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I'll be adding tips about web browsing, internet in general, software, hardware
and computers to help people out and maybe dispel some rumors.
Cookies - Can they do harm? (click here)
Cookies have been a worry for many people. Spyware programs usually label them
as malicious, but are they really?
The truth is, you need cookies for most browsing. Cookies can NOT harm your
computer in any way. Mainly cookies are used to store data when you visit a
site. An example I like to use is TV Guide. When you go to their site you can
set your area for viewing so you see the channels in your area. These settings
are then stored on your computer in a cookie. This way when you return to TV
Guide's web site it will know your listings and display them without you having
to re-enter the data. No other site can read this cookie, only the site that put
it on can read a cookie.
This also goes for shopping carts on sites like Best Buy, Sears, Kmart and so on
that need cookies to work properly. However, there are site's that put cookies
that can record the sites you visit. Then when you go to another site that uses
that same cookie it will be able to know where you've been but there is a way to
stop this without turning your cookies off (tools/Internet Options).
To keep cookies from following you around go to the setting of your browser and
stop it from accepting 3rd party cookies (Internet Explorer go to
"tools/Internet Options" and click on the "Privacy" tab and set it to "Low" at
least, I recommend "Medium") (in Firefox go to "Tools/Options" and click on the
"Privacy" tab and un-check the box that says "Accept third-party cookies").
Your Email Address (click here)
When you sign up for internet service you are given an email address
by your internet service provider, i.e. Road Runner, ATT, etc.
The problem with this is that
when you decide to change services you lose that email address. Then later you
change again, you lose it again. This is a hassle, not just for you but for
everyone you exchange email with.
The solution? Get an email from a third party source that will not change. There
are many places that offer free email service.... the main two being Yahoo and
Google. My recommendation is to get a Gmail account from Google.
At the time I'm writing this Gmail (Google) is offering 7.2 gigs of space and
it's growing as you're reading this. This means you never have to delete any old
mail. They also have one of the best spam filters out there.
Something Gmail offers that Yahoo does not is the ability to use your own email
program like Outlook, Outlook Express and so on as well as using a web browser.
This is useful when you're on the road and need to access your email. They also offer the
ability to have Gmail get your email from other servers. An example would be if
you're using your IP's (internet provider's) email (you@wi.rr.com) and you want to
switch to Gmail, you can have Gmail get the mail from your old account in case
some people didn't get your new address.
Actually, they have many options. To see more, sign up for an account here (gmail.com).
How to truly speed up your computer (click here)
Here is how to truly speed up your computer:
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Make sure you have at least 5 gigs of free space on the
drive that the Windows operating system is on.
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Make sure you do not have any viruses, spyware, adware and
malware on your computer (see extra info here).
-
Run a good disc defragmenter (see
extra info here).
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Make sure you don't have any programs starting with Windows that aren't
needed (this
is often a problem, see extra info below).
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Turn off some or all of Windows animations (see
info below).
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Make sure you have enough memory or RAM. I recommend a
minimum of 1 gigabyte
-
Remove optional Windows components that you don't use (see
info below).
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Uninstall programs that you no longer use.
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Registry cleaning programs are NOT recommended as they can
do more harm than good (more
info here).
Defragmenting your hard drive:
Windows comes with a disc defragmenter which is somewhat lacking. An excellent
FREE defragmenter PLEASE INSERT HYPERLINK (Auslogics) used once a month will be
sufficient. REMOVE If you want to truly have your computer run as efficient as
possible you should buy a good defragmenting program, I recommend Diskeeper2008
Pro.
Malware (viruses, spyware, adware)
With todays malware there is a place for free anti-virus. If you find your pc is
repeatedly infected in the course of a year then I would prescribe Kaspersky
Internet Security. It's simply the best. It doesn't drag your pc down and cause
errors like Norton and Mcafee and has a much higher detection rate. It's the one
I use and best of all it's the only one I sell!
REMOVE McAfee and Norton (Symantec) will slow your computer down with minimal
protection and cost $$. AVG Free or Avira are better and free!
Windows start up:
May times Windows is slowed down because too many programs are opening when
Windows starts. Most programs have a place in their settings to enable it to run
on startup, you should always disable this feature. REMOVE the following There
are other ways to stop programs from starting up but this can be tricky, you
don't want to stop the wrong program/file/.dll from starting with Windows or you
might disable a needed feature (this should only be done by someone with
experience).
Windows animation:
Windows has all kinds of visual effects that slow down your computer. Sliding
menus in and out, animating a window to the task bar when minimizing, sliding
the buttons on the task bar and so on. These look pretty but that's it and so it
is suggested to turn these effects off.
Unneeded Windows components:
Windows includes many components that you may not be using and thus can be
turned off. These are components such as MSN Explorer (most people are using
Internet Explorer or Firefox or both, but hardly anyone uses MSN), Outlook
Express (this is not needed if you use Outlook or an online service like Yahoo
mail, Google mail or a similar email), Windows messenger, Fax Services, Indexing
Service, Internet Information Services, Management and Monitoring Tools, Message
Queuing and so on. If you're unsure on how to perform this precedure it is best
to call or email us for help.
Windows registry:
This is an area that can cause major damage to Windows. DO
NOT use registry cleaners, they are not 100% accurate and could render your
Windows useless. I don't want you to take my word for this, so here are some
articles:
Ed Bott's opinion
miekiemoes' Blog
From Spybot Search & Destroys site
Wikipedia
Ask Leo
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