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.

The Merriam Webster Dictionary has been the leading dictionary for many years. You probably have an edition in your house or use one in school. Now the same Merriam Webster Dictionary is free to use online.  If you want to know the definition of a word,  to read something in Spanish or you need to decipher some medical terminology, it is included in the online version?

Not only can you check the definitions and correct spelling of words, but also there are words of the day, word games, and more.

Merriam-Webster Online

Have you ever been watching a television program and heard a song you liked? You can’t get it out of your head and you want to know what it is and who sung it? Well heardittv.com is the website for you. Search for songs played by TV show or artist. Hear sound clips of the featured songs and links to places to download the song. 

Hearditontv

Watch archive footage of NASA space launches and missions from the 1950′s until today. It’s a fun site if you enjoy the stories and history of our country’s space program.

NASA 5oth Anniversary

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.

WinDirStat is a tool you can use to keep track of “who’s on first” on your hard drive.  Along with a standard directory listing, it’s also got a “treemap”, a graphical way to represent files with colored rectangles that show relative sizes of files on your system. (It may actually make more sense when you look at it than it does when you hear it described.)

Along with looking at your files, this app lets you manipulate your documents as well, with Open, Show Properties, and Delete actions built in, as well as allowing you to create your own. You can generate disk usage reports as well.

Description supplied by freedownloadaday.com

WinDirStat

Are you or know someone who is? Beginning Wednesday March 25 for the next few Wednesday nights,MCLC will offer free Internet access for people who want to conduct online searches and complete on-line applications.

We will have assistants in the lab to help with the online application process and to offer resume and interview advise. For more information please email mclc@madisonfirst.com or call 615.975.5143.