Sony Vaio F Series at a Glance

Pros:

• Portable and light
• Amazing media playback?
• Comes with a Blu-ray drive
• Sharp look
• Complete full featured movie and gaming machine

Cons:

• A bit bulky
• Average performance
• Battery life is disappointing

Sporting a 16.4-inch screen and 6.7 pounds of weight, Sony Vaio F series can barely make it to desktop replacement category of laptops. The appearance is modern with sharp angles and smooth lines, but this series does not beat other laptop replacements in the performance score.

It sports a second generation Intel Core i7 2670QM processor, 640GB hard drive, 4GB RAM and Nvidia GeForce 540M discrete graphic card. It also offers an in-built Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and a Blu-ray Disc player. Though this series qualifies as a desktop replacement in terms of size, however in performance tests it secures a much lower position in the top 10 desktop replacement laptop list.

In Graphics performance, it showed a below average result with a frame rate of 21.1 frames/second where other devices of this category came out with more than twice of that rate (52.5 fps).

Sony Vaio F series has not very attractive but interesting design. To begin, the laptop is matte black with simple lid and a silver VAIO logo at the center. The catch of the design though, is the lid, which when closed, leaves about an inch of extended space of its base uncovered. This creates a small step from the top fold to bottom and although it gives an edgy look, but seems mismatched. Even the inside of the laptop has minimal design, which doesn’t add to anything interesting. The Chiclet-style, backlit keyboard is comfortable and also has a ten-key number pad. The default setting of the backlit light makes it glow brighter when you hit the keys is annoying, however this can be turned off.

The video playback on VAIO F Series is splendid. High definition videos stream seamlessly. The Blu-ray disk also looks excellent. Though its speakers suffer from tininess and lack of bass, but still audio on VAIO F series is pretty good.

Some Unknown Google Tips and Tricks

Here are some amazing Google tricks that you’ll love to use while surfing net.

Definitions:

If you want to find definition of a word, just prefix “define” (without quotes) before the word. For example, if you type define bravura, and this will display the definition of the word.

Local Search:

Go to Google Local and look for any area that you want to search in your locality. This will give you the most perfect result. For example, you can type “Restaurant” and this will display all local restaurants to you.

Phone Number Lookup:

Enter full phone number along with the area code and this will give you the details of name and address associated with the number.

Find Weather and Movies:

Type “Movies” or “Weather” followed by the city, zip code or state and this will display the current weather condition or the movies theaters in your area.

Take Airline Flight and Packages:

Enter airline and flight number and this will give you the details of the status of the flight, its arrival timing, etc. You can also find direct link to courier tracking information. For example, write FedEx along with tracking number and this will give you the status of the courier.

Translate:

Use Translate to translate full webpage. You can search by using Google Language Tools.

Pages Linked to You:

You can find what all pages are linked to your website or blog by simply typing the “link:” followed by your website’s URL.

PDF Results Only:

If you want your search result to display only .pdf file, type “fileType:” along with the keyword. For example, type fileType:pdf keyword and press enter. This will display all pdf files related to that keyword. It is a very good way to find manuals.

Laptop Screen Troubleshooting

You cannot deny the fact that laptops are more convenient than desktop. It’s because of its portability and sleek design. But you face the difficulty when it stops functioning. If you have a laptop you must be aware of the truth that its screen is the first element that fails easily and creates the frustration when you have some important work to do. However, there are numerous elementary troubleshooting steps that you can attempt before going to repair shop.

Step 1

First attempt all the basic troubleshooting steps, such as looking at the battery level to ensure that the laptop is not dead. Also, view at the backside of the laptop to check if the battery is connected properly.

Step 2

Turn off the laptop and then turned it back, and then try to remove and replace the battery to check if the screen appears properly after the laptop restart.

Step 3

Check the button at the back or side of the laptop that depresses after the lid is shut down. Just ensure that it is not broken or stuck as it can cause the screen of the laptop to remain turned off even if the lid is opened.

Step 4

Attach an external monitor to your laptop and check if your desktop comes on the monitor. Reboot your computer and enter the system settings by hitting the “F2” key when the OS is loading. Go to the BIOS and check if your laptop is held in hibernate mode and require changing manually.

Step 5

Roll back you have made any current modifications to the laptop, such as setting up new software or downloading latest drivers, by reformatting your computer’s hard drive completely or loading a system restore point.

Step 6

You are done with all the aforementioned steps, but still your laptop screen is not appearing. In this instance, you should send your laptop to the manufacturer to check for fan or processor hardware problem or graphics card.

Optimize Your Netbook

Netbook is a smaller version of laptop, which is also an appealing alternative for economic computers that offer better mobility. Let’s know best tactics to optimize your machine.

Hardware Considerations Choice of best screen size:

People with good vision power goes for 9” display (1024 x 600). Screen small that that means that the resolution with be too low and it would be difficult for most web pages to fit in. A 10” device has a bigger keyboard and better readability. People with poor vision can also go for 12-13” netbook although that will not be considered netbook anymore, but still are more portable that 15” laptops.

Take at least six-cell battery:

With time battery performance decreases, but thanks to bigger batteries, it offers better autonomy. Another alternative is to have a spare battery if your work requires long hour needs without charging.

Memory:

If you are planning to run Windows XP on your netbook, it is necessary to have at least 1 GB RAM.

Selecting an appropriate drive type:

Solid State Disk (SSD), are more robust and boots faster. On the other hand, Hard disk drive (HDD) holds more and performs better. If you like to keep collections of music and videos, an external drive adds very less weight to your netbook bag.

Use a neoprene zipper sleeve:

Laptop bags are it very heavy. If you are buying a netbook to reduce the weights on your shoulder while you travel, you should also avoid extra bulkiness of the bag. A neoprene zipper sleeve is best to give appropriate protection and not add too much weight to it.

How to Enhance Download Speed

There are numerous ways to augment the download speed of your computer. Read below to learn the technique to increase the download speed:

• Check with your ISP (Internet Service Provider) about internet connection choices. The pace of your internet connection is important to your download speed. When you select dial-up internet access, make upgrading to a cable connection or a Direct Service Line (DSL). Although, you have cable, you can avail faster cable services from your ISP.

• Know a fast connection. The connection speed is measured out by the quantity of data that can be moved every second, commonly megabits per second (Mbps) or Kilobits per second (Kbps). Mostly, dial up connections remain 56 kbps, whereas cable can be 20 Mbps. The Internet Service Provider can tell you the speed of their connections when you contact them.

• Just close the programs that are not required at the time of downloading. This will free your PC’s resources to handle the data transfer in a better way.

• Prioritize your file downloads. You download only that file you need it first, and rest of the file you can download later. Always remember, the more files you download at the same time, the slower will be the downloading.

• You can try downloads at different times in a day. If people are downloading the same file, the downloading will be slower for everyone.

• Fix Download Accelerator. It is a program that optimizes PC’s download capabilities. It gives you double benefits as it increases the speed of downloads as well as assists you manage them. Download Accelerator saves the file when you download a file; it does so that you can restart downloading it afterwards when necessary. You can go to download website, there search for Download Accelerator, hit “Download Now” and adhere to the directions.

Netbook or Notebook: Which is your choice?

Netbooks are smaller form of notebooks. This doesn’t mean that the “smaller” is the restricting factor from buying this device. There are needs that can be fulfilled by the netbooks too. A layman might be confused about going for a netbook or a notebook, if it is the first time.

We are here to make this job simpler, by walking you through this guide that explains all the possible factors well.

Size & weight:

Screen size of a netbook is almost 10 inches and it weighs not more than 4 pounds. However, notebook weighs from the range of 4 pounds and 10 pounds. Diagonal screen size ranges from 12-20 inches. So, notebook is a good option, if you want to have a better view of movies and netbook is more portable and good for simple tasks.

Internet surfing:

Netbooks were specially designed for accessing the web. However, notebooks are meant for the same purpose. However, the memory of notebooks is way beyond when compared to the netbooks. So, web surfing is faster in notebook than in netbook.

Webcam:

Both notebook and netbook have built-in cameras, speakers and microphone. If you think of having video chat, then both these devices are considered to be good choices.

Storage capacity:

Obviously, notebooks have higher storing capacity than netbooks. Usual capacity of a netbook is 160 GB, but notebooks storing capacity is almost 500 GB. If you’re the kind of user, who seals with more data, then notebook should be your choice.

Performance:

Chromebook Notebooks have higher capacity than netbooks.

Cost:

Netbooks can be afforded with $400, but basic notebook models start in the range of $400. If the notebook is beyond your budget, then go for a netbook.

So, these are the few factors that you can look into, in order to choose between a notebook and a netbook.

Simple Tips to Speed up Your Windows 7 System!

Windows 7 has been the most popular operating system among users, which was developed with an idea of providing the best user experience. This idea has been made successful with Windows 7, as it has many awesome features to make the work easier of a user.

Here are few of the features that we are going to discuss, to make Windows 7 work faster and more efficiently.

Jump list:

The recent applications are shown in this list. All the versions of Windows operating system before Windows 7 have the feature of displaying the recent used programs in the ‘Start’ menu. However, Jump list of Windows 7 has a feature of adding up the most frequent used programs to it, so that it becomes easier for you to launch the program.

Sleep functions:

This is often used by the users, who do not stay in front of their system continuously, but work in instalments. Every time, it is not possible to turn your system off and on. This problem can be easily solved by putting your system on ‘sleep’ mode.

This mode doesn’t let any power consumption and the programs will return to a running state, once you switch the mode.

Windows XP mode:

This mode can be used, when your operating system has to run on a lower end system. Less RAM and a hard disk with less capacity makes it difficult for the operating system to carry out the higher tasks. In such a scenario, you can switch back to Windows XP mode to process the jobs and disable all the higher end effects.

Uninstall the unwanted programs:

Do not clutter your system with unnecessary programs. Unnecessary programs take too much of space on your hard disk and contribute to the wear & tear of it. To keep the computer safe, you should figure out the programs that are no more in use and clear them up from your system.

These are few of the tips that you should remember to optimize your Windows 7 computer.

Control a Remote Computer over the Internet

The concept of remote desktop is not a hidden secret, but not many of you make use of it and many do not know the procedure of setting it up. Remote desktop can be used to control the computer over the internet remotely, with the help of a remote desktop program, such as—TeamViewer and VNC.

However, if your system deploys a professional edition of Windows, then remote desktop will be certainly installed in your system. The only thing you need to do is configure a VPN connection and forward the ports. Here is how, you can do it.

Configure VPN connection:

You can set up VPN connection in many ways. We suggest you to download and install ‘LogMeIn Hamachi’. Once you have downloaded it, you need to create a user account. Once the account is created, log into the remote computer and connect both the computers under the network of Hamachi.

Start the remote desktop session, by connecting through IPv4 address of another computer.

Forward Ports to router:

Recognise the computer with remote desktop application and find the IP address of this system. Launch the Control Panel, choose ‘View network status and tasks’ followed by selecting the present connection. Locate the ‘details’ button, click on it and note down the number on the right of it.

Launch the router’s web interface, log into the account and select the ‘Port Forwarding’ section. Direct the TCP port 3389 to IPv4 address.

Now, you will be able to connect to a computer remotely, over the internet.

The Potential System Threats!

Virus and other malicious attacks, put together known as malware, are developed to target your wallet. Initially, developers created virus to test their knowledge of programs and codes. However, the scenario is entirely different today. You need to be awfully careful, while using your computer in the internet. Before taking any precaution, you should know the enemies well, so that your measures taken against them are efficient. If I put it another way, know the potential PC threats.

Virus

Virus is a program that generally, attacks a document or an application. It has the ability of spreading the infection through the files or programs, spread around the computer, results in making them ineffective. If the affected files are shared, then the virus comes along with the file and there are chances that the viruses will damage your system files.

Worms

Virus needs a human action to come to action. However, worm can work on its own, without the user’s help. It replicates itself, and can damage a network of computers. There was a news in 2001 about Code Red worm, which infected around 250,000 systems in a time frame of 9 hours.

It could be harmful like—infecting your PC as a virus does or stealing your sensitive password, while you’re typing it on.

Trojans

Trojans prove to be deadly as they mask themselves as some applications or programs. Once you run this app, Trojan hidden in it will trigger and then, it will start executing its plan of destruction. Trojan conceals every kind of malware that you can think of, right from the low level of file infecting programs to higher level of programs that can accomplish the task of stealing information.

Botnet

Usually, a network of computers is connected together to communicate via certain same kind of programs. When the control of this particular network is taken over by some third party users, just by transmitting a program from malicious source and without the knowledge of the owners, then this network is said to be a botnet.

Botnet attack turns your system into a zombie that performs on the wish of the hacker, which will definitely wreak havoc on the users.

If you’re thinking that you should take care of your computer, then let me tell you that it is not only your computer that is vulnerable, but also all your mobile computing devices—be it a tablet or a smartphone.

Don’t panic, as you can keep your device away from these attacks, if you follow the safety practices on the internet and install security software in your device. Do not forget to update it periodically.

Web Browser Features: Reason for Plugins Extinction!

Web technology has entered an extremely advanced zone and web browsers are not lagging behind anyways. Developers have added cool features to the browser or we should say cool features with every updated version of the browser.

With the eventual addition of features in the browser, it has become easier for the website to use the browser for different purposes. This is a very new concept, which many of you wouldn’t be aware of. So, here is how it works.

Drag & drop

Few years ago, you would click a ‘choose’ button to upload files in a browser window. Here is a good news, you can drag and drop your file on the browser window to share your files or attach a file, as many of the websites have enabled the feature of dragging and dropping on the web browser.

3D graphics

You do not have to install an additional plugin in your browser, as browsers are welcoming the WebGL feature, which will allow users to have 3D graphical view of the web pages. Google Maps is one of the best examples of a website that uses WebGL. A user can have an animated view of the lanes and the exact location can be determined by the user easily and in a better way.

Video & audio, but no flash

HTML 5 based videos are gaining popularity extensively. You may not distinguish between the quality of HTML 5 videos and flash videos. There is no need of installing Flash plugin, to play videos with audio in many of the websites. However, there are websites that demand the existence of DRM, which is why users have to make use of flash to play the videos of those websites.

Offline web apps

By now, you might have heard about offline apps. These apps make use of local database to use the resources, even without the internet connection. Kindle Cloud Reader is one of the examples of such apps, which allows the user to download e-books and can be opened later in the browser, without the need of an internet connection.

With the updated version of browsers, it has become possible for the users to dump plugins gradually, which can be serious issues in the long run. Web features are expected to be way better eventually, eliminating all the plugins. 

Bring Back A Faster Google Chrome Browser!

Browser is for browsing the World Wide Web, but it may sometimes give the user a world sized headache by crashing at an unexpected time or crashing down, when you’re in the middle of an important work. Slow browser is no less annoying. Although it is annoying, but you can tweak your browser to get it back in the previous working state. Reasons behind a slow browser or often crashes could be many—an extension, plugin, browsing data and many others. So, you need to be patient to reach out to the root cause of the issue. Today, we are going to discuss the tweaks of Google Chrome. Let’s get started with it!

Deactivate the plugins

When you install a Chrome browser, plugins get automatically installed in the browser. These plugins make it easier for user to use Chrome for processing different kinds of content, related to—Flash, Java, etc. However, many of the installed plugins are not required and more the number of plugins, slower your browser will become. So, you can disable the unwanted plugins to beef up your system. Here’s how: You need to type ‘about:plugins’ in the Chrome’s address bar. It will list down all the plugins that are installed in your browser. Go ahead and click on ‘disable’ link below the name of the plugin.

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Disable Extensions 

Disable Extensions Certain programs require to be added in the browser, to pull out the maximum functionality out of the Chrome browser. Adding too many extensions in the browser may give adverse effects, which can be taken care of, by disabling few extensions that are not crucial.

 Extensions are added to the Chrome browser, and visible in the address bar of Chrome as a button, which can be disabled by right clicking on the button and selecting the option of ‘uninstall’.

When the extensions are not visible in the address bar, you need to click on the wrench icon of the Chrome browser and navigate to the ‘Tools’ option. Select ‘Extensions’ from there. This will give you the list of all the installed extensions..

 Click on the extension that you need to disable and uncheck the ‘Enabled’ box that is at the adjacent right of the particular extension.

Get rid of the browsing data

Browsing data can be one of the most responsible factors for slowing down your browser. So, it is better to clear the browser of the browsing data, at a frequent period. To clean the browsing history after a particular session, you need to choose the wrench icon and select ‘tools’ from the list of options. Next step is to choose ‘Clear browsing data’ option.

You can choose the time frame for the deletion of the data and click on ‘Clear browsing data’. 

Follow the above tweaks, whenever you’re not satisfied with the performance of your browser. These tweaks will give you a beefy browser, once again.

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Get Text Pasted In Plain Format In Word 2013!

Every time you paste a text from a different source, it will carry the format of the source, which may not match the format of your document. Isn’t it annoying? Users always want the copied text to be in the plain format, but it is not the case usually and you need to do it manually.

However, you can change the settings in the Word document, to get the plain text of the copied content. Today, we’re going to discuss the procedure to change the ‘paste’ settings in Word 2013.

Locate the ‘home’ tab and click on it. Under the ‘Clipboard’ section, click on ‘Paste’ and this will give you three options and from there, choose the option of ‘Keep Text Only’.

Note: The use of ‘Ctrl+V’ to paste a text will give you the text with the formatting. To get the plain text pasted, even with the use of this keyboard shortcut, you need to do the following changes.

Again, choose ‘Set Default Page’ under the ‘Clipboard’ section. This will open up an advanced window, with many options.

Navigate to the section of ‘Cut, Copy & Paste’; it has four ‘pasting’ options. Select the option that is suitable for you and change the setting to ‘Keep Text Only’ from the drop down menu. This is it!

Whenever you copy content and paste it to your document, it will not carry the original format.

Locating a file is quicker in Office 2013!

There have been many times when I forgot the location of the saved file. Every time this happened, I had to go for ‘Save As’ option to find the location of the document and I’m pretty sure that many of you would also, have faced this issue. However with Office 2013, it has become easier to locate the files.

• Launch a new Word document and click on the ‘File’ tab at the top right corner of the window.

• This will give a drop down menu of options, and you need to choose ‘Options’ from the list.

• ‘Word Options’ window will open up, where you need to choose the option of ‘Quick Access Toolbar’. Upon clicking this option, you will see a ‘Choose commands from’ drop down menu. Select the option of ‘Commands Not in the Ribbon’ from there. This has narrowed down certain options and made your work easier.

• Now, navigate through the list of commands, to choose ‘Document Location’. Once you select this option, click on the ‘Add’ button to include it in the list of Quick Access Toolbar.

• Click on ‘Ok’ to bring it into effect and then, close the ‘Word Options’ window.

• This will display the ‘Document Location’ on the toolbar of the word document. You may not be able to see the entire path in the box though. Click on the box and move the cursor to the right to view the entire path.

No more fumbling for the document! You can get the document without any hassle, when it is urgently needed.

Screwed up Motherboard: Easy Symptoms and Troubleshoot

Is your Laptop doing well? Probably it’s not because if it was so, then you wouldn’t be reading solution for a dishevelled Motherboard. And a disoriented Motherboard simply means that you are just left up with a bare outer covering of the laptop. As you very well know that it’s your motherboard that needs to be in a perfect sphere. And in case it fails to do its work when its warranty period has already expired, I can tell it for sure that you are in a big trouble and you would just think that it’s almost a time to get a new Laptop. And as you know it very well that the cost of a motherboard is usually higher than the current value of a laptop.

So it would be better than you prior pay attention right from the time when your laptop has started showing so hardening symptoms. Now before you ask that how would one know what the symptoms are? I’ll give you an answer in the format of frequently occurring symptoms:

The trouble starts when you try to plug in the power adaptor and try to start the laptop.

• You don’t feel anything happening.

• You feel the lights to be on and you can even feel the fans to be working, but you lack to see anything on the screen. In other words on the screen (black) and you can’t hear the HD working after 10-15 sec.

• The light is on the ‘ON’ mode and the fan spins too but it manages to go off after a few seconds.

• Or the last situation is that after pressing the “ON” button the screen still doesn’t show anything rather it stays black and you can hear a quiet high-pitched sound coming from the laptop.

Troubleshooting:

So now when you are already messed up, it’s high time that you work out something productive.

Firstly just try to look out for the “lid closed” switch and then just give a few try, and help it to push a few times. Now where will you find the switch? It generally is a small switch near the hinges and it is the one that is put to use by pressing it when the lid (the screen) is closed. At times it happens that these switches go on a ‘OFF’ mode or ‘lid closed’ position that might be resulting you in a black screen.) or non-starting laptop. But some Laptops are equipped with a magnetic switch (newer Dell’s and most Apple’s), that avoids to be stroked off.

Also try to connect your laptop with another power adaptor. Though what I am saying isn’t easy to find, but this may be a reason for a black screen. As such a situation will definitely end you up in a failed or no supply of the needed voltage even if it has a green “power on” light that lights up when you plug it in. Also in case if you measure the output voltage and it gives a fine sign then probably this only means one thing that the adaptor may have failed and wouldn’t supply that voltage under load (typically 3.5A to 6A). You may definitely approve to the option of using a universal adaptor or go to an independent repair shop and just ask the shopkeeper to check the adaptor and then pay them what you get settled with.

And if none of the given options work out then probably you need to swap your card for a new laptop.

Microsoft PowerPoint 2013- Revamped for Good

After the release of the new Windows 8 OS, Microsoft unveiled its next version of Office, Microsoft office 2013. Office is Microsoft’s second most popular product (with Windows OS being the first). Office 2013 is graced with the same Modern style of Windows 8. The designed has been streamlined in a way to suit both Tablets as well as PCs. Although it is essentially the same product, but appears way too different from its predecessors and the added features work as cherries on Christmas cake. Office 2013 mainly focuses on improving sharing of documents through cloud (SkyDrive) where you can access, edit and share documents from remote locations. This article discusses about enhancements of old features of PowerPoint along with the new ones that have been added in Microsoft PowerPoint 2013.

Renovated Landing Page:

The lading page of PowerPoint 2013 has a complete transformation. The previous version of Office (Office 2010) was comparatively bland and a bit confusing for some, but the new version has a revamped landing page and offers quick access to templates (both local as well as online database). Online templates are categorized as Business, Orientation, Industry, Design Sets, Media, Marketing, Nature, etc, which makes it much easier to work with. While you can create a new presentation in the main window, you have the left sidebar to see the most recently accessed presentations.

Choosing Color Themes for Templates:

You can use the templates with different color schemes. For instance, if the theme you are using comes with a dark color scheme, you can click on the template to choose a different color scheme from the available list. In addition, you can also change styles and color of elements in that template.

Intensified Presenter View:

The Presenter View of PowerPoint 2013 displays Active slide on left side, Next slide at top right corner and the Notes for current slide are at the bottom right corner. Extra controls are available at top and bottom of the window. Although this view was available in previous versions but it was not active by default. In fact, a lot of people were not even aware of its existence because you had to go to the Slide Show tab and enable it from there. PowerPoint 2013 adds few extra tools like a Laser Pointer Pen and options to zoom particular parts of a slide, view all slides at a time and switch Slide show among connected display monitors.

Account Management:

Account management allows user to connect to SkyDrive account and add desired services to PowerPoint. By signing into your Microsoft account, you will be automatically connected to SkyDrive account. You can also use this account to sign in to MS Office 2013 on other devices as well. This lets you save your files directly to the cloud where you can edit your document from any other device. You can access these documents wherever you go so, you do not need to carry any documents or files in a removable drive anymore.

Insert online videos, audios and images:

PowerPoint 2013 lets you add videos, audios and images directly from internet without any need to download it on your computer. It is just like embedding an object on your presentation. This option was also available in the previous version of Office where you could copy the code of the video and paste it on your PowerPoint. But, now you can directly insert online video using the integrated Bing Video Search, YouTube, SkyDrive account or from Video Embedded Code.

Other than the above mentioned enhancements, Microsoft PowerPoint 2013 has other newly introduced features that every user will adore. The features, which were previously available, but almost too hard to discover, are now made easily approachable and obvious for new users. Because of its added versatility, the app is much more usable and engrossing than ever before.

Best Ways to Organize, Cleanup and Save Hard Drive Space

If your clever and swift computer is turning sluggish and freezes when you have few applications running then it is time for you to get your hard drive reorganized. In fact, even if your computer is new or doesn’t show any such signs of languor, you should still learn techniques to save your hard drive’s space, so that your computer remains clean and stay healthy for long. Before you start up with the cleaning process you should take a look at the current status of the space available in your computer. This will make you aware of how stuffed your computer is and how much optimization your computer need.

To check the status of your computer’s hard drive,

• Double Click on the icon of “My Computer”
• Right Click on “C: Drive” and
• Select “Properties” option from the menu

In the “General” tab of Properties Window, you will see a pie chart, describing you the status of your hard drive. If your computer’s used space is more than the free space available, it is time for you to go for a cleanup.

Run Disk Cleanup:

In the Properties window, where you checked the status of your computer’s hard drive, you will find and option of “Disk Cleanup” in the “General”. Hit on the Disk Cleanup button to run a scan, which will give you a list of all the files that can be deleted without any risk on your computer system. This list includes: Temporary files, Cookies, Recycle Bin, etc. click on each file to see a small description about what it does. If it says that it is completely save to remove, then check the checkbox and press delete. Once deleted, these files will not be available anymore.

Defragmentation:

In the “Tool tab” of the “Properties” dialog box, you will find a “Defrag Now” button. After clicking this button, your computer will analyze your computer’s hard drive space and it will let you know whether you should defrag your computer or not. If it does recommend to defrag, then go ahead with the process. Defragmentation does not delete any file from your computer. It simply rearrange the files and maximize the information.

Let go of Unused Programs:

Your computer must have several old programs that you don’t use anymore. Before letting go of these applications, you need to let go of the idea that you might need it someday. Of will do happen to need it one fine day, then reinstalling it is no big deal. Go to “Control Panel” and open “Add and Remove Programs” folder. The list of all currently installed applications will be displayed to you. You can delete any application from here. Go ahead and delete any application, which is not of use anymore. Other than this, if you have the habit of saving same file at more than one place, then you also need to look for all those duplicate files and delete extra copies of each file.

Invest on External Hard drives:

External hard drive is a great resource for any and every one. It is in fact, the best way to keep your data safe and your computer light at the same time. Instead of keeping all the files in your computer, you can use an external drive to keep your data. This will also work as a backup in case of any mishap plus it will also save a lot of your computer’s space.

Zip it!:

Zipping your files mean compressing it into a very small file. There are software available to compression your file. A compressed file takes a lot less space than a usual file and it can be easily extracted whenever you want. One such utility software to compress files is “WinZip”. This available in free as well as paid version, but the free version works perfect, so you would never really need to pay for its full version.

Disk Management on Windows 8

Windows 8 is distinctly different from its predecessor. For starters, there’s that missing Start menu and the fact that older versions of CPUs might not take to the new OS. There’s also better security and battery life and it is an optimum operating system for touch devices. Microsoft seems to be moving toward better integration of its operating system on smartphones, tablets and other devices. This will give the company better leverage in its quest for dominance against Android and Apple’s operating system.

You will find the Disk Management tool on Windows 8 which helps you do all sorts of disk related hardware tasks, be it formatting and shrinking, changing drive letters and other disk related work. You can use Disk Management to manage all your drives-flash, optical and both internal and external hard disk drives on a 64 or 32 bit Windows 8 PC. You may recognize the tool because it is part of the Microsoft Management Console.

Here are some of the other uses of Disk Management:

•    Shrink or extend volume
•    Move from basic to dynamic disk
•    Open and explore volume
•    Convert GPT to MBR and Vice Versa

You can access the Disk Management tool in two ways:

•    Get to the Desktop mode with Windows Key + X. Once you get there, go to the Computer Management. What you’ll see is the Computer Management window where you’ll find Disk Management.

•    Type ‘cmd’ on Run and click OK. Type out diskmgmt.msc and enter.

When you get to the Disk Management tool, you’ll notice that it is divided into two portions. The top half has all the partitions-formatted and unformatted and the bottom half will show you in graphics, the physical drives that are on the computer. You can choose to partition a drive to make more space, format a drive to restore factory settings or make the drive all brand new. You can even change the letter of your drive to keep it better organized. You may also change the file system on a drive.

Disk Management has a few issues. For instance, the Extend Volume function can only be used only if there is space that has not been allocated, next to the partition in question. If that is not there, then it can’t be done. Even if you do use third party tools for partition, Windows 8 doesn’t work too well using a third party tool due to compatibility issues. Though there might be help from MiniTool Partition Wizard and EaseUS Partition Master.

Staying with Disk Management, you can download an Add-In for the Microsoft Windows Home Server. This will help you understand storage status and is great for organizations to find extensive information and monitor activity. Here too, you can customize names for disks and 3D wireframe. All of this will help you maintain your server in great condition and trouble shoot as and when required. There is one month free trial, so do check it out.

Disk related business is considered to be one for the experts and technicians and rightly so. But thanks to Disk Management on Window 8, the task got a bit simpler. The tool has a few glitches but is worth experiencing.

Ryan Larkin authors for Broadbandproviders.com, the leading provider of the best value broadband internet - He writes about Technology tips and everything about the Internet.

Error 1327: Issue Due To An Invalid Drive!

Usually, Windows users encounter Error 1327. This error may occur during the installation of a software. The computer may refer the home’s hard drive (“H”), which is either not installed or inaccessible by the installation process. Finally, the installation process will search for operating system components in the computer and will not find them in the expected places, which will result in the occurrence of Error 1327.

If you’re thinking of disabling the non-existing drive from the Control Panel, then let us tell you that it will not do any good. You need to do it in the following manner.

Resolution

• Go to ‘My Computer’
• Open the non-existent drive (usually, H drive) and go to ‘Hardware’ option
• Remove the hard drive from Windows Explorer
• Next, select ‘Run as Administrator’ from ‘Start’ menu.
• It will show you a prompt, where you need to type- Net Use s: servernamesharename
• Go to Windows Explorer again, and to ‘Map Network Drive’ from there.
• It will open up a folder, where you have to choose “s:network Drive” and type in ‘servernamesharename’. This will permanently, remove the hard drive that was causing the trouble.

Resolve Error 1327 that appears during the installation of Microsoft Office

• Select ‘Program’ from the ‘Start’ menu
• Go to ‘Administrative Tools’ folder and select ‘Disk Administrator’.
• Right click on the invalid drive and choose the option of ‘Click Assign Drive Letter’.
• Change the drive letter to the correct one and click on ‘Ok’.
• Restart your computer, run the Microsoft Office set up and the error will be removed.

So, you have seen the manual method of intervening and resolving Error 1327. If you come across this error, try to fix it yourself, with the help of the above steps.

This post is sponsored by ElenaChris. Apart from writing she also makes review on latest online technology in Internet. Mytechgurus has come up with new techniques resulting in hassle free "user/computer" relationship.

Why Internet Explorer 10 Gives You The Best Browsing Experience?

Internet Explorer 10 has been actually, designed for Windows 8 interfaces, with an intention of making browsing easier for the touch users. Haven’t you upgraded your system to Windows 8? Do not be disappointed, thinking that it is not possible to use Internet Explorer in Windows 7. Even with Windows 7 system, you can use all the features of IE 10.

In the desktop mode, it is difficult to distinguish Internet Explorer 10 from IE 9. Now that you know IE 10 can be used in your Windows 7 system, aren’t you excited about experiencing the new features of IE 10? So, what are we waiting for! Let us have a quick glimpse of what IE 10 has wrapped in for you.

Don’t fumble for flipping, anymore!

Internet Explorer realizes when an article, which you have requested to load, has multiple pages. Previously, you might have been annoyed of searching for the button to go to the next page, while reading an article eagerly. Internet Explorer makes flipping simpler by clicking ‘Forward’ button that you can see in the navigation bar. Generally, this feature is disabled in IE 10, as it sends your browsing history to Microsoft.

To activate it, go to ‘Properties’, select ‘Advanced’ and check ‘Enable Flip Ahead’ box under ‘Browsing’. Once it is done, every time you want to go to the next page of your article, hit the ‘Forward’ button and you will be there.

Improved security features!

Microsoft boasts about the new technology that has been included in IE 10, ‘Enhanced Protected Mode’. Enabling this mode will freeze certain parts of the operating system, which are not in use while accessing the internet. But, the moment you use those parts, the risk increases. For example, unless you browse through ‘Documents’ from your Explorer dialog box to search for a file, you’re safe. Activation of this mode will keep the hackers away from making use of any vulnerability, in your system.

How to activate Enhanced Protected Mode?

Go to ‘Internet Options’ -> Advanced -> check ‘Enhanced Protected Mode’ box.

Controversial ‘Do Not Track’!

‘Do Not Track’ is the setting that has been activated, by default, in Internet Explorer 10. This means that websites shouldn’t track the users’ online behavior, for serving ads. However, many companies haven’t moved according to this particular setting and it has given rise to controversy.

Perhaps, you have got umpteen reasons to go for Internet Explorer 10 in your Windows system. IE 10 not only depicts better performance, but also the most concerned feature ‘Security’.

This post is sponsored by Amyclaus. Amy Claus has been handling Computer related problems and has come up with several new and improved techniques resulting in hassle free "user/computer" relationship by technical experts. Do visit mytechgurus which makes Waves in the Android Market by Offering Android Support for Tablets and Devices.

Fix Your Registry Errors Absolutely, Free Of Cost!

‘Registry’ of a system is basically, a database of the settings of operating system and keys of software programs, sitting in your system. Any change made in the registry will be reflected at the respective locations, in the system.

Every time you add or remove a program from your system, it will register in the registry of your PC. You could have come across a program that worked properly the previous day, but not running the next day. Sometimes, while making changes to the registry, some necessary files may get deleted from your registry, which could be a possible cause of your problem. Unwanted addition or alteration of files in the registry will also, slow down your PC.

To resolve this issue, it is not necessary that you have to call a technician over, to your place. You can do it yourself, with little technical knowledge. Do you want to know how? Then, read on!

•    We can name three methods to fix any problem, regarding your registry. First is ‘System Restore’, Second is using the installation disk and third method is the one that we emphasis on, and that is a ‘Registry Cleaner’.

•    If you Google for registry cleaners online, you will come across many of them, which are guaranteed to be absolutely, free. Who doesn’t like ‘free’ things! So, it is definite that you will get attracted to those free registry cleaners. When you use it, you will learn that it shows the errors of your registry, but it will offer to fix only few of them. Certainly, it will not prove to be of much help.

•    Don’t be disappointed thinking that you have to spend money for a registry cleaner. There are legitimate free programs, which offer you better service. One of them is Eusing Free Registry Cleaner.

•    Land on the Eusing website, download the registry cleaner, run and install the program. As soon as the program opens up, it will ask for a code for certain donation. If you’re reluctant to spend any penny for the program, then click on the ‘SKIP’ button.

•    Now, get ready to run a thorough scan of your registry and click on "Scan your registry". Wait for the scan to complete, the errors could be few or many. If you haven’t run a registry cleaner in your system yet and your system is quite old, then better grab a cup of coffee, as it may take a long time.

•    Once the detection of errors is done, click on ‘Repair Registry’ tab and the issue will be solved.

Fixing the registry errors will definitely speed up your system performance and meanwhile, the unexpected crashing of your programs will stop occurring.

This post  is sponsored by ElenaChris. Mytechgurus has come up with new techniques resulting in hassle free "user/computer" relationship. Apart from writing she also makes review on latest online support technology in internet. Have a peek suggestion in new computer techniques. Follow us on twitter mytechgurus.

Shoot up the Problematic working with easy steps

Many of us start panicking seeing our system stuck with an unhealthy issue but in case you are used to such problems then you may simply lean back and laugh. But there are no doubts in the occurrence if these problems, as they keep on occurring if you’re using a Windows System. So the best option is to keep your hand wet with needed solutions so that you may get it done whenever it’s in need. Keep yourself equipped with these options.

System Restore not working

Version: XP, Vista, 7

One of the most common problems that keeps on hampering your system is the when the restoring procedure has started obstructing at an earlier state, try booting into Safe Mode (tap [F8] as your PC restarts) and running System Restore from there.

In case of Vista and Windows 7 you are not lucky enough to opt for any other r option but the final step is that you can easily run the tool directly from your Windows disc (see tip seven, above) if you can't access Windows. Probably or surely this will end up your issues.

Windows Media Player missing songs

Version: XP, Vista, 7

This is the pathetic problem that will just end up your mood to listen a beautiful track. Just imagine, you switch over your Windows Media Player and there are no tracks, what will you do? When you are messed up in such a situation try clicking Start > All Programs > Accessories. In case you are XP user you should select the Command Prompt, or in Vista or Windows 7 then I would ask you simply to right-click it and choose Run as Administrator.

After this just double click that folder that has the list of tracks cd command (for example, cd music cd my documents\my music), then type "attrib -s *.* /d /s" and press [Enter].

Once this so important process comes to an end open Media Player and press [F3], or choose Tools > Advanced > Restore Media Library (in Windows 7) to access all your music again.

Action Center

Version: 7

Another thing happens when you happen to activate the Action Center then just click the flag icon in the Taskbar's notification area to access the Action Center. In such a situation you can get the problem notified in just a single look. Also you may shoot a series of troubleshooters to help quickly fix the problems that keeps on ruining up your system and this can be done even without bending your back.

Elenachris has a good experience in online tech support services. She is known for her work in researching about PC issues faced by users and gives solutions to fix it. She is a writer for mytechgurus an independent technical support company which gives remote services for emergency repair and maintenance.

PC crashes is not a headache anymore!

Computer slows down—Program hangs—certain noises from your machine—Blue Screen—System crashes. These are the general steps to system freezing or crashing. You might try to restart your system, hoping that nothing should have been serious. Fortunately, it boots up normally. However you cannot be relaxed, as it may reoccur and the next time could be the last time.

Nobody can point a specific cause for this trouble, as there are many reasons behind system crashes. Being a user, you should know the reasons and how to avoid these reasons, to prevent system crashes. Read on to find few of such problems and the solutions.

Hardware conflicts
Every hardware component is supposed to use individual channel, for its proper functioning. If there are hardware components that share one channel, there the conflict arises and your system crashes down. Go to the ‘Device Manager’ and see, if there is any yellow (!) mark beside any of the device. The device marked with the exclamation mark is the reason, updating the driver of that device often helps. If updating the driver is not serving the purpose, then re-install the hardware.

Inadequate power
Upgrading the system with powerful components is always exciting, but it is important to care whether enough power is provided to these components or not. It is next to impossible to calculate the power consumption by these components. However, you always have an option of visiting the manufacturer’s website, to know the estimated specs. If you find that the total demand and supply are not in proportion, then you can either go for the components that need less power or you can upgrade the power supply unit of the system.

Defragmentation is necessary
Every computer user knows that computer saves files in a random order and usually, files are fragmented. It slows down the PC, as it takes long time to fetch the files and present it to the user. Gradually, your operating system is burdened and at one point, it just crashes down. This situation can be prevented by ‘defragmenting’ your hard drive, occasionally.

For solid state drives, you don’t have to run the defragment utility, as it stores the files in an organized manner. Running the defragment utility may damage the system.

Blue screen death is a common occurrence with computers, but blue screen occurs with an error message. Take a note of the error message and search for the possible solutions for the specific error code and go ahead with it, to fix the problem.

-AmyClaus. She is a blogger and she have a peak suggestion to fix your computer problems remotely with Mytechgurus Online Support. Subcribe us on computer security.
 

Big stinks from Set Internet Explorer's Security Zones: Knowhow Steps

You probably know this, if you have ever tried changing the OS. As a matter of a common techie fact, the Internet Explorer offers four security zones. I know you might by wondering that why I am making the things general, when the heading specifies Windows 8, but this fact is regardless of whether your machine is running Windows 8 or an earlier operating system.  This shows its existence when you add different websites to different zones, Internet Explorer treats those sites differently, placing restrictions on some and lifting restrictions for others. In short providing it simply means that it provides your system an ozone-like protection layer.

It’s sure that you may find difficulties when situation hit you. But even it’s true that you won't need to fiddle with the security zones in the desktop version of Internet Explorer. It’s all because these security Zones serve you with preset setting and focuses to offer the most protection with the least amount of effort. But in case your nervousness is hampering you and if you're curious about Internet Explorer's zones, choose Internet Options from IE's Tools menu and then go to the Security tab in the dialog box that appears.

Not to avoid the fact that there are high chances that it comes preset.

I have listed down the précised form of the explanation:

•    Internet: Internet Explorer is the most gentle-man in your system; it keeps no bad or good feelings, and treats all the sites equally as if it were in this catch-all zone. Also the best part is that this zone comes preset to offer Internet Explorer's "Medium-high" security level, which works very well for most needs.

•    Local Intranet: Another is Local Internet, as this zone is intended for websites running on an internal network. (Home users rarely have to deal with intranets because they're mostly found in corporations and large businesses.) And there comes its role, the internal websites are created in-house and are self-contained, now this zone simply removes some security restrictions, letting you do more things and in a more efficient manner.

•    Trusted Sites: if you list up any site in this section, it simply means that you trust them completely.

•    Restricted Sites 9: Always such events happen, you simply know that visiting a particular site may harm your system but you still need to do it. In such a situation simply place such sites under this category.  And then comes the action hero in scenario, the Internet Explorer then lets you visit the site but not download from it or use any of its plug-ins — small downloadable programs adding extra graphics, animation, and similar enhancements.

Doing all above, simply makes you uncomfortable while surfing and you simply feel that you did play allot, then just don’t panic and give up rather simply go and click on the Reset All Zones to Default Level button on the Security tab. And with this all be cured, just Relax!

Authored by ElenaChris. Mytechgurus is one of the outstanding remote technical support companies. Our mytechgurus technical support experts has satisfied more than 500,000 customers by fixing their issues. Follow us twitter mytechgurus.

Solving Wireless Hardware Issues

With the decrease in price of wireless hardware, they are becoming more popular in mid-sized offices. It is both easy to use and economical. However, it is beneficial only till things are fine. If things go wrong, then troubleshooting becomes a hassle. Following are few of the common problems that can cause a wireless network failure.

Problem with access point

If you have one access point and one wireless client and you have connection issues then you can understand that your client has a problem in connecting to the network. However, if you have multiple access points and multiple wireless clients out of which some are not able to connect to the network, then this indicates that there is problem in the access point. To confirm this, perform a communication test to check if the access point is responding. If it is not responding then either there us a break in communication link or access point is completely dysfunctional.
Configuration Issues

Majorly, networking equipments are quiet reliable and problems mostly happens in network configuration rather than hardware malfunction. Configuration problems can lead to weak signal strength. To rectify this, you can change channels on access point to see if switching to a different channel helps.

Service Set Identifier (SSID)

If you go to a different place, where you use the wireless network on your device, when you come back to your place you will not be able to access your wireless network if you forget to reset the SSID back to your own network identifier. This happens because your SSID is not able to specify the correct access point and your device will simply ignore the available access point and search for the specified (previous) access point.

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) Key

If WEP is not configured correctly, you will not be able to ping your access point from a wireless client. In order to make WEP function properly, all settings between access point and client should match exactly. WEP configuration issue can be tricky at times because it gives an illusion of a more serious damage (hardware failure mostly). If it is configured incorrectly, wireless client will not be able to get an IP address from the built-in DHCP server. If the wireless client is meant to use static IP address, it won’t be able to and as a result, client will not be able to ping the IP address of the access point. This gives an illusion that connection does not exists at all.

This post is sponsored by Amyclaus. Our mytechgurus trustworthy technical experts will provide services such as Microsoft windows support, pc security and antivirus support, etc. Over the past few decades, they emerged as a leader in Remote Technical Support.

5 All-in-One PCs that you can consider buying

Traditional desktops have had a good shelf life. In its course of sovereignty, it easily made its way to offices and homes. People loved it and desktops will always have a special place in every PC user’s heart. But with growing need of “work on the move”, came the family of laptops. Another family of computer aka All-in-One PCs made an expensive upstart just 2-3 years back and grew as a direct competition of the traditional desktop. In no time, All-in-Ones usurped the throne.

Today’s computer market is over-flowing with a wide array of All-in-One PCs and if you are on the go to get one, the following list will ease your decision.

HP TouchSmart 9300 Elite: The Perfectionist

HP TouchSmart 9300 Elite is a 23-inch, business-centric All-in-One workhorse. It is not a treat to eyes but delivers excellence in performance. It can easily supersede a traditional business PC and if you are looking for a PC that gets the work done and is comfortable to your pocket, then HP TouchSmart 9300 Elite is for you.

HP Omni 27: A Big Package

In its first look, you will be fascinated by HP Omni 27’s 27-inch gorgeous edge-to-edge glass screen. The rest is also fine until you find that the touch screen, which is pretty basic for an All-in-One PC these days, is missing in this model. But nonetheless, HP Omni 27 is very homey. Its size is double the size of a small TV and its Blu-ray playback is excellent. The device leverage very smooth HD streaming and is a perfect alternate for home users.

Lenovo IdeaCentre B320: For tight-budget Students

Lenovo IdeaCentre B320 has an unusual mix of features that serves as a fulltime PC and an HDTV. The model is a good buy for cash-strapped students to fit their All-in-Ones in college in college dorm rooms, but the machine fails to give strong media capabilities and other features like Blu-ray drive. Since any such machine is a one-time investment, you should better save few more bucks of a batter machine.
Samsung Series 7 All-in-One: A Beauty

Samsung made a debut in the All-in-One family with Series 7 All-in-One PC and this machine turned out to be a beauty. It delivers adequate performance and has a very stylish and svelte appearance. You will definitely admire the touch effect and the Blu-ray player. The device gives a nice gaming performance. Though Samsung has made few mistakes as a fresher, but the features, design and comfortable price are compelling enough.
Dell Inspiron One 2320: High performing, but compromises over few things

Dell Inspiron One 2320 is a 23-inch All-in-One, which proves that you can bag high-end features in decent price range. The device gives you capacious hard drive, plenty of RAM, Blu-ray Disc player and much more. Although a slightly more expensive devices delivers a better value but this machine is not at all a weak choice. It does almost everything, but you will have to compromise over a plain look and a little inaccurate touchscreen.

This post was sponsored by Amy Claus, has come up with new techniques resulting in hassle free "user/computer" relationship. Apart from writing she also make review on latest online support technology in internet. Have a peek suggestion in new computer techniques. - Mytechgurus. Follow @ twitter