Upgrade Or Replace A Desktop PC?

Before investigating the option of upgrades or replacement, it is advised that users clean up their computer software to try and speed up their system. Often times software and programs that have accumulated over time have slowed down the system from its optimal performance. Because of this, users should try some maintainence to help speed up their PC.


The average desktop PC has a functional lifespan of roughly two to five years. The length of the lifespan greatly depends upon the type of system purchased, advances in hardware components and changes in the software that we run. Over time, users will tend to notice that their systems just aren't as fast as they used to be, they don't have enough space to store their files or don't meet the requirements for the latest software. When this happens, users have the option of either upgrading or replacing their PCs.

To determine which path might be better for your computer system, it is best to look at a cost comparison of what you will get out of each of the two options. My rule of thumb is that upgrades should typically be done if the costs of the upgrades will be roughly half of the cost of getting a new system. This is just a guideline based on most upgrades giving you a functional lifespan of roughly half of what a complete replacement will get you.

The advantage that desktop PCs have is a greater amount of upgrades that can be made to them compared to a laptop computer. The problem is that with so many components that can be upgraded, the costs of upgrades can quickly outpace the cost of replacement. Let's take a look at some of the items that can be upgraded, their relative cost and ease of installation.

How To Secure A WLAN

Introduction
Take your mouse and hover it over the wifi icon in the bottom right of your computer screen. Go ahead, do it. It will show you the name of your wireless network. If you're like 80 percent of wifi users, the wireless network you are connected to is titled something like, "Linksys (Unsecured)" or "Default (Unsecured)".

An unsecured wireless network is an open invitation to hackers to walk right in to your computer and steal your personal information, upload malware onto your computer, and otherwise terrorize you.

Analysis
Thankfully, securing your Wifi connection is extraordinarily simple to do. In this article we cover 10 simple steps that will take your wireless network from being a welcome beacon to hackers to the wi-fi equivalent of Fort Knox. So let's get started…

Changing Administrator Passwords and Usernames
After you've taken your wifi router out of the box and started the setup process, you will be asked to sign on to a specific Web page and are required to enter information such as your network address and account information. In theory, this Wifi setup page is protected with a login screen (username and password).

The Problem: Though the username and password are intended to allow only you to get access to your Wifi setup and the personal information you have entered, the fact remains that the logins provided are usually given to everyone with the same model router, and because most people never change them, they remain an easy target for hackers and identity thieves. In fact, there are sites that list the default usernames and passwords for wireless routers, making a hackers job even easier.

The Solution: Change the username and password for your Wifi setup immediately after the first login. And if you are going to spend the time changing your password, make sure it is difficult to guess. Your name, birth date, anniversary date, child's name, spouse's name, or pet's name are going to be among the hacker's first guesses. And because many hackers use a technique called 'dictionary hacking,' (running a program that tries common English words as passwords) you should make sure that your password isn't just a common English word, but rather is a combination of letters and numbers.



Upgrading your Wifi Encryption
If the information sent back and forth over your Wifi network isn't adequately encrypted, a hacker can easily tap into the network and monitor your activity. When you type personal or financial information into a Web site, that hacker can then steal that information and use it to steal your identity.

The old encryption standard Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) can be hacked within 30 seconds, no matter the complexity of the passphrase you use to protect it. Unfortunately, millions of Wifi users are still using WEP encryption technology to encrypt their information, despite the availability of the vastly superior WPA2 encryption standard.

The Problem: Despite the superior encryption protection that WPA2 provides, most Wifi home users have failed to upgrade their protection because they were unaware of the problem, or simply felt overwhelmed by the technical prospects of upgrading. As a result, many continue to use WEP encryption, which is now so simple to hack that it is widely regarded as little better than no encryption at all.

The Solution: The solution, of course, is to upgrade your Wifi encryption to WPA2. But before you can add WPA2 protection, you will have to complete a few steps in order to update your computer. The first step is to download and install Microsoft's WPA2 hotfix for Windows XP. You will also likely need to update your wireless card driver. These updates, if needed, will be listed in Microsoft's Windows Update page under the subheading "Hardware Optional".

Now that your computer and wireless card are up to date, you will need to log into your router's administration page through your web browser (this is the page you signed into in order to setup theWifi router the first time you opened it up, the specific URL can be found in your router's instruction manual.) Once signed in, change the security settings to "WPA2 Personal" and select the algorithm "TKIP+AES". Finally, enter your password into the "Shared Key" field and save your changes.



Changing the Default System ID
When you got your Linksys or D-Link router home from the store and set it up, it came with a default system ID called the SSID (Service Set Identifier) or ESSID (Extended Service Set Identifier). This ID is also commonly referred to as the name of your Wifi setup.

The Problem: Usually, manufacturers assign identical SSID sets to their devices, and 80 percent of Wifi home users leave their system on the default setting. So that means that 80 percent of homes have Wifi systems titled, "Default" or "LinkSys" or whatever your provider sets as the default name.

The problem with these default settings is that they serve as strong signals to hackers who have been known to just cruise neighborhoods looking for Wifi networks with default names to hack into. Though knowing the SSID does not allow anyone to break into your network, it usually indicates that the person hasn't taken any steps to protect their network, thus these networks are the most common targets.

The Solution: Change the default SSID immediately when you configure your LAN. This may not completely offer any protection as to who gains access to your network, but configuring your SSID to something personal, e.g. "The Smith House Wifi Network", will differentiate you from other unprotected networks, and discourage hackers from targeting you. As an added bonus, having a Wifi network with a unique name also means that neither you or your family will make the mistake of connecting through a neighbor's Wifi network, and thus exposing your computers through their unprotected setup.



MAC Address Filtering
If you've had an unsecured Wifi setup in your home in the past, you can be fairly certain that at least one of your neighbors is mooching off your Wifi to connect to the Internet. While everyone loves a friendly neighbor, providing an easy resource for others to steal Internet access is morally and legally questionable, but even scarier is the harm those moochers can do to your computer.

In order to check who has been using your network, you'll need to check the MAC address. Every wifi gadget is assigned a unique code that identifies it called the "physical address" or "MAC address." Your wifi system automatically records the MAC addresses of all devices that connect to them. But busting your Internet-stealing neighbors isn't all that MAC addresses are good for, they can actually be a great help in securing your WLAN.

The Problem: You are not sure who or what is accessing and endangering your wifi network, and once you find out that someone or something is mooching off your network, you want to stop them. But how?

The Solution: Checking the MAC address long for your wifi network will give you a quick view of all the devices accessing your network. Anything that isn't yours, you will want to keep out. To do this, you will need to manually key in the MAC addresses of your home equipment. This way, the network will allow connections only from these devices, so your mooching neighbors will be out of luck. Caution: This feature is not as powerful as it may seem. While it will stop your average neighborhood moocher or amateur hacker, professional hackers use advanced software programs to fake MAC addresses.



Stop Publicly Broadcasting your Network
By now you've renamed your wifi so that hackers won't see the default name as they sweep for unprotected wifi setups. But wouldn't it be even better if hackers and curious neighbors didn't know you had a wifi setup at all? Usually, your access point or router is programmed to broadcast the network name (SSID) over the air at regular intervals. While broadcasting is essential for businesses and mobile hotspots to let people find the network, it isn't needed at home, so eliminate it.

The Problem:Why broadcast to the world that you have a wireless connection? You already know it; why do strangers need to know? For most personal uses, you are better off without this feature, because it increases the likelihood of an unwelcome neighbor or hacker trying to log in to your home network. The broadcast works like an invitation to the hackers who're searching for just that opportunity.

The Solution: Most wifi access points allow the SSID broadcast feature to be disabled by the network administrator. If you are using a Linksys router, instructions to disable your SSID broadcast are here, and for those of you using D-Link, your instructions are here (See Figure 1.6 on page 4). Otherwise, you will need to check the manual for your hardware for specific instructions on how to disable broadcasting for your router.



Auto-Connect to Open Wifi Networks?
Most computers provide a wifi setting that will configure your computer to automatically connect to any open wifi network without notifying you. While this setting isn't the default, many individuals select the setting because it makes connecting faster when you are traveling, or connecting at a friend's house. Even more common, is to have selected 'connect automatically' to networks that you regularly connect to. Again, this makes sense, as most people do not want to have to manually type in the name of their wireless network and the password each time they want to sign in at home. Unfortunately, both wifi setups can cause major security problems.

The Problem: If you connect to every available wifi network automatically, you will inevitably end up connecting to dummy wifi networks designed specifically to catch unsuspecting users and hack their computers.

Similarly, if you automatically connect to your regular wifi networks (meaning you don't manually type in your network name and password every time) then you may be setting yourself up for a security breach. That is because 80 percent of wifi users have not changed the name of their wireless connection. Therefore, it is very easy for a hacker to create a dummy network entitled "Linksys" or "Default", then sit back and watch 80 percent of computers automatically connect to the network since it has a 'trusted' name.

The Solution: Never select the 'connect to available wifi networks automatically' setup option under your Network Connections window. If you don't want to have to manually type in the name and password to your wifi connection each time you sign in (the safest option), at least make sure that you have named your wifi connection something unique, and that you eliminate all generic titled networks from your 'preferred networks' list. That way, you won't get automatically connected to dummy wifi networks setup by hackers and given the names, "Default" or "Linksys".



You've got a built-in firewall, so use it
Your IT security needs to use a layered approach. While no single layer of your security is enough to withstand every attack, adding layers to your security will help ensure that spyware and malware are kept out. Two important security layers are the router firewall and your individual PC's firewall.

The Problem: Routers come with built-in firewall capability. However, since there is an option to disable them, they can often be accidentally turned off by someone toggling options.

The Solution: Ensure that your router's firewall is enabled, along with related built in security featured which block anonymous internet requests or pings. This extra step will help hide your network's presence to the internet, and thus help protect your network. After all, it's harder for hackers to infiltrate what they can't find.



Positioning of the Router or Access Point
Wifi signals don't know where your house ends and where your neighbor's begins. This wifi signal leakage gives hackers and neighbors the opportunity to find your wireless network and attempt to access it.

The Problem: While a small amount of overflow outdoors is not a problem, it is important to keep this leakage to a minimum. This is important because the further your signal reaches into the neighborhood, the easier it is for others to detect and exploit.

The Solution: If you haven't yet installed your wireless home network, make sure to position the router or access point in the center of the home rather than near windows or doors. If you live in an apartment, consider that a wifi network is restricted in part based upon the materials that it must pass through, the more walls, doors, and metal the signal passes through, the weaker it is. So if your goal is to reduce leakage, you might consider mounting your wifi in a closet in order to reduce signal strength.



When to Turn Off the Network
Most of us know that it is impractical to constantly turn devices on and off. Having a wifi connection is in large part a device of convenience, and having to turn it off every time you aren't using it, eliminates much of that convenience. Unfortunately, a wifi connection is vulnerable when it is on; therefore shutting off your wireless signal when not in use would be a huge boon to its security.

The Problem: There is an inherent tension between convenience and security in deciding whether to turn off a wireless access point between connections.

The Solution: Just as you take extra home security measures when taking a vacation, like asking your neighbors to pick up the mail and leaving a light on, so also should you take extra wifi security measures when your network will not be in use for expended periods of time. Shutting down the network is a basic but effective security measure that can protect your network when you are not around to protect it, and hackers may take the opportunity to mount their attack.



Putting your Improvements to the Test
Now that you've made all these changes to your wifi setup, it would be nice to know that you are secure. Unfortunately, the only surefire test for how secure you are is to wait to see if you get hacked. Trial by fire is no way to test your security, however, so thankfully there is a program to help audit your wifi security.

The Problem: There is no way for the average home wifi user to know if the changes they made to upgrade their wireless security will really prove successful in keeping them safe.

The Solution: The Netstumbler utility, by Marius Milner will both determine your network's vulnerabilities and unauthorized access points. In addition to these security concerns, the downloadable program will also reveal the sources of network interference and weak signal strength, so that you can improve the strength of your wifi signal. Netstumbler is free for download, although the author asks that those who find the tool helpful make a donation to support the creation of future utilities.

Conclusion
This article should serve as a basic primer on how to secure your wireless network from the wide array of threats that face it, but it is important to keep in mind that no single article can cover completely every security measure which can be used to strengthen your wifi system. Consequently, we have left off from this list a wide variety of other valid security measures such as; limiting intra-network file sharing, changing the default IP address of your wireless router, assigning a static IP address to each of your PC's, disabling the DMZ and Remote Management features, along with a host of indirectly related but nonetheless necessary measures such as installing a PC firewall, anti-virus software, anti-malware software, patch updates and so on.

Despite these intentional omissions, following the 10 steps outlined in this article will take the average user a long way along the path of wireless security and ensure that you and your family are able to enjoy the convenience of your wifi system without compromising your PC's security.

Hardware Upgrade

What Hardware Upgrade Will Best Speed Up My PC?

Choose the Best Upgrade for What You Do

There is no "best" upgrade for everyone. It all depends on what you use your computer for. If you do a lot of multitasking, or your work involves applications that require a lot of memory (e.g., you run a lot of virtual machines), RAM is going to be a solid upgrade. If you play a lot of games, a new video card is more likely to increase performance, while video editors would probably like a faster, multithreaded processor. Here's a breakdown of possible upgrades and what they'd be good for:

RAM: While RAM is easily the cheapest upgrade you can make, most modern computers aren't going to see a huge performance benefit from upgrading. Usually, 4GB should be enough for the average person—it isn't going to make most apps run faster and it isn't going to improve gaming all that much. If you're still rocking 512MB, it could definitely be worth an upgrade—but otherwise, you can probably pass. Exceptions include people who use a ton of programs at once, use RAM-intensive applications like Photoshop or a video editor, and people who run virtual machines in programs like VirtualBox or VMware, which require you to set aside a chunk of RAM for those machines. The more RAM your virtual machines have, the faster they'll run (and the less they'll steal from your actual OS).

Hard Drives/Solid State Drives: We've talked about this a lot before, but it's worth repeating: Upgrading to a solid state drive (SSD) is one of the best upgrades you can make in terms of general speed boosts. An SSD can speed up your boot time and the launching of applications, though it isn't going to encode video any faster or make your games run more smoothly (though they will load faster). An SSD won't make web sites load any faster, and it isn't really worth it if you only use a few applications. It's especially great for those using slow-launching programs (again, like Photoshop) or launching many applications at once. Upgrading your regular hard drive to a more spacious hard drive (that is, a non-SSD) will only help your speed if you're regularly running out of space.

Processors: The first thing you'll want to note is that processors are not as easily upgradable as RAM and hard drives. Laptops and pre-built desktops are sometimes upgradable, and if you built your machine yourself, you can always upgrade to a faster processor with the same socket type. This upgrade would be most useful for those doing processor intensive tasks that make you wait—like encoding video or audio. Multi-core processors will help with multitasking, especially when these intensive processes are involved. Faster processors can also help boost gaming, but not as much as...

Video Cards: If you're a gamer, this is where you probably want to upgrade. Nothing boosts your gaming performance like a new video card, and it's easy to find one in your price range. If upgrading to a new card is too expensive, you can always try to buy a second video card and put it in SLI or Crossfire, which essentially means having two of the same video card for extra performance (though it requires a compatible motherboard). If you aren't a gamer, then you don't need to look too closely at video cards, considering any semi-modern PC can handle everything else you'll throw at it, including HD video. Focus on the other upgrades instead.

7 Ways to Speed up and Optimize Windows XP

7 Ways to Speed up and Optimize Windows XP

Quick and easy
After seeing how popular Blifaloo's guide to virus removal and prevention has become, I decided to write some more articles about taking care of your computer.

The following is a list of easy tweaks you can do to speed up the overall performance of your PC with Windows XP. Last updated March 21st, 2012

1. Disable File Indexing

Huh? This indexing service gets info from files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index."
If you don't use the XP search feature often to look for documents, you can turn this feature off, and the difference you'll notice is a slight increase in the time it takes for your computer to find a file, but an overall increase in general speed for everything else.
How to : From My Computer > right-click on the C: Drive > select Properties.
Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Apply changes to "C: sub folders and files," and click OK.

2. Clean Up Prefetch, temp, and cache files

Huh? Windows stores a lot of temporary files that can be safely cleaned out once a month or so. This is also good to do before running virus or spyware scans, as it clears many things out of your system that would need to be scanned.

How to : Download CleanUp!
How to use CleanUp! : Download, Install, and Run.

(I've gotten a lot of recommendations/hate mail stating that cleaning the Prefetch is unnessary. Keep this in mind, but I still think CleanUp! is a useful program.)

3. Install some RAM

Huh? If you are running 128mb or 256mb of Ram, it's pretty cheap and easy to upgrade to 512mb. This is the only suggestion I will make that will actually cost money, but it's also the one that will best improve performance.

How to : Not sure how to install Ram, or even what kind you need or where to get it from? Read Lifehacker's Guide to Installing RAM

4. Remove Programs & files you no longer need or use

Huh? Having old games or other software you no longer use can take up a lot of space on your hard drive, which can lead to an overall decrease in your PC's performance.

How to : Removing old programs is easy. From the Control Panel click on the "Add or Remove Programs" Icon. You can safely remove programs like games, demos, and other software you no longer use. If you are not sure what a program is... don't delete it just yet. You can do an internet search to find out more about any mystery programs installed on your PC to decide to delete them or not.

Remember: Mp3 music files and videos you download can take up a lot of space. Go through your media files once a month or so and delete the ones you no longer use.

5. Turn off Windows Animations and Visual Effects

Huh? Fancy sliding, fading and animated effects that windows uses by default are easily turned off, and will make the reaction time of simple tasks like opening and moving windows, taskbars, etc... much quicker.

How to : From the Control Panel, click on the "System" icon. Click on the Advanced tab. Click the "Settings" button underneath "Performance". Uncheck the options related to animations, and other unneeded visual effects.

Personally, I only have 3 items checked in here: "smooth edges of screen fonts", "use common tasks in folders", and "use visual styles on windows and buttons". You can uncheck all of them if you like. But, just getting rid of all the animated features will help the responsiveness of your PC.

6. Remove unused Fonts

Huh? Having too many fonts can realllllllly slow down how fast programs start up. Some people say have no more than 500 fonts installed on WinXP, but I personally try to keep the number of fonts below 200. The less you have the faster your programs that use them (office software, graphic programs etc..) will load.

How to : From the Control Panel, click on the "Fonts" icon. You can delete the fonts you don't use here.

Remember: to keep the basics: Verdana, Arial, Times, Trebuchet, Courier, serif, sans-serif, Georgia, etc... Along with any fonts related to your business.

7. Get a Virus, Spyware and Malware Clean System

Huh? Chances are you have some sort of virus, spyware or malware on your computer.

How to : Get Adware and Spybot S&D in addition to a Firewall and Antivirus program. *editors note Aug. 2010 (See our guide to virus removal and protection for more up-to-date info.)

If you are running a computer with Windows XP, you likely have years (almost a decades?) worth of random crap in your registry. You may also want to consider getting a registry cleaner - ParetoLogic makes software compatible with WindowsXP.

Remember: Keep your anti-virus programs up-to-date.

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How To Securely Delete Files

Deleting a file through typical means, does not necessarily mean that you removed the file from your hard disk. With some tools or software, the file you just deleted can be easily recovered.

When you send a file to a recycle bin, the operating system only deletes a record of the files that you want to delete. Your actual files remain in memory of your hard disk.

What is at risk

These are some of the sensitive information:

Personal information(name, address, birthday, etc).
Social security number, tax records
Bank account information, credit card information
Customer's database
Trade secrets
Confidential documents
People interested in this sensitive information is either one of your family member that wants to steal credit card from you, your employees, or identity thieves. Financial loss could start from $4,000 up to $100 million depending on the kind of sensitive information stolen.

Repairs could take from $200 per individual and could last for more than a month depending on the kind of action done to repair the problem.

The concept of overwriting

The concept in making a file unrecoverable is to flip each magnetic domain as much as possible without writing the same pattern twice in a row. If the data is encoded directly, you can effortlessly choose the desired overwriting pattern of ones and zeros and then write it repeatedly. However, most disk use Run Length Limited (RLL) encoding so that the adjacent ones won't be overwritten.

To delete a hard disk permanently, you need to overwrite the disk many times in alternating patterns in order to expose it into a magnetic field that is oscillating fast enough so, it can do the flipping of the magnetic domain over a reasonable amount of time.

Methods of overwriting data

The methods are the different kinds of the algorithm used to overwrite a data.

The Peter Guttman Method. According to Peter Guttman, a Computer Scientist, based on his paper "Secure Deletion of From Magnetic and Solid State Memory", data should be written at least 35 times using carefully selected patterns to make each file unrecoverable. Unfortunately, if you have more than one file to overwrite, this would consume so much time.

The US D.O.D 5220-22.M Method. This is a suggested method for overwriting data by the US Department of Defence. To overwrite a file, you just need to do 7 overrides per file. Which means a faster method of overwriting media but a less secure approach.

NCSC-TG-025 Method. A software-based data sanitation method used to overwrite data for 3 passes. The first pass writes all files with zeros, second pass writes the data with 1 and the last pass overrides the data with random characters. Again a not highly secure approach but is the fastest method among the three.

NAVSO P-5239-26. A software-based sanitation method used by US Navy to sanitize sensitive information. It overrides the data for three times; first it overrides the file with a specified character of choice; next it writes the complement of the specified character, and lastly, it writes the file with random characters. Although it is what the US Navy uses to sanitize files, it is unclear today if NAVSO P-5239-26 is still used today or if they are implementing alternative sanitation methods or hardware-based sanitation.

How an overwritten file gets recovered

Magnetic Force Microscopy is a technique for imaging magnetization patterns with high-resolution with minimal sample preparation. This technique uses an extremely fine point that is mounted on a flexible cantilever. The tip "raster scans" the hard disk platters following the magnetic force vectors. These movements are measured through the cantilever thus allowing an accurate map of the magnetization-induced field to be produced. Using this method, the map is used to decode the bits of the drive thereby passing through the overwrite and seeing the real data itself.

Although not anyone can obtain a device that can perform MFM, future developments in file recovery can make this a possibility.

Overwriting is safer than deleting the file

There are a lot of software to recover deleted files but none exists on reading on an overwritten data. Therefore, overwriting is the most secure procedure to make the files unreadable, just make sure you do overwriting properly.

Conclusion

When you overwrite a sensitive file, you are saving yourself from the risks loss of sensitive information. There are several risks involved if you try to ignore having a sensitive data overwritten, so there is no reason to do such a task. Besides, having a data destroyed is cheaper than fixing the problem. I suggest that whether know you don't have personal information saved on your computer or if you have, always perform disk wiping since there are some files that are created without knowing it, but it's essential in the performance of the operating system.

Common Fixes for Virus Damaged Files

Most of us have experienced a virus attack that resulted in some damaged files. Usually, the files that are damaged the most are the.exe files and its affiliates. And when this happens, icons that are typically needed to start programs stop working and pop up appears inquiring what software or application you're choosing to make the program you're trying to run work. Instances like these can be solved fairly easily.

• During a virus attack, the "exe file association" is damaged so a registry file fix should be run to fix it. One quick and direct method of doing this is to use Google's "exe file association registry fix," and to attempt to look for the actual .reg files on the landing pages that you can utilize to fix the .exe dilemma. When you have downloaded and run the files, it will inquire if you want to "import into registry." Click "yes" and the problem's solved.

• Sometimes programs in the start menu as well as certain files disappear after a virus infestation. This makes some computer users think that their files are gone, so they reformat their computer in order to remove the virus. But in some cases, the files are still in the computer's system and are just hidden. Do some research or Google "unhide.exe." This is a file that can go through your system and attempt to recover the paths to your files and the missing programs.

• The Internet is still the best place to get information on how to repair files damaged by viruses. There are numerous websites that were developed specifically to counter this threat and where you can discover methods on how to get rid of viruses from your computer and how to fix the damaged files.

Taking precautions like using the best antivirus software you can find and knowing what to be aware of is still the best way to prevent, or at least minimize, the risk of virus attacks. And some of these ways are easy to remember and understand.

• One of your best defense against computer viruses or malware is just to be conscious of what you're clicking on. Not even the most trusted or effective programs like Kaspersky can stop each and every virus, especially with the rise of rootkits and other embedding malware. So the best protection is to be aware of what the red flags are.

• Remember that no program that asks you to do a computer scan is safe. In all likelihood, that's not a reliable or the best antivirus program, it's a website that will unleash a malware on your computer system.

• Don't trust all the emails that you receive, even if it's from a friend. Check it carefully, especially if your friends don't normally send you emails with links or without a subject heading. Email your friend first to make sure that they really did send it, before opening it.

• Social media is also a minefield of viruses. Twitter and Facebook profiles are compromised daily, so be wary of posts or messages asking you to click on a link. These are traps and you'll end up on a landing page that's full of malicious software.

The bottom line is there's no need or reason for computer users to be vulnerable. Armed with the right information and tools, you can protect your information and bring back damaged files to their original state.

Securing Your Computer and Personal Accounts From Hacking Attempts

High-profile celebrities, multinational corporations, and military institutions all share one thing in common: They were all compromised before or have their accounts and networks infiltrated by computer hackers. However, never assume that hackers only aim at prominent and valuable targets. Hacking of computers and Internet accounts for personal and financial information is becoming more prevalent and more and more computer users and Web surfers are at risk of falling victim to them. News media has recently reported of increasing attempts by hackers to take control of e-mail accounts and social network webpages such as Twitter and Facebook. More and more computer users have enlisted the help of purchased or free antivirus solutions and professional advice to help them deal with hacking intrusions.

Before we continue on with this article, we will need to define clearly what "hacking" really means and what actions do it constitutes or covers. Hacking is the general term that is used to identify attempts by persons or users to make off with your e-mail records, computer system, network connections, and Internet security settings. Simply put, it is any effort by hackers and other shady individuals to use the Web or local network to intrude in your PC or laptop and steal your important information.

To the accomplished hacker or to any computer expert in general, hacking can be a relatively basic action that can be accomplished with minimum effort. With the right skill set and attitude, basically anyone can get into computer and Internet accounts illegally and pilfer away critical personal information. A computer user can be called a hacker if he or she somehow gets the e-mail account password or Facebook account name of other individuals and uses them to steal personal information. They often take advantage of the fact that many passwords can easily be guessed; many computer and Internet users sadly only use "1234" or the term "password" as their password for important personal computer and online accounts. E-mail accounts and addresses are often targeted by hackers because they are often used as access points to your confidential Internet data. Hackers can also use other more complicated means and tools to gain control of computer files and make off with critical personal data such as Trojan horses, spam, spyware, and phishing; oftentimes, they can bypass the protective screen that is provided by most paid or free antivirus applications.

There are some hacking techniques that are so complicated and difficult to understand that only professional computer users and experts are able to follow them. They are used by skilled hackers to infiltrate and compromise the computerized networks of private corporations and government institutions, despite the high level of security that are provided for them.

So you come to realize the importance of protecting your computer and accounts from hacking attempts; you now ask yourself, "How can I better secure my computer?" You can easily realize this by strengthening your Internet security against hacking attempts and malware intrusions. To do this, you should first devise solid passwords for each of your e-mail and social media accounts. Secure passwords are those that contain lengthy and apparently haphazard sets of numbers, letters and special symbols and characters such as "&" and "@." You can use the free online password checker by Microsoft at "https://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/password-checker.aspx" to determine whether your password is secure enough for you to use.

You can also strengthen your Internet protection by using a capable antispyware tool or utility. You can select the right antispyware program for your PC or laptop from the numerous premium antimalware solutions and free antivirus applications available. There are even those that are bundled in along with your Windows operating system. If you have Security Essentials from Microsoft and you have an earlier version of Windows installed in your computer, you will have to install an up-to-date variant of Windows or get the latest patches and updates.

Having a sensible and careful attitude when surfing the Web can also help you secure your PC or laptop better from hacking attempts and malware incursions. Never access webpages that you suspect may contain malicious programs and software and never provide your personal information to suspicious-looking or bogus Internet sites. Never click on attachments or links found in e-mailed messages that were sent by unknown individuals and entities. If you have a basic spam utility built in your e-mail, have it upgraded to its full version. Modern web browsers and search engines indicate log-in pages that they have secured by showing a padlock symbol on their address bar, alongside the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) line of that website or page. If this padlock symbol does not appear on the address bar for that site, you might do well to skip the site altogether or proceed to view it with care.

If by any chance your e-mail or social media account has been infiltrated and hacked, you should modify your account password right away and call the customer helpline. If you wish to take back control of your account, you will need to follow an account confirmation process that is provided to you by the e-mail service provider or social media website.

If you suspect that your e-mail account or Facebook page has been infiltrated and hacked, you would need to act on it right away. After you take back control of your e-mail and social media accounts, you will need to better protect your computer by using a paid or free antivirus program that can actively protect you from online hacking attempts and malware intrusions.

How to Repair a Registry - Or Not

Windows computers come with this wonderful error generating piece of software known as the registry. If you search for a solution to your computer problem, you will find that a gazillion sites will offer to repair anything from Blue Screens to toenail fungus using registry cleaners. So why did Microsoft create this diabolical device? Is it to promote registry cleaner sales or to hasten the move to the next version of Windows?

The Truth About the Registry

The truth is that the registry is a valuable database that is a major part of the Windows operating system. Today's complex programs and systems need a place to keep settings and information about their operations. These settings may vary from user to user and from stage to stage of a program. These settings and values are kept in the registry. In order to not have to reprogram the program for each variation, the logic to handle multiple scenarios is built in and the program will work differently depending on which selection was chosen. Many sensitive operations of programs and systems depend on registry values and bad or missing values can totally knock a computer out of service.

How to Know if You Have a Registry Error

The sad answer is that unless you have a very unique problem that points to a registry issue, you can't know. However, if you report a problem to some answer site such as Yahoo Answers, you will find people that suggest registry repair programs for anything and everything. They will even suggest registry repair when you can't get you system to boot and have no reasonable way of getting to your registry.

Registry Repair Programs

There is a plethora of registry repair programs. A great number of them are more harm than good. Regcure has come in for censure for causing a Vista system to revert to Windows 2000 performance and other problems. Registry Mechanic was panned by PC World. Ccleaner is a free registry repair program that generally gets high marks.

The Best Repair Method

Since you can't really know when you have a registry problem and many registry repair programs are downright dangerous, using a more general and intelligent tool is the way to go. Reimage is a powerful program that corrects Windows errors for all the major Windows operating systems including Windows 7, Vista and XP. It won't just tinker with your registry but it will examine and fix all Windows system programs and components and also correct registry problems when appropriate. If you want the best solution to Windows problems and registry repair, Reimage is the way to go.

Slow PC to Speedy PC

A Top Registry Cleaner for Windows 7.
Repairs Registry files and speeds up your PC with just One Click.

Computers become congested with spam and intrusive viruses that can bring your online activities to a grinding halt. You might consider taking it to a PC repair specialist. They will charge you lots of Money and it will never be a permanent fix. What You really need is a quick Spring clean.

Registry cleaners are designed to work hard and work fast to remove harmful data from your system.

The computer should run and perform like brand new.

However, many of the registry cleaners on the market today promise to scan, search and repair your computer. Some even claim they will do it for free. When you download the program and run the scan it can take ages sometimes hours to go through all of your computers files.

It claims to have found corrupted files.

Apparently HUNDREDS of them which it could have mistaken for important downloads that you want to keep.
You click " fix " and then comes the nasty surprise!

To fix your myriad of computer faults you will have to pay out the national debt of the UK to download the full version!

What happens then?

Well, if your lucky, your computer accepts the full version but when you run the program it doesn't correct half of the problems and your computer runs even slower than before because of the massive file you have just downloaded!

All signs of a totally inferior product.

I was totally cheesed off with my computer that moved at a Snail's pace.

It was slow to start-up. When it did eventually start-up it was slow to respond to commands. It found it difficult to run more than one program at a time. It would jump from one program to another without me doing anything and it was slow to shut down.
Sound familiar?

My son Adam suggested that it was probably due to the amount of junk that I download. Files could be corrupted or, even worse, I may have, inadvertently, downloaded a Virus!

I got to work on the Search Engines and looked for "Speed up my slow pc".

Below is a snippet of my review.

I have found 1-Click-Fix and it is the real Deal.
It does what it says on the Tin.
It doesn't matter if your system is a year old or a veteran six year old system. The PC registry fix knows how to troubleshoot any machine and each unique problem. The process is Easy, Affordable and Lightning-fast, getting your computer as good as new before You have time to drink a cup of Tea.

I downloaded the Free scan and within minutes it had trawled through all data on my computer.
Selecting all of the possible problems on the registry.

It has a fail safe. It won't delete any files you may want to keep without, first, asking your permission.

It's true. You will have to purchase the product to fix your computers problems but it's well worth it. With just One click of my mouse on the "Fix" button it got straight to work scanning and repairing all of the corrupt registry files and programs.

Result: A pc that works effortlessly. No more delays when I press a command or jumping to some other unwanted program. The computer is quicker and smarter. The Internet seems a lot faster too. Just like when I first got it.

I don't believe there's another product on the market that can fix windows with such speed and accuracy as 1-Click-Fix. The best part about the program is that its easy to use and anybody can take care of their sick computer with just one click.

Seriously, if your computer is slow to respond to commands, taking ages to start-up or shut down or jumping from one thing to another.
Forget costly PC Repair Company and invest a few bob on 1-Click-Fix. Its well worth it and it will be Yours to use if ever Your computer slows down in the future.

1. Download the Free Scan software.

2. Click Scan. It will scan every single file and program. Looking for any corruptions and virus's.

3. Click Fix. Let it do Magic!

Home PC Protection - How to Make Sure You Are Safe

What we do not understand, we cannot protect

The biggest problem is that people often tell me that they know nothing about computers and rely on others to protect or fix their home computer when it has problems.

This is no longer acceptable in the world of technology today, to say that you don't understand how your computer is exposed to risks.

Don't give access to your computer to untrusted people

Simple but effective. If you do not let people use or access your computer when you are not present, it will protect your pc the most. For example, you hand over your computer to the repair guy in the store without asking or checking their reputation.

Did you know that some computer technicians;

Search all your hard drives and read personal information
They look for your photographs and make copies of images that could be very personal to you
Your banking and passwords are easy for them to find and some get paid to pass details to others for criminal activities
Cause trouble for you by hiding pornographic material on your hard drive and then report you to the authorities
We are too trusting when we hand over our computers containing all your personal information.

Never allow anyone to fix your computer remotely

Never, ever accept someone telling you that they can fix your computer from the internet if you give them access or change firewall settings.

If you didn't call for help, don't believe anything they say about the problems they will fix for you.

By giving them access, it only takes a few minutes to completely copy your hard drive information or find your banking details. Within minutes they use this to commit fraud before you have the chance to cancel any cards or change passwords.

Use different passwords and change often

For your password to be effective it needs to contain at least 6-8 characters mixed with letters and special characters that do not make up real words.

If your password is a real world, it can be broken within seconds by the average computer user that wants to bypass your security.

Watch out for keyloggers

Don't let people install computer programs or software on your computer without your knowledge. A small program known as a key logger will track all your typing and send this information to other people without you knowing.

All in all, ensure you have the latest antivirus software installed and keep updating to prevent old viruses getting through weak defences.

Then make sure you do not download or open any files that you do not know or understand.

Maintaining Your Computer

If you've ever fried a CPU because you didn't clean your fan, lost a decade of your digital life to a hard drive crash, or spent four hours trying to remove a nasty virus, you learned a valuable lesson about the need to maintain your computer.

Medical experts remind us that "prevention is the best medicine" so as your personal computer support expert, I'm going to strongly advise that you apply the same logic to your computer!

These resources will help you keep your computer running in tip-top shape for as long as you choose to own it.


Backup Your Data
The most important thing you can do as a computer owner is to consistently and reliably back up the data stored on your hard drive. Hardware used to be the most valuable part of a computer but those bits and bytes are now the real investment.

You've spent huge amounts of money on software and digital music and video, and countless hours authoring documents and organizing your digital files. If you don't regularly backup this information, a serious computer problem could leave you with nothing but a huge feeling of regret.


Update! Update! Update!
Keeping the software on your computer updated is no longer an optional part of computer ownership. Viruses, worms, junk mail, security breaches, hardware incompatibilities, and software conflicts are all now part of your daily digital life.

Updating your computer with the latest patches, fixes, and device drivers really can keep these annoyances at bay. Updates are freely available on the Internet for just about every antivirus program, email client, operating system, and piece of hardware you could possibly own.


Keep Your Computer Clean
We all know that most things run a little better when they're clean. Water flows easier when your plumbing is clean, your car's engine runs better if you've been taking care of it, and your dryer does more in less time when you clean out the lint.

Your computer is no different. Keeping your files and folders tidy in your virtual world and clearing the dust and grime that builds up inside and outside your computer all play a part in keeping it running smooth day in and day out.

Keep Your PC Cool

Your PC contains a lot of parts, almost all of which create heat when your computer is on. Some parts, like the CPU and graphics card, can get so hot you could cook on them.

In a properly configured computer, much of this heat is moved out of the computer's case by several fans. If your computer isn't removing the hot air fast enough, the temperature can get so hot that you risk serious damage to your PC. Needless to say, keeping your PC cool should be a top priority.

Below are the top eleven PC cooling solutions. Many are free or very inexpensive so there's really no excuse to let your computer overheat.

Allow for Air Flow
The easiest thing you can do to help keep your PC cool is to give it a little breathing room by removing any obstacles to air flow.

Make sure there's nothing sitting right against any side of the computer, especially the back. Most of the hot air flows out of the back end of the computer case. There should be at least 2 to 3 inches open on either side and the back should be completely open and unobstructed.

If your computer is hidden away inside a desk, make sure the door isn't closed all the time. Cool air enters from the front and sometimes from the sides of the case. If the door is closed all day, hot air tends to recycle inside the desk, getting hotter and hotter the longer the computer is running.


Run Your PC With the Case Closed


An "urban legend" about PC cooling is that running your computer with the case open will keep it cooler. It does seem logical - if the case is open, there would be more air flow which would help keep the computer cooler.

The missing puzzle piece here is dirt. When the case is left open, dust and debris clog the cooling fans faster than when the case is closed. This causes the fans to slow down and fail much quicker than usual. A clogged up fan does a terrible job at cooling your expensive computer components.

It's true that running your computer with the case open might provide a small benefit at first, but the increase in fan exposure to debris has a much greater impact on temperature.

Clean Your Computer

The fans inside your computer are there to keep it cool. Do you know what slows a fan down and then eventually makes it stop? Dirt - in the form of dust, pet hair, etc. It all finds a way into your computer and much of it gets stuck in the several fans.

One of the most effective ways to cool your PC is to clean the internal fans. There's a fan on top the CPU, one inside the power supply, and usually one or more on the front and/or back of the case.

Just shut your computer off, open up the case, and use canned air to remove the dirt from each fan. If your PC is really dirty, take it outside to clean or all that dirt will just settle elsewhere in the room, eventually ending up back inside your PC!

Move Your Computer

Is the area you're running your computer in just too hot or too dirty? Sometimes your only option is to move the computer. A cooler and cleaner area of the same room might be fine, but you may have to consider moving the computer somewhere else entirely.

If moving your PC just isn't an option, keep reading for more tips.

Important: Moving your computer can cause damage to the sensitive parts inside if you're not careful. Be sure to unplug everything, don't carry too much at once, and sit things down very carefully. Your main concern will be your computer's case which holds all the important parts like your hard drive, motherboard, CPU, etc.

Upgrade the CPU Fan

Your CPU is probably the most sensitive and expensive part inside your computer. It also has the most potential to overheat.

Unless you've replaced your CPU fan already, the one that's in your computer now is probably a bottom-of-the-line fan that cools your processor just enough to keep it working properly, and that's assuming it's running at full speed.

Many companies sell large CPU fans that help keep CPU temperature lower than a factory installed fan ever could.

Shop around for a CPU fan that's compatible with your CPU socket. Just about anything is going to be better than what came preinstalled in your computer.

Install a Case Fan (or Two)

A case fan is just a small fan that attaches to either the front or the back of a computer case, from the inside. Case fans help move air through a computer.

Installing two case fans, one to move cool air into the PC and another to move warm air out of the PC, is a great way to keep a computer cool.

Case fans, of which there are many to choose from, are even easier to install than CPU fans so don't be afraid to get inside your computer to tackle this project.

Stop Overclocking

If you're not sure what overclocking is, you're probably not doing it so you don't have to worry about it.

To the rest of you, you're well aware that overclocking pushes your computer's capabilities to its limits. What you may not realize is that these changes have a direct effect on the temperature that your CPU and any other overclocked components operate at.

If you're overclocking your PC's hardware but haven't taken other precautions to keep that hardware cool, I definitely recommend reconfiguring your hardware to factory default settings.

Replace the Power Supply


The power supply in your PC has a large fan built into it. The air you feel when you hold your hand behind your computer is from this fan.

If you don't have a case fan, the power supply fan is the only way that the hot air created inside your computer can be removed. Your computer can heat up quickly if this fan isn't working.

Unfortunately, you can't just replace the power supply fan. If this fan is no longer working, you'll need to replace the entire power supply.


It's true that the CPU is probably the biggest heat producer in your computer but nearly every other component creates heat as well. Super fast memory and high end graphics cards can often give the CPU a run for its money.

If you find that your memory, graphics card, or some other component is creating a lot of heat, you can cool them down with a component specific fan. In other words, if your memory is running hot, buy and install a memory fan. If your graphics card is overheating during gameplay, upgrade to a larger graphics card fan.

With ever faster hardware comes ever hotter parts. Fan manufacturers know this and have created specialized fan solutions for nearly everything inside your computer.

Install a Water Cooling Kit

In very high end computers, heat buildup can become such a problem that even the fastest and most efficient fans can't cool the PC. In these cases, installing a water cooling kit can help. Water transfers heat well and can drastically reduce the temperature of a CPU.

"Water inside a computer? That doesn't sound safe!" Don't worry, the water, or other liquid, is completely enclosed inside the transfer system. A pump cycles cool liquid down to the the CPU where it can absorb the heat and then it pumps the hot liquid out of your computer where the heat can dissipate.

Interested? Find a good deal on a water cooling kit and buy one. Water cooling kits are easy to install, even if you've never upgraded a computer before.

Install a Phase Change Unit

Phase change units are the most drastic of cooling technologies. A phase change unit can be thought of as a refrigerator for your CPU. It utilizes many of the same technologies to cool or even freeze a CPU.

Some phase change units can cost $1000USD or more.

Over Heat PC

How to Prevent Your Computer from Overheating (and Why It’s Important)

Keeping your computer running within safe temperatures is important, especially as the temperature rises outside. Here's how to make sure your computer's not overheating and how to fix it if it is.


The cooling system of your computer is one of the most important features of the device. Without the cooling system, the electrical components of your computer wouldn't be able to function; overheating would damage the integral parts of what makes your computer work. The heat has to be dissipated in order to keep everything working within safe operating temperatures.

Why an Overheated Computer Is Dangerous

Simply put, if your computer becomes too hot, it is possible to destroy and shorten the lifespan of the hardware inside your computer, leading to irreparable damage and potential data loss. Besides losing your data, heat pecks away at your computer's internal organs—the motherboard, CPU, and more—significantly shortening its lifespan.

Besides the most obvious reason to keep your computer cool, a hot computer will also run slower than a cooler computer. So to prevent your computer from slowing down, make sure that it is running at a moderate or low temperature.

What Temperature Should My Computer Be Running At?

Because of the different types of computer makes and models out there, the safe temperature range your computer should run at varies. The safe operating range depends on things like processor type, manufacturer, and other factors that make it impossible to give an answer that applies to all CPUs.


How to Check the Temperature of Your PC

Sticking your hand over your computer's ventilation system or case isn't an accurate way to judge how hot your computer is running. (However, it can be a good gauge of whether your computer is getting progressively hotter, or climbing to astronomical temperatures. It should not be so hot that you would want to pull back your hand.) So how do you determine how hot your system's running? You've got a few options.

To check the computer's temperature without additional software, you can check your system BIOS. Restart your computer, and on the boot screen, you should have an option to press a key (often Delete) to enter the BIOS. Once you enter Setup, navigate the BIOS menu using the on-screen instructions. You should be able to find a menu that deals with the computer's hardware monitors and CPU. There should be a field that lists your CPU temperature.


How to Keep Your Computer From Overheating

Most computers come with adequate cooling systems and plenty of fans, but here are some steps you can take to ensure heat doesn't become a problem.

Keep it clean: The first step in overheating prevention is making sure that the insides of the computer are kept clean. We've covered how to give your computer a spring cleaning to get rid of the dust that's a huge culprit in raising your computer's temperature.

Dust is an insulator. When you crack open the case of your computer and [it's blanketed with dust] you're looking at a computer that's facing a radically reduced life span. Every inch of it is covered with a blanket of insulating dust that raises the temperature of components across the board. Your computer might not be that dusty but given how easy it is to clean out a computer, it's ridiculous not to. Not taking the time to dust out your computer once or twice a year is like being too busy to get your oil changed.

So what happens if you've got all that dust? You arm yourself with a Philips screwdriver, mechanical oil dropper, and a can of compressed air and get to work. Luckily we've got a step-by-step guide with pictures on how to banish those dust bunnies from your computer. While we used a damp cloth to clean our fans, typical geek procedure says to use the compressed can of air to blow out the fans, inlets, and heat sinks. Among the really important things to check for is the fan on top of the CPU, the filters over the fans, and the fan on the power supply.

Avoid hot neighbors: It's also important to check the physical location of your computer. If you have devices nearby that are blowing hot air into the computer's intakes, that's not good either. Ideally, the flow of air where the fans are should be steady and adequate, with room for the computer to breathe.


If Your Computer Overheats Anyway

Here's a word of caution: If your computer is overheating, resist the urge to take the side of the case off the computer. It's a rookie mistake that will often make the problem worse. Because most computers are very carefully designed to ensure that cool air is delivered to critical components, removing the side of the case disrupts the circulation (convection) system.

Instead, shut down the computer and let it cool down. From then on, you can plan a course of action that involves doing some cleaning if necessary, potentially upgrading your BIOS (check your motherboard's manual or web site for details), or planning some system-cooling upgrades if necessary.

If your computer is clean, your BIOS is up to date, and you're still having temperature problems, crack open your computer and check for damaged fans and heat sinks. Check for cracks, missing pieces, and make sure all the push pins are secure and all the appropriate fans are running. Secure and/or replace any loose or damaged cables. If you find you've got broken fans or a damaged heatsink, you can buy and install new cooling hardware for relatively cheap, and finding a highly rated, compatible fan or heatsink on a site like Newegg can potentially go a long ways toward keeping your computer cooler.

If you're not comfortable cracking open your PC and installing new parts, this is the point that you may want to consider finding some professional help.

CISS

A continuous ink system (CIS), also known as a continuous ink supply system (CISS), a continuous flow system (CFS), an automatic ink refill system (AIRS), a bulk feed ink system, or an off-axis ink delivery system is a method for delivering a large and practically unlimited volume of liquid ink to a comparatively small inkjet printhead. Many business and professional grade printers incorporate a continuous ink system in their design to increase the speed and volume of printing capacity. Some aftermarket companies also build retrofit accessories to convert certain models of consumer-grade printers into continuous flow systems.

While such systems, especially third-party retrofitted adapters for home printers, have been frowned upon by most printer manufacturers as they have been seen as a threat to their printers' sales, even going so far as to issuing lawsuits against aftermarket firms, or implementing digital rights management measures in their devices to prevent unauthorised circumvention, some, such as in the case of Epson, have come up with printers equipped with continuous-ink systems,[1] like the L100 and L200 printers, both of which come with a continuous system built in rather than as an add-on adapter. This was seen as a welcome move by users, especially small business owners who rely on bulk-printing solutions, like Internet cafes and small-scale print shops.


Comparison to the tank-on-printhead design

Most low-cost consumer printers place small ink tanks directly on the carriage with the printheads. These tanks can have extremely small liquid volumes, as low as 10 mL, and consequently require frequent replacement. More expensive business-grade printers use progressively larger ink tanks on the printhead, but as the platen width and speed of the printer increases it eventually becomes impractical to have the tanks integrated with the printheads due to the high mass and inertia the liquid volume adds to the printheads and the reduced accuracy of printing that occurs.
Separating the ink storage from the printhead also allows the tank to be refilled or replaced while a print job is in progress. With ink tanks located on the printhead, replacement typically requires repriming and alignment checks that necessarily require aborting any current print job. Separated ink tanks can be refilled or reprimed without disrupting a very large or expensive printing task, such as printing a 2 meter wide by 10 meter long outdoor banner.

Choose the right computer

When buying a new computer, it's easy to become confused by the sheer volume of technical decisions that you'll have to make.
How to choose the best desktop PC for you? Well, you might wonder how much RAM you'll need, for instance, which processor to choose or which graphics card to pick, what display to look for, which hard drive will be best for you - there are so many issues that it's difficult to know where to begin.
There is a simple way to at least begin cutting down the choices on offer, though, and ensure you get the best PC for your needs.

Using your new PC

Take a moment to think about the sort of applications you'll want to run on your new PC, as these will help to decide which features your system will need.
If you only intend to run basic tasks - browsing the web, sending emails, running office-type software like Microsoft Word - then the good news is that most computers, even at the budget end of the market, will be able to cope with your requirements.
An entertainment PC can handle those basic jobs, too, but might also be used to watch TV and movies, listen to music, play some games, perhaps share music and video files across a home network. Systems like this need a little more in the way of hardware power, like a larger hard drive to store all your music and movies, as well as a big screen, a good sound card and speakers, but they still don't have to be too expensive. Many entertainment PCs are all-in-one PCs these days.


If you want to play the latest games with the best possible performance, then you'll need a gaming PC. This can be much more expensive, as not only will you need a quality screen, a good sound card and speakers, but you'll also require a powerful graphics card, fast hard drive and a decent processor.
And if you're not a gamer, but need to run some heavy-duty software - editing HD videos, say - then you'll need a high-end performance PC. This should include a powerful CPU, plenty of memory, and a large, fast hard drive, so expect a sizeable bill. But you may not need the large screen or powerful graphics card of the entertainment or gaming systems, which will help to keep prices down a little.

netbook, laptop or desktop?

With the basic applications of your new computer resolved, it's time to think about the type of system that might be appropriate: a netbook, laptop or desktop?
Netbooks are compact notebooks with small screens (typically 10 to 12 inches), and components that are more about saving battery life than delivering raw power. So expect a slow CPU, only a little RAM (1 to 2GB, usually), no DVD drive, not too much hard drive space, and so on.
This is all that you need for basic web browsing, emailing and similar tasks, though. Their small size makes netbooks extremely portable (most are only around 1-1.5kg), battery life is usually very good at 4 to 10 hours, and you can buy some great systems from as little as RM800. Our articles on the best laptop and the top netbooks in the world today will tell you more.


Laptops can seem bulky by comparison to their tiny netbook cousins: they might be more than twice the weight, with larger screens, and more powerful CPUs, which means battery life may struggle to reach 3 hours in some cases.
Of course they can also handle much more powerful applications, though. If you'll be spending hours typing on the system then you'll appreciate the larger keyboard. The built-in DVD drive makes it easier to install software and create backups, and high-end laptops can even deliver very acceptable gaming performance.
Again, we've a guide to suit everyone: The best cheap laptop under RM1000 focuses on budget systems, while our article on the best student laptops and the best 13" laptops cover a wider range of systems.
The best gaming laptops guide reveals that you buy mobile gaming performance for as little as RM1400, while the more general Which laptop should I buy? article walks you through the buying process and explains how to make sure you get the right system for you.
If you don't need a computer you can carry around, though, a desktop will be your best option. These are larger, but deliver more power for your money, and are generally much easier to upgrade or reconfigure. So if you decide you need better gaming performance, say, you can just buy another graphics card at a later date, something that won't be possible at all with most netbooks or laptops.
But if you've already got a list of preferred PC manufacturers then it might be more interesting to think about the hardware that your new computer should include - and there's plenty to consider.


Technical specs

In the past, one of the first questions to ask about your new PC has been how much memory you'll need. These days, though, even many budget PCs come with 4GB of RAM, the maximum a 32-bit Windows system can use.
If you're short of cash and only want to run very basic programs, perhaps to browse the web or send emails, then you might just about get away with 2GB. Maybe. But opting for 4GB will help to improve your system's performance, even here, so avoid skimping on memory if you possibly can.
If you're buying a more high-end system, though, you might also want to consider the type of memory it should include to deliver the best results.

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