Archive for the ‘System Tune-Up Help’ Category

All New CCleaner

Have you heard the news?! I’ve seen it posted on various Web sites and even on WorldStart’s message board, so if you’re an avid CCleaner user, I’m sure you already know, but just in case you don’t, allow me to fill you in. On November 26, 2007 (just this past Monday), a new version of the ever so popular CCleaner program was released. Yep, CCleaner

I’m using Windows Vista and every time I go to make a change on my computer, a little box pops up asking me for my permission. It’s getting to be very annoying. I mean, if I didn’t want to make the change, I wouldn’t have tried to in the first place! Is there any way I can turn that feature off, but still stay safe? Please help me before I

A Better Vista Defrag

Microsoft’s Windows Vista looks fairly nice and it has some useful new features, but a change in the user interface just doesn’t cut it for me. How about you?! I’m talking about the Disk Defragmenter feature. It is one that I use on a regular basis (and one you should too!) I mean, it makes me feel good about the neatness of my hard disks and… Continue reading

Q:
Last week, you wrote a tip about a computer’s power supply going bad, but you didn’t really discuss what we should do if that actually happens to us. Can you please go into that a little more? Thanks!

A:
I surely can! The response I got from that tip was simply amazing. The power supply article ran in last Friday’s newsletter and let me tell… Continue reading

A Vista Defrag

Are you a Windows Vista user? If so, have you run a defrag on your new system yet? I know Vista hasn’t been around for very long, but like we always say here at WorldStart, it’s never too soon for a defrag! If you’re a new Vista user, you probably haven’t had your computer for too long, so I understand if you haven’t run a… Continue reading

Analyze It First

If you’re a regular WorldStart newsletter reader, you know that we have preached and preached time and time again about how you should defrag your computer on a regular basis. You may be sick and tired of hearing us talk about it, but we promise, we’re only trying to help! Well, if you’re one who dreads the whole defrag process, I’ve got something for you… Continue reading

The Windows Vista operating system introduced a new feature that is designed to give users a quick, simple and cheap way to boost the performance of their Vista or 7 powered PC. It is called ReadyBoost and trust me, it does just that! So, what is ReadyBoost? How does it work and how effective is it? Well, let’s take a look!

Basically, ReadyBoost allows… Continue reading

The Leopard is Loose

Are you a Mac user? If so, I’m sure you’ve heard many different stories about the brand new operating system, called the Leopard, right? You have probably heard varying views and maybe even some different release dates for it, but after you finish reading this tip, you will know exactly what’s going on. If you recall, I mentioned a few things about the Leopard… Continue reading

Vista Event Viewer

One of the first places you probably turn to when troubleshooting problems in Windows XP is the Event Viewer, right? As you may know, the Event Viewer maintains logs that record information about program, security and system events that occur on your computer system. While XP’s Event Viewer is an effective tool you can use to view and manage your event logs, gather information about hardware and… Continue reading

Q:
For awhile now, my computer has been restarting itself. It does it without warning and for no apparent reason. When it happens, all of my work is lost and I’m getting really frustrated with it. Do you have any suggestions as to why this might be happening? I’m using Windows XP. Please help!

A:
For starters, if your computer is running at too high… Continue reading

Two New Updates

Yes, that’s right! Today, I have two new updates to tell you about and trust me, you’re not going to want to miss out on these. So, what are they? Well, one is for the popular Foxit Reader PDF program and the other is for the computer utility of CCleaner. Now, as you may recall, it has only been a few weeks since I last… Continue reading

Timely Defrags

First of all, if you’re not sure what defragmentation means, please read here before you continue on with this tip. Then once you have the basics down, please read on! Alright, so it seems like I’ve had a lot of people ask me lately how often they should defrag their computer. That’s a legit question and since so many of you want to know… Continue reading

Q:
Every once in awhile, I have trouble loading certain Web sites. I use Internet Explorer and it only happens with a couple Web sites I like to visit on a daily basis. What could be causing this and more importantly, how can I fix it? Please help me!

A:
Well, to answer your first question, it sounds like you’re dealing with some active… Continue reading

Will That Work?

The other day, one of our readers asked me an interesting question and I thought it was something everyone could benefit from, so I figured I should put a blurb about it in the newsletter for all to see. Here’s the question: “I think I have a virus on my computer and I can’t seem to get rid of it. If I were to format or even… Continue reading

New Release: CCleaner 2.0

How many of you use CCleaner? I know there’s a few of you out there, because every once in awhile, I get e-mails from you asking me questions about it. Well, either way, I think you’ll enjoy the news I have for you today! I’m sure you’ve already figured it out from the title of this tip, but yes, CCleaner has come out with a new… Continue reading

Q:
I just recently started using Windows Vista and I’ve noticed that there are some programs running that don’t really need to be, but I can’t figure out how to turn them off. I know you’ve discussed this topic for Windows XP before, but how do we do it in Vista? Please help!

A:
To begin, all computers have what are called services and those… Continue reading

Using Vista’s Cursors

Have you tried Windows Vista yet? If you have, you’ll probably agree that the cursors it offers are pretty darn cool! They come in all shapes, sizes and colors. So, to add on to that a little more, I have something special for you today! With this tip, I’m going to show you how you can use the Vista cursors right on your own computer, no matter… Continue reading

Q:
What is Windows SteadyState?

A:
You know, I was wondering the same thing! I came across Windows SteadyState last week when I was writing a tip for the Windows Vista parental controls, but at that time, I didn’t have a chance to look into it more. So, when I received this question in my e-mail Inbox yesterday morning, I knew I had to write about it right… Continue reading

Explorer.exe

Recently, there have been several people saying they have had their “explorer.exe” file hacked. What does that mean? Well, the explorer.exe file is what makes your entire desktop, including your icons and the Start menu, appear. So, if your desktop isn’t loading up right, listen to me when I tell you not to panic too much. You may think that all of your data has been lost, but it’s… Continue reading

As you probably already know, Microsoft has added a number of new features and enhancements to its Windows Vista operating system, with one of those being the new sound controls. They really are a welcome addition in terms of features and ease of use. New to the Vista sound controls is the ability to individually control the volume of software applications that use sound, including

Q:
What can you tell me about the parental controls in Windows Vista? I need to set them up so my kids will be safer on the computer, but I’m not sure where to start. Please help!

A:
Well, as a matter of fact, I can tell you quite a bit about them! And with kids being back in school now (or if they’re not yet, they will… Continue reading

Working with Windows Defender

Before we get into the bulk of today’s tip, I’d like to go over some Windows Defender basics with you first. So, let’s check it out!

Basically, Windows Defender (found in Windows Vista) automatically blocks all startup items that require administrator privileges to run. (That is usually considered bad behavior for a startup item). There is no known easy way to automatically unblock these items though… Continue reading