As you save and delete files on your hard drive during normal computer use, files become disorganized or fragmented. You then notice your computer running slower. In windows, click Start/programs/accessories/system tools/Disk Defragmenter to run the program. Run the defragmenter once a month or when you notice your computer getting sluggish.
Turn off your computer properly ( if possible )
Click Start/Shutdown to turn off your computer. Just turning off the power can lead to data loss and corrupt files on your hard drive.
Do not unplug mice,keyboards and other items with the computer power on.
Actually its usually ok to unplug USB type devices (like USB mice) with the computer on, but unless you can tell the difference between a PS2 and a USB connection , its better to be careful. Unplugging PS2 mice, gameports and especially monitors can cause serious damage. Turn the computer off or leave it on?
If you are not going to use it for a few hours, just turn it off and save some electricity. This has been a matter of debate for some time.
Unlike newer computers, older computer circuitry suffered more from the heating and cooling down cycle when turning the computer on and off.
Many also believe leaving the computer on all the time is also ok. I believe this probably saves the computer from the stress of rebooting, however some negatives would be cooling fans wearing out, more exposure to
power spikes and brownouts, dust build up from the cooling fans constantly spinning and possible overheating when the ac breaks down. Also leaving the computer on and always connected to the internet is a security concern.
Keep it Cool
Computers like cool shaded areas. They like warm sunshine as much as Dracula. Keep the fans unobstructed and remove dust build up. An Aluminum case is also a good idea if you don't mind the expense ($100 to $200). An Aluminum case can lower your internal temperature by roughly
10 degrees C . Now extra cooling measures are important if you are doing more than just web surfing. High frame rate arcade type games, overclocking and other tasks can heat up your processor fast.
Fanatics who want to squeeze as much performance out of their hardware have resorted to liquid cooling via aquarium pumps to even enclosing their computers inside refrigerators. Once your processor reaches its die temperature, its post toasty. Unless you play the latest high speed games for hours in hot weather conditions, most of you will not have to worry (too much).
Uninstall Programs Correctly
Use the uninstall that came with the program or click on start/settings/control panel/ add remove programs . Don't just delete its desktop icon or use windows explorer to delete its files.
Copy and Paste a Website Link into an email
Here is a link to the first page for computer tips.
Computer Tips page 1
Now move your mouse pointer over the link above, ( you should see its color change ) and click the right mouse button. A menu should pop up, left click on "Copy Link Location" or "Copy Link Target" (this can vary depending on the browser you are using).
To paste the link into an email you are composing, left click somewhere in the email you are writing , click the right mouse button, in the menu that pops up, left mouse click on "paste". You could also type ctrl-v ( hold ctrl key down and press v ) to paste the link.
Copy and Paste Text into your email
Move the mouse pointer to the beginning of text on the tip above, click and hold the left mouse button and drag the mouse to highlight the text you want to copy. Then click the right mouse button. A menu should pop up, Left mouse click on "copy". You could have also typed ctrl-c ( hold ctrl key down and press c ) to copy the text. Now your computer has a saved a copy of the text.
To paste the text into an email you are composing, click somewhere in the email you are writing , click the right mouse button, in the menu that pops up, left click on "paste". You could also type ctrl-v ( hold ctrl key down and press v ) to paste the link. You can also paste the text into most text editors such as notepad or wordpad etc.
Web Email or Pop?
If your using an email program like Outlook or Mozilla for email , you are most likely
using pop email ( post office protocol ). Most internet service providers give you pop email accounts. If you sign up for free email at Yahoo or Hotmail this is most likely a web email account. With pop email, your email is downloaded and saved to your disk drive. With
web email, all your email is stored on a server computer somewhere and viewed from
your web browser. So each web email message has to be downloaded to your web
browser each time you view it .
Web Email Pros and Cons
Pros:
1. Easy access to all your email from other computers
2. Don't have to change your email address when you switch internet providers.
Cons:
1. Slower access because you must download each message to your browser each time you view it.
2. Quota limits on the amount of email you can store.
Pop Email Pros and Cons
Pros:
1. Faster access and viewing of saved emails.
2. Quota limits are not an issue since your emails are saved to your hard drive. The typical hard drive has over 10,000 times the storage of a web email account.
3. Can use a more advanced email client than is provided by web email.
Cons:
1. Harder to retrieve your email from other computers. ( You would have to set up your pop email account on the machine to retrieve new messages. Older messages downloaded elsewhere would not be available. )
2. Will need a new email address when you switch internet providers.
Don't know your bits from your bytes?
Digital information is represented as a binary string of 1's and 0's. A bit has two values, 1 or 0. An example of a binary number would be 01000001 . This 8 bit binary number is equivalent to the number 65 in your normal base 10 numbering system. If this binary number is destined to be displayed as character data, the computer would interpret it as the letter A.
The number of bits required to represent character data is called a byte. Generally a byte is 8 bits. So when your dial-up connection says you are connected at 48k , you are getting information transfer at 48,000 bits per second ( or 6000 bytes per second ).