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Is your Windows machine slowing down? Getting to where you are tearing at your hair? Getting old and creaky? Here are some tips and tricks to rejuvenate your machine and bring it back to life. Before you start, however, remember to take a backup particularly your documents, pictures, data and email.

Stop the Autoloaders

Autoloading programs, which start every time you boot Windows, cause much PC trouble. You may be amazed at just how many of the programs you install load automatically at Windows boot-up and then run in the background as you work. Take a look at the tiny icons in your system tray, at the bottom right of your screen next to the clock. These icons represent your auto loading apps, which suck up resources. Each of these programs uses memory and other resources, which might even cause a crash of the system. Worse still some of these programs don't even show up but they still run and cause memory glitches.

To view your list of auto start apps:

Select Start
Type in Run and press Enter. The System Configuration utility will open. (Win 2000 does not have this utility.
Look under startup and you will see all the items which startup with windows.
Uncheck items you do not need to startup.
You can always go back and check them again if you need to.

Mike Lin's free startup Control Panel is an excellent utility that works in a similar fashion both on XP and 2000 machines. Double click the icon after you download and install and uncheck the items as needed.

Determining which of the program you want to auto start requires some work. You can usually figure out what application put the entry in your start-up list by reading the information in the Startup tab's Command column. For instance, if you see that the loading file is located in the Nero folder, it's a good bet that the entry is a Nero program which you probably don't want to auto start. HP puts in a whole list of items with its printers and scanners which you probably don't need. You can also use Google search to find out the source of the programs by searching the file name.

Keep checked any listing related to your firewall or your anti-virus program to make sure they're always running in the background.

Unfortunately some unchecked programs have a way of reappearing checked and autoloaded, even though you just unchecked them If this happens to you, launch the application and explore its menus, looking for a “load at startup” option under tools or preferences.. If you can't do it ask an expert to help you out.

De-program

Uninstall all unneeded programs. A new pc usually ships with demo software that we rarely use. As we use the pc more and more we add programs that we end up not using at all. At times software is installed without our knowledge. Getting rid of all the applications on your PC that you no longer use is a good idea. The Add/remove applet in the control panel is the usual route but it seldom removes everything. The program's own uninstall routine is the best place to start the removal process. You might find a shortcut to the uninstaller on the program's Start menu entry. If not, use the Add/remove applet in the control panel. But wait. You haven't really gotten rid of the program yet. Reopen the System Configuration utility to see whether the uninstalled application still auto loads anything; if it does, follow the steps in “Stop the Autoloads” above. Next, open Windows Explorer and delete the program's folder inside the C:\Program Files directory (if it's still there). And if a shortcut to the program is still on the Start menu, right-click the item and then select Delete.

To reassign any file associations that the uninstalled program may have claimed, open Windows Explorer.
Select Tools
Click Folder Options
Click the File Types tab
Click the File Types header under 'Registered file types' to sort the list of file types by program
Check the list for any extensions associated with the uninstalled program.

If you find one, click Change and select a new program to open that file type. For example, if you uninstall an image editor, you can reassociate .bmp files with Windows' Paint utility. You'll also want to clean the program out of the Windows Registry. (See “Cleaning the registry below).

Check out Malware

Malware is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. It includes both adware and spyware. Regardless of whether Windows is behaving oddly or not, you need to check for malware regularly. I recommend three spyware removal programs: (1) Windows Defender; (2) Spybot Search and Destroy; (3) Ad-Aware.

No single anti-spyware program finds all the miscreants, so you should run more than one scanner. Please note however that Ad-aware sometimes recognizes Spybot as spyware and can cause the problems with its functioning. Amongst the paid ones Spysweeper (http://www.webroot.com/consumer/products/spysweeper/) or Spyware doctor (http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/) are recommended.

SpywareGuide provides valuable information on malicious software from a database covering many known spyware programs.

Update your drivers

If your PC is running well, there's no reason to update your drivers. But if you're having trouble, a driver update can be a free and relatively easy solution. First, open Windows' Device Manager by right-clicking My Computer and selecting Properties. In Windows XP and 2000, click Hardware then Device Manager.

Look for entries with yellow question marks or red exclamation points: The question mark indicates that Windows is using a generic driver for that device instead of one designed for it or not working properly, and an exclamation point means that the device is not working.

To update a driver, double-click the component listing and choose Driver then Update Driver in the product's Properties dialogue box. The Hardware Update Wizard will search for an updated driver on your local drives as well as on Microsoft's Windows Update site(provided you are connected to the internet), and it will install the driver if it finds one.

TouchStone Software's Driver Updates page is an excellent resource to find outdated drivers .The site, scans your hard drive and gives you a reasonably accurate list of your outdated drivers. Once you know that a driver needs updating, you can look for it on the vendor's Web site. Every hardware manufacturer offers driver updates as free downloads. Alternatively you can subscribe to TouchStone's paid service and download the drivers directly from the scan-result list.

Updating a driver could make things worse, however. In Windows XP, click Roll Back Driver under the Driver tab in the Properties dialogue box to return to the previous version.

Cleaning the Windows Registry

The Windows Registry is in fact a large repository of references of hardware and software installed on your system. It is vital to the smooth running of your computer. On your new machine or on a freshly formatted hard drive, the Registry is clean. However when you install software, change hardware, or download something from the Web, the registry grows by leaps and bounds.

Once installed a program leaves its fingerprint in various places in the Registry. One would think that uninstalling it from the Add/Remove applet in the control program would remove it thoroughly even from the registry. Not so. Traces will still remain. The dedicated uninstall options provided by many are normally rather better at cleaning up after themselves, although even these have a habit of leaving a few invalid references behind. Simple tasks like changing the name of a folder or moving a file can leave a lot of useless data or links. Cleaning out the registry thus can make a difference in Windows' performance.

Before you start, make sure you can restore the Registry to its previous state should you delete the wrong key or such. Windows XP's System Restore automatically backs up the Registry and other important Windows files, but the program is not altogether reliable (and Windows 2000 lacks the utility altogether).

Select Start
Click All Programs
Click Accessories
Then System Tools
System Restore
Create a restore point, and then follow the prompts.

Lars Hederer's free Emergency Recovery Utility NT (ERUNT) is one of the best free utilities to back up a registry. After downloading and installing the program, XP users should create an initial ERUNT backup when their PC is running just the way they want it. Download it). There you will also find the NTREGOPT utility. This optimizes the registry files by removing slack space left by modified or deleted entries, and can compact them significantly without changing any of the data within. As always, when you use such programs there is a risk involved, but I've found them to be useful and reliable.

There are several good registry cleaning tools. The $ 30 Reg Organizer, which gives you a conventional Registry editor, helps you examine all of your startup applications, file types, and other specific trouble spots. The program also has an excellent search-and-replace function. Manual or automatic cleanup is supported. And here's another nice feature: If you've just uninstalled a program, click the utility's Search and Replace icon to finish the job. Here you can delete all listings containing the removed program's name. Registry Medic, from Iomatic is a shareware utility that scans the registry to find invalid references, repairs those where a file or folder has been simply moved, and removes others where the file or software has been deleted, including invalid Start menu entries. In addition it kills Trojan viruses that use the registry. It runs on Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000 and XP. A free alternative is ToniArts' EasyCleaner which does a reasonable job.

Defrag your hard drive

Over time your hard drive becomes cluttered and the files fragmented. What this means is that the files are broken up and stored at different places in the hard drive. They are still there and still complete but just fragmented or split up. This means that Windows has to work extremely hard reading the file from its different locations. You can use the Windows defragmenter to defragment your hard drive as follows:
Open My Computer
Right click on C drive
Click on properties
Click on Tools
Click on Defragment Now
Select the C-Drive
De-fragment.

If there are 2 drives you can defragment both. This can take some time depending on the level of defragmentation. Commercially Diskeeper is an excellent product that works far better than the free windows utility.

Clean out your internet files

Temporary internet files and cookies are stored on your computer every time you surf the internet. It's important to delete the cached files from time to time.
Open your browser(Internet Explorer)
Click on tools
Click on internet options
General tab
Settings, to reduce the space allocated, and delete Files

Clean out the cobwebs

Windows has a disk cleanup function to empty recycle bin, delete temporary and working files, etc.
Open My Computer
Right Click C Drive
Click on Properties
Click on Disk Cleanup
Check all boxes,
Click OK and Yes

Is the problem with Windows or Memory?

As time goes on and you upgrade your software or install new programs you will notce you need more memory. To effectively work today one need upward of 512 MB Ram though you still see computers with less. Scan your memory requirements at (http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.asp?imodule=BL2KIT6464AA1005&cpe=AFC-2D4S68503543).

Start anew in Windows

Sometimes there is little you can do but start afresh. Your Windows is beyond recovery, and all you can do is have a clean install. This has to be the last course of action. The last resort is to wipe Windows clean only when you have to.

Above is a random extract from Associated Content, visit Associated Content for the actual writer for this article.

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A gift does not have to be expensive to be useful and appreciated. There are many gifts under $50 for a man, gifts that are just plain fun and gifts that are unusual and practical. One of these will defiantly bring a smile and a big thank you. I have hunted the web to try and find the best gifts for a manavailable. Gifts that will be enjoyed and appreciated for years to come. There are many gifts available for a man and there are samples of all different types of gifts listed here. So take some time and look around and see what gifts you can find for the special man on your list. Many of theses gifts for a man are exclusive to the web sites mentioned. You may be able to find something similar locally, but with the convenience of the web for shopping, it might be a good idea to purchase gifts from the sites. As with all internet shopping, check out all the details, especially the return policy. If you want to make sure before you buy, contact the Better Business Bureau in their city to see if there are any complaints about them. So take a look and I hope you find a special present for that special man on your list.

Usb Beverage Chiller
http://www.redenvelope.com/
This is perfect for the man who spends hours working at a computer. Imagine sitting down to work with a cold bottle of water and getting so involved that the cold drink gets warm. And either not having a drink at all or losing time getting another one. Well, this can solve that problem. It plugs right into a computer USB port, fits a can, bottle or glass and measures 3 1/4″ x 5 3/8″ x 1 1/4″ and keeps the beverage at a cool 45 degrees.

Two-Drawer Men's Oxford Organizer Valet
http://www.personalcreations.com/
Now this is a gift that can be used in the home or in the office. It is beautifully crafted in wood with a choice of black or cherry finish. It has 2 felt lined drawers and a glass inclosed shelf with plenty of space to store necessities. For instance at home on the dresser, it can be used to keep jewelry, keys and personal papers and in the office, it will be the classiest desk top organizer in the place. Measures 9-1/2″Hx6-1/4″W.

Beer & Munch Gift Basket
http://www.simplyclassicgiftbaskets.com/beer_munch_gift_basket.htm
This would be perfect for the man who loves to sit in a nice comfortable recliner and watch sports. Any sports at any time. The gift contains 3 bottles of beer from American Microbrewers, California pistachios, salted almonds, cashews and assorted chocolates. Enough snacks for a few games. And the basket itself is nicely woven with wooden handles and could be used to store or display almost anything.

Personalized Tavern Beer Glasses
http://www.spilsbury.com/
This is a set of 4 beer glasses that will enhance any home bar. They come personalized with the first name Saying Welocom to _________ tavern and the design is really super. Take a look and see.

Now You Can Find It! Ultra 8 Wireless RF
http://www.sharperimage.com/
No more hunting for lost car keys when he is already a half hour late, no more pulling up the couch cushions looking for the lost remote. Just put one of the color coded receiver discs n up to eight items and when searching for one, just press the corresponding color button on the base station and the disk will flash and beep. Item found.

IPOD MP3 Shower Radio With Fog Free Mirror
http://store.auctionaticstore.com/pripi2310.html
Now this is a luxury item. It is water resistant but not water proof so it is not meant to be immersed in water, just on the wall. The mirror is oversized, it can be mounted on the wall, hung by a strap or set up on a night stand. It has an AM/FM radio and also plays MP3's and I Pods.

Space-Saving Wine Rack – 9 bottles
http://www.hammacher.com/
This is great for a wine lover. It is sleek and modern, made of sand-cast aluminum and is hand polished. There are three rows of three bottles for a total of nine.

Mr. Beer Make Your Own Beer Kit
http://www.spilsbury.com/
Now this is the definitive gift for a beer lover. Imagine him becoming his own micro brewery. This kit can make up to 12 bottles of one of a kind beer, enough for a good party. It also comes with eight bottles, to store the left overs.

Folding Blackjack Table Topper
http://www.gifts.com/
If this man loves cards, but does not have a card table, this is a great solution. It turns a regular table into a game table for all card games from black jack to poker and anything else. It is eight sided and each side has a cup holder. When the game is over, just take it off and fold it up.

Above is a random extract from Associated Content, visit Associated Content for the actual writer for this article.

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Above photo is a random extract from  Flickr, owner of the blog do not claimed authorship nor owner ship of photo, visit Flickr for the actual owner of this photo.

One day you'll power on your computer and your drive will fizzle, sparks will fly across it's surface and dance to a happy tune as your data and files, pictures and music go the way of electronic heaven. OK, it may not be that dramatic but chances are you will lose your data and whatever else was on your drive due to some kind of malfunction.

Data loss can be the result of more than just your drive failing – viruses and other computer related bugs have been a constant source of hard drive errors along with power failures or lightning. You should take advantage of backup devices and software to keep your important data and system settings backed up.

Preparing for such a loss can require a lot of work, but its worth it when trying to get your digital life back to normal. The first thing you need to do is look at your personal situation, lifestyle and work ethic and decide what data is most important to you. Keep in mind others that may use your computer before backing up, making sure you secure their data as well.

Once you've figured out what data you simply could not live without, you need to choose a hardware and software solution to make the backup. You can create a backup of your important files in one of many ways.

The easiest is getting an external hard drive to be used as a backup device. The most simple to set up are those that connect to your computer via USB or FIREWIRE. The setup is usually very straight forward for such a device – just pop in the CD that came with it and follow the instructions. You can then use the hard drive to copy over your files once a week or so to ensure protection.

Its also a good route because you will only be using the drive for a short period of time and it will not get as much wear and tear as the other drive you are using all the time. Many back up programs come with these types of drives, especially the external drives from companies such as Western Digital. They have drives setup as backups that have easy to use programs that you set and just have to make sure your system and the drive are turned on when you have scheduled the back up to occur and let it do all the work. You would tell the setup program what to back up and when and it does the rest. It can even back up important system settings that your operating system uses so that in the case of a system failure and you need a complete system restore, the system will be back to the latest save point that you backed up to. This is very handy if your drive fails and you need to replace it with a new operating system and everything else that was on the drive.

Some good companies and drives to look at can be found at CNET.com they review drives and backup programs and the best ones for your situation. You can also look into some other backup options besides an external drive, an internal drive that is not the same as your main drive would be another alternative for backing up data but not one that is recommended in case you lose more than just your drive. If your computer has something major happen and you cannot get the system back up, an external drive is easy and simple to hook to another computer to get your information off of. But an internal would be more difficult to remove and the data may not be safe.

Another alternative to a drive is storage media such as a zip drive or DVD discs. If you have smaller amounts of information or just need to back up your system settings a zip drive such as ones from Iomega can be perfect for the job. They have Zip drives that are up to 750 MB and are USB 2.0 compatible for ease of use. A good backup program is usually with the drive and can be used or you can buy one separately from several companies, many of which are reviewed at CNET.com. Two highly rated programs are available and can be seen here, http://www.backup-software-reviews.com/ along with others that you can read about. The site Backup software review is a small site that rates backup software and may be able to help you decide if you want to buy a program for backing up your important information or system settings.

No matter how you back up important information, external drive or other media, you should think about doing it. You cannot think that you will get any warning that your drive is going to fail, or worse that you will have a surge of power to your computer and it will fry the thing. Lightning strikes account for a good number of computer damages and you need to seriously decide what you need to do in the case of a drive failure.

Above is a random extract from Associated Content, visit Associated Content for the actual writer for this article.

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I know that feeling you get when you just get home with that new game or program, you just can't wait to load it up and get it running. But before you do there are a few things you should do both before and after your installation to make sure everything goes by the numbers.

Getting new software, games or anything else, can be a great time for doing a little routine maintenance on your computer as well as loading that program. For any program that is more than just a couple of megabytes it should be a time to update drivers and check for malware and virus'. There are somethings you should actually do before you even purchase that game or software as a matter of fact.

First you should check the Internet and make sure your system meets the minimum system requirements for the program. If your system is lower than what that program or game calls for you may need to do some upgrading or even not purchase that program. The box of the software will have the system requirements or you can look on the web site for the company to check and make sure. If you don't know your systems requirements on a Windows XP system check on your help and support page and click on Hardware on the list there. Then go to Tools, then My Computer Information and check under both the General System Information and Find Information About The Hardware Installed On This Computer. If your on an older system you can use your Programs under the Start on your Task bar, then to Accessories and then System Information. You will find a list of the components and some things like memory, disk drive space and what hardware your computer has. Make sure you have the minimum for the program your thinking of purchasing.

Another thing you may want to do before purchasing is check any forums for that software to see if there's any problems with it. I have gotten video games and other programs that did not work very well, okay some I have gotten from my job of video game reviewing so I haven't paid for them. But you may want to check and see if there is a lot of people complaining about the software, whether it's a game or some program for your computer. Just go to a search engine like Google and type in the title of the software and the word forum, a list of active forums should come up and you can browse to see if anybody is having any technical issues with the game or program. Forums for software will usually have a technical or problem section for people to look and discuss the problems they may be having with a program.

If the software is having a lot of problems with errors and there is no solutions to these problems you may want to steer clear of it. You can also check out sites like Epinions.com and CNET.com to see what others think of the software or game.

When you get that new program you should make sure you have a good clean system before installing it. Run your anti virus software and check your full system for any viruses, you should also check for spyware and malware. Whatever program your using for your Internet safety should have both anti virus and anti spyware. Many programs will have a hard time installing with some spyware or viruses on your system. This is also a good time to do some general cleaning to make sure you are using your computer to it's fullest potential. If you have a cleaning program clean out your temporary files and any unnecessary programs from your computer. After we install your new computer we will be performing what is called a disk defragment. This is a good time to get rid of stuff we don't need and when we run the defrag it will run quicker without extra stuff in your temp files, recycle bin and those unused programs.

Before we install our new program or game, you should create a restore point on your help and support page in case something goes wrong so you can restore your system to the time before you added the program. This way you have a known good point, all that cleaning for viruses and spyware, and you can go back to that point if something happens during or after the installation. Once you have created a restore point in your help and support section your ready to install.

Read the stuff that comes with the program and visit the website for the software. Do not just stick it in and hope it will tell you what to do. Some programs require you to turn off virus scanners or other programs before installing their software. Others warn you about important updates or like the case of my new mouse that I reviewed for a gaming web site, I didn't even need the software. I used the new and updated drivers from their web site. So read the information or instructions that come with the software and check their website for important information like patches or updates or things to do before installing their software.

You should always shut down any programs and stop anything from running or playing like screen savers or music you might have running while your installing a program. These extra things may mess up the install and this is one of those times when you only want to be doing one job at a time.

If you do need to install something with your anti virus disabled most often what you need to do is go into the program from your programs menu or click on the icon for the program and actually tell the program to turn off. In the case of Trend Micro's 2006 Internet Security Suite you right click the Icon in your system tray and exit the program. It will ask to make sure you want to do this and then tell you that it is disabled and to turn it back on you just click on the programs main console run icon for it or simply restart your computer. If you do need to turn off your anti virus I recommend you physically disconnect your Internet connection from your computer. Even if you do not turn on your Internet connection you may get something if your using a DSL line. On a DSL line your Internet is always hooked up and ready to use so things can get onto your computer even if the Internet Explorer or other browser is not open. I have seen viruses and other malware come onto the computer even when not using the browser. So just unhook the cable going to the computer so the Internet is actually unhooked while you install the software.

Follow the directions for installing the software and check the site for any updates or patches for the software. Many times things that go wrong in a program are very easy to fix and the company knows about them, they often update programs so check and see if there are any patches or updates to fix any issues that new software might have.

Once you have installed the software and ensure it works it is a good idea to perform what is known as a disk defragment. Over time the programs and files that are stored on a disk drives disk will become fragmented. This happens because when you first install the main operating system to a disk in occupies one section of the drive. Then when programs and other files are loaded onto the drive the disk manager does not put them all in a nice neat and orderly fashion. Deleted things creates holes and the manager fills these holes with parts of programs or files. Over time the more things you add and delete the more your drive will become fragmented. Programs that need to move from one section of the drive to another to load an entire program will slow down due to the increase in size when programs are located on different parts of the disk. The disk manager program does not load all programs orderly so some programs will be in sections when it is first loaded. After you load something as a matter of routine you should defragment the drive to make the programs reload into their own section in a nice neat and orderly fashion. The defragment program will load all the programs and different things on the drive and make them very neat and orderly. Each program will be loaded into one section and the main operating system will be loaded into it's own section.

Run the defragment program, it is located on the properties page of the drive C or main drives page. Double click on My Computer and then right click on the C drive or your main drive. On the Tools page is the Defragment as well as some other tools for your computer. If the defragment does not run some things you may have to do is turn off any running programs or run the error check on the disk. Some times errors will prevent the defrag from running and need to be fixed. If you have any problems with any of these the help section will have links to Microsoft's help section for any errors or problems along with help on how to run them.

Once the drive is defragmented your programs will run better and with less errors. Sometimes errors occur in programs due to fragmentation. You can buy programs that will automatically defrag your drive on a schedule or while the computer is not busy doing anything else. These programs will cost you but can be worth the cost for the value of keeping your drive and computer in top working condition. See CNET.com for reviews on these programs, look under the System Utilities section or search using the word defragmenter. These programs are handy to use but not necessary, justify the cost if you like to have a program easily do the work for you but I just use windows built in version for a handy a free defragmenter.

After you run defragmenter you will also want to create another restore point for you to be able to restore to the time after you loaded the program. This way you have the before and after points in time to restore your system to if you have problems. And speaking of problems, if your computer acts up after installing a program the first thing you should try is uninstalling the program and reinstalling it. Sometimes when you install something, even though you turned everything off not necessary during the install, it could have loaded badly and just needs to reinstalled. I have found sometimes programs and drivers have to be installed a second time due to some problem loading. Think of all that information that is getting loaded, games are about 1-3 Gigabytes, thats 1 to 3 thousand million bits of information loading onto your disk drive. One little bit out of place or missing and the program could crash or not work properly.

Before and after installing and loading new programs, software or games can be a great time to do some routine maintenance that will make loading that program work better and easier. It will also ensure a better system for using that program and create an opportunity to do maintenance that you may not ordinarily do. This is a good time to clean up and make your system run like new again.

Above is a random extract from Associated Content, visit Associated Content for the actual writer for this article.