Computer Tips and Guides

Archive for July 10th, 2009

Speed Up Slow Firefox 3.5 Windows Start-Ups

Firefox 3.5 pulls data from certain file locations for randomized security purposes. Sometimes, though, that can lead to annoying slow start-ups in Windows. You can speed things up by cleaning out certain folder locations.

For whatever reason, having too many temporary, history, or recent document files sitting in your Windows locations slows down Firefox 3.5’s data generation processes, as has been reported as a bug. The Mozilla Links blog recommends cleaning out these folders to ..read more

BitZipper 2009 New BitZipper 2009 is the most powerful archive manager on the market, but it includes a friendly Wizard that makes it easy even for raw beginners to use. It supports Zip files, Cab files, Rar files, 7-zip files and just about any other compressed archive format you’re likely to come across. It can create archives using 8 of these formats too.

BitZipper 2009 can also open ISO files, Windows and Mac disk images. It can extract the contents of Microsoft ..read more

Many times in order to remove a piece of spyware or for troubleshooting and diagnostic purposes, you’ll have to start Windows in Safe Mode. While in Safe Mode, only specific programs and files needed to run the operating system are loaded. Some functions, such as connecting to the Internet, will not be active in Safe Mode and a standard video driver will be loaded causing a washed out look and a possible change in resolution.

However, because just the essential programs ..read more

Many times when trying to remove an unwanted program, especially a piece of adware or spyware, you may run across a file that is undeletable by any normal method. When you try to remove it you’ll receive the error message shown below telling you “access denied” and explaining the file may be in use.  You may also receive one of the following messages.

Cannot delete file: Access is denied There has been a sharing violation. The source or destination file may be in ..read more

Step 1: Know Your System

The first preventive step you need to perform is to take an inventory of your computer system. This information will be vital if you later have to contact technical support or have your system serviced.

Start by noting your serial number and model number. With this information, your system manufacturer can determine the components of your system. If you’ve added components to your system, ..read more

I’ve had a few computers that will not boot correctly after I’ve installed Windows XP Service Pack 3 on them. The computer finishes the install and then prompts for a reboot. The computer will start to reboot then give a BSOD Stop Error for a second and reboot again. This process will continue unless the computer is started in Safe Mode. In Safe mode the computer boots correctly and everything seems fine.

This problem only appears on some systems after upgrading ..read more

Best Content Filtering Software? [Hive Five Call For Contenders]

Despite the fact that the internet is quite mainstream, it’s hardly lost its Wild West ways. Which tools do you use to tame rowdy content and make your computer kid and co-worker friendly?

We’re huge advocates of the freedom of information and the personal responsibility that comes with access to a tool as powerful and far reaching as the internet. Nonetheless, there are times when it’s necessary to filter the information coming down ..read more

Although I covered most of the ways to speed up Windows boot time in another article, I encountered a unique roadblock recently that made me write this article.

During the last week I was asked by a customer to upgrade one of their office computers from Windows 98SE to Windows XP. Normally this is pretty standard, however because their current hard drive was only a 20GB with a gig or so remaining I wanted to upgrade their hard drive as well.

I ..read more