Random Computer Tips -- Post your own!!

[aimeeandbeatles]

Heres a few from personal expericene I learn. I have Winodws XP, but I used to have a 98. so a few are from my 98 days.

1. If your computer is running real slow, and you tried everything else, try kicking the CPU (very carefully.) Dust sometimes gets stuck inside and slows things down. (I've kicked my computer before, and it works!) But if you keep it clean inside (opening it up and wiping away the dust with a rag, never ever use cleaners), you probably won't need to do this.

2. If your internet is running slow, first thing to do is check to see if you have any internet using programs running. (I have uTorrent, which slows it down, so I turn it off when I'm not using it.) If that doesn't work, try turning the internet off and back on, and refreshing the connection. If that still doesn't work, call the ISP, maybe they're working on the lines.

3. If SpyBot Search and Destroy can't get rid of spyware, don't go running out to buy expensive programs. If you have them lying around, maybe. I found in my experience, SpyBot works the best, and even gets rid of crap the expensive programs can't!

4. Always have a spare keyboard and mouse. Especially if you consume food and drink around the computer.

5. If a site you like is down, you can sometimes Google Cache it. Go to google, and type in cache:siteurl. But the site may be outdated, especially ones updated daily.

6. For non-sensitive documents, Google Documents is good for backing them up. Whenever you update it, just copy and paste the update into Google Docs.

7. If you have a bad driver, sometimes your computer won't come on, it goes into standby. When you first power-on, press F8 'till the boot menu comes up, go to Safe Mode, and uninstall the bad driver.

8. It's better to install drivers from the CD then from auto-install, or at least get it manually, because sometimes the auto-install driver misidentifies the hardware. (That's why I had to go into safe mode a few weeks ago) ("Auto-install" is the thing that pops up on Windows when you connect a hardware, asking if it should get the driver for you.)

I learn these from experience

 

[Genocidicbunny]

1. If your computer is running real slow, and you tried everything else, try kicking the CPU (very carefully.) Dust sometimes gets stuck inside and slows things down. (I've kicked my computer before, and it works!) But if you keep it clean inside (opening it up and wiping away the dust with a rag, never ever use cleaners), you probably won't need to do this.

Dont ever do this as it might damage the hard drive from the sudden movement. That, and if you have a heavy heatsink the sudden acceleration might damage the motherboard at the points where the heatsink is attached.

That and the fact that the dust is still inside the case and will merely proceed to clog up something else.

2. If your internet is running slow, first thing to do is check to see if you have any internet using programs running. (I have uTorrent, which slows it down, so I turn it off when I'm not using it.) If that doesn't work, try turning the internet off and back on, and refreshing the connection. If that still doesn't work, call the ISP, maybe they're working on the lines.

Also do a virus scan or etc.

3. If SpyBot Search and Destroy can't get rid of spyware, don't go running out to buy expensive programs. If you have them lying around, maybe. I found in my experience, SpyBot works the best, and even gets rid of crap the expensive programs can't!

This is a good point. There are many alternatives to expensive AV programs, such as avast and avg, Spybot and HijackThis.

4. Always have a spare keyboard and mouse. Especially if you consume food and drink around the computer.

A can of compressed air is also a good idea to have around the house.

5. If a site you like is down, you can sometimes Google Cache it. Go to google, and type in cache:siteurl. But the site may be outdated, especially ones updated daily.

If the site updates daily, most likely it wont be down for long either.

6. For non-sensitive documents, Google Documents is good for backing them up. Whenever you update it, just copy and paste the update into Google Docs.

Or just have a USB flash drive that you keep on you. Who knows what Google might do with those documents in the future.

7. If you have a bad driver, sometimes your computer won't come on, it goes into standby. When you first power-on, press F8 'till the boot menu comes up, go to Safe Mode, and uninstall the bad driver.

Sometimes the driver will be one that Windows loads during Safe Boot in which case you might not be able to even boot into it. Fortunately, unless you really screwed something up, bad drivers merely cause the device to not function, not actually make your computer refuse to boot (unless its something like your SATA drivers in which case it might be a bit worse)

8. It's better to install drivers from the CD then from auto-install, or at least get it manually, because sometimes the auto-install driver misidentifies the hardware. (That's why I had to go into safe mode a few weeks ago) ("Auto-install" is the thing that pops up on Windows when you connect a hardware, asking if it should get the driver for you.)

I find that if its something generic like an IDE drive or a CRT monitor or stuff like that, you can use the Auto-Install feature. Of course, for things like video cards, LAN card drivers and etc, its always a good idea to get the driver from the manufacturer and keep it updated.

Here's one of my own:

If you delete things because you are certain you are not going to need them, instead of hitting delete or moving them to recycle bin and then emptying that, just hit Shift-Delete and it will automatically bypass the recycle bin. Just be careful, its a lot harder to get files back if you delete them this way.

 

[echinococcus]

Close any bottles which you keep at your computer place properly. Keep glasses with something in it at least 1m away from your keyboard.......

 

[kuukkeli]

Keep glasses with something in it at least 1m away from your keyboard.......

This certainly can't apply to mugs and cups because I have a big cup of coffee right here in front of my keyboard.

 

[GVBN]

Press Shift-Alt-Print Screen

 

[LucyDuke]

1. If your computer is running real slow, and you tried everything else, try kicking the CPU (very carefully.) Dust sometimes gets stuck inside and slows things down. (I've kicked my computer before, and it works!) But if you keep it clean inside (opening it up and wiping away the dust with a rag, never ever use cleaners), you probably won't need to do this.

BAD. IDEA. Don't kick a computer! It's not going to fix it, and you may well damage it. If there's a dust problem, buy a can of air, open up the machine, and get the dust out properly.

 

[echinococcus]

This certainly can't apply to mugs and cups because I have a big cup of coffee right here in front of my keyboard.

You can always srew your mug to the desk and suck your coffee through a metal tube to be on the safe side