Steps to Cleaning your Computer

Steps to cleaning your computer

from (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/expert/northrup_restoreperf.mspx)

The Basics


Step 1: Back Up Your Hard Drive

Back up your computer files before you run any system tools or do any troubleshooting. This is not an over-cautious warning, it's just good computing practice. Some of the steps recommended in this guide can cause pre-existing but hidden problems to surface, which may stop your computer from starting. Backing up your computer files can be as simple as copy and paste, or you can run Windows XP and Vista's Backup and Restore tool, which will assist you in the backup process.

To open the Backup or Restore Wizard
Click Start, point to All Programs
Point to Accessories, then point to System Tools
Click Backup.

A Backup/Restore wizard will pop up and guide you through the rest



Before making any changes, time your computer to see how long it takes to restart. That way you know which of the changes helps the most and you could perform these


Step 2: Clear Out Forgotten/Unused Programs

Now that you have your computer backed up, the first step in tuning up your computer's performance is to remove any unnecessary programs. I install new programs all the time. Sometimes I'm thrilled with the new program and I continue to use it. Other times, it doesn't do what I hoped, and the program sits on my computer consuming resources and slowing down its performance.

Follow these steps to remove unneeded programs:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

2. Click Add or Remove Programs.

3. Scroll through the list and examine each program. Windows XP lists how often you use a program and what day you last started it. You shouldn't remove anything labeled as an Update or Hotfix, however, because they improve the security of your computer.

4. Click each program you no longer need, click the Remove button, and then follow the prompts to uninstall it.

You may have to restart your computer after removing a program. After your computer restarts, repeat the steps above to remove more programs.



Free Up Wasted Space

Removing unused programs is a great way to free up disk space, which will speed up your computer. Another way to find wasted disk space is to use the Disk Cleanup tool by following these steps:

1. Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Click Disc Cleanup

2. Disk Cleanup will spend a few minutes examining your disk.

3. Select the desired check boxes in the Files to Delete list, and then click OK. Disk Cleanup will spend several minutes clearing space.

4. If you have more than one hard disk, repeat this process for each hard disk listed in My Computer. You can save yourself some time by automating the disk cleanup process.


Defragment Your Computer

I hate newspaper articles that start on the front page but continue somewhere in the middle of the newspaper. I could get through the article much faster if it was printed on consecutive pages like a magazine article. Files on your computer can either be fragmented like a newspaper, or unfragmented like a magazine. Over time, more and more files become fragmented. When a file is fragmented, it takes longer for the computer to read it because it has to skip to different sections of the hard disk—just like it takes me a few seconds to find a page in the middle of a newspaper.

You need administrator privileges to defragment a drive or volume. Although fragmentation is complicated, it's easy to defragment your computer by following these steps:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.

2. Click your first hard disk, and then click Defragment. Disk Defragmenter will work for at least several minutes, though it may take several hours.

3. If you have more than one hard disk, repeat this process for each hard disk listed.



Scan for and remove malicious programs
It is important that you use up-to-date security software to detect and remove malicious programs. Virus programs can slow down your PC and cause unwanted behaviour, even damage to your data. Since most computers today are using broadband, we're always connected online and this makes our computer more susceptible to a spyware infection. Spyware tracks your movements on the Web for advertising purposes, but can affect your PC's performance as well.

Free spyware removal program (Hitman Pro http://www.hitmanpro.nl/hitmanpro/content/view/3/9/lang,en/ )




Additional Options (for the more advanced users)


Disconnect Unused Network Connections

If you've ever had a network with more than one computer, you probably found it useful to share files between the computers by mapping a network drive. Network drives allow one computer to read and write files to another computer's hard disk as if it were directly connected. I use network drives all the time, and for me, they were the most significant source of slowness.

The problem with network drives is that Windows XP will attempt to connect to the network drives when Windows starts. If the remote computers don't respond immediately, Windows will wait patiently. Additionally, some programs will attempt to connect to the network drives when you browse for files and folders. If you've ever tried to open a file and had to wait several seconds (or minutes!), it's probably because the program was trying to establish a network connection—even if the file you are opening is on your local computer.

I am not as patient as Windows, and I'd rather not wait for unused network connections to respond. To reduce this problem, disconnect any unused drives by following these steps:

1. Open My Computer.

2. On the Tools menu, click Disconnect Network Drive.

3. Select the network drives that you no longer need, and then click OK.

After I disconnected the network drives on my computer, my computer was able to restart in 1 minute, 45 seconds—about 40% faster!



Remove Autostart Programs

The next step in restoring your computer's performance is to identify any unnecessary programs that start automatically. Often, programs configure themselves to run in the background so that they appear to start quickly when needed. Some of these programs show an icon on your taskbar to let you know that they're running, while others are completely hidden. These autostart programs probably won't noticeably slow down your computer as it starts up, but they will steal away trace amounts of memory and processing time as your computer runs.

Windows XP comes with the System Configuration tool (Msconfig.exe), an excellent way to manage the startup process. To start it:

1. Click Start, click Run, type Msconfig, and then press Enter.

2. On the Startup tab, you'll see a list of all the programs and processes that are set to run when Windows XP loads.

3. Speed up your overall start time by clearing the check box next to any item you think you don't need.

4. Click Apply, and then restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

My favorite way to examine autostart programs is to use the Autoruns freeware tool from Sysinternals. Autoruns lists every program that will automatically start and allows you to quickly delete the link to the program. Many autostart entries are important parts of Windows XP, including Userinit.exe and Explorer.exe. So you should not simply delete everything that you don't recognize. Instead, you should look up each entry at Paul Collins' Startup Applications List to determine whether you want it to start automatically.


The Startup Applications List may provide instructions for removing the startup program. If available, you should follow those instructions instead of deleting the link by using Autoruns.




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Hey Folks, here's a nice article by Rachel Naud where Bradley is quoted about Point-and-Shoot cameras.

Point-and-shoots advance to pro levels

Rachel Naud , Canwest News Service

Point-and-shoot cameras have always been notable for their ease of use. But today's best digital models are taking simplicity a step further and doing virtually all the work and thinking that goes into taking a great photo for us.

Using features such as face recognition, smile detection and scene intelligence, capturing the perfect image could really be just a click away.

"One of the things I've always hated about point-and-shoot digital cameras when they first came out is that by the time the camera actually shot the picture, it would be a picture of the place my son once was - a shot of his foot. It wasn't the shot I actually wanted," says Bradley Shende, executive producer with Chalk TV and host of the show Connected Life.

The Nikon Coolpix S52C.

"Fortunately, technology has caught up with most cameras."

In fact, with ISO levels on point-and-shoots rising past 1,000, more models allow you to take multiple pictures with one click, allowing the user to scroll through and choose the best image.

"Basically, it gives you a contact sheet to choose what you want and dispose of the rest," says Shende. "It takes the pictures really close together."

Point-and-shoots, also known as compact cameras, have been adding features for years. In addition to such familiar items as autofocus and built-in flash, one of today's popular features is face detection. This allows the camera to find the face in the frame, analyze it and adjust for colour, temperature and lighting.

The facial area-analysis is based on such characteristics as flesh tone and exposure, and the background is treated differently to optimize focus on the face.

"It's the type of thing a professional photographer would consider in lighting a scene, but now what's amazing is the camera's processors are actually doing this for us," says Shende.

Angelo Daga, senior merchandising manager for Future Shop, says smile detection on advanced point-and-shoots is especially helpful when taking pictures of small children who are sometimes unwilling to smile for the camera.

"Once they smile, the camera will automatically snap the photo," says Daga.

And whether you're taking a photo of family or a nature shot, the Intelligent Scene Selector mode found in some of today's cameras will ensure you get a professional-looking picture by automatically sensing the conditions you're in.

"It judges what the appropriate setting of the camera should be," says Daga. "So, if you're taking a picture of a person, the camera will optimize skin tones and focus on the face. But if you're taking a picture of something up close, such as a flower or an insect, the macro mode will help improve that shot."

Daga says point-and-shoot cameras can range anywhere from $99 to $450, depending on how many features the camera includes.

Asked to identify some of the most popular cameras on the market, Daga says the Sony Cybershot T300 is popular with customers. It's not only stylish - it comes in black, silver and pink - but boasts a large 3.5-inch LCD screen and a touch panel that makes feature and menu selection easy.

The Panasonic TZ5 is another popular option, he says. The camera features nine megapixels, 10-times optical zoom, 28-mm wide-angle lens, a three-inch LCD screen and face detection. It also boasts the scene-intelligence mode to help capture the best shot.

Shende notes the Nikon Coolpix S52C camera offers a compact option loaded with features. The camera boasts nine megapixels, 3200 ISO, three-times optical zoom and image stabilization.

The Wi-Fi-enabled S52C can connect wirelessly to compatible devices for easy uploading and sharing of pictures.

"You can e-mail pictures from the camera within a WiFi network, so you could take a picture of the kids in the back yard and upload it for Grandma, right from the camera," says Shende.

Summertime Fun Gadgets

Summertime is here and it's really time to get out there and enjoy some time with family and friends. Myself - I love to Bar-b-que. And if you think you have what it takes to win - the Canadian National Barbecue Championship is coming up in Whistler this August.
http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/todo/events/detail/bbqchamps/index.htm

These folks turned a new Playstation 3 into a imitation George Foreman grill!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3Hh3tBdHwM (Youtube Video)

Or hey, what about a personalize Branding Iron? http://www.thisnext.com/item/12DA82AB/7CC280F4/Personalized-Branding-Iron-for


Now, when you're out and about this summer - pictures are a great way to share your adventures with the rest of the family. Maybe your grandparents live far-away. Maybe you've got a brother or sister away for the summer. Create a Flickr page to keep everyone in the loop. It's simple, it's free, and it's a great way to stay connected and now they even support video. Camera Phones have gotten really impressive and really easy to use and a lot of them have video. And speaking of video.

While there are more powerful cameras out there - with higher pixel ratio's etc - nothing makes taking video and putting it on the web easier than the Flip by Pure Digital Technologies. Here's the deal, it’s a handheld, has 1 to 2GB capacity video capture device. It captures 640×480 video at 30fps. There is a 1.8″ LCD screen on the back and it runs on 2 AA size batteries. It has a neat flip-out USB connector that allows you to plug it straight into a standard USB port. It also has an output plug and cable for direct TV output. On the bottom there is also a standard sized threaded tripod connector. There is no memory card slot, and the device holds 60 min of video. It's actually really good quality - it's easy to use - and you can get them at Wal-mart for $159.99 or buy them online - they'll be coming to other retailers shortly.

The camera saves video in a format called 3ivx, a specific MP4 video compression that's been designed to use less processing power for playback. When you plug the device into a Windows or Mac computer the first time, Flip will install the required software to preview the videos, capture the videos onto your computer, and allow for some basic editing. It also shows up as a generic USB storage device. I had one of these Flip Video Camera on my desk for a month - but didn't get the chance to look at it. Then I heard Oprah was talking about it. I had to check it out.

When Oprah talks - I listen. http://theflip.com/ There's even video of Oprah using the camera on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFBoiaGSDfE
Now you've all watched stuff on YouTube - now you can contribute. You can put your own videos up there for everyone to see. Or you can put them up on your Flikr page too - Flikr now supports video too.

I've been talking a lot about family - and here's a great way to connect with family and learn a little bit about your family's history. It's a local company called FamilyTree - and they've got a great website that combines pictures to easily create your very own family tree - and you can do it together - not just you and your immediate family - but everyone - your uncle can put up information and pictures, your great Aunt can add stories - everyone can contribute and find out a little bit more about the family in the process.

There is also a really interesting photo sharing Facebook application by a Vancouver company named Kinzin.com - It's easy and fun - so check out kinzin.com It let's you share photos securely and privately and it's so easy - any one can use it.

Recycle, Reuse, and the Rise of FreeGeek

Summertime is finally here and a lot of people will be cleaning house. But, it's important to always try to reuse and recycle.

Over 140,000 tons of computer equipment, phones, televisions and other e-waste (electronic waste) end up in Canadian landfills each year.

This is a serious problem because this E-waste often contains toxic materials like lead, mercury, cadmium, and more.

So, today I’m going to tell you about simple ways to properly dispose of your old cell phones, computers, and used electronic equipment.

The number of cell phones that need to be recycled every year is growing incredibly fast. Cell phone circuit boards, batteries, LCD's and plastics can all be recycled.

And recycling your old cell phones - working or not - couldn't be easier.

In fact, all the major cell phone companies have recycle programs –

Telus will plant a tree for each handset collected through the Return & Recycle Program.

http://www.telusmobility.com/about/public_affairs/recycling.shtml

Bell donates $1 to WWF Canada for each phone collected and has also donated used phones and free airtime to over 130 women's shelters in Canada.

http://www.bell.ca/support/PrsCSrvWls_Clp_Recycle.page

Rogers runs a phones for food program with the United Way.

http://your.rogers.com/aboutrogers/communitysupport/community_development.asp

So don’t let those cell phones sit in a cupboard – recycle them.

Now, when it comes to any electronics or computers – the best option is always to reuse and now there are some really great ways to recycle.




There is lots of great information and recycling tips at The Recycling Council of British Columbia website

http://www.rcbc.bc.ca/

They've even got a toll-free recycling hotline - 1-800-667-4321 in Vancouver just call 604 - recycle

Also check out the Ministry of Environment's webpage

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/recycling/

You'll find information about how to recycle just about anything in your home.

There is lots of recycling information available - sometimes we just need a little help finding it.

Earlier this year Metro Vancouver started the Zero Waste Challenge. It encourages residents and businesses to generate less waste following the 3R's; Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. So, if you're a business and you'd like to find out about programs available to you - check out the Zero Waste Challenge website.

http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/ZeroWaste/

Finally, I want to tell you about FreeGeek Vancouver – a really great non-profit organization that will help you ethically recycle your computer equipment. They recycle the equipment and teach people valuable computer skills in the process – in fact, if you volunteer 24 hours of your time – you can learn about computers while you earn a free computer.

They take all computer equipment, FREE OF CHARGE, working or not, in any condition.

Your old computer equipment goes directly into their volunteer programs. Even while it's being evaluated, people are learning to identify computer parts.

They also promote reuse by selling surplus equipment in their Computer Thrift Store.

Free Geek is a community-supported organization and they've got a great website with information on computer recycling no matter where in BC you are.

http://freegeekvancouver.org/

You can check out our blog for all the addresses and until next week – keep clicking and stay connected.

Internet Search Tools

Now, way back when, the term "computer" actually referred to a real person who performed numerical calculations. So today I’m going to give you some really good tips about how you can achieve better search results.

The Internet is a very big place – so big - it’s virtually impossible to accurately say how big it really is. And search engines like Google and Yahoo are only indexing a small part of the entire Internet content. Out of an estimated 5 million terabytes of content - that continues to grow every day – Google has only indexed about 170 terabytes.

So let me show you some simple techniques that will really make a difference and save you some time. First of all, Quotation marks are your friend – get in the habit of using them. If you just type in Vancouver Canada Winter Olympics Athletes– you’ll get vastly different results than if you typed in “Vancouver Canada” + “Winter Olympic Athletes.”

Quotation marks tell the search engine to only bring back pages that include the terms exactly how you typed them. Otherwise, the search engines will just locate the individual words – whether they’re together or miles apart. This little tip will save you a lot of time and frustration.

If you need to search deeper – you can also look into searching directories, use metasearch engines, or do a bolean search.

A good, general, common sense approach is to start with a large search engine and then branch out with some of the smaller engines and directories.

You can also search some of the "invisible web" - that giant part of the Internet that search engines and directories don't have direct access to, like databases.

Here are a few sites that can help:
Direct Search site by Gary Price
Invisible Web Directory
The Resource Discovery Network
The University of California (InfoMine)
The Virtual Library

There are many, many sites that are set up to dig into the Invisible Web. The University of Kansas's ProFusion metasearch engine provides topical deep Web searches. CompletePlanet.com is a directory of "over 70,000+ searchable databases and specialty search engines."

The SJSU Academic Gateway is a fabulous resource that enables you to get into not only San Jose public libraries, but the San Jose State University library as well. In addition, there are governmental (US) databases such as Ask Eric, which provide access to over 3000 educational resources (organized by category), and the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Here are a few other search tips:

1. Use the 'site:' command to search individual web sites
2. Search for file formats like PDF, PPT or XLS to narrow down and focus your search.
3. Use the OR command in combination with the site: command to search more than one site or type of site. For example,
"carbon emissions trading" filetype:ppt site:ac.uk OR site:gov.uk
4. Try to use more than one source and double check the accuracy of the information with independent sources.
5. Use books, they’re also excellent for historical information. As well as Amazon, try Google Books (http://www.google.com/books/) for older texts, and Live Books (http://search.live.com/books/).
6. Use services such as Zuula or Intelways to remind you of the different types of information that are available and their appropriate search engines. Type in your search once and click on the search tools one by one.
7. Build your own Google Custom Search Engine for collections of sites that you regularly search, to create a searchable subject list.
8. Try good old fashioned Boolean. Yahoo, Exalead and Live support AND, OR, NOT and 'nested' searches, but don't go overboard. Remember to type in the operators as capital letters, otherwise the search engines will ignore them as stop words.
9. Use social bookmarking services to track down other people's research lists on a subject like del.icio.us, or Digg, etc.
10. Use the Internet Archive (Wayback Machine) at http://www.archive.org/ for pages, sites and documents that have disappeared. Ideal for tracking down lost documents, seeing how organizations presented themselves on the Web in the past, and for collecting evidence for a legal case.

You’ve also got to remember that navigation is an important part of the digital landscape – you’ve got to stratagize and show your team how to take advantage of the tools available.

Save the Net - Why Net Neutrality is really important

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/moyersonamerica/net/neutrality.html

"One estimate is that 60% of the content on the Internet is produced by people, not corporations. You look at commercial TV - zero, Radio - 5% - talk radio, newspapers - an occassional op-ed maybe, or a letter to the editor. 99% of the content of those three traditional media are from corporations - the internet has turned that on its head."
Mark Cooper (from PBS's Bill Moyers on America)


"When I invented the Web, I didn't have to ask anyone's permission. Now, hundreds of millions of people are using it freely. I am worried that that is going end"

Sir Tim Berners Lee

Save the Net - Why Net Neutrality is really important.

When people pool their information, expertise, and resources together – you often get amazing results. And that’s essentially what the Internet is – the world’s most amazing source of information. The web is democratic – it’s all about equality of access – it’s available to anybody with Internet access and no one is supposed to get preferential treatment. Unfortunately, some very powerful companies are trying to change all that.

Net Neutrality doesn’t sound very sexy – but at its core – it’s about Saving the Internet. Net Neutrality in Canada is the principle that consumers should be in control of what content, services and applications they use on the public Internet. It's a pretty simple concept and it’s been working pretty well so far.
I love how the Internet works. Whether it’s a corporate retail site, a celebrity gossip site, or a Norwegian Folk Singer’s blog – all the pages are sent to my computer with equal speed. It’s democracy at its finest.

But what happens if ISP’s - Internet service providers like telcos and cable companies - start slowing down some traffic and speeding up others to make more money? What happens if they decide they don’t like what someone is saying and prevent people from getting to it? What if - suddenly, you can’t go where you want on the Internet and you have to pay extra to go in the fast lane with the big guys?

Well, if the Service Providers have their way and we lose net neutrality - surfing the Internet will be very different experience that it is today. These companies want to ability to slow down some Internet sites and block access to others. As Canadians – do we want to have less access to information than other countries? Do we want to make sure we give our kids, our businesses, and our entrepreneurs the tools they need to succeed in the digital age?

It doesn’t matter if you’re politics are left, right, or centre - we all love the Internet and we need to save it. Ottawa professor Michael Geist has great information on his website and there’s a campaign called netneutrality.ca gaining steam – just type in – savethenet.ca The CRTC has only given us till June 11 to make our voices heard.

This sort of discrimination would really hinder future innovations. A lot of really popular sites, like Google, eBay, and YouTube wouldn’t even exist if there hadn’t been net neutrality. And democracy is all about free speech – and the other frightening thing about this is that I.S.P.’s could censor speech they don’t like — in fact, we’ve already had examples of it.

In September 2007 in the States, Verizon Wireless refused to allow a Pro-Choice organization from sending text messages over its network. In 2005, Telus blocked access to voices-for-change.ca, a website supporting the company's labour union during a worker’s dispute. Right now, Bell Canada is throttling (or slowing down) third party Internet service providers (ISPs).

The Internet should continue to offer equal access to everyone. Cable and telecos shouldn’t be allowed to say who gets the fast lane, who gets the slow lane, and where we’re allowed to go on the Internet.

Net Neutrality is about giving equal access to everybody – the net has become an integral part of the way we share ideas and information and has been an instrumental factor in digital innovation. We’ve got to fight to keep it that way. We’ve got to savethenet Canada.

You can learn more about net neutrality and make your voice heard at savethenet.ca and netneutrality.ca. And also please check out Michael Geist.ca - he has a really informative website with lots of excellent information.

I’m Bradley Shende - until next week, keep clicking and stay connected.











































































































































http://www.pbs.org/moyers/moyersonamerica/net/index.html

The Rise of the Smart Phone

A recent report shows that 16% of US households use only cell phones. Stats Canada reports that we’re slowly moving in the same direction – we’re currently sitting at 6.4%. Convenience is probably the largest single factor influencing the cell-only trend, but the rise in popularity of 3rd Generation Networks and smart phones will create even more converts.

A smart phone is a next-generation, multifunctional cell phone that can handle voice communication, text-messaging, and data processing as well as enhanced wireless connectivity. They’re like a supped-up cell phone – and when you combine a smart phone with a decent 3G network – your cell phone starts to work like a home computer.

Smart phones have:

• Enhanced wireless capability like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and the ability to synchronize with computers.


• A large RAM and ROM memory and storage (memory cards or built-in hard disk).


• And operating systems with advanced applications like media players, browsing capability, and games. A lot of smart phones also have high end camera lenses and video sharing capability.

As Canadian cell companies continue to expand their 3G (3rd Generation) networks, more and more consumers will make the switch to smart phones. Early adopters are already using smart phones to send and receive video, check websites in real time, and make video conference calls.

And if you thought Facebook was addictive on your computer – wait til you start playing with it on your smart phone. You can update photos immediately – watch videos, instantly message back and forth with friends – and constantly update your Facebook status or check the status of your friends.

Of course, before you start playing with any web sites on your cell phones - contact your network provider and make sure you know what kind of data package you have. A friend of mine got a new phone and started playing on websites like Facebook and got a bill that could have payed his mortgage for the month.

If you really want to keep all your friends up to date about your activities – you can also Twitter them – your friends register as part of your network and you’re able to update them whenever you like. Some of my friends use it all the time – Sandra is doing her laundry – John is going for drinks with the gang – there’s a pick-up basketball game tonight at wherever. It is really handy when doing business at conferences. You can let people know you’ve updated your website with new video – or you’ve posted a new blog.

Another interesting site to check out is called Kyte. You can download the Kyte video player to your cell and effectively – the site is like a youtube for your cell.

The iPhone and other smart phones make surfing the net much more accessible and user-friendly. Lots of Canadians simply bought US iPhones and hacked them to work in Canada – but we are officially supposed to get the iPhone from Rogers before the end of this year. Rumor has it that the new 3G iPhones will be announced in June; hopefully Canada will be part of that rollout.

One of the reasons people hold on to their landlines is cheap long distance calls – but the cell phone manufacturers are slowly creeping into that market too.

The Nokia 6301 can connect to a Wifi router and lets you make cheap or free long distance calls anywhere in Canada– heavy long distance users will really like this. As long as your phone is connected via Wifi – you can technically call anywhere in Canada for free. What’s more, if you start the call from home using the Wifi – you could leave your house and drive all the way to the airport while still talking and the whole call is free.

With all the amazing smart phones out there – it’s no surprise that the number of cell phone only houses in Canada is on the rise.

Until next time - keep clicking and stay Connected.