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Tech Tips
A lot of computer problems can be cured by a simple
reboot of your system. Save and close any projects you might have
open and then restart your computer. On most tech calls the tech
will have you do this as a first step to resolve problems.
Slow Computer....
If your system seems to be running slower,
check your Icon Tray on the bottom right hand corner of the Taskbar.
You can close a lot of these icons by right clicking on them and
then clicking exit. Most of these icons are not needed, but get
put there when you install a new program. Examples are: Yahoo Messenger,
Yahoo Pager, Winzip, AOL, etc. These icons represent running processes
on your computer and use up your available system resources. By
closing these icons you can give your system more resources to work
with, and your computer should run faster.
You can also look in the startup folder which is
located under the Program Menu. If there are any items in this folder
that you do not want to run when your system starts, right click
on them and delete them. If you accidentally delete something that
you need, restore it from the Recycle Bin.
Another way to speed up your computer is to run
Scandisk and then Defrag. You can find these programs by clicking
on Accessories, System Tools in the Program Menu. If your Scandisk
or Defrag cannot complete, try restarting your computer into Safe
Mode, and turning off all screensavers. This can be fairly time
consuming, so you might want to do this late at night so it can
complete overnight.
To give your system more storage space try going
to Control Panel, then click on Add/Remove Programs. Look at the
list there and remove any old or unused programs. If you are not
sure of what a program is or does, leave it installed.
Always have an up-to-date Virus Scanner installed
on your computer. A virus can get into your system by E-Mail, downloading
programs or files from the web, or from disks from other users.
A Virus Scanner will help protect your computer from these attacks.
If you hear a squeaking or squealing sound coming
from your computer when you start it up, you might have a failing
fan. Take it in to your computer shop and have it looked at. A fan
failure could lead to a total system failure.
If your mouse seems sluggish, turn it over, take
out the ball, and clean the rollers. You can also clean the ball
in warm soapy water.
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