3 Key Tweaks for Windows 7

As an environment to work and play in , wicked windows 7 beats vista , wicked hands down.wicked but it isn't perfect , wicked and you may find yourself lost a few visage that possess disappeared.wicked here's how to obtain them back.

Recover lost programs: windows 7 lacks the bundled-with-vista applications windows mail , wicked movie maker , wicked and photo gallery.wicked microsoft offers newer and supposedly better versions of these programs manumit at its Windows Live Essential download site.wicked as i scrawl this , wicked the linger version of movie maker is serene in beta.

Bring favorite programs back to the start menu: the vista start menu's left pane contained a schedule of favorite programs upon top of one for recent programs , wicked but windows 7 lists merely the recent ones.wicked to restore the favorite-program schedule , wicked click all programs , wicked then tug a favorite program to the back annex at the behind of the panel , wicked possess it there until the recent schedule reappears , wicked and drop it at the top of the schedule.wicked (you may pin a program to the taskbar that way , wicked too.)


Pick your favorite folders (and remove microsoft's): provided you're viewing a folder you ofttimes visit , wicked right-click favourites in the left pane and pick add current location to favourites.wicked provided the favourites schedule is too long , wicked right-click an item you don't visit ofttimes and pick remove.wicked don't worry; it won't delete the folder , wicked merely remove it from this schedule.

One thing you don't possess to do: fortunately , wicked you don't penury to revolve off the sidebar as you did in vista.wicked microsoft wisely removed that pointless resource hog.

http://it-crater.blogspot.com/2009/10/3-key-tweaks-for-windows-7.html

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Optimize Windows 7 -- Part 2

Conserve Resources

Once you've installed a fair amount of programs on your PC--your "core base" of apps, as it were--you'll want to check that your system doesn't have any unwanted applications running in the background that could otherwise impede the machine's general performance. These programs launch themselves during the operating system's startup process, and are often designed to help you load their corresponding applications faster. The problem is that they run every time, regardless of whether you intend to use the application during a given session.
Click Start and type msconfig into the 'Search programs and files' field. Press Enter. In the System Configuration window that appears, select the Startup tab. Move your mouse between the headers of the Manufacturer and Command columns, and shrink the Manufacturer column down; the Command column is the one you care about.
A number of the startup applications that launch on your machine sit in the background, consuming resources. For example, take iTunes: If you've installed this application, you'll find iTunes and QuickTime listings in the Startup tab. Both iTunesHelper.exe and QTTask.exe are unnecessary additions to your system--the former launches when you start iTunes anyway, and the latter places a QuickTime icon in the corner of your system for easy program launching. Uncheck them both.
As for the other programs on your list, try running a quick Web search of each application's executable-file name to find out if the program is worth keeping or removing. Once you've checked the programs you want to launch at startup and unchecked the programs you don't, click OK.
In addition to startup programs, you'll find services on your PC; Microsoft recommends trimming both to squeeze the most performance out of your system. For the services, click Start, type services.msc into the search field, and press Enter. Up pops the Services window, a list of options and executables that's even more confusing than the startup window.
You can't identify which services to turn off (and which to leave on) without taking a close look at how each one affects your system's overall performance. Thankfully, someone has been doing that exact task since Windows XP: Charles Sparks, under the alias Black Viper, has listed every single permutation of Windows 7's services across all of its versions, along with a "safe" and "tweaked" list of which services you should modify and how you should set their parameters.
To follow his advice, just double-click on any listed service. You need concern yourself only with the 'Startup type' listing in the screen that appears next. By switching among the Automatic, Manual, and Disabled modes, depending on his recommendations, you'll be able to control exactly how services launch--if at all--during the Windows startup process and during your general use of the operating system. Every little bit helps.

Maintain Top Performance

If you want to keep your system fast, be sure to clear out your C:\Windows\Temp folder on occasion. Do it as soon as you boot into the OS, or even through Safe Mode, to ensure that you wipe every last unused file from your drive. In the same vein, don't use Windows 7's uninstall function or a program's default uninstall executable to remove the application from your drive. Instead, use the free Revo Uninstaller utility; this awesome application removes programs using their default uninstall routines, but it also goes one step further by scanning your system and Registry to clean away any and all traces of the program from your hard drive.
Tweaking the operating system to increase its performance helps you achieve better results with the equipment you have, but the surest way to boost your PC's prowess is to upgrade the hardware. Once you've done that, remember to keep your system free from clutter--what good is a performance boost on a messy system anyhow?

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Optimize Windows 7 -- Part 1

Windows 7 comes as a significant performance improvement over its predecessor, Windows Vista. But if you want to get the very best performance possible, you should make a few system tweaks to eliminate resource-hogging programs and features. In this guide, I'll show you a few good ways to boost your PC's performance without upgrading your hardware.
First, one warning: A quick Internet search will lead you to treasure troves of advice for making the most of your OS, but beware--many of those suggestions are fool's gold, myths inherited from Vista and XP optimization guides that could actually do more harm than good for your Windows 7 system's performance.
The tweaks and suggestions I offer here won't transform your rusty old junker into a screaming new Porsche, but they will help you squeeze some extra speed and space out of your native Windows 7 installation. If you intend to perform additional modifications to Windows 7 beyond the options I describe here, be sure to run a quick search for "Windows 7 performance myths." Don't be fooled by the more outlandish tweaking claims and tutorials you'll find on the Internet. Investigate the changes you intend to make to your system before you do anything, or you might find yourself in an undesirable (or even irreparable) situation.

Speed Up a Fresh Windows 7 Upgrade

When you reach the first, fresh desktop after completing a successful Windows 7 installation, you might be stunned to find your components in perfect working order. For the most part Windows 7 is quite good about setting up drivers for networking, video, input devices, and other elements--good, that is, but not great.
To maximize your PC's performance, first hunt down and install Windows 7 drivers for all of the critical components attached to your system. Motherboard drivers are the most important consideration, especially if your system's video and sound are integrated onto the system board. If those components aren't integrated in your PC, add drivers for your video card and sound card to the list, followed by your input devices and any additional parts you've attached to your system in some capacity (including, but not limited to, a Wi-Fi card, any PCI-based devices, and printers). If you're not sure what components you have, grab the free program DriverMax and use it to scan your system for components and for potential driver updates.



Can't find Windows 7 drivers for a product? Try using Windows Vista drivers instead. If you run into trouble, try right-clicking on the executable file and left-clicking Troubleshoot Compatibility. Run through the wizard and select the option that refers to the program's running fine in an earlier version of Windows but not in Windows 7. Select Windows Vista as the subsequent operating system, click Next through the offered prompts, and then run the installation executable again.
Finally, though it might sound odd, don't use the Windows Updater to install drivers for your machine--Microsoft is notorious for releasing old and/or incompatible drivers through this service.

Optimize Your Storage

If you installed Windows 7 as an upgrade from Windows Vista, you'll find a folder labeled C:\Windows.old. This folder, as you might expect, holds the full contents of your old Windows Vista system. It's huge, and it's a waste of space. Scroll through the folders for any files that you want to save in your new Windows 7 OS, and then delete the entire folder from your drive. Space saved.


If your PC has multiple hard drives, you can boost performance by moving the location of the system's paging file from the drive containing the C:\ partition to a separate hard drive. To do that, open Control Panel and choose System. From there, click Advanced System Settings. Select the Advanced tab, and then click the Settings button under the Performance category. On the new window that pops up, choose the Advanced tab. Finally, click Change. Uncheck the box labeled Automatically manage paging file size for all drives. Select C: from the Drive box and switch it to the No paging file option. Next, select a different hard drive and choose System managed size. Click OK and restart your computer.

Pushing Your Performance

To create a faster Windows 7 experience, start by modifying the amount of time that mouse-over boxes and clicked menus take to appear. Click on the Windows Start button and type regedit into the 'Search programs and files' box. Welcome to the Windows 7 Registry--don't touch or modify anything without good reason. Left-click on the expandable arrow next to HKEY_CURRENT_USER. Expand the Control Panel folder, and then click directly on Desktop in the hierarchy. In the right pane, look for and double-click MenuShowDelay. Change the value from 400 to any lesser number that's 1 or greater; this figure represents the milliseconds of delay between your click and a menu's display. Restart the computer to apply the changes immediately, or continue to the next tweak.
See the folder labeled Mouse (below Desktop)? Click that, and then search for and select the MouseHoverTime Registry key. Just as before, change this value to any lesser number that's 1 or greater. Close the Registry Editor, restart the computer, and you'll have faster mouseovers.



If you're willing to sacrifice looks for speed, you can modify the visual settings of the Windows 7 interface to emphasize performance over presentation. Go back to the System section of Control Panel and click on Advanced System Settings again. On the System Properties window that appears, choose the Advanced tab and then click on the Settings box underneath the Performance category. The Performance Options window will pop up. There, you'll see a list of checked boxes that correspond to all of the window dressing in the operating system.
If you don't mind transforming your OS into a clone of Windows 2000, click the button that tells Windows to adjust its visual settings for best performance. It's a harsh step to take, though--if you'd prefer a piecemeal approach, uncheck only the boxes that relate to Windows Aero (such as Aero peek and transparent glass). You'll retain a semblance of a pretty desktop while still improving performance a teeny bit.

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No Sound on Computer?

No sound from computer? It is an annoying problem which bothers thousands of computer users. I got this problem once. When I used windows media player to play a video, but there was no sound from computer. Fortunately, I fixed this problem finally.

How I fixed this problem? Before I tell you the method, I would like to tell you the usual issues which cause the problem. One factor is the sound card problem and another is the driver. You should follow the steps below to fix the problem. (The process may be a little different between Windows XP and Windows Vista. )

1. Check Your Sound Card

1) Check the Sound Card.
Firstly, you should check out if your sound box is working. If your sound box is working, then check out your sound card. If it is attached close to the socket;if the chipset is still working?

2) Check BIOS Setting.
If you are using on board sound card, you should check your BIOS. When you enter BIOS, open Integrated Peripherals and find your sound card(normally its name is AC97 Audio). Then set it to be Auto or Enable. Then find On Board AC97 Control and set it to be Auto or Enable. Save and exit.

If all those issues are all right, but still no sound on computer, it must be the problem of the driver.

2. Check the Audio Card Driver.

1) Open Device Manager.
Right click My computer and Properties. Then the Properties Window opens and click Hardware tab. Click on Device Manager. The Device Manager will pop up.

2) Check the Audio card.
Click "Sound, video and game controller". You will see a list of items, if there is a red cross before a item, it means this item is disabled. Then you right click it and set it to be Enable.

3) Driver is corrupted or outdated.
If you see a exclamatory mark before a item, it means that the driver is corrupted or outdated. So you need to install a new driver for it.

Normally corrupted or missing driver files cause the sound problems. The best way is to back up and update your drivers regularly.

If your computer has no sound when you have completed the instruction above, you can click here to use a driver repair tool to help you repair sound card driver. And you can click here to find an easy way to update Windows drivers.

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Netbooks ??

You may or may not have heard of Netbooks. Well, compared to proper laptops, they're basically what Lego is to proper bricks. They're smaller, lighter and much better looking. A Netbooks main job is to surf the internet, hence the name Netbook.

Although they usually come with a tiny set of specs, ie - less than 1GB of RAM, a slower processor, they will do all the everyday jobs you need. You can write your next essay, surf the net to check up on the news and listen to music. The only point where they fall down is that, since they have such a small memory, you can't do these all at once. Netbooks are like men - they can't multi-task. Unless it's a few easy tasks. Also they don't come with a disk drive meaning you can't use disks in them - so if you want any programs, you'll have to download them.

But these sacrifices are not worthless. Oh no. The point for them all, is that:

1. They're unbelievably small and light - I'm talking just over a kilo, compared to some laptops that can weigh up to 3 times as much as this. A Netbook's screen is around 9 inches compared to the 15 inches of a laptop - no innuendos please.
2. Netbooks are dirt cheap (in electronics terms). I picked one up roughly six months ago for £219. You could buy two for the price of a laptop.
3. Many get supplied with a version of Linux - a free alternative to Microsoft Windows. This means that, if you're willing to learn a new operating system, which really, is not hard at all, you can shave up to £70 of the price. And you have the option of putting on Windows if you want.

Of course as mentioned before, you can't do memory intensive tasks on them. So if you want to listen to music while writing that essay, you can either chug along slowly using the computer for both, or turn on your CD player. You can't play games on them of course, except small, lightweight games.

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Things That You Need To Think Before Buying Printer

If you're in the market for a new printer you need to read this article before making a decision on a brand or model. We're going to look at the best brands, which ones you might want to avoid and the overall cost of ownership.

There are several major brands of printers that you'll see when you're shopping for a new model. The main ones include HP, Canon, Epson and Lexmark. Dell also makes printers but they're really only available directly from Dell so you won't generally see them in stores.

Each brand has strengths and weaknesses. HP has been making printers for a long time, and they tend to be pretty reliable with good print quality. Canon has also been doing it a long time and they have a strong background in the photography business, so their printers are one of the best for photo printing. Epson has been making printers for as long, or longer, than the rest and they also have excellent print quality. Lexmark used to be the printer division of IBM and while they haven't been at it as long, their printers are often quite inexpensive.

Which brand is best for you will depend on exactly how you expect to use your printer. If you expect to do a lot of photo printing, Canon or Epson are good choices. If you do more general purpose printing, HP is a good way to go. If you don't print a lot and just want something cheap, Lexmark is a good option.

One of the factors you need to consider is how easy it is to buy replacement cartridges. If you run out of ink in the middle of an important project, you're going to want to be able to make a quick run to your local computer shop and pick up a new one.

Dell is probably the worst choice based on ink availability. They use cartridges that are not compatible with any other brands and they're the only place you can get them, for the most part. If you run out of ink and need it quickly, you would have to order it from them and have it shipped. Even with the fastest shipping you would still have to wait a day or so.

Lexmark is also not as widely supported as HP, Canon and Epson, so you should make sure that your local shop carries the ink you need before choosing one of their models.

As far as the overall cost of ownership - aka ink costs - Canon and Epson tend to have the least expensive cartridges, particularly for color printing. If you do a lot of general purpose printing as well as photo printing, Canon is the best choice, otherwise either one will be suitable.

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How To Solve Your Computer Drivers Problem

Drivers are a very important part of your computer. These little pieces of software make link our hardware to our software, applications, or operating system. Without them, Windows will not work correctly because it cannot communicate to your hardware.

Visit the Driver Manufacturer website
Most driver problems can be solved by going directly to the manufacturer's website and downloading then installing the latest driver for that device. This will update the drivers and get your hardware functioning properly again.

Restart Your Computer
After the installation was completed, make sure that you restart your computer. If problems appear after an update, you should roll back the hardware driver.

Reinstall a Device Driver
If you are facing hardware issues, one of the first steps you should take is to reinstall the hardware driver. In many cases this will solve your problem. When you do this, Windows automatically detects and installs the hardware, like new. To do this, go to "Device Manager" on your Windows machine and select "Confirm Device Removal".

Try an Automated Driver Tool
Automated driver updaters such as Driver Detective or Driver Robot, offer a free evaluation version which allows you to scan your PC for missing drivers at no cost. If your missing drivers are found, you can register and for a small fee install the drivers automatically and receive unlimited driver updates. This is not a bad option especially if you cannot locate the driver you need manually.

Rolling back a Driver
This is a very easy process and there is nothing unsafe about it. To roll back a device driver means to revert to the old version. Windows will use the previous version of your driver.

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