Registry Cleaners etc.
Registry cleaners, PC utilities, and more!
If your Windows Vista startup speed has slowed to a crawl, there are a few quick steps you can take to improve it.
First and foremost, control the items that launch at Startup.
Each time you load your computer, certain programs are programmed to automatically start. This is very helpful for things like anti-virus programs, which begin immediately to keep your PC safe.
However, many of the programs that launch automatically at startup are really not necessary, and can be disabled. If you disable a program from automatically launching at startup, it won’t delete it, but it will simply stop it from opening up on its own. Many programs run in the background, with a little taskbar icon – software like media players, Adobe Acrobat, photo editing software, and many other will launch at startup, taking up vital system resources from the get-go.
By removing the items you don’t need, you’ll save your system memory for more important tasks, and improve Vista’s startup time.
Change the way Windows Vista Indexes files.
The Windows Indexing service keeps a tally of all your files, for quick recall and access with the Windows Search tool. In order to do so, it scans your system, to find new and changed files. You can change the way Vista indexes files by clicking:
- Start
- Control Panel
- Control Panel Home
- System and Maintenance
- Indexing Options
Then click the Modify button. From there you can change your indexing settings, omit rarely used areas, or even remove all areas. Note that this will have an impact on your Windows search times.
Consider upgrading your RAM.
Windows Vista is known for being significantly more resource-heavy than Windows XP (or even Windows 7). To run Vista properly, a minimum of two gigs of RAM is recommended.
Run Defrag and disk cleanup.
These tools can be accessed by clicking:
- Start
- All Programs
- Accessories
- System Tools
The Defragment tool and Disk Cleanup tool should be run regularly to keep your PC at its best.
Tweak Vista’s Visual Effects.
Windows Vista is a pretty flashy operating system, but all those good looks come with a cost. Disabling some of the flashier features of Vista will result in an overall performance boost. To do so, click:
- Start
- Right-click Computer
- Properties
- Advanced System Settings
- Click Continue if a Windows Security message appears
- Settings
- Click the Visual effects tab
From here, you can select individual visual effects to tone down, or simply select the Adjust for Best Performance button.
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Are web sites loading slowly? Does downloading take too long? Maybe browsing online just seems slower than it should?
There are a few ways to improve a slow Internet connection, without dropping a lot of money on more bandwidth. There are some problems that can really drag down Internet speeds, and by fixing these, you can browse at top speed once again.
Wireless Problems
Some of the main problems that cause connection slowdowns have to do with wireless Internet connections. With a wireless Internet connection, you have a router that plugs into the wall for the main Internet connection, and a modem that connects to your PC, or may be built into your PC. The router wirelessly connects your PC to the Internet by transmitting the information to your modem. (If you plug your PC right into the modem, you can skip to the next section).
One of the most common problems leading to a sluggish wireless Internet connection has to do with the physical layout of your computer and the router. Since your router has to send the information to your computer’s modem, the transmitted information is susceptible to interruption and blockage by your home.
For example, if there is a substantial wall between your wireless router and your PC, the signal is being partially interrupted. This problem is particularly pronounced if you have your PC in the basement, and your router upstairs (or vice versa). The walls, floors, and joists will all work to block the signal.
Also consider other appliances in your home. Cordless phones will occasionally work on the same wavelength as wireless routers, leading to problems with both. Large appliances, like refrigerators, can singlehandedly degrade a wireless signal. The best solution is to have a direct, line-of-sight route between your router and PC. If that’s not possible, ensure there are as few blockages as possible.
The second major issue with wireless Internet slowdowns is leeching neighbours. This is prominent with those living in apartments, typically. In this case, a neighbour is using your wireless router to connect to the Internet, and stealing your bandwidth. To prevent this, ensure that you use some form of encryption, with a safe password, to protect the connection. Your Internet service provided can give more information about this.
Web Browser Problems
Whether you use Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, or Chrome, your web browser is that application which lets you visit websites. These browsers can sometimes be the very thing slowing you down.
Toolbars are one way your browser can slow your Internet connection. Toolbars are add-ons that add special functions to your web browser. Some toolbars include search tools and others give information about the site you are reading. There are countless toolbars, with countless functions. How many do you have? These toolbars take a portion of your bandwidth for their various tasks, depending what they do. Even a single toolbar can significantly affect the time it takes for a page to load.
Another issue is that of the browser’s cache and temp files. These are file created during the web browsing process, which make some things easier and faster. They will store an image on a page, for example, so your browser doesn’t have to load it again next time you visit the site. However, over time these files add up. It’s wise to clear out your cache and temp files periodically, so these files are not weighing your browser down.
Driver Problems
Your modem connects to your router, and thereby lets you connect to the Internet. But how does your computer know what to do with the modem? This is where drivers come in. Drivers are specialized, small programs that work with your hardware. There are drivers for minors, mice, keyboards, and every physical item you connect to your PC. Drivers let your hardware communicate with your computer. If you have a problem with your modem driver, then that modem will not be able to connect with your PC properly. Ensuring that you have a correct, and up-to-date modem is key here.
Malware
Finally, malware such as adware, spyware, and other infections can slow down your Internet connection. Malware, short for malicious software, is any kind of nasty digital bug that tries to attack your PC. For one thing, these malware bugs may try to download more malware on your system. This consumes bandwidth as the additional programs are downloaded. Next, many kinds of malware “call home” for more instructions or to be remotely commanded by their designer. The bottom line: besides being dangerous, malware give you a slow Internet connection. Remove them pronto.
How To Do It
The “Wireless Problems” category will require some legwork on your part, perhaps rearranging your computer or calling your ISP. However, the latter three categories, Web Browser Problems, Driver Problems, and Malware, can all be taken care of with automatic software. There are many different software developers that offer solutions here, but I like to keep things simple. I use PC Health Advisor, since this one program can take care of all these issues. With its main scan, the program will:
- Scan for toolbars
- Clean the cache and temp files
- Look for driver problems
- Remove malware
This way, you don’t have to worry about using multiple programs, and figuring out how to do all the individual tasks above. You can learn more about PC Health Advisor here, or you can download the program below.
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If you’ve ever browsed the web, you’ve got cookies. Not the edible kind – these cookies are little markers that websites leave on your PC. Basically harmless, cookies store a small amount of data to provide a variety of services to a website owner, or a visitor.
Cookies can let a website owner know who has visited their site, and how often.
They can save a visitor’s website preferences, save shopping cart contents, and perform other services to improve a website browsing experience.
However, many computer users want to delete cookies. There are a few reasons for this.
One is privacy. A stored cookie is a direct sign that you have visited a specific website, and many users prefer to keep this information private. Users who wish to keep their online activities personal and secret are advised to clean their cookies regularly.
Another aspect of this is third-party tracking cookies, which keep track of your browsing habits for marketing purposes. Security is a concern for some, where cookies may occasionally be used as spyware.
Additionally, cookies add up over time, wasting space on a computer’s hard drive. They act as junk files, which may have been useful once, but now serve no purpose.
How to delete cookies manually
For IE8 (Internet Explorer), you may delete cookies by clicking:
“Tools”
“Internet Options”
“Delete” under the “Browsing History” section
Then check the box next to “Cookies” and click “Delete”
For Firefox, click
“Tools”
“Clear Recent History”
Then click “Details” and select Cookies.
Choose a time range, and click “Clear Now”
For Chrome, click
The wrench icon
“Options”
Select the “Under the Hood” tab, then “Clear Browsing Data”
Select cookies, set your time range, then click “Clear Browsing Data.”
Note that these steps will delete cookies only, and this is does not provide complete privacy or security.
How to delete cookies automatically
Cleaning cookies automatically is strongly preferred for those who wish to maintain your web privacy. Using specialized tools is not only easier, but provides a more thororough service than can be performed manually.
My recommended cookie remover and privacy scanner is PC Health Advisor.
An all-in-one software utility, PC Health Advisor features an excellent privacy cleaning module.
PC Health Advisor removes:
- Cookies
- Browsing history – the saved history of all the pages visited
- Temp files – temporary files saved during browsing. This can include images and thumbnails
- Auto-complete form data – includes searched terms and similar items entered in forms
- Download history – the record of all files downloaded
- Address bar history – the record of all things typed in the address bar
- More options, depending on your needs
As a result, users have their private data completely cleaned away. Their online footsteps are completely erased.
PC Health Advisor, as a complete software solution, also offers tools to update drivers, delete malware, repair the registry, and more. Check out more with our PC Health Advisor review, or clean your cookies, and your complete history now.
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Almost every PC user has asked at one time or another – “why is my computer slow?” After a few months of use, they find that their computer is running very slow. This can be particularly pronounced in older PCs.
So if you’re asking why your computer is acting slow as molasses, there are a few key points you can check.
1. Is Windows up to date?
Windows releases updates for XP, Vista, and Windows 7 fairly regularly. These updates patch security flaws, add functionality, and upgrade existing tools. By staying up to date, Windows will perform at its best. Typically, Windows Automatically finds and downloads important updates, but you can check manually via the Control Panel.
2. Are you trying to do too much at once?
Computers are designed to be multi-taskers, they have no problem running a word document and a music player at the same time. Or, browsing the web checking the email, and playing a CD all at once. But there’s a limit to what your computer can do. If you find your computer is dragging, have a look at all the programs you are running at the moment. Do you really need them right now? Additionally, consider that some programs need more resources than other, so photo editors like photoshop might drag your system down more than others.
3. Is your web browser overloaded?
Similar to above, if your PC slows down when you are browsing the web, make sure that you do not have too many tabs open at once. If you have a few pages open at once, that should be OK. But many tabs open, particularly on flashy or animated websites, will drain speed. Note that this is particularly true for some online games.
4. Do you have malware or other infections?
Spyware, adware, Trojans, worms… these all fall under the category of malware, short for “malicious software.” Besides threatening your security and annoying you with scams and ads, malware also slows down your system. These malware programs will often be built with a second function: to download more malware! So, one infection can often lead to many more.
5. Does your computer have too much junk data?
Junk data is anything on your computer that you don’t need, but that has piled up over time. Your PC is a vacuum for data, and it accumulated vast quantities of files and data. These include history files, web cache, registry entries, toolbars, plugins, duplicate files, and more. To clean your PC and restore speed, I recommend PC Health Advisor. This same program also takes care of malware infections, as described in step 4.
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A favourite tool among PC whiz kids is the registry cleaner fix. If you are looking to improve speed, stop errors, or just tune-up your computer, the registry cleaner fix should be your first stop. Essentially, the fix is about cleaning out your Windows registry and removing the junk files that clutter it up.
The Windows registry forms the backbone of your PC. It’s a huge database of settings and preferences for all your software, and for the files you access. Almost every action on a PC involves the registry in some way. The problem is, the registry gets full of junk data over time. This occurs naturally, when files are saves, programs are updated, or software is uninstalled. As time goes on, this junk data accumulates and the registry becomes very cluttered. From there, errors occur.
Computer experts and technicians can access the registry manually, by using the regedit command. This grants them access to the Windows registry, where they can remove entries that they know to be unnecessary, and tweak the registry to maximize performance. Although the manual registry cleaner fix is fine for experts, it is not recommended for average users. One mistake could cripple a computer.
Because the registry is so sensitive, I recommend that the average home PC user gets their registry cleaner fix through automatic registry cleaner software. These programs scan your registry to find the problems, and automatically clean them out to optimize performance. The programs are designed to be completely safe, with build in security protocols and backups. This way, even people who are unfamiliar with PC repair can take advantage of the classic registry cleaner fix.
Our recommended registry cleaner is PC Health Advisor. This program provides a complete scan and clean of the Windows registry. PC Health Advisor targets and repairs various areas of the Windows registry, removing junk files and leaving the registry completely clean and optimized. PC Health Advisor is also one of the most user-friendly programs – after installing it, you can go from scanning to cleaning in two clicks.
Plus, PC Health Advisor packs in more tools to get your PC running its best. These include a driver updater, security scan, and more junk file removal. Plus, special tools to open stuck files, improve startup speed, and defrag your hard drive. This is an amazing set of digital utilities, giving average PC users a chance to get the benefit of a complete computer overhaul. And these tools are easy to use too, needing no special PC computer knowledge.
Get your registry cleaner fix now! Click to download…
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Overall PC Health Advisor Rating:
My PC Health Advisor rating of 97 percent comes from the wide range of helpful tools included in the program, as well as the easy-to-use operation.
This software is a great way for the average PC user to improve performance and stop annoying error messages on their PC.
Effectiveness Rating:
PC Health Advisor offers more tools in one program than any other program I have tested. The advanced scanning mechanisms can take care of the following computer problem spots:
- Slow computer performance
- PC error messages
- Windows registry errors
- Spyware, Adware, and other infections
- Junk files
- Unnecessary items on startup
- Browser clutter
- Clogged hard drive
- Hardware problems
- Privacy issues
- More!
This is a huge number of computer problems to fix with just one program. In fact, PC Health Advisor users typically never need to use any other utility programs – this software does it all.
The main PC Health Advisor scan is divided into four main parts: registry scan, driver scan, malware scan, and privacy scan. Much of the high rating comes from the combined boost these tools provide.
Registry Scan: This targets clutter and problems in the Windows registry. The registry is essentially a database of Windows settings and preferences. It’s a weak point in the Windows operating system, and a relatively small problem here can cause slowdowns and annoying error messages. PC Health Advisor scans here to quickly remove registry problems.
Driver Scan: Your computer needs drivers for your hardware. This means your printers, keyboards, mouse, monitor, and every other physical item connected. Old or incorrect drivers lead to error messages, or hardware not working. PC Health Advisor scans to locate driver problems, then guides you through the update process.
Malware Scan: Adware, spyware, and other kinds of infections are a continual threat. Besides leading to security risks such as stolen credit card details, malware also impairs overall PC performance. PC Health Advisor scans for the most dangerous kinds of active malware.
Privacy Scan: Your PC remembers everything you do. Every website visited, video watched, or program opened. Besides junking up your hard drive with cluttered useless information, these histories also pose a real privacy risk. PC Health Advisor scans here to clear away privacy files.
Ease of Use Rating:
PC Health Advisor is designed for the average or novice PC user. As a result, the four main scans above are all done with one button. One click cleans all these four trouble spots. This makes cleaning and fixing as easy as can be.
No special computer knowledge is required, so PC Health Advisor is great for people who want to improve their computer, but aren’t quite sure how.
Extras Rating:
Along with the main scan, PC Health Advisor includes additional tools to optimize performance. These include:
- Duplicate File Finder
- Advanced Windows Controls
- File Extension manager, to open stuck files
- Startup item, and browser add-on managers
- Disk Defragmenter
All these come together with the easy interface to make your computer speedier, cleaner, and better overall.
Support Rating:
PC Health Advisor users get completely free support from ParetoLogic, who makes the program. Through chat, email, or phone, users can get assistance any time they need it. ParetoLogic also offers a complete 60 day statisfaction guarantee.
Con:
The only negative to PC Health Advisor is the fact that the program doesn’t offer users any ability to customize the interface. Users can tweak the home screen to put their favorite tools front and center, but are unable to change the overall design. However, this is a minor quibble.
Summary:
Our high PC Health Advisor rating comes from the excellent effectiveness, ease-of-use, and the amount of extra tools in the program. Plus, the software offers free support. For users wanting an easy way to optimize their PC, PC Health Advisor is a great choice.
PC Health Advisor rating: 97%
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If you’re looking for a faster startup speed, there are two main aspects to focus on.
The first is to remove unwanted startup items.
When you PC boots up, a variety of programs are scheduled to open and run automatically. Many of these are important Windows applications, which are required for normal PC operations.
Also notable are your security programs, which load automatically and maintain a constant scan of your computer.
However, most computers are full of startup items that are completely unnecessary. Every program which loads on startup adds more strain to your computer. They all take up a certain amount of memory, a certain amount of processing power, and cause a slow startup speed.
To get a faster startup, prune away the unwanted and unneeded startup items. For example, many media players are scheduled to run on startup, to take advantage of quick access hot keys. But is this worth a slower start up time?
Have a look at your startup items – if you don’t need it, turn it off!
Another helpful way to get a faster startup speed is to optimize your Windows registry. The Windows registry, also referred to as the Windows Database, is a central hub of all Windows preferences, settings, and options for the operating system and installed programs. The Window registry can drag down your start speed and overall performance when errors crop up.
Often, when installing and uninstalling software, when updating, and just through regular computer use, old registry keys will be left behind. These, along with other registry errors, can clutter up the Windows database. The result? Your computer slows down, particularly with regard to the startup speed.
To clean up your startup items and optimize your registry, it’s recommended to use special software. PC utilities provide easy access to the Windows startup schedule, and benefit from built in backups. I recommend PC Health Advisor. The program provides an easy to use registry cleaner, a quick access startup editor, and a safety net in case anything goes wrong.
To check it out, visit our page on PC Health Advisor, or read our PC Health Advisor review.
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Defragmenting is an important task that all PC owners should be familiar with. Not only does defragmenting provide improved performance, but it can free up substantial amounts of hard drive space. Microsoft includes a free disk defragmenter with Windows nowadays, but is this the best defragmenter? Can home users do any better to defragment their PCs?
For those that are unfamiliar with disk defragmentation, here’s a brief summary.
All the data on your PC, from the files you save, to your programs, to Windows itself, is saved on your hard drive. The hard drive, or hard disk, is comprised of separate “chunks” or “clusters” of memory, each of which is referred to as a sector. Each sector (usually) has 512 bytes of storage. If you save a 400 byte item, it fits into a sector, no problem.
But we don’t save such small files – we save files of kilobytes or megabytes. These are spread among multiple sectors. For example, a 100 KB image would be saved in about 195 sectors, side-by-side.
Fragmentation occurs when the data that makes up a file is spread among non-contiguous sectors (sectors that are not side-by-side).
Using our example, say we take our existing 100 KM image, and play with it in our favourite image editor.
We fix the lighting and add some flair, and when we finish, the size has grown to 350 KB. However, there are no more contiguous (side-by-side) sectors remaining in the original save location.
So, the excess is saved elsewhere on the hard drive. It’s not saved with the rest of the file.
Since the pieces are spread across various parts of your hard drive, the time it takes to call up the image is increased. This may cause only a slight delay, but if you consider all the files on your hard drive, you can see how, en mass, fragmentation can be a problem.
Defragmentation, as you may have guessed, is the method of rearranging the parts of your files, so that they are all on contiguous parts of your hard drive.
My recommended defragger is included in a program called PC Health Advisor.
PC Health Advisor is an all-in-one software utility, and it features a detailed disk defragmenter with some really helpful options and settings.
Once you’ve downloaded PC Health Advisor, you can access the defragmenter by clicking “Disk” and then “Defrag.”
The “Analyze” button is the first step, and will scan your hard drive for fragmented data. “Defragment” is the second button, and this completes the process of sorting your data.
You are able to select individual hard drives, if you have more than one, and the defragmentation process is shown in the graphical interface. The detection matrix used to locate and track fragmented files is efficient, quickly sorting your information to save hard drive space and improve performance.
However, the best part of PC Health Advisor’s Defrag tool is the monitor function. Introduced in version 3, this tool monitors your PC and automatically notifies you if your disk becomes overly fragmented. This way, you won’t have to worry about when you scan your PC. Of course, a calendar scheduler is also included – but the monitor is something really unique.
Anyway, check it out – I think it’s the best defragmenter, and you just might agree…
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There’s nothing more annoying than sitting down at your PC and waiting, and waiting, and waiting…. A slow computer means that you sit there staring at the screen, rather than getting stuff done. To improve your PC performance, there are a few simple steps that you can take to make it run faster.
One of the best ways to ensure that your PC runs faster is to keep all of your Windows software up-to-date. This means ensuring that you have the latest version of Windows. Most of the time, Windows update will do this for you automatically, but if not, you can update manually by visiting the Control Panel (Start – Control Panel), then clicking on the Windows Update button. For Windows 7, this is in the System and Security category.
Another tool to improve computer speed is defragmenting your PC. Defragmenting is a task which undoes fragmentation, so that related data is all contiguous on the hard disk. To skip over the technical details, this essentially rearranges information, leaving you with more hard drive space, and faster speeds.
If you’ve got money to spend, adding more RAM memory is another relatively straightforward way to boost PC speeds. RAM memory is not used to “store” data in the same way that your hard drive does. It’s more like short-term memory. If you are not technically-inclined, or familiar with PCs, you should probably not attempt to add more RAM yourself. Most PC shops will do this for you.
Overheating is another possible cause of PC slowdowns. Your computer is like any device – it generates heat. Particularly when performing resource-intensive tasks. These can include using graphic design programs, or gaming. Even standard computer use generates some heat. Your PC has fans and vents to ensure that it stays cool enough, but these can become blocked over time. Ensure that your PC remains dust free, and clean of all animal hair or other possible blockages.
Finally, ensure that junk files are not dragging you down. Junk files can be anything from registry clutter, to temporary files, or unneeded toolbars on your browser. They are unwanted files or programs that take up space, and, if there are enough of them, turn your PC from a race car to a slowpoke. Clean out your PC periodically, and you’ll see a significant lift in speed. This can be done manually, or with third-party software utilities.
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Want to repair Windows XP? This is a very common request. Despite the growth of Windows 7 (and Windows Vista), Windows XP is still the most used operating system, by far.
However, it’s not without its own problems. Check out our list of the top Windows XP errors, and what you can do to fix them.
Repair Windows XP Disk
Occasionally, your Windows XP installation may get seriously damaged. This can leave crucial information missing or corrupted. The solution, typically recommended by Windows itself in an error message, is to repair Windows with the original installation disk. The installation disk will replace the missing or corrupted elements of Windows XP.
If you do not have the Windows XP disk, you may be out of luck. Your installation required important registry entries and other elements to be repaired.
Fix the Registry
The Windows registry is a common source of errors and confusion. As a central hub for settings and preferences on your PC, it acts as a “weak link in the chain,” where one error can affect multiple processes. Registry errors can occur from faulty installations, uninstallation problems, and malware infections. A quality registry cleaner will be able to clear out registry errors, to get your copy of Windows XP back to normal.
Repair Windows XP Drivers
Simply because it is an older operating system, Windows XP is particularly vulnerable to errors caused by old or incompatible drivers. Drivers are small programs that connect your hardware to Windows XP and you. For an example, let’s consider your printer. When you hit “print” on a document, this message doesn’t go directly to your printer. It goes first to your printer driver, which processes the message and then passes it along to the printer, in a language it can understand. They act kind of like translators.
Old or corrupt drivers can lead to error messages when you try to use hardware devices, or even randomly when using your PC. For example, even crucial items like your video card need a driver -without one, your monitor wouldn’t be able to display things properly. To ensure that your drivers are not corrupted, old, and causing error messages, be sure to update them regularly. There could be dozens of drivers on your PC, so this may be a large task.
A Software Solution
For users that don’t have the time to manually fix their Windows XP computers, or who are not technical experts, I recommend downloading and scanning with PC Health Advisor. PC Health Advisor is an all-in-one PC repair program. It takes care of registry errors and old drivers, as well as malware infections, privacy files, and multiple other Windows issues that typically cause slowdowns or error messages.
The program is designed for computer novices, so works with simple one-click operation. If you just want to repair Windows XP and then move on, PC Health Advisor is probably your best solution. Check out our PC Health Advisor review page to learn more, or click below to download.
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