Once again spring is here, which means it is time to spring clean your home. You should also take this time to do some spring cleaning on your computer also to help it run better. If you are  having problems with slowness this is a great time to speed it up.

It is very simple to spring clean your computer yourself. You do not need to hire someone to do it for you. Simply follow the below directions to get your computer back to normal.

Manage your files

The first thing you can do to spring clean your computer is to remove files that you no longer need. Most people will have many files, such as pictures, movies, songs, and documents on their computer over the past year that they no longer want or need. Removing these files will free up space on your hard drive, and help your computer run much smoother. Uninstall any programs that you no longer use on your computer. Open up Computer on your Windows 7 computer and delete any files that you see that you no longer want. If you have a large amount of songs or movies, these can take up a large amount of space on your hard drive. You can also purchase an external hard drive to store these files on to save room on your computer.

Clean Temporary Files

Once you have removed unwanted files on your computer, you should then remove temporary files left on your computer. A computer can have a large amount of junk on it that you can remove, such as temporary files, log files, and temporary system files. You can use a built-in utility on your Windows computer called Disk Cleanup to easily remove these files.  Click the Start button, type Disk Cleanup in the search field, and then click Disk Cleanup in the list of search results to run this tool.

Clean Your Computer

Over time, a computer can easily get dust inside of it and this can damage your computer very easily. Too much dust can actually cause your computer to overheat. If you have a desktop computer, open up the case and inspect the inside of it. If you see dust inside of it, simply purchase some canned air at any store that sells computers and clean it out.If you have a laptop, you can blow the canned air into the ventilation holes to clean out the dust. You should also clean out the keyboard on your desktop and laptop.

Taking the time to spring clean your computer can help it run much better for you. It will also help your computer last much longer. The tips above should help your computer run like new again.

 

Children are being taught about computers in school at a very young age, and they are learning more and more about them. It is not uncommon for a very young child to be able to use a computer completely alone without any help from an adult. In some cases, the child may know more about computers than the adult in the household does.

It is important that every household should have a computer that works well with their child. A desktop may be better for a child of a young age, because they can easily drop or stop on a laptop. Desktop computers typically costs less than a laptop also. You should consider the type of computer that you purchase, and make sure your child will also be able to use it.

An adult mouse on a computer may be too large for a child’s small hands. This is the reason why you should consider purchasing a smaller mouse for them. The touch pad on a laptop also works well for them, if this is the only type of computer they have in the home.  You can purchase a small mouse for your child online or from most electronic stores. They also come in many different types of designs and colors for your child. They also make keyboards that are designed primarily for children. These keyboards have less keys on them, and the keys are also larger which works much better for their smaller hands.

You should also make sure you purchase a computer desk and comfortable chair for your child. Make sure the computer monitor is at eye level with the child when they are sitting in front of the computer. They should be able to easily rest their elbows on the table while they are typing with no problems. You can also purchase a cover for the keyboard to protect it from any type of water damage.

One of the most important things about computers and children is having parental control over it. Make sure your child understand what he or she is allowed to do on the computer. The Internet has many wonderful things on it, but there are also many bad things that your child could easily find without even trying to. Using Google to search for certain things can bring up some very bad websites that you wouldn’t want your child to see.

Learn how to use parental controls on Windows 7 or 8. These control will not allow your child to accidentally navigate to a porn site or any other questionable site that you would not want them to see. Always make sure there is an adult around when they are on the computer to monitor what they are doing at all times.

By following a few simple steps you can make your computer last much longer. A computer can become much slower if it is not taken care of properly. Below are some easy steps that you can follow to help your computer run faster.

 Remove Spyware

Many people have spyware on their computer and they don’t even know it. If you have noticed your fast computer running slower than normal lately, you very well could have spyware on it. You can get spyware in many different ways, such as downloading free programs, and once it is on your computer it can actually steal your personal information. There are programs that are designed to remove spyware from  your computer. Some great free programs include Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and SUPERAntispyware. Both of these programs are available for immediate download. Download the program of your choice, or more than one, update the program, and then run a full scan on your computer. Allow the software to completely remove all spyware. You should then notice your computer running much better.



 Free Up Disk Space

Freeing up disk space on your computer can make your computer run faster. Windows 7 has a tool that you can use completely free to accomplish this task. The tool is called Disk Cleanup, an dit can be found when you click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools and then click Disk Cleanup. This tool will remove temporary Internet files, downloaded program files, Windows temporary files, and empties your recycle bin. It also removes any unused restore points that you may have that also take up space.


 Speed Up Access to Data
If you have been using your computer for some time chances are your files have become fragmented. When files are fragmented it takes your hard drive  much longer to open these files. You can run the Disk Defragmenter with Windows 7 to put the files back together again. To run this tool click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools and then click Disk Defragmenter. You should defrag your computer at least once per month, or once a week if you use your computer constantly.

A slow computer can be very frustrating, but there are different ways that you can make your computer run faster yourself. Doing regular maintenance on your computer will help it run faster for you and also help your computer last much longer. These steps do not take very long, but they will ensure that your computer is running as best as it can

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If the monitor on your computer has gone bad and you are planning to purchase a new one, there are a few things that you should consider. There are many different types of computer monitors on the market today, that it can be very difficult to decide which one is best for you.

Before you spend money on a new monitor, learn how to know if your monitor is bad. In some cases, it may not be your monitor at all but something totally different.

LCD (liquid crystal display) is probably the most popular type of monitor that you can purchase right now. This is because the monitor is very light and thin, and also has a very clear image. This type of monitor is more expensive than a CRT (cathode ray tube) monitor.

Below are the factors that you should consider when purchasing a new monitor for your computer:

Screen Size

The size of the screen on your monitor is probably the most important factor. The most common size of computer monitors today are 15-inch and 17-inch, but you can also purchase much larger monitors like a 19-inch or 21-inch. The larger monitor may be better if you enjoy playing games, or do any type of graphic work on your computer.

Viewing Angle

Most LCD monitors on the market today have a viewing angle of 160 degrees up to 180 degrees. This means the screen is fully visible from any angle while sitting in front of the screen.

The larger displays typically have a wider viewing angle. If you plan to use your computer to watch movies, do graphic work, play games, etc. a larger monitor is needed because it has a wider viewing angle. The wider the viewing angle is also means the colors are more consistent and accurate no matter what angle you are looking at.

Display Resolution

You have probably heard the term pixel when it comes to digital cameras. Pixels are also used in computer graphics to determine the best display resolution of a computer monitor. If you have a display resolution of 1280 X 1024 pixels, this means the number of pixels per unit distance is 1280 X 1024 in that monitor. The more pixels you have on a computer monitor the better the image will be.

Contrast Ratio

Contrast ratio is also something that you should consider when purchasing a new monitor for y our computer. The higher the contrast ratio is the better. You should make sure that you know what the contrast ratio is of the monitor you are planning to purchase. Ask the salesman how to compares to the other monitors they have.

Brightness

The brightness of the monitor that you are planning to purchase is also something that you should consider. The average brightness for most computer monitors today is between 205-350 candelas per square meter (cd/m2), also known as nits. If you plan to use your computer to watch movies or play games, the monitor should be over 300 nits. If you work at home on your computer, brightness of around 200 and 250 nits is much better.

My mom called me last night and said her monitor would not turn on. I went over and checked it out and determined that her monitor was completely bad and it was time to replace it. I thought I would write up a blog post telling you what steps I took to make sure it was the monitor and not her computer or video card that was bad. Monitors are not cheap. It would be a shame to buy a brand  new monitor for no reason at all.

My mom’s monitor was old to begin with. She was still using those really large monsters that use to come with all computers. I grabbed a monitor I had sitting at home, which was one of the much smaller and thinner monitors, to take it with me to her house.

The first thing I did was turn it on. You never know, do you? She was right, of course. It was completely black. I did make sure the computer was turned on too. I checked the connection in the back of the computer. I even disconnected it and then reconnected it to make sure it was connected tightly.

I unhooked her old monitor and set it on the floor of her computer room. Wow that thing was so heavy. I immediately set the new monitor in its place and my mom was amazed. I connected it to her computer and immediately the monitor came right on. Obviously, my mom’s monitor went bad. It was about 5 years old so it was time for a new one. I just let her keep my monitor as I wasn’t using it. She was very pleased with her new monitor. Now, if I can just talk her into getting a new computer. She is still using Windows XP if that tells you anything.

Now, if the new monitor would not have worked on her computer I would have checked the cable itself. Sometimes the cable can go bad. If that wasn’t it, I would suspect the video card. That means taking apart the computer and removing the video card and looking at it. I also had a replacement video card with me so I would have replaced it inside of her computer. That more than likely would have fixed her problem.

When your computer starts getting older there are many things that can go wrong with it. If your monitor goes out and  your computer is over 5 years old, more than likely you simply have a bad monitor.

Many people upgrade their computer equipment every couple of years, and they will sell their old computer. A two or three-year old computer is not old at all, and gives many people a great opportunity to get a good computer at a great price.

You can even find good computers for sale that are only a year old or less. There is nothing at all wrong with them except the owner only wants the latest model that is available, or they simply need extra money quickly. If you are trying to find a new computer, you may want to look into buying a used computer first to see if you can find a good deal.

When you are purchasing anything that is used, you must make sure it works before you purchase it. Check the computer out very thoroughly. Make sure it powers up and down okay. Check the hard drive space, the amount of memory, and the processor. Make sure everything is exactly as it was advertised. You should also check this information in the BIOS. A person cannot change this information and you know it is completely correct for the computer.

Make sure all the software is included with the computer, such as the operating system. If it is a Windows computer, most of these computer will come with the operating system on a CD in case you  have problems.

If you are not very knowledgeable about computers, take someone with you who is when you look at the used computer. They should have good software and hardware knowledge so they can tell you if it is a good deal or not. They will also know what questions to ask the buyer that you may not.

You can also find some good deals of used computers in your local computer repair shop. They may  have someone not be able to pay for fixing their computer and they will simply sell it at a discounted price.

You can also find used computer deals online, such as on eBay and Craigslist. You might also want to consider purchasing a refurbished computer at a discounted price. Many computer companies,  including Apple, sells refurbished equipment at some very good discounts.

You can save a large amount of money by buying a used computer. Many times people sell their computer because they either need some quick money, or they just want to update their computer to a newer model.

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