I believe that there are many people out there who bought computers just about 1 year ago and now it is running at a much slower rate than it used to be. Opening up a document used to take less than 3 seconds. It may take up to 10 seconds after 1 or 2 years. Waiting for windows to boot up used to be as quick as just a min or two. Now it you might have to wait for more than 5 minutes. Just spend one afternoon following my dummy’s guide to speeding up your PC and all your woes would disappear!
1) Run Anti-virus and Spybot Scans.
Ensure that your anti-virus definitions are updated. Besides commercially available anti-virus softwares which you can purchase, there is another free alternative which you may want to consider. You can download this from www.grisoft.com. Always allow your anti-virus software to download updates from the internet automatically. Always allow the auto-protect function. Although it is true that switching this on does affect the performance of your system as it requires system resources to keep it active, I would think that the benefits of the auto-protect function far outweighs its cons
Ensure that you run your spybot scans regularly. It is strongly recommended that the test is run every other day or the bare minimum weekly. This is because each time you open up an attachment from an innocent email or visit a website, there is always likelihood that malicious programs would install itself without your knowledge onto your computer.
Run a manual virus scan for all your drives in your PC at least once every month. This should weed out any viruses and malware not detected by the auto-protect mechanism.
These spywares would then steal confidential information such as your Internet-banking password or personal information which would be very valuable for hackers. These information would then be sold to illegal syndicates which have interest in counterfeit passports etc.
So by clearly these programs which are running in your system and slowing it down, you would be safe from all these threats and have a much faster PC !
2) Perform Disk-Fragmentation
Defragment your hard disk at least once a month. But that doesn’t mean you should defragment your hard disk everyday. That would have been overkill. Excessive defragmentation of your hard disk is not desirable because it accelerates the natural wear and tear rate of hard disks.
To defragment your harddisk
1) Go to My Computer
2) Select the hard disk you wish to defragment eg “ C Drive “
3) Right Click on the disk drive
4) Select “Properties:
5) Select the “Tools” Tab
6) Click “Defragment” now.
The whole defragmentation process would take up to 1 hour approximately or more depending on your hard disk usage rate and system specifications. It is strongly recommended you do not use your system when the process is being executed for effective and fast defragmentation.
Files that have been deleted or modified by the users would be fragmented in the hard disk. This makes the hard disk very “cluttered” (think of a desk that is cluttered with all sorts of documents). The defragmentation process basically rearranges and consolidates these fragments so that your system would be able to function more efficiently.
3) Remove unnecessary programs
You realize that the number of programs running next to your clock (right bottom corner aka system tray) increases as you install more and more programs. Most of these programs are not important and are just slowing your computer.
To uninstall unnecessary programs in your system tray
1) Go to “Start”
2) “Control Panel”, which can be found in “ Settings” for XP users
3) Select “ Add or Remove Programs”
4) A dropdown list would appear and select the programs which you are not using.
Most programs that are on your system tray are preconfigured by default to start automatically when windows is started up. If you do wish to allow these programs to run when you start up your windows, it is necessary to disable the function. You would have to explore the options of each individual program to stop it from running during startup or the option “Show in System Tray”.
4. Last Resort – Reformat
If all else fails to speed up your PC, then there is simply too much junk and clutter in your hard disk. Reformatting your hard disk is a process where everything in the hard disk is erased. You would lose all your data and saved files after this process, therefore it is important that you get a storage media such as a thumb drive or to burn your personal files into a CD before you start to reformat your computer.
If the disc drive does not have any windows system file in it. You can simply right click on the disc drive in “My computer” and select “Format”. Select quick format for a fast format.
If the disc drive contains windows system files, you would need to obtain a Windows Installation or Back-up CD which was bundled with your system. This is because re-installation of windows would be necessary after the formatting of the disc drive which contains your windows system files.
1) Insert your windows installation CD into the CD-Rom drive
2) Restart your system
3) If the system does not boot from the CD, you would need to adjust the boot order to allow the system to boot from the optical drive first.
4) Press F10 to enter CMOS as soon as your system powers up.
5) Go to “Advanced Setup”
6) Look for something similar to “ Boot Order Preference”
7) You should be able to adjust the boot preference and set your CD/DVD Rom drive as first priority.
8) After this is done select “ Save and Exit” CMOS
9) The system would automatically restart and it should be booting from the windows CD in your optical drive.
10) Just follow the instructions in the windows set-up CD.
By Toh Jun Yong
Monday, December 17, 2007
SOURCING FOR A GOOD CAMERA
Looking for cameras for this festive season? I’ve sourced some information from cnet.com which would may come in handy for people looking for good cameras.
Canon G9
http://www.canon.com.sg/index.cfm?fuseaction=digitalcamera
If you really want a DSLR but need something more portable, get the Canon PowerShot G9. This 12.1-megapixel model with a 6x optical zoom offers the serious enthusiast or professional all the manual controls they could want, RAW format support, wireless flash capabilities, and a flash hot shoe. But it also has enough automatic controls that even a newbie could use it effectively. 25 shooting modes, including scene modes like Portrait, Night Scene, Indoor, and more, make it easy to snap a great shot in any situation and Canon’s new Face Select and Track lets you automatically detect and select an individual’s face to track on as the primary focus.
The G9, which can be found for about $899(promo price), gets high marks across the board from reviewers for performance and image quality. While Steve’s Digicams did find “colors almost a bit oversaturated,” Lori Grunin at CNET points out “relatively significant distortion at the widest angle of view,” and DPReview calls it out for poor performance in low light, everyone acknowledges that image quality is generally excellent and really as good as it gets in a camera this size. Throw in functional and appealing retro design, a bright 3-inch LCD, the latest DIGIC III image processor, and an Optical Image Stabilizer based on technology developed for Canon’s high-end professional SLRs, and you won’t walk away disappointed.
Most professionals would stick to their film-based SLRs for they are considered to be much more reliable than DSLRs. However, DSLRs are gaining popularity nowadays among photo enthusiasts as they are much more cost-effective.
Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-FZ50
http://panasonic.com.sg/web/pid/27
If you don’t mind a little bulkiness and want the flexibility of a broad range of focal length, get Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-FZ50.
You have to be willing to drop some change on this 10.1-megapixel megazoom model—it will run you about $800 or more–but you’ll get a slew of features, not the least of which is the excellent 12x Leica optical zoom lens. This camera is the next best thing to a DSLR in many ways (and shoots video, which you won’t find in an SLR). Though it’s bulkier than some other megazoom models, it really handles and operates much like an SLR. Like the much more compact Canon PowerShot G9, which is also on my best-of list, it includes SLR-worthy features such as full manual controls, RAW image capture, and a flash hot shoe, alongside point-and-shoot-simple automatic controls. But unlike the G9—and DSLRs for that matter–the FZ50 serves up a full 35mm-to-420mm zoom lens without requiring additional interchangeable lenses. I do wish the 2-inch LCD could be a bit bigger, but it’s one of those flip-out, rotating screens that sacrifice size for versatility.
Reviewers laud the shooting performance as being impressive for a non-SLR camera, and are generally pleased with image quality. CNET found images to be “impressive, especially for a Panasonic, whose cameras tend to be noisier than this one.” Its big complaint was that “the automatic white balance turned in horribly warm images with our lab’s tungsten lights.” Steve’s Digicams found “image quality was very good using the 10-megapixel, Fine mode, with the ISO set to 100” and “did not feel noise levels were dramatically higher than similar models,” due to Panasonic’s new noise reduction system. DPReview was surprisingly impressed, giving up that “under the right conditions it produces superb output.” Still, its review points out “the smearing of fine, low contrast detail that is the hallmark of the Venus III engine limits the FZ50 to low ISO settings for any serious photography unless you’re happy to accept that you’ll never be able to produce big enlargements.”
By Toh Jun Yong
Canon G9
http://www.canon.com.sg/index.cfm?fuseaction=digitalcamera
If you really want a DSLR but need something more portable, get the Canon PowerShot G9. This 12.1-megapixel model with a 6x optical zoom offers the serious enthusiast or professional all the manual controls they could want, RAW format support, wireless flash capabilities, and a flash hot shoe. But it also has enough automatic controls that even a newbie could use it effectively. 25 shooting modes, including scene modes like Portrait, Night Scene, Indoor, and more, make it easy to snap a great shot in any situation and Canon’s new Face Select and Track lets you automatically detect and select an individual’s face to track on as the primary focus.
The G9, which can be found for about $899(promo price), gets high marks across the board from reviewers for performance and image quality. While Steve’s Digicams did find “colors almost a bit oversaturated,” Lori Grunin at CNET points out “relatively significant distortion at the widest angle of view,” and DPReview calls it out for poor performance in low light, everyone acknowledges that image quality is generally excellent and really as good as it gets in a camera this size. Throw in functional and appealing retro design, a bright 3-inch LCD, the latest DIGIC III image processor, and an Optical Image Stabilizer based on technology developed for Canon’s high-end professional SLRs, and you won’t walk away disappointed.
Most professionals would stick to their film-based SLRs for they are considered to be much more reliable than DSLRs. However, DSLRs are gaining popularity nowadays among photo enthusiasts as they are much more cost-effective.
Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-FZ50
http://panasonic.com.sg/web/pid/27
If you don’t mind a little bulkiness and want the flexibility of a broad range of focal length, get Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-FZ50.
You have to be willing to drop some change on this 10.1-megapixel megazoom model—it will run you about $800 or more–but you’ll get a slew of features, not the least of which is the excellent 12x Leica optical zoom lens. This camera is the next best thing to a DSLR in many ways (and shoots video, which you won’t find in an SLR). Though it’s bulkier than some other megazoom models, it really handles and operates much like an SLR. Like the much more compact Canon PowerShot G9, which is also on my best-of list, it includes SLR-worthy features such as full manual controls, RAW image capture, and a flash hot shoe, alongside point-and-shoot-simple automatic controls. But unlike the G9—and DSLRs for that matter–the FZ50 serves up a full 35mm-to-420mm zoom lens without requiring additional interchangeable lenses. I do wish the 2-inch LCD could be a bit bigger, but it’s one of those flip-out, rotating screens that sacrifice size for versatility.
Reviewers laud the shooting performance as being impressive for a non-SLR camera, and are generally pleased with image quality. CNET found images to be “impressive, especially for a Panasonic, whose cameras tend to be noisier than this one.” Its big complaint was that “the automatic white balance turned in horribly warm images with our lab’s tungsten lights.” Steve’s Digicams found “image quality was very good using the 10-megapixel, Fine mode, with the ISO set to 100” and “did not feel noise levels were dramatically higher than similar models,” due to Panasonic’s new noise reduction system. DPReview was surprisingly impressed, giving up that “under the right conditions it produces superb output.” Still, its review points out “the smearing of fine, low contrast detail that is the hallmark of the Venus III engine limits the FZ50 to low ISO settings for any serious photography unless you’re happy to accept that you’ll never be able to produce big enlargements.”
By Toh Jun Yong
WIRELESS IS “TROUBLE-LESS"!
As wireless technology proliferates, more and more people are harnessing the conveniences of wireless technology. Wireless router for domestic use is easy to set-up and it connects all the members in your household to the internet.
The catch is of course when you realize that your surfing speeds start to deteriorate and the download speed of your movies slows down. These are some of the signs that indicate the possibility of strangers “piggy-backing” to the Wi-Fi connection that you have set-up.
Strangers tapping onto your network may be tolerated by most since it doesn’t adversely affect your internet experience as long as you are not a heavy user. However, Singapore telecoms have a clause included when you sign the contract that your internet connection must not be shared. So far, they have not taken any action against domestic users who share their internet connection with the entire neighborhood (this is mere exaggeration). Such a breach of contract may result in termination of contract and compensation if they deem necessary. To avoid putting yourself in such a situation, it is wise to secure your wireless connection!
Here are some tips to stop these cheapskate strangers from stealing your Wi-Fi connection.
1) Using a password to prevent hackers from accessing your wireless access point/ router
To access your router’s homepage - the default address is 192.168.1.1 for most of the routers. Once you key this into the Address Bar, it would bring you to the router’s login page. The default user id is “admin” or “administrator” and the default password field is usually left blank.
Choose a strong password that has to be used to access your wireless access point. A general rule for a strong password is to include the use of symbols such as “ ! , $, @” , numerics and CAPITAL letters. An example of a good password that is easy to remember yet relatively difficult to crack : mon@kEy!
Don't use the default password that comes with your Wi-Fi equipment or a dictionary word that is easy to guess or crack.
2) Using encryption to secure your wireless connection
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA and WPA2) is a much stronger encryption system than WEP. Therefore this can be used to reduce the chances of hackers intercepting your communications. This can be accessed in the router webpage. (See above para on how to get access into the router webpage).
Any wireless device that attempts to connect to your network would need to authenticate itself with this code.
3) Using MAC address filtering
Wi-Fi routers and access points normally have the ability to prevent unknown wireless devices from connecting. This works by comparing the MAC address (This is an unique code of the wired/wireless device) of the device trying to connect with a list held by the router. However, this feature is turned off when the router is shipped because it requires some effort to set up properly. By activating this feature and only telling the router the MAC address of wireless devices in your household you can reduce the chances of strangers' computers piggybacking your internet connection. However it is still possible for a seasoned hacker to clone your MAC address, but this measure should still be taken to reduce the risks.
To determine the MAC address of your labtop
a) Go to “Start”
b) Click on “Run” and type “cmd”
c) A pop-up window would appear. Type “ ipconfig /all”
d) A long list of information would appear. Look out for the “Physical Address” of your wireless device under the “Wireless LAN Adaptor Wireless Network Connection”. It should look something like this “ XX-XX-XX-XX-XX-XX”. This is the MAC address.
Go back to the router homepage and activate the access list control. Add your wireless device’s MAC address onto the list. (The sequential steps vary from one brand of router to another).
4) Don't broadcast the name of your wireless network
The name of your wireless network, known as the SSID, should not be broadcast to strangers. In addition, choose an obscure hard-to-guess SSID name to make life much more difficult for hackers. Change the default SSID to something more complicated and hard-to-guess.
5) Restrict internet access to certain hours
Some wireless routers allow you to configure internet access to certain times of the day. For instance, if you know you will not need to access the internet from home between 9-5, Monday to Friday, and then schedule your router to disable access between those hours.
6)Securing your own PCs
Ensure that your own PCs are equipped and installed with antivirus, spybot- scanners and firewalls. Get them free from www.grisoft.com (anti-virus), www.safer-networking.org (spybot scanner) and www.zonealarm.com (firewall).
Remember that “a moment of vigilance, a lifetime of assurance”. Just spend an hour also figuring this out and you would be secured!
Completed by
Toh Jun Yong
25 Nov 2007
The catch is of course when you realize that your surfing speeds start to deteriorate and the download speed of your movies slows down. These are some of the signs that indicate the possibility of strangers “piggy-backing” to the Wi-Fi connection that you have set-up.
Strangers tapping onto your network may be tolerated by most since it doesn’t adversely affect your internet experience as long as you are not a heavy user. However, Singapore telecoms have a clause included when you sign the contract that your internet connection must not be shared. So far, they have not taken any action against domestic users who share their internet connection with the entire neighborhood (this is mere exaggeration). Such a breach of contract may result in termination of contract and compensation if they deem necessary. To avoid putting yourself in such a situation, it is wise to secure your wireless connection!
Here are some tips to stop these cheapskate strangers from stealing your Wi-Fi connection.
1) Using a password to prevent hackers from accessing your wireless access point/ router
To access your router’s homepage - the default address is 192.168.1.1 for most of the routers. Once you key this into the Address Bar, it would bring you to the router’s login page. The default user id is “admin” or “administrator” and the default password field is usually left blank.
Choose a strong password that has to be used to access your wireless access point. A general rule for a strong password is to include the use of symbols such as “ ! , $, @” , numerics and CAPITAL letters. An example of a good password that is easy to remember yet relatively difficult to crack : mon@kEy!
Don't use the default password that comes with your Wi-Fi equipment or a dictionary word that is easy to guess or crack.
2) Using encryption to secure your wireless connection
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA and WPA2) is a much stronger encryption system than WEP. Therefore this can be used to reduce the chances of hackers intercepting your communications. This can be accessed in the router webpage. (See above para on how to get access into the router webpage).
Any wireless device that attempts to connect to your network would need to authenticate itself with this code.
3) Using MAC address filtering
Wi-Fi routers and access points normally have the ability to prevent unknown wireless devices from connecting. This works by comparing the MAC address (This is an unique code of the wired/wireless device) of the device trying to connect with a list held by the router. However, this feature is turned off when the router is shipped because it requires some effort to set up properly. By activating this feature and only telling the router the MAC address of wireless devices in your household you can reduce the chances of strangers' computers piggybacking your internet connection. However it is still possible for a seasoned hacker to clone your MAC address, but this measure should still be taken to reduce the risks.
To determine the MAC address of your labtop
a) Go to “Start”
b) Click on “Run” and type “cmd”
c) A pop-up window would appear. Type “ ipconfig /all”
d) A long list of information would appear. Look out for the “Physical Address” of your wireless device under the “Wireless LAN Adaptor Wireless Network Connection”. It should look something like this “ XX-XX-XX-XX-XX-XX”. This is the MAC address.
Go back to the router homepage and activate the access list control. Add your wireless device’s MAC address onto the list. (The sequential steps vary from one brand of router to another).
4) Don't broadcast the name of your wireless network
The name of your wireless network, known as the SSID, should not be broadcast to strangers. In addition, choose an obscure hard-to-guess SSID name to make life much more difficult for hackers. Change the default SSID to something more complicated and hard-to-guess.
5) Restrict internet access to certain hours
Some wireless routers allow you to configure internet access to certain times of the day. For instance, if you know you will not need to access the internet from home between 9-5, Monday to Friday, and then schedule your router to disable access between those hours.
6)Securing your own PCs
Ensure that your own PCs are equipped and installed with antivirus, spybot- scanners and firewalls. Get them free from www.grisoft.com (anti-virus), www.safer-networking.org (spybot scanner) and www.zonealarm.com (firewall).
Remember that “a moment of vigilance, a lifetime of assurance”. Just spend an hour also figuring this out and you would be secured!
Completed by
Toh Jun Yong
25 Nov 2007
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