi-task at a time 

ROM is something not that important in todays world of pendrive so if it is there or not won't matters

5. Hark disk is essential

One feature that can make or kill your laptop is the hard disk. It is difficult to replace hard disks, and if your is too small it won't fit all the information you need.

Prefer hard disks with generous sizes, even if you have to pay a little more. It is good investment, because it will save you a lot of trouble when you try to install the new multi-Giga software or when you try to store the record you made of your children.

more the hdd more the data you can store

6. Consider the durability of the case

Being a mobile equipment, the laptop may be subject to conditions that are not natural. For example, it can get stuck in the back of your car, shaken in the airport check-in lines, or fell on the ground when your dog pull the power chord (although this wouldn't happen with a Mac...). That is why is so important that you consider buying a durable laptop.

In any case, it is important that yourlaptop can resist several types of hazards without any major problems. Make sure that, for example, the screen will not fall apart easily (a major problem in old models), or that the keyboard looks resistant enough.

7. Avoid the wave of optional and trial software

Computer makers nowadays have this terrible deal of sending lots of trial software bundled with each laptop. And they even have the courage to market this as a good deal for users.

In fact, most of the software that in bundled with new computers is just crap that will stop running after a few days. The end result is that you will have to manually remove them, and pray that nothing bad will happen to the computer's configuration when the software is gone. If you don't want to do this, you laptop will forever waste disk space with software that you don't want.

So, be aware of the trial software trick. Try to avoid vendors that bundle every piece of crap in your hard drive and still want to be paid for this "service".

8. A good screen is fundamental

Nothing can burn you out faster when working with a computer than having a bad screen. A good screen can also provide with many moments of pleasure, so never underestimate the importance of a good screen in your laptop.

The main measure of screen is its size, but almost as important is the resolution. Typical resolutions are nowadays 1280 by 800 pixels or 1680 by 1050 pixels, but they get better every year. You should make sure that you can get enough resolution to run the programs you like without losing any real screen estate

9. Expansion ports: the more the better

This is an area where there is no real limits. The more extension options you have, the better. You can never know when you will need to use that crazy accessory that connects only to a specific port.

These days, the USB ports are the most popular, so you should have plenty of them. Of course, with USB you can always buy extension ports, but you should be able to use three or four USB accessories before this is necessary. Firewire equipment is now getting more common, especially for video equipment, so you should make sure that they are there.

10. Consider the input methods

Working with a laptop computer can be rewarding, due to the increased mobility that it provides. However, be aware that many laptops can cripple your productivity due to badly designed input methods.

For example, many laptops have keyboards that are so small that it is hardly possible to type in it without mixing keys. This might be something that is particular not only to the equipment, but to your own physical dimensions -- if you have big hands, try to find a laptop with a keyboard that is large enough. If you have small hands, then you will probably be comfortable with any laptop keyboard.

Another issue here is the mouse or trackball. Laptops have huge variability in this area: some come with a track point, other with a touch sensitive area. Some of these are impossible to use, so you will probably need an external mouse. Take this into consideration when you are testing the laptop
                                                            

                      
                          

What internet browser for windows which do you prefer to use?

       

Browser Wars

Change is a way of life. Civilizations rule the world, and one day a pile of ruins and a few archaeologists poking around is all that's left behind. A few years ago, Microsoft dominated the landscape, destroyed Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer was all that you could see, horizon to horizon, or from desktop to desktop. Then a little toddler called open source came along, and there was a tectonic shift. Mozilla.org came up with a new browser to combat the hegemony of IE, and the result was a free and increasingly sophisticated and technologically superior browser.

Microsoft is not a pile of ruins and Bill Gates is still the richest man in the world. They are fighting hard to keep their browser where it is - The most widely used web browser in the world. The statistics, as of July 2007 :

1. MSIE 6.x ----------4586716---------- (52%)

2. MSIE 7.x ----------1680029 ----------(19%)

3. FireFox ----------1126273 ----------(13%)

4. Netscape comp.---------- 876930---------- (10%)

5. Safari---------- 244749 ----------(3%)

6. Unknown----------98514---------- (1%)

7. Opera x.x----------72477---------- (1%)

8. MSIE 5.x----------64640---------- (1%)

As you can see Microsoft still has 72% of the web browser market. And they have been duking it out for years now. That said, Microsoft has some significant handicaps. Below the fold is an in-depth comparison of the latest browsers from both sides, their advantages and defects.

Browsers and Designing

Browsers & Designing

It's one thing to decide which is the best web browser to use as a web surfer, and its quite another to get a web page to display properly in both IE and Firefox. Believe me, the image above may seem funny, but its absolutely true. Sometime back, I tried to switch to CSS, and it just wouldn't work in both browsers. I finally got it to work, after doing something ( I have no idea what ), but by then Google got tired of my experimentation and dropped all my pages from the search rankings. I promptly switched back to tables, and I'm slowly inching my way back up in the rankings.

I still don't understand why there is this incompatibility between the two browsers when it comes to CSS. It's a much debated topic, and while tere are a lot of suggestions on the net, there is no sure-fire answer, and te best way is to do trial and error.

Firefox Doesn't Get Along With Other Browsers

Internet Explorer 7 vs. Firefox 2.0

Ok. Let's get down to what you really wanted. There are two popular web browsers today - IE7 and Firefox 2.0. Listed below are their plus points and negative aspects.

Internet Explore 7

Plus Points :

• Technically free, but you still need to buy the Windows opearting system.
• Has corrected many defects present in IE6
• Has added missing previously missing facilities like tabbed browsing
• More stable and less vulnerable to adware, malware and oter third party intrusions.
• Sleek and new look
• Anti-phishing technology and RSS reader buiilt in.

Negatives :

• The tech elite still prefer Firefox, for various reasons
• The Menu bar, links and other stuff at the top of the browser take up too much space.
• Installing, or upgrading to IE7 takes a lot of time.
• Can cause some hiccups if IE7 is pre-installed, and you change or upgrade operating systems.
• Still has problems with Java and flash support.

Firefox 2.0

Plus Points :

• Absolutely free and open source.
• Highly stable, relatively immune to viruses and adware, malware, etc.
• Has a huge collection of open source plug-ins to enhance functionability and usefulness.
• Is being promoted by Google.
• Suitable for all platforms and operating systems, including MS Windows and Mac OS X.

Negatives :

• Has problems with CSS incompatibility with other browsers.
• Slightly slower than IE7 when displaying web pages.
• Default settings are not optimal. You need to change a lot of things to get it working at its best.
• Not as sleek as IE7. Looks a bit shoddy.
• Weak anti-phishing filter, as compared to IE7.
• Complaints about system freeze on upgrading to Firefox 2.0

Summary : Before IE7 was released, Microsoft was taking a beating in the browser arena. But with bot IE7 and Firefox 2.0 coming out around the same time, Microsoft has effectively selaed the breach in the dam, and users have stopped flowing out of Microsoft's sticky fingers. Personally speaking, I changed from IE6 to Firefox and back to IE7. I did download Firefox and use it for a sort time, and let's just say that I'm happy with what IE7 has to offer, even if it means supporting Microsoft's monopoly.