Are you still using Windows XP?

You don’t have to go out and buy a new computer just because you are running Windows XP.  Use Combo Fix and Clean Up to get rid of the excess baggage that is slowing your computer down.  Give me a call and I’ll get your computer running smoothly.

New Year – New Look

I finally redesigned my website!  I decided to go with a new look and navigation to get you to the information you are looking for much faster.  I have also added links to specials that might interest you.  Featured right now are 1,000 business cards for $39.95.

Let me know what you think.



&

Hello WordPress!

Windows Live has partnered with WordPress to offer improved blogging features.  It’s easy to migrate your Windows Spaces Blog so you can continue to offer your followers your view to the world!

Is Your Computer too Slow at Start Up?

Cleaning up your computer is one way to make your computer run faster but that doesn’t mean it will start up quickly.  If your computer is taking a long time to start up when you turn it on, you may have too many programs in your System Tray (icons on the right hand side of your task bar; see example). 

The more you download software into your computer, the more chances of having a program wind up in your System Tray.  To remove unwanted programs, begin by finding out what is in there.  Once you determine which programs are in there, you can begin removing the unwanted ones.   You do not need to have IMs, printers, digital cameras, music players or any kind of software that you don’t use often.  For quick access to programs you use often, place them in your Quick Launch Bar instead (read the Tips and Tricks below). 

First right-click on the icon. Depending on the program you will either click on “Settings,” “Properties” or “Open.”  When you click on “Open,” click on the settings tab. Sometimes it doesn’t say settings, it will have an icon that looks like gears.  You can usually find the option to remove an item from Start Up in the “General” tab. Find the check box that mentions “System Tray,” “Start Up,” or “Start program when Windows starts” and uncheck the box.  If the icon still appears on the system tray, restart your computer for the change to take effect.

The next time that you install a software, as you go through the Installation Wizard, make sure that you uncheck the box that says the icon will be placed in the System Tray.

---

TIPS AND TRICKS

Quick Launch Bar helps you access your frequently used program.

Did you loose your Quick Launch bar on Windows XP?  Here’s how to get it back:

1. Right-click on your task bar.
2. Click on Toolbars.
3. Click on Quick Launch.

The default programs that will appear are Internet Explorer, Show Desktop and Windows Media Player.  You can right-click on any of them and delete them from the Quick Launch bar. 

To add a program:

1. Click on the icon of the program you want to add.
2. Drag it to the Quick Launch toolbar.

 

---

FEATURED TOOL

CleanUp!

CleanUp! is a free software that will remove all temporary files created. It is more powerful than the Disk Clean Up that comes with Windows.  You can also use it to completely wipe out (over write) files when deleting them.

It’s August 1st – You have a task to do

If you haven’t scheduled it already, it’s time to run Disk Clean Up first and then Disk Defragmenter.  Analyze your drive first and if it is more than 10% defragmented, then go ahead and run it.

Happy Independence Day!

 

Sylvia Bennett sings the National Anthem

Organize All Files in Your Computer

This month we are going to organize the files in your “My Documents” and “Inbox” folders. Think of these folders as a file cabinet. We are going to create subfolders and move documents accordingly.

Take a look at your “My Documents” folder, you probably have a long list of documents and most likely everything you have ever saved is in there. What types of files do you save the most? Write them down; include “Miscellaneous” in the list to put random documents in there.

Now, let’s go to your “My Documents” folder and under the “File and Folder Tasks” choose “Make A New Folder.” Name this folder with the first item on your list. Repeat this step until all folders are created. Now drag each document into their respective folders. If you have a document that you would like to rename, right–click on the file and click on “rename” and type in the new name. If you would like to delete, right–click and click on “delete.”

Once you have cleaned up your “My Documents” folder, you can use the SyncToy software below to save files between computers and/or external hard drives.

To organize your Inbox, you can right–click on “Inbox” and click on “New Folder.” Name the folders by sender (don’t forget to include a “Miscellaneous” and “Registration" folder). Now on click right above your incoming emails and sort by “From.” This will group together all emails by sender. Click on the first one and hold down your control (Ctrl) key and continue clicking on all the emails from the first sender. Now drag those emails all together to the corresponding folder. If there are emails left over that you want to save, follow the same procedure and drag them into the “Miscellaneous” folder. If you want to delete them, follow the same procedure to select them all (Windows Live Mail) or click on “Edit,” “Select All” (Outlook), right–click and click on “Delete.”

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at (786) 205–1895 or click here to send me an email.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Tips and Tricks

Alphabetize your All Programs Menu

If you are tired of trying to find a program on your menu, follow these simple steps:

1. Click “Start,”
2. Click on “All Programs”
3. Right–Click on any folder or icon.
4. Click on “Sort by Name”

That’s it!

——————————————————————————————————————————-

Featured Tool

SyncToy

Is a free download from Microsoft that allows you to synchronize or copy files between folders, computers and/or external storage devices with a few clicks. Transferring files manually can be a tedious task but SyncToy allows you to do accomplish multiple transfers by creating folder pairs (Left and Right). Some of the options offered are: synchronize folders (i.e. changes made to either left or right folder pairs will be copied bilaterally), or echo (i.e. files will be copied left to right). These two will be the most commonly used; although, other options available are: Subscribe, Contribute and Combine.

Click this link SyncToy to download.