drivers

Archived Posts from this Category

Linksys Drivers

Posted by admin on 03 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: drivers

Linksys drivers are fundamental to wireless and ethernet networking, and as such, Linksys is the global leader in networking technology.

Installation of linksys software includes certain merits as well as issues along the way. Nonetheless, the procedure of the installation is quite simple. In order to accomplish, you have to hit cancel before connecting the plug into the device. It is advisable that you avoid rebooting the computer when the plug is already connected. Also, if you want to ensure an effective installation, try to download the drivers directly from the website. This direct installation can provide you with certain facilities and benefits - such as grabbing only the latest most compatible linksys drivers.

Using linksys drivers from an installation disk is only advisable if you know for sure that the disk is brand new and suited to your system. If you are going to use these linksys drivers, make sure you run an online search to check for software updates. Alternatively, you may wish to purchase a driver upating utility which will do the work for you.

A generic Bluetooth radio driver is constantly active after installing the plug-in device. In this context, the nature of the radio driver is essentially based on the Bluetooth technology, while it remains in operation on the network. Here you have to update the driver after selecting it. You can keep your drivers in check using the default Windows Device Manager. In order to do so, right click on the generic driver, select your update, and the driver will be updated automatically.

There are a huge array of linksys drivers available and finding the most compatible can be a little daunting - though it shouldn’t be impossible if you follow your hardware instructions. A correct driver will run smoothly and without error. If it still projects unsigned after installation, continue with the program. Next, you may come across the options for the Bluetooth adapter of linksys. You have to select from this large range and apply it to your software system accordingly. Once again, using an automatic driver updating program can improve the process massively.

After installation, you may sometimes be asked to repeat the process. This often happens when the USB port has not been utilized.

Assuming a successful installation of the software, only the linksys driver comes to the list of the device manager. Then you can only see one icon to be displayed in the system tray. As far as the rating of this device is concerned, the utilization of the same device is quite satisfactory. If properly set up, the system operates smoothly without any complaint and you should receive no error. In fact, it is one of the best working drivers if setup correctly. Linksys has many competitors but none can claim to work as efficiently - so if you are still receiving less than satisfactor performance, you may wish to check that you’re correctly configured with the right drivers installed.

Nevertheless, some problems may arise with the SP2 system. The device can be well operated from telephone and other systems like Skype, Vonnage or even messengers endowed with voice connections. Thus, while its range is optimum, its only drawback can be functionality with the SP2 system.

Driver issues are one of the biggest plights of linksys. Ensuring you have the most up to date driver can go a long way to rectifying most problems.

Lexmark Drivers

Posted by admin on 03 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: drivers

Lexmark was founded in the year 1991 as a spin-off of the printer-manufacturing division in IBM. The company is known in the market as a specialist of printers and all types of accessories that can be used with printers.

Currently their products catalogue comprises of the inkjet printers and monochrome laser printers. Both these types may come along with scanners including photo printers and all-in-one devices. This company also produces dot matrix printers. Lexmark is also one of the pioneers to produce affordable “wifi inkjet printers”. They continue to host a variety of laser printers for professional printing purposes. However, the printer drivers that are produced by Lexmark create problems with many of the Windows versions on the market. Therefore, you have to make sure that the drivers are fine to work in your system before you are opting for Lexmark printers.

As popularly shows, the Lexmark drivers are affordable and reliable at the same time. The technology that is used in the Lexmark printers is modern and compatible with the present systems in the computer world. Besides a preventative maintenance, these printers do not need any special attention to last longer. The drivers are usually durable and provide efficient output and functioning. They are, however, a little problematic when it comes to getting the right driver installed on the right system.

The Lexmark drivers have certain problems regarding installation on Windows Vista. However, with the other older versions of Windows. past problems have been patched and most drivers work fine. When correctly installed, a Lexmark printer is capable of scanning any type of copy and printing fine. The software is well designed to aid even the most technologically challenged of users to get the most out of their printers. But you must be careful to match your model to the correct driver because Lexmark doesn’t have the greatest user experience when things start to go wrong.

Lexmark printers used to be plighted with driver compatibility issues much more than they are now - although the Vista transition is slightly worrying. There are times when the printer does not respond to the existing software and creates problems where it sometimes fails to recognize the changes regarding the color and B&W cartridges. For example, there are times when it is necessary to remove and reinstall the drivers and Lexmark software a repeated number of times without any visible results. Little bugs like this can infuriate the novice user and lead us to recommend an automated driver updating service.

The Lexmark group adds newer technologies with the drivers that they produce. There is a regular inclusion of different types of drivers so that it becomes easy for the users to choose the type that they need for their system if they’re using newer ranges. The company provides an organized database where you can search for the drivers that meet your needs. The website is easy to use and downloads are easy to access. Refer to your hardware documentation for model types that will help with matching up the required driver.

The company also provides online options for finding the driver if you can’t trace it immediately on the website. If there is anyone who is not able to find the exact type of driver for their system, they can directly contact the company through their website and get the required files. Support response times are good. All these facilities for improving the customer satisfaction help the company to avoid considerable number of customer complaints despite the documented problems with their drivers during installation.

If you are happy to get a Lexmark printer for yourself, make sure that you’re getting the original CD-ROM with drivers and software files attached. Do not forget to get all the necessary papers signed and check all the details and the claims of the company. And of course, don’t forget your guarantee! If you are still encountering problems after using the printer for a long while, consider upgrading drivers or checking the system for corrupt files.

HP Drivers

Posted by admin on 03 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: hp, drivers

The brand HP is known for its printers, notebooks, digicams, network management software and other hi-tech products. HP - or Hewlett-Packard to go for its full name - is an American IT-based company, providing hardware, software and various computer related support to the world. The company started its venture in the year 1999 as Agilent Technologies by two electrical engineering graduates-William Hewlett and David Packard.

If you are using a piece of HP hardware, the chances are that you’re also using an HP driver.

There are a plenty of utility drivers aAvailable under the name of HP. Mostly, people trust in the brand due to its high repute and universal availability. Generally, the HP drivers are quite compatible with most of the hardware devices of the contemporary generations, especially in the case of its printers. HP has journeyed a long way and is planning to launch all new printer drivers which are compatible for the Windows Vista Operating System - and they may already be available by the time you read this article. There are printer-specific drivers from HP as well as the universal drivers too. Most of the HP printer drivers come with the particular product-specific drivers included so you shouldn’t have to worry about downloading them from the company website.

HP provides a wide range of drivers, including drivers for all of its printers, scanners, CD writers, photosmart, sound, windows and sound packages. The utility drivers from HP can be used on any operating system and are available in various versions depending on your system requirements. You can download drivers and get support from the official site of HP, where you can also get updates regarding your HP device - both immediate and in the future as and when they become available.

If you want to get a driver which is universally compatible, you can usually depend on the brand HP. The official site features and provides ample driver downloading support to its customers by simply entering the make or model name and number. You can register on the site for further updates and grab product updates to go with the hardware that you’ve purchased.

If you’re running a server with many different printers installed, the auto-detect function is ideal. With HP drivers, installing a printer driver and updating them is not at all a tough task to carry out. The HP drivers can be adjusted with various models of the hardware attachment as well as with the operating systems.

With the updated HP printer drivers, you can get a clear print as displayed on the screen. The HP drivers are also known for their high capability of fast multi-tasking and they remain extremely functional. While using HP drivers, the command “PrintJobMgr” is used to communicate the data to the hardware printer. The command changes a PDF in to HP’s print format.

But things are quite different when you are using the remote Mac operating system, i.e., MacOS X. MacOS X uses a common printing system, which is called CUPS. CUPS keeps a fair knowledge of the make or the model of the printers installed in the particular operating system, and this common printing system, CUPS, helps in managing and queuing the documents for printing. The user can easily control this printing system by using the page that reads ‘Printers preference’, or simply logging into the MacOS X on the port 631 using the web browser of the operating system.

If your HP printer is linked to a remote Mac, the printer driver can communicate the PICT, PDF or any image format directly to the other machine which has Mac. This will send it via CUPS, finally ensuing in a PDF format of the provided data ascertaining its path into “PrintJobMgr” on that remote Mac.

When an HP printer driver fails, you can expect severe drops in the quality of the print-outs. In many cases, the printer will simply stop functioning completely. If you’re experiencing these kinds of difficulties, be sure to update your drivers to the correct and newest version. An automated driver correcting utility can help in this respect.

Gateway Drivers

Posted by admin on 03 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: drivers, hardware

A Gateway driver is an essential component in a network that facilitate access to host networks for various applications running on remote computers. The ControlLogix Gateway Driver for Windows XP/NT/2000 allows this remote connectivity to applications part of the Allen- Bradley networks through LANs. This driver allows computers to access Data Highway Plus networks remotely, via a ControlLogix gateway.

If your gateway driver fails, you will not be able to connect to the network and as such, you will lose connectivity.

The ControlLogix Gateway Driver - a remote system - is able to communicate over Ethernet networks to the ControlLogix driver containing a specific type of module. This module then represents a gateway to a Data Highway computer network.

Various network solutions exist under the aegis of Allen- Bradley, most notably the Ethernet and the Data Highway Plus (DH+). The communications protocols of these networks mostly involve PCCC, and other similar protocols. These protocols incorporate different communication speeds and variable number of nodes. The Ethernet incorporates a communication protocol that is similar to the widely used TCP/IP protocol along with embedded Data Highway PCCC communication bits embedded in the PDU bits. The ControlLogix Gateway Driver offers remote access for third party applications - operating on client nodes - over the Ethernet to a chassis with DH+ module and from there on to different DH+ nodes.

The ControlLogix Gateway Driver supports all of the DH+ features, and it is highly efficient native API is a perfect fit for Windows XP/2000/NT. Supporting complete and effective communication channels to the client node, the ControlLogix Gateway Driver allows the working of all DH+ devices on the server. There is a similar 6001- F1E interface that is also provided, for older applications.

Adaptability and availability of some features of the driver depends on the configuration and type of the destination device. Remote access to DH networks like the PLC -5s and the SLC- 500s is possible via the ControlLogix Gateway Driver, which results in a direct connection that allows computers to access remote information, as if it were in direct connection with that network.

The ControlLogix Gateway Driver works as a remote client node despite a physical adapter card interface. This Gateway Driver incorporates logical devices, rather than physical devices. Configuration of the ControlLogix Gateway Driver is quite similar to the configuration of DHX Driver. However, while the latter uses physical host adapters, like the 1748- KTX card, the former uses logical reference points on the server node.

First time configuration for the Gateway Driver is not a very cumbersome process; you need to remember however, that for every Data Highway Plus communication line in the ControlLogix chassis that you will use, there must be a corresponding ControlLogix Gateway Driver for the same. If not, the configuration is likely to fail.

Make sure to run the DHX Driver Configuration editor after the installation of the driver is completed, otherwise, the Gateway Driver will not be properly configured, becoming ineffective. Half-installed faulty drivers can have a knock on effect and disrupt the performance of other hardware devices.

Windows XP/2000/NT is configured with the Microsoft Performance Monitor diagnostic tools. The applications under the Performance Monitor allow us to monitor the performance information of the ControlLogix Gateway Driver, which the latter supports. Even multiple Gateway Driver device configurations can be analyzed using the Performance Monitor.

You should only interfere with your driver settings - and certainly only update altogether - when your network specifically requires you to do so.

Audio Drivers

Posted by admin on 03 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: audio, drivers

After the installation or reinstallation of an Operating System on a PC, one of the most common hardware related problems faced by users is with the onboard audio system - and it can be extremely troublesome to fix. Most of the computers with an onboard audio generally use High Definition audio or an AC’97 audio. Both of them are made up of two components – an audio controller chipset, which is normally used to communicate with a different chip placed on the motherboard, better known as an audio codec.

For the VIA chipsets the audio controller hails from VIA clan, and the driver support required is the audio codec which can either be from VIA or can be from the third party vendor. Audio drivers are at the root of most problems attributed to the audio system.

Although the computer can easily identify the audio solution with the help of the audio controller which using VIA, the driver needed for the computer should correspond to the audio codec on the computer’s motherboard. Generally, the onboard audio solutions are of AC’97 audio or HD audio, there are few motherboards available in the market that also have audio controllers connected with the chipset PCI bus.

Therefore, you need to identify your driver’s requirements and accordingly have to determine what kind of onboard audio solution you need for your motherboard. For that, you can easily refer to the manual of your PC which was provided to you when you purchased the system. Often, the manuals detail the ideal requirements, which can be helpful for you to decypher which drivers are right for your system. You can also take the help of the dealer if your PC is a branded one. Otherwise, you can visit the site of the manufacturer or the manufacturing company of the motherboard where it’s possible to check for the exact specifications.

Thankfully, there are many high quality driver fixing solutions on the market which are capable of detecting the correct audio driver for you and replacing it if necessary. So you don’t always have to go to the extreme means of digging out your old manuals!

If there is confusion regarding the make and model of the motherboard, the user can run a program called SiSoft Sandra and then click on the information icon of motherboard to get detailed information. The software also provides a guide which helps the user to identify the make and the model. Once the user is aware of the make and model, he or she can easily find out what kind of audio solution the system needs by referring to the website of the manufacturing company.

Any respectable company manufacturer should have an online resource of audio drivers for you to download free of charge. Alternatively you can let an automated driver fixing solution detect and download the files that you need to get your audio functioning correctly.

You will find a considerable number of audio drivers available. Such as Analog Devices, C-Media, Sound Blaster Creative Labs, ESS, Philips, Realtek, Sigmatel ,SiS, VIA ,Yamaha, etc., all of which are available according to the needs of the motherboard of the user. If you have an audio driver installed in your PC, you can also use the audio driver software updates to improve the system’s performance.

The analog devices having up to date and compatible audio codecss helps when it comes to improving the performance of different applications that make use of your Windows audio system. The C-Media audio solutions support all the PC audio peripheral components counting the USB speakers and adapters, PCI sound cards, VOIP accessories and any hi-tech wireless audio device.

Audio drivers are not fun to have to fix, and can disrupt your system performance considerably. Ensure that you keep all drivers up to date and use a good driver clean-up utility to get rid of bad files.

Download Drivers For Free

Posted by admin on 02 May 2008 | Tagged as: drivers

Drivers are essential software programs that define how hardware components behave in conjunction with the installed operating system. In layman’s terms you can say that they form the core of the software backbone that supports the basic functioning and operability of your computer. The device drivers CD generally comes box packed with your computer, but in case it has gotten corrupted or if you have lost it, you can download all the required device drivers from the Internet.

Operating systems such as the Windows come preloaded with all the basic device drivers such as USB drivers, PCMCIA drivers, hard disk drivers, processor drivers, keyboard and mouse drivers etc. However, since they do not have drivers for additional components such as sound card, graphics card, TV tuner card and others, you will have to depend on the device drivers CD provided with your computer or download the necessary drivers from the Internet. There are many sites from where you can download drivers for free, but if you do not want to take too many risks, I would recommend that you download the required drivers directly from the Website of your computer manufacturer. For example, if you are using a Dell computer, you just have to go Dell’s official Website and download the required device drivers.

Third party products such as mobile phones, digital cameras, camcorders and others that you might connect to your computer, too have their own device drivers that come box packed with the product. For connecting and using any of these products with your computer, you will need to first install the drivers as provided in the CD. Here also, you can download drivers for free from the official Website of the third party product manufacturer. For example, if you are using a Motorola phone, you just need to go to Motorola’s official Website, select the product type and download the required device driver. It’s as easy as that.

How to Erase Hard Disk Drive

Posted by admin on 07 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: cdrom, drivers, operating system, computer, hardware

If you are currently preoccupied with questions such as “how to erase hard disk drive?”, then I think I will not have to make much of an effort to conclude that your computer system has failed completely and needs a reboot. I say so because apart from a complete system crash, there aren’t that many reasons that justify erasing a hard disk drive. Now, coming to the main point, I would like to tell you that erasing a hard disk drive is quite easy and all you need is some basic knowledge about installation procedures and a CD of Windows Operating System.

The answer to how to erase hard disk drive is basically a step-by-step Windows reinstallation process that starts with turning on your computer and inserting the Windows CD into your CD/DVD drive. After this, you need to switch off and restart your computer and keep pressing any of the keys on your keyboard. This signals your computer to boot itself from the CD. When you do this, you will see the Windows GUI (Graphic User Interface) on your screen, which will provide you with options and help you in selecting the one that you might need.

If you keep following the instructions, you will eventually come across the option of deleting partitions of your hard drive, making new partitions and reformatting each of the selected partitions. You can say that you have succeeded in erasing your hard disk drive when you have performed all the three procedures as described above, one after the other. After this, you can be sure that your hard disk drive is completely clean and ready for the installation of Windows Operating System.

Erasing the hard disk drive also removes viruses and other malicious software codes that might have contributed to the system crash in the first place. It is the most effective way of bringing your computer back to its original state, although you might have to sacrifice some of your data that might be stored on your hard disk drive.

How to Fix HP Install Problems

Posted by admin on 30 Oct 2007 | Tagged as: drivers, configuration, error, windows, hardware

Hewlett-Packard is widely recognised as the number one provider of printers, scanners and imaging equipment. The California-based company ships a huge stock of these items every year, and there’s a good chance that if you go out to buy a printer, you’ll be coming home with an HP product.

Given the lofty stature of HP, you shouldn’t encounter too many compatibility problems when it comes to finding the right printer or scanner for your system. The installation doesn’t always run smoothly, however, and we’re going to look at some of the most problems and how to overcome them.

First of all, it’s important to note that all HP printers come with software. It’s not possible to simply “plug ‘n play” as you might do with other hardware devices. Every HP printer, scanner or imaging device will come with a CD. On this CD, you’ll find an installation program and the drivers required to use the hardware.

It’s also important to follow the instructions explicitly and install the software BEFORE you connect the device. To do this, insert the CD and run through the installation procedure. It will copy files to your local drive before telling you when to connect the device. Most printers and scanners use a USB port these days. Once your device is connected, follow the remaining instructions and you’ll usually be asked to restart your system. This validates the new drivers and it will ensure that your hardware is detected in the future.

So what are the most common problems with the installation of a HP device? First and foremost, we have driver issues.

HP can’t release software which is customised for each user’s system configuration, and it’s possible that the printer or scanner drivers may clash. Driver issues are typically marked by a device which fails to connect. If Windows springs up a message that it cannot recognise the hardware device, it’s likely that you’re suffering from either outdated drivers or the wrong driver altogether.

Log on to the HP website and search out your device. It’s here that you’ll be able to download the very latest drivers and patches. Test the different software and attempt to connect to the device with different configurations. If you have a working driver, you’ll be able to connect to the hardware and Windows will detect it automatically.

Sometimes Window will recognise the hardware, but won’t be able to retain the connection. This is another example of a driver incompatibility issue.

Of course, it’s important to check - before purchasing a printer – that the device is compatible with your system. You’ll also need to download different software if you’re working on a Linux platform. The standard Windows package will not work on Linux, and vice versa.

Another common problem stems from wireless printer connectivity. If you’re installing a printer to work on a network, you’ll need to ensure that the computers can connect to it.

If this isn’t happening, try pinging the printer adapter. To do this, you can open up the command shell (c:\windows\system\CMD.exe) and type the following:

ping 192.168.173.1.

If no signal is returned, the printer is failing to connect with your local system. This could be for a number of reasons. You might want to try moving the printer closer to the computer, or checking that radio interference isn’t playing a role. As a last resort, consider replacing the network and printer adapters.

If you’re sure that the printer is installed, yet it fails to print, check that the device isn’t configured to work offline.

Go to Start, then Settings and finally Printers. It’s here that you’ll be able to see if the device is set to work online. It’s also possible that documents may be jammed in a queue. Restart the jobs and wait for the printer to respond.

If your printer shows no sign of connectivity at all – usually displayed by an orange or red light – you could be suffering from a connectivity issue with the hardware itself. It’s possible that the USB cable is faulty and replacing it could fix the problem.

HP provides extensive support for their products so do make sure to check the help archives on their official website. Printers and scanners can be notoriously fiddly to install and it’s likely that if you have a problem, somebody else has experienced it too.

How to Fix Driver Errors

Posted by admin on 30 Oct 2007 | Tagged as: drivers, error, windows, hardware

Whenever you install a new hardware device on your computer, drivers are used to detect the settings and act as a layer between the software and hardware. Without them, Windows would be unable to use devices like webcams, printers…you name it. In certain cases, the devices will be detected and noticed, but Windows won’t know how to operate them correctly.

Drivers can also become corrupt. They’re vulnerable to viruses and if you have a habit of deleting your core files, it’s possible to “break” a hardware device. At least until you re-install it, at least!

Never tamper with the driver files unless specifically instructed, as a slight alteration can cause them to fail completely.

You might be sitting there with a blank look wondering why you’re receiving driver errors when you haven’t actually edited them at all. The most likely answer is that the drivers are out of date and need replacing. Most manufacturers release patches to their drivers after the product has arrived in stores. The patches and fixes might be to improve the processing speed of the hardware, or to improve visual quality on a video card.

Hardware manufacturers can’t design with anticipation of what millions of customers are going to have configured on their system. You may experience problems installing a device if the driver is not recognised. Sometimes your system is a generation ahead of the device that you’ve purchased!

All manufacturers have websites offering the latest drivers and you should get in to a habit of browsing these from time to time and updating your driver library. The Windows Installer makes it easy to update drivers. Just download the zips and run through the quick installation. You’ll be asked to restart your computer for the drivers to load up properly. Once you’ve done this, you should notice that your hardware device is being recognised by Windows.

If you’re receiving an “Unknown Device” warning, that’s generally a sign that there’s a problem with the driver. Try re-installing the software that came with your device. Make sure not to connect it until you’re asked as this can interfere with the detection of the device.

Most driver problems are graphics related. Video cards are constantly on the change and technology advances over months rather than years. This can compromise the performance of your device. If you’re noticing slow cursor lag, display problems, and font contortion – there’s a pretty high chance that your video drivers are becoming obsolete.

Head on over to the manufacturers website and download the latest driver, being sure to look out for any operating system specifications that might be in place. Remember that Windows isn’t the only operating system and hardware manufacturers have to design for other platforms too! Some people have even tried installing the wrong drivers on their Windows OS!

Some developers now offer driver backup utilities to protect against virus attacks and corruption via malware. Discrete spyware is capable of jeopardising Windows’ communication with certain drivers. This can make it seem like the hardware is to blame when the real problem is buried somewhere in your downloaded files.

Run a regular scan of your system to locate and eliminate third party junk. Keeping a computer clean and free of malware should lead to much fewer driver collisions.

You should also remember to trust what already works. Don’t bother updating drivers if your current set is performing correctly. Newer drivers are just as likely to cause problems as the older kind!

Fix My Slow Running Computer

Posted by admin on 21 Oct 2007 | Tagged as: registry, configuration, registry cleaner, registry fix, drivers, update, error, operating system, software, computer, windows, internet explorer, browser, Uncategorized

Is your computer a constant source of frustration?
Is it so slow that you can hardly complete a task?
Are programs taking forever to respond?
Too many crashes, freezes or slowdowns?

If so, it’s time to make a change, optimize your system and improve
the performance of your PC
!

The following fail-proof methods for improving PC performance will
definitely bring results you’ll be pleased with.

These 6 methods are sure to result in much better computer performance.
Repeat them regularly as indicated, and you will enjoy a Revitalized PC

1. Empty the Recycle Bin

Empty the Window’s Recycle Bin. This frees up hard
drive space and improves the PC performance.When a file is deleted, Windows first transfers it to the Recycle
Bin, instead of deleting it completely, to give the users a chance
to restore the files to their original locations on the computer,
in case they change their minds.

For better performance, make sure you empty the Recycle Bin at
least weekly, or even daily. Emptying the Recycle Bin is done
simply by right clicking the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop and
choosing “Empty Recycle Bin” from the drop down menu.

2. Remove Unneeded Programs

Though most people are quick to install new programs, few think
about removing programs once they are no longer required, and leave
them unused on the hard disk.Most programs have an uninstaller, and can be removed by going to
the program’s entry, accessed from “All Programs” from the Start
Menu.

For programs that don’t have an uninstaller, from the Start Menu,
go to the Control Panel and select Add/Remove Programs. It will
take a few seconds for the PC to assemble a list of all the
programs installed on the computer.

Once this is completed, find the program you want to remove, click
it and select Change/Remove.

Since some programs leave uninstallation traces in the Windows
Registry, it’s important to clean up the Registry after each
uninstallation process.

3. Run Disk Clean Up

For improving PC performance, Window’s Disk Clean Up can be used, a
built-in utility which initiates regular maintenance tasks like
deleting Setup log files, Temporary Internet files and similar.Disk Clean Up is started by double-clicking My Computer, right
clicking the ‘C drive and selecting Properties from the drop down
menu, then clicking Disk Cleanup. It will take the computer a few
moments to carry out the self-analysis.

Upon completion of the audit, Windows will display a list of areas
which contain files for cleanup. By putting a tick at the check box
next to an area, Windows will clean the files there. If you want to
leave some files undeleted, remove the tick from the check box and
click OK.

The computer will start a removal process. This process may take
some time.

4 Defragment disk

When programs are stored on the PC hard disk, fragments of files
are saved in the empty spaces nearby.

The PC then has to find these fragments and piece them together,
which takes time and slows down the performance.

This can be easily solved by running the Windows program Disk
Defragmenter, which assembles all the fragments of the programs and
places them back in the correct order.

Once this has been done, the hard disk can find what it’s looking
for easily, which enables files and programs to load more quickly.

To activate the defragmentation, click Start, All Programs,
Accessories, System Tools, then select Disk Defragment. Once the
program has started up, click Defragment.

This process can take well over an hour to complete, which is why
this usually isn’t carried out very often.

It’s recommended to defragment the hard disk about ever three
months, for best results.

5. Empty the Prefetch Cache

In order to improve the time required for loading programs, Windows
attempts to guess which files will be needed next and then loads
them into a cache, a process known as prefetching. Though this
process indeed works well, with time, the Prefetch Cache may become
clogged with files which are no longer required. This causes
Window’s startup to slow down considerably.

The remedy is to clear Prefetch, by choosing Run from the Start
Menu, and typing “Prefetch” in the text box that appears. This will
result in a window filled with many icons. To select them all press
Alt+A and delete them.

The cache will resume its regular use and refill with files and
links required by Windows. The result will be that the system will
be more responsive and the PC performance will improve.

6. Clean up the Windows Registry

Most PC users don’t understand the significance of cleaning up the
Windows Registry, mainly because Windows does not come with
 a Registry clean-up tool
.While this is often neglected, it is probably:

The single most important PC maintenance task.

Whenever a program is installed, changes are made to the Windows
Registry, which is a large internal database that contains all
Windows settings. These settings, which include thousands of
entries, control how everything in the system looks and behaves.

Repeated installing and uninstalling of programs , “Messy” uninstallation
of programs (traces are left behind), Hardware uninstalls which leave

entries in the Registry, Drivers which are no longer required on the system,
Spyware or other malicious programs that appear every time the

computer is restarted,  may all cause Registry conflicts and, as 
a result - a Slower Computer.

The Registry can be edited manually using Regedit, a Windows
program for editing the Registry; however this requires a
considerable amount of skill and experience to complete successfully. 

If you prefer not to do this by yourself, click here for a
Complete Registry Scan & Fix software. 

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