You are here: Home / Archives for Tips & Tricks / Windows 7 Tips, Tricks & Tweaks

Top 10 Windows Computer Services You Can Disable for a Faster PC or Laptop

September 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Speed Up Your PC or LaptopWant a faster PC or Laptop? Faster startup times and smoother performance? Did you ever wonder about all those background programs running on your PC? Do you need all these running all the time? Here are some tips to help you.

Windows has a core set of programs, called “system services” that must run in the background so that the system can perform basic operations. However, you may not need to have all the services running, and disabling unnecessary services can enhance performance.

Here is a list of 10 services you can disable on your Windows 7 systems that will probably not negatively affect you at all. I say “probably” for a reason. Before you take drastic action, such as disabling a service on your PC, make sure you don’t need the service. This is not a definitive list of unneeded services, just some obvious ones.

Test your changes and undo them if you have problems. Create a System Restore point before making any changes, so you can undo them if you get into trouble. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Computer & Laptop Repair, Tips & Tricks, Windows 7 Tips, Tricks & Tweaks Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Internet Explorer 9: Fast and Smooth with Great Graphics and Video

March 27, 2011 by

Last week, Microsoft released their new web browser, Internet Explorer 9. You can only install this version on Windows Vista or 7. According to Microsoft, Windows XP, won’t run the better graphics (more on that below) capabilities of IE 9.

However, XP users can take heart that the new Mozilla Firefox 4 (just released this week) can run on XP and deliver the advanced graphics that both these browsers possess. I posted some great links about Firefox 4 on our Facebook page.

Before you upgrade, you will want to check to see if there are going to be any compatibility issues between your software and this new browser. Some of the software that might have issues are older versions of AOL’s software, and QuickBooks (pre-2008 versions).

Usually compatibility issues will be talked about on the support pages of your software so you can check there. If any software that you run talks about Internet Explorer version requirements, you will want to check closely before proceeding.

There are two places where you can obtain the newest IE. The first place is Microsoft’s website. The other site (also from Microsoft) is called www.beautyoftheweb.com. The first site will direct you to the download itself. The second site will give you some videos talking about new features, websites that are incorporating the new features of IE 9 and video reviews.

One bit of technology that really makes Internet Explorer 9 so great is the ability to tap into the video hardware on your computer. Most people don’t realize that they have two processors on their PC. The CPU or Central Processing Unit is the main general use processor of your computer. The second called the GPU or Graphics Processing Unit, is used to display graphics and video. Internet Explorer 9 now uses both of the processors to render crisper, clearer text, richer graphics and smoother video (You Tube fans will love this).

To test this out, I went to YouTube. I went on to find various types of video from old Lo-Def video (240p), right up to the max 720p Hi-Def clips. I played five different videos in both windowed and full screen modes. With IE8, any video higher than 240p would jump a bit. During transitions such as fades, the video would skip. The higher the quality, the more I noticed this. Lots of people have accepted this as “just that way it is”.

After I upgraded to IE9, I cleared my browser cache to remove any vestiges of my previous visits and started fresh. I started with the 240p Lo-def and of course, there was no difference in speed but the images were a bit sharper. When I got up to the 720p Hi-def clips, I really saw IE 9 shine. One of the videos that I chose had lots of fades and wipes. There were at least 7 transitions that made IE8 drag and pause. With IE 9, it played smooth with zero jumps, skips, or lag. The video playback was perfect!

I continued to explore some other pages that I have always had lag issues with. Yahoo has always loaded slowly due to the vast amount of content. The load time usually for me was about 5-6 seconds. IE 9 was able to load the page in less than 1 second!

I have always been concerned with upgrading my browser from past experiences. It always seemed to me that the more complex they made IE, the slower it went. Not so with this release. Check it out. There are plenty more new features in IE 9. You can read about them on the beautyoftheweb site.

Thanks for reading this post. Read more articles on our Saguaro PC Tech Blog site. For any other questions or assistance, pop us an email or give us a call. See our website for contact info. Thank you and happy browsing!

Filed Under: Internet and Web, Windows 7 Tips, Tricks & Tweaks Tagged With: , , , ,

Basic Windows 7 Tweaks: Part 1

March 26, 2011 by

This post presents some very basic and simple tweaks you can make to Windows 7.  Of course there are hundreds more, but for now, these will get you started.  We’ll be posting more later on.

 

Tweak 1: Make Internet Explorer 8 Faster and Smoother:

While the new IE 9 has replaces IE8, some of you may still like UE8.  It is still a great browser, however it’s bogged down by some features that Microsoft thought were cool in the beginning, but have ended up being useless for the most part.  Here’s how to make it smoother and faster.

First you’ll have to reset IE back to factory defaults.  Here’s how:

  1. Go to the Control panel and select “Internet Options“.
  2. Go to the “Advanced” tab to the far right of the window, then click the “Reset” button at the bottom.
  3. In the next window, check the box next to “Delete personal settings“, then click OK.

You are now ready to set up IE8 without it’s unneeded default features.  Follow these steps:

  1. When you first launch IE8, you’ll be asked to choose your settings. Select Choose custom settings.
  2. When asked whether you want to turn on IE8′s suggested sites, select No, don’t turn on.
  3. When asked to choose a default search provider, select Show me a webpage after setup to choose more search providers.
  4. When asked to download search provider updates, select No.
  5. When offered a choice of accelerators, select Turn off all Accelerators that are included with Internet Explorer.

 

 

Tweak 2:  Make the Recycle Bin Smaller:

Right-click the recycle bin, select Properties, and set a more reasonable Custom size.  Typically 250MB to 500MB is more than enough.  This will help reduce the clutter on your hard drive, as well as performance.

 

Tweak 3:  Improve Windows Explorer’s Folder Options:

This tweak makes Windows itself more usable, giving you more options and menus to use.  It also shows you more information about your files by showing the file extensions.  This way you know what type of file you are dealing with.  You may have read our post about virus threats, where we mentioned that a virus can hide it’s true identity if the file extensions are turned off.

  • Go to the Control Panel, choose Appearance and Personalization, then Folder Options.
  • Check (enable) two items that are normally unchecked: Always show menus and Show hidden files, folders, and drives.
  • Uncheck (disable) one item that is checked by default: Hide extensions for known file types.

 

Tweak 4:  Change Your Desktop Icon Size:

Are you annoyed with the huge icons on the Windows 7 desktop, after getting used to having smaller ones in Windows XP?  I know I am!  What were they thinking?  Well, you can make your desktop icons almost any size you want with your mouse’s scroll wheel.  Here’s how.

First, close all open windows so the desktop has the focus, then press and hold the Ctrl key while scrolling the mouse wheel up or down. The desktop icons will step through many sizes, from huge to tiny.  Pretty cool, eh?

 

That’s it for this post.  Please explore other posts in our blog, as we’ve got more tips already posted.  Check back soon for even more tips and tweaks.

Also, please visit our website at www.saguaropc.com,  or our Facebook page to find out more about us, or to have us help you with your computer repair issues in Tucson.

Filed Under: General Misc. Tips, Windows 7 Tips, Tricks & Tweaks Tagged With: , , , , ,

Upgrading to Windows 7 – Is it a good idea?

March 16, 2011 by

Have you been looking at some of the newer offerings of the big box brands with Windows 7?  Are you wondering if you’ll have to replace your computer to get Windows 7?

You may be happy to know that most of you can run Windows 7 just fine on your existing PC, perhaps with just some minor upgrades to your hardware, for a lot less than the cost of a new PC.

Below we’ll address the most common questions we’re asked about moving to the newest Windows.

Is my Computer too old to upgrade?

If your PC is around 3 years old, there should be no problem upgrading to Windows 7. If your computer is older than 3 years, some minor upgrades like additional memory might be needed.  If your PC is over the 3 year mark, this might also be a good time to replace your hard drive if it has lots of hours of use or is too small for your needs.  Why risk a hard drive crash after all this work?

Will my Computer run slower with Windows 7?

We have installed it on six year old computers, high-end gaming computers, and everything in between.  Windows 7 ran just as fast or faster in each and every case.  The older machines just needed a simple memory upgrade (only about $40 or so).

Will I lose my data?

If your computer is healthy, no data loss will occur.  If you are running Vista and you machine is running well, you can do what’s called an “in-place” upgrade (pop the new disk in and select “upgrade”).  The process will transfer everything over to the new Windows, and you will not even have to reinstall your programs.

If you have Windows XP however, you will need to back up your data, then do a “clean install”, which means you’ll need to reformat (i.e. wipe) your drive and install Windows 7 from scratch.  Given the age of XP machines, it’s a good idea to get a new hard drive anyway, so the process is not a waste of time.

Is Windows 7 hard to use?

Heck no!  Many people are concerned that learning Windows 7 is going to be too hard.  We have done this process for customers of various ages and professions and all agreed that Windows 7 was easy to learn and better than any previous version they have ever used.  They just loved the smooth, solid performance, and the great new features.

Will my peripheral equipment (printer, scanner, camera) work with Windows 7?

If your PC is less than 4 years old and your equipment is the same age or newer than your PC, there should be no problems.  If in doubt, you can check to see if the manufacturer offers Windows 7 support by looking up the hardware on their website.  Windows 7 has an incredible ability to support just about any type of peripheral equipment you can throw at it, if it’s no older than about 4 years old.

Will my existing programs work?

Most will work just fine if they’re less than 4 years old.  Some older programs will work too.  We’ve run Microsoft Office 2003 just fine.  One exception we know of is Quick Books.  You’ll need version 2007 or newer.  Certain other business programs may also have issues, but home users should be just fine.

How much does it cost to upgrade to Windows 7

The cost of the software when purchased from a local computer repair shop like us varies from $120 to $150, but it’s on the condition that you have to have them do the upgrade for you.  Big box stores charge much more (up to $200) for the “retail” version.  Labor costs for having a local shop do it for you vary, but start at around $120, depending on if you need them to back up and restore your data for you.  Again, big box stores will charge much more.

If you want or need any hardware upgrades, the cost is pretty minor, usually about $100 for both memory and a hard drive.  The total cost is still lower than the purchase of a new system.  Again, this varies according to what you have now.  Most PC’s less than 4 years old will be worth upgrading, except perhaps for low-end budget machines.

Windows 7 is the Savior for Vista Users!

A new problem with Vista (as if there weren’t enough already) is that Microsoft has seemingly abandoned making it better with any major patches or upgrades, in a sense admitting it’s a lost cause.  It has become sort of a “lost stepchild” by all accounts.

We have received a huge number of requests from our customers to get the upgrade.  Without exception, all who upgraded to Windows 7 have loved making the decision.  Not only did their machines run much faster, it made them more stable (e.g. less crashes) and smooth performing.

Final Note to XP Users – The End is Near:

Microsoft’s new web browser, Internet Explorer 9, is not available for XP systems!

This is just the beginning of what XP users will be seeing from now on.  New technologies have moved beyond what XP can support.  New devices and peripherals will not be compatible with XP and manufacturers will be dropping support for it altogether.

The end of life for XP is set for 2012 by Microsoft. I guess the Mayans were right about something!

So if your XP machine is still a solid performer and you want to keep it a while, make the move soon.

If you would like to find out more about making the move to Windows 7, let us know and we can discuss the process.  You can also find out more on our website.  You can also visit us on Facebook.

Filed Under: General Misc. Tips, Windows 7 Tips, Tricks & Tweaks, Windows XP and Vista Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Speed Up Windows 7: Turn off Indexing if You Don’t Need it.

June 19, 2010 by

Did you know Windows constantly creates and indexes your data, and that this heavy chore can slow down your PC?

Actually, indexing is good if you have tons of files and you use the built-in Windows Search to find your data.  The indexing makes the searches quick and easy.

But what if you don’t have tons of files and don’t need to do searches to find your data?  Then you might as well reduce the activity of this feature, or disable it altogether.  The result will be a faster computer.

To modify or disable indexing, open the Indexing Options applet in the Control Panel.  Note that if you have your Control Panel set to “Category View”, you will not see it.  Change the view to “icons” (large or small), and you will see the Indexing Options applet.  Upon opening, you’ll see a window showing what locations are being indexed.  Click “Modify” and remove locations (folders, etc.) being indexed.  You might just choose to index only your Documents folder and nothing else, or choose nothing at all.  It’s up to you.  You can even choose what types of files are indexed as well.

If you do want to leave search indexing on, but find that it occasionally slows you down, you can stop its process when you need extra speed. Right-click on “Computer” either in the Start menu or on the desktop, then choose the “Manage” option.  Then double-click Services and Applications, then Services. Find the “Windows Search” item and double click on that.  From this properties dialog, choose “Stop”.  You can also choose the Startup type, setting it to Manual or Disabled.  For occasional use, set it to Manual and it will start indexing the next time you do a search.

Again, if you don’t have many files and you know exactly where you keep them, then disable it altogether and remove all locations.  If you have a very fast PC with for instance,  a Quad-Core processor and over 4GB or memory, this won’t make much of a difference.  Go ahead and leave it on, as you might enjoy using the search feature from time to time.

If you have any questions about this or want help tuning and optimizing your PC, we can help (but only if you live in Tucson, of course).  Our contact information is on the Saguaro PC Tech website.

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks, Windows 7 Tips, Tricks & Tweaks Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Firefox Tweak on Windows 7: Display Preview of All Open Tabs

March 20, 2010 by

Ever wonder why Firefox doesn’t show previews of all the open tab pages when you hover over it in the task bar?  Well, by default, the Aero preview does not show them like IE does.

You can enable it as follows:

Open Firefox 3.6 (or later) and type about:config in the Location Bar.
You’ll have to click to get past this
warning dialog box and open the Preferences page. Use the Filter box (or just scroll down) to find

browser.taskbar.previews.enable in the list of preferences.

Note that by default it’s set to false. Double-click to toggle the setting to true. The value in the Status
column changes to user set and the entire entry turns bold to indicate it’s been changed.

Every tab (even if those tabs are in separate windows) is now visible from the taskbar previews. You can
change the focus to any tab temporarily by pointing at it, and you can close any tab from its thumbnail
preview using the X in the upper right corner.

This tweak was presented by Saguaro PC Tech.

Filed Under: Windows 7 Tips, Tricks & Tweaks Tagged With: , , ,

Last updated by at .