Computers are not to be feared, they are friends!

3 Ways To Unleash Maximum PC Performance (Advance Level): Part2, Hardware

2009-06-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

1) Cheapest Way to Speed Up? Add RAM! The cheapest way to speed up your pc is really to open your casing and add RAM to it! If your PC is running on 512MB-1GB, consider upgrade to 2GB. Reasonably, 1GB ram is sufficient for office use. 2GB-4GB is advised for heavy and intensive programs like 3D studio, AutoCAD (graphic software) or modern 3D games.
Also, always let a professional Install the RAM. A RAM module should be inserted FIRMLY into the slot. It shouldn't be loose! If you smell a 'Burnt' smell or unusually high temperature from the RAM. Take out the RAM immediately! If you keep it up, the RAM will be damaged! It also usually means the RAM Module is wrongly inserted or it's not firmly into the RAM slot. Push all the way in (watch out strong guys...). Also, you need to know how much RAM your motherboard can support. Take note of the total RAM Size and Speed Bus!

2) Power/Hard Disc/ Cooler! Sometimes it may be the case where your hard disc is getting old and the access speed fails. An underpowered PC has also a direct effect on the performance of the PC. Though it hardly happens, don't buy overpowered power supply(more than what your PC power consumption), as your PC can only use so much! There's nothing wrong, but a waste of $$$. A heated PC is unable to perform it's best. A good PC should have sufficient ventilation and good coolers. Remember faster the computer = more heat!

3) Some Old Computers are not worth Upgrading! My days working as a technician in SIm Lim Square was an interesting one. I've seen beatup machines (pentium 1-3) generation type of PC, the customer stubbornlu insist on repairs.(Probably because that guy purchased it for a few thousand when it's out) Which is to me, he's just to prolong a 'dying' product. Where buying a new PC, which is a few hundred more, is more worth and less repairs in the long run.
With the current technology, If you computer is still running the OLD gernation EDO(...it's ancient...really.) , SD RAM, DDR Ram. Don't bother upgrade, buy a new one. One SD RAM module now costs 2-3 times more than the current generation DDR2 RAM!

That's all I can think for now...my head hurts...If you need any advise for anything above, I may be contacted at gjfeng@yahoo.com - msn/e-mail/faceb00k

3 Ways To Unleash Maximum PC Performance (Advance Level): Part1, Software

2009-06-04T05:34:00.000-07:00

Alright! Today we are going to enter into 'forbidden' grounds. Take note this is not for any ordinary user! How do you consider yourself an advanced user? That is, even if the windows or system crash, you'll not panic and run in circles. You are comfortable to restore your computer yourself. Let's go through them quickly!

1) Use Registry Edit! Using Registry Cleaner can only go so far. Since it's auotmatic. It's not really 100% reliable, there are some really 'stubborn' entries that refuse to go away. Take caution when you delete the entries manually. Always backup the registry if your not sure.
Access the registry: go to start> Run> type regedit> press [Enter]

2) Use System Configuration Utility! If you ever 'Boot windows into safe mode'. have you wondered why windows starts so fast? Because it only runs what is necessary to go into windows. Using msconfig, you can configure what to startup and what's not! Becareful what you change here, you can cause some programs not to start @ all! If you encounter any problems, you can go into safe mode and undo the changes.
Access the registry: go to start> Run> type msconfig> press [Enter]

System Configuration Window. Now you can take control. Cool!

3) Like Cars, you need to Tune! Gone were the days where I use a real cheap computers that has REALLY minimum requirements to play Computer Games. So the game goes so slow, it puts the slowest turtle to shame. So in case you are in the same situation, consider tuning down the graphics settings, like turning off 3d effects...shadowing...for sounds...turn off surround sound...for extreme cases, turn the sound off! You'll be amazed at the performance!

5 Ways To Unleash Maximum PC Performance (Basic Level)

2009-06-01T05:48:00.000-07:00

When you first bought your PC. I believe you are extremely satisfied with its performance. After awhile, you start to see signs and wonders (signs of slowing down, wonder what happened). Like a human being, a healthy and strong PC requires at least some basic maintenance, to keep up it's standard performance. In this particular post, I'm going to list 5 ways you can speed up your PC, without any expertise knowledge or complicated configurations

1. Keep what you need. Unused programs sometimes still runs at windows startup. 1 may be harmless, but when you got multiple 'small' programs, it starts to stress out your system. Uninstall through the built-in windows installer whenever possible! DO NOT delete the program folder, unless there isn't an uninstaller available. Reason being, even if you delete the program folder. Windows still has record of the program in the registry(explained below) will try to access the program even when the program is deleted.
The proper way to do it: start>Control panel> add/remove programs> choose what program to uninstall.

2. Uninstall 'Brand' software. You know...certain brand notebooks comes with their own brand customized software. Sony VAIO comes with Sony software...HP...Dell...etc. I always uninstall the 'Brand' software that comes with it. Cos I do not really need them at all. Certainly it is very cool, but usually at the sizable cost of performance.

3. Control your Scheduled tasks/ Startups. Ever noticed the slowdowns only occur only certain times of the day? It may be the case that certain programs such as virus scan are scheduled to run at certain hours of the day. start>all programs> accessories> System tools> scheduled tasks. If it isn't there, you have have to configure the program directly.
Startups may also be the culprit. You can control which to run at : start>all programs> startup

4. Virtual Memory & File Paging. I still remember one really silly user decided to listen to what the forum people said and turn off the "virtual memory: file paging" in order to speed up his PC. Of course I did my best to advise against it(What a THING TO BELIEVE! HAHAHA!), well since the user thinks what he's doing is right, he eventually went ahead. Which in the end caused alot of problems I ended up solving. Always TURN ON Virtual memory! Unless you own a BEATUP machine that has only very little hard disc space left (less than 2gb). Bascially what it does is, on top of your HARDWARE RAM, it 'borrows' hard disc space for additional horse-power. I'll explain more into that below.
To turn it on:
go to "MY COMPUTER" > Right-click, Properties> Click on "Advanced" Tab>
Under performance, click Settings> Click on "Advanced" Tab >
Under virtual Memory, click Change >
Click System Managed Size > Finally, click Set and [Okay]
Click To Enlarge
***Unless you know what your doing, let system manage itself.

5. Registry Cleaner. What if you accidently delete the program the wrong way? Thank goodness there's a software out there that helps you cleanup your windows registry. Experts(like us) used to modify the registry to delete the entries manually(helpful for stubborn virus/ spyware). Not only it takes super long time(because of the HUGE database), a wrong registry delete could stop & crash windows. My general advise is, don't mess with the registry manually! Let programs do it, unless you are comfortable to restore windows yourself, should anything go wrong.
You can downlaod a good registry cleaner here:
http://www.ccleaner.com/download/downloading

That's it! My next post will cover how to customise your PC for maximum performance, definately not for beginners, some tweaking that is on the advanced level! Feel free to ask me questions or post your comments! Again I can be contacted @ MSN/ Email: gjfeng@yahoo.com

Registry Explained: Think of registry like a person registered to be a citizen. Whenever you run or install a program. The program registers itself as a valid citizen in windows.
If you use computers long enough, you notice on the program first run, usually it's the slowest. After that, it gets smoother. That's because the program is registering itself to windows. So next time windows do not have to search all over the place for the specific program, windows will go directly to the address (location in the hard disc)

Ram / Virtual Memory Explained: Ram...an idiot way of translating is, the more it is, the faster the PC. That is true but also take note that, the CPU processor plays a bigger part in terms of power and speed.
Whenever you run a program...it writes data onto the RAM to be processed. When A program ends, it frees data from the RAM, for the next program to run. Then you run another program, it continues to write onto the RAM until it is full. When happens if you run another program then? That's how the famous "COMPUTER HANG" came out. It is when the ram is busy/ or stop responding.
So a brilliant guy came out with a brilliant solution. Since you got spare space in your hard disc, why not use it? Going from the story above, when the RAM is full, it'll HANG (or wait) until a program ends. In this case, when the RAM is full, the next program will write data onto the a small portion of the hard disc instead, keeps the program running as if the small portion of hard disc space is the RAM. That's why it is call VIRTUAL Memory. Cos this memory is not REAL.

Tips To Protect Your PC (Edited)

2009-05-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

Above is a anti-virus program. Take a look carefully, Can you tell it's a fake one?
It's got its own scan engine, pictures, graphics, even it's own virus alert.
Nowadays spyware and virus are so good, you can't really tell the difference without a good background knowledge of anti virus & spyware products.
I'll share my experience with some basic steps you can follow which will help protect your pc!

1) Branding / Naming
Never heard of anti-virus/ spyware before? Chances are, they are fake. Verify it's source by searching through the web before installing. Usually, these bogus products come in the form of web advertisements that "Pressure" you by stating that your PC is infected(even when your PC may be clean), and you need to install this program to clean it immediately. Take my advice, even if it is real, don't go for it.

2) Suspicious? Don't Risk it.

Cropped from a msn conversation. You see here, someone sent me an msn message. That looks like HOT stuff. Clicking on it sends you to a web site, which either returns an error, or what appears harmless. Behind the screen, it installs programs without your approval or acknowledgment. I was able to tell immediately it was a bogus link. But how do you tell? Here are some guidelines:

Too good to be true? You are right! I got a true story where a client received an invitation to wipe out any bad stuff, speed up pc, with just a click and install this software. "Instant Sloutions" are usually dangerous. Keep out.

ALOT of CAPS or ALL CAPS! This may sound silly, but it is unusual for a link to have CAPS. It may be safe/ unsafe, just be more alert when you see something Unusual

Think logically before saying yes. If I'm surfing a Microsoft website and it pops up to ask me to accept or install a microsoft software, chances are it is safe and I'll click [Yes]. But if I surf a random website and ask me to install this software, even though it says it's from Microsoft, chances are it's fake and I'll click [NO]. Why would a random website ask me to install Microsoft program, when the website has nothing related to microsoft?

The Unusual. If you are going to the same site. And notice anything unusual, like log-in is different, change in fonts, change in web address, be cautious. I got a True Story to back this; I was in douby ghaut trying to connect to wireless. I found 2 wireless@singtel. If you have experience with wireless@singtel, you notice your browser will go into a login page first. Well, after I got connected. I noticed that this time the login page is a little bit different from the usual. I figured it was a bogus page, and true enough, there was a pop-up warning that this site certificate is not valid.

3) More doesn't mean better, Just keep what you need
Having more than 10 antivirus/ spyware doesn't not necessarily mean your PC is very well protected. In fact, that is plain silly, as it slows down your system ALOT. Have 1 antivirus, 1 antispyware will do. That's why I never bother with those web advertisements that says download this or that. I just keep what I need.

4) Scan first before run/ install!
Almost 90% of the time. Any files I download/ receive, I'll right-click and do a quickscan before I run/ install the files. I scan even my own personal thumbdrive once inawhile. Most users don't do it. Which sometimes lands them into deep trouble. My colleague said this: "100 times don't catch nevermind, just once. ONCE!"

5) Keep Virus/spyware updated.
It's really pointless and useless if you keep an antivirus/ spyware in your PC but don't update it. Updating it helps protect your PC against new threats. Keeping an outdated antivirus is like using a spear against an enemy who is holding a machine gun.

6) Don't give easy access to your passwords!
I found that some users, although a few, they write down their passwords somewhere that is easily within their reach. Make an effort to memorize, if not write only partial and not the full password somewhere not easily seen. Don't give anyone easy access to your PC!
Even though sometimes I would need to take down user passwords to log into their system using their name, I would always make it a point to tear the paper into shreds, into something not easily read, even if a joker try to jiz-saw puzzle them back together.

7) Finally, stay clam and don't panic
A panicky person always make poor judgments. If you don't keep your cool, and panic easily, chances to make mistakes(not just your work) increases as well. A personal story here, a panicky user indirectly influence me to make poor decisions, when I should have been firm and stood my ground. The result was, something was done, but nothing improved.

Having said all that, there isn't a 100% secure system. A TRUE Story: 10 years ago, Oracle offered 1 million to challenge anyone to successfully break into the Oracle System. It took less than 3 days for Oracle company to make someone 1 million dollars richer.
I've also encountered certain virus that are targeted directly against Norton Antivirus, the virus shuts down Nortons Antivirus and unleash it's rubbish. Even as an IT Engineer, we don't just stick to 1 antivirus solutions. We got at least 2 or 3 more for worst case senarios.

Here are some good and free antivirus and antispyware that is reliable, and proven worthy:
AVG Antivirus: http://free.avg.com/download?prd=afe
Spybot Antispyware: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/index.html

So what I offered was, not 100% protection but practical and working preventive measures you can take. On the next post, I'll post on how to maximize your PC performance. I'll probably cover in two posts. One for basic users, another for advanced users. Signing off! :)

Why Office Computers Are So Restricted? The Mystery Explained!

2009-05-25T05:29:00.001-07:00

Today there was a virus attack upon a User PC. Apparently, this user installed "WinPC Defender" which looks like a genuine anti-virus software. Complete with its own scan, and results. And this was some parts of the conversation:

User: What happened?
Me: Virus Attack
User2: I told you not to surf other chinese websites! And download music!
User1: I go there only OK! I did not anyhow download or click! You think I STUPID?
Me: Normal face look (but luffing in my heart: YR REALLY STUPID!)

Opps... that was mean of me. haha.
Users being users. No matter how intelligent the user may appear to be, or how convincing they sound. They do not really see the danger, and do not have the knowledge nor wisdom to tell bogus programs and websites from real ones. I was glad the user wasn't given Administrator Rights. So the damage virus caused is controlled.

What is administrator? what are users? Let's go through briefly:
Administrator (Local): That means given Admin rights on the local machine, but not on the network(domain). That means the Admin has the power to install, enable and disable any programs/settings on the machine. So his power is restricted to the machine and not anything beyond.
Administrator(Network): Has all the powers of the above, and has extended control over the network(domain). Network Admins can lock, enable, disable, create the user that is joined to the domain.
Users(Local/Network): Able to perform any tasks, except install/ enable/ disable programs. Or make changes to the system settings itself.
Domain: Think of domain as a land, and computers as citizens. Once a citizen enters a land, it goes by the rules of the land. The same applies to computers joined to a domain.

Now, let's look at Users(YOUR) point of view. Why is it so unfair? Why can't I install whatever programs I like? Why do I have to look for mr.ABC in order to install a tiny program? Awww, COM'ON a TINY program won't HURT!
Well, Admins give users tight control is not to RESTRICT users, but to PROTECT them. When a virus/ spyware attacks, the level of damage is HIGHLY dependent on the rights users have! If a normal user cannot access system files, the damage the virus do is contain and controlled not beyond system files! If the user is given Administrator and access to system files, the damage extends to Important system files and may cause the system to lock up and not even go into windows! Making data recovery very difficult and in some cases impossible!

I've also encountered cases where virus is able to modify system files, even the user is restricted. But the good news is, the virus is not able to bring out Maximum damage.
Based on MANY YEARS of personal experience, most computers that gives me the most headache,(Sometimes Heartache as a bonus) are those normal users given Administrator rights. In fact, some that are so bad, that I was forced to Backup the data & Format the computer! Those users who didn't have Administrator rights, i don't have to do that 99% of the time!

Alright, that's all for today! Feel free to leave your comments!
Next, I'll cover on some tips to keep your PC safe! Stay tuned!

Extend Your Laptop Battery Life!

2009-05-24T02:10:00.000-07:00

Ever noticed why some people take out their laptop battery when the laptop is plugged to the power?
The reason is simple: To extend your laptop battery life!
Strong batters could last anywhere from 3-4hrs. Weak batteries could last as low as 30mins!
That's why you notice that between 2 laptops, although one could be newer than the other, but it's battery couldn't last as long as the other!
When the battery is fully charged(100%), and if you continue to plug in the power, the battery will discharge (reaching 97%-99%) then charge to 100%. Such continuous discharge and recharge causes harm to your battery! Therefore it is always wise to unplug the power, or remove the battery when the battery is fully charged!

1st Post of My New BLog!

2009-05-24T02:03:00.000-07:00

This isn't a new blog, just an extention of my current blog.
This blog will be created, mainly to provide solutions/guides/methods of Computers/Desktops/Notebooks.

Feel free to leave your comments. Or post questions on IT related stuff that you would like to know. I'll do my best to answer to them!