When considering a notebook’s or any other PC processor, you’ll want to ensure it is powerful enough to run the latest OS (operating system) and necessary programs.

Windows Vista will run on a 1GHz processor, but it’s really not enough to make sure that all your programs will run as you need, so look for a computer with a little more juice.  Processor speeds vary, but a CPU clocked close to 2GHz (1.8GHz or 2.2GHz, for example)—will be plenty, to run Windows Vista or any other program.

This tip may be a little too geeky for some, copied from Smartcomputing.com

If you’re anything like us you’ve been caught more than once wishing you had a pen and scrap of paper to write down something important. What a lot of people forget is that if you have a cell phone you’ll never have to worry about being without again. Most phones have a feature where you can type in short notes to save for later. Or, if it’s easier, snap a quick picture of whatever it is you want to remember—the row number of your parking space is one example that comes to mind. Who needs a pen and paper? Simplify by going digital.

When buying a new monitor, consider the contrast ratio of the monitor. The contrast ratio a measurement of a computer monitor’s darkest black compared to its brightest white. The higher the ratio, the more details you will see in photos and in games. Avoid monitors with contrast ratios below 500:1.

Contrast ratios can be found in the monitor specifications on the manufacturers website, or in the monitors user guide.

A common cause of slow computer performance is a hard drive that is close to reaching it’s storage capacity. As a good rule of thumb, your drive should always have a minimum free space of 10GB or 10%, whichever is smaller; more if you burn CDs or DVDs, which usually requires temporary free space equal to the size of the material you’re burning.

A program that can help you manage your hard drive stoarge is WinDirStat.  Check  it out in the Download category

When looking to buy a new computer, don’t skimp on memory. The more memory your PC has available, the more breathing space it has to work. Doubling the memory, or better, is the single best performance booster you can give your PC. A computer with free RAM slots will let you add memory as the demands upon it increase in the future.

Check with you computer owners manual or support website before purchasing memory. The amount and type of memory that your computer can support will vary from computer manufacturer and model.

When you are using a public computer like  in our computer lab or the library, be careful when logging into a sites that require a password. Uncheck boxes like “Remember Me” and do not use the “Remember your password” or “auto-fill” options offered by your web browser. If you are not careful you may be allowing the next person who sets down access to your email or , personal information.

Your best bet is just not to access personal data on public computers if possible.  If you do check your email at the library or in the computer lab always remember to sign out of the application when you are finished.

Good information from SmartComputing.com;
“It’s important to remember one often-overlooked tip regarding password security:

Never give it to anyone who asks for it. Ever.

An organization such as your bank or eBay should never require your password for system maintenance or upgrades, because their tools should have the rights to perform any account activities automatically. At worst, a system may require your password to be reset to something new, but any secure system will reset your password, email you with the change, and then request that you change it via an automated system. Another human being shouldn’t be involved.

It seems this message is getting through to people, if slowly, because hackers are now resorting to simulating legitimate Web sites for the purposes of getting you to type your password. If you believe a message regarding your password might have a kernel of truth, simply don’t click any hypertext link from the email; instead, just open a browser window yourself, navigate to the legitimate site of the institution that purportedly emailed you, and log on. “

Here a tip form the Smart Computing webstie:

If you have a email you want to forward to your friends but you don’t want the long list of address of who else the addresses who got the message also; use the Bcc (blind copy) option rather than the (cc) carbon copy function.

This will give the only show the receiver of  the message their address. They may thank you when the don’t have to scroll down a long list of email addresses  to read your email.

If you think you have a virus on your computer, before you jump in and start deleting infected files. First backup your files to a CD or DVD before attempting any recovery operations. Although your your anti-virus program may have removed the virus, you may experance unpredictable trouble from your system. A backup of your data is improtant to restore your files to like they were before your problem.

You’ll need to scan your backup media with an antivirus program before you return the files to your computer or move them to another PC.

If your notebook or desktop locks-up a few minutes after you turn it on, stalls at random times, or restarts itself without warning. This may be caused by your computer overheating.

There could be a lot of reasons for this problem such as, your processors heat sink’s ability to disperse heat or your case fan is not working properly. Added hardware like memory or a video card can also cause your system overheating problems. Notebooks are more prone to overheating than desktop machines because of the compactness of the components inside.

If you have been using your computer for awhile and this starts to occur, may sure your cooling fan is working properly. A can of compressed air in most cases cleans the dust out from the fan and your PC is happy again. If your fan is making a grinding sound it may have a bearing that is damaged and the fan should be replaced. Replacing the fan is relatively simple task to perform. Consult your computer user manual or manufactures website to make sure you get the right fan for your computer model.

Improve the airflow around and under your notebook by elevating it above the tabletop to increase airflow around it. For desktops keep at least 3 inches of space between it and obstructions, especial around the fan area. Avoid smoking around your computer. Over a period of time the tar from the cigarette will coat the processor’s heat sink and cause it to overheat; in extreme cases it can be fatal to your PC.

If you have a brand new computer that’s overheating, there’s likely a design or construction flaw, so make it the manufacturer’s responsibility to fix the problem.

If you are concerned that your PC may be overheating you can use software to monitor your computers temperature.  Speed Fan is the program we use. Check it out in our Free Stuff category. The optimum temperature varies with chip manufacture and processing speed but temperature between 60- 80 (C) or 140 – 176 (F) degrees is general a good range. The support section of your computer’s manufacture website should be able to tell you the proper operating temperature for your PC model.