Tutorial: DIY Computer Tune Up

Today is the day for the tutorial. Have you been watching and waiting? Well I have. I have been asking my adoringly wonderful husband to please make a tutorial for me. Why? Well, he's smart and I'm not so good with technology. Clean a computer. Who knew. Well apparently this is common knowledge within my husbands land of friends so after begging and pleading he put together this awesome tutorial on how to make your computer run faster! Yay. I get so frustrated with slow computers. One quick fact about my husband before we get started. He builds his own computers! Matter of fact, people pay him to build computers. How awesome is that. Okay, here it is. Yes ladies and gentlemen our computers need a good cleaning too.

Nicole is always asking me to clean her computer to help speed it up, so I thought I would make a short tutorial for her to post and  to help out any of you who do not already know how to do all this stuff. So here it is. I hope you find it helpful.

Step 1 download CCleaner from HERE.

After you install CCleaner go ahead and run it. You should get a screen that looks like this:

Click on the "Analyze" button and let it work. This could take a few minutes depending on your PC. When it is finished it will tell you how much data it found that can be cleaned.

Click on "Run Cleaner." It will ask you if you want to permanantly delete the files. Click "OK."

Now click on the "Registry" tab.

Click on "Scan for Issues."

You can backup changes to the registry if you wish but I usually don't.

Click to "Fix All Selected Issues." Let it work. When it is done click "Close."

You have just cleaned all temporary files as well as your registry! Now remember that all those passwords and login info that you have your PC save for you will be deleted with the temporary files so you will have to enter your login info next time you go to your favorite sites.

Next on the list is to defragment and optimize your hard drive(s).

Step 2 Download smart defrag from HERE.

After you install the program go ahead and run it. You should be greeted with a screen like this.

From the dropdown menu next to the "Defrag" button select "Defrag and Fast Optimize". Now this could take quite a while, up to a few hours so just minimize it and go about your day. You may notice your PC is slower while it is working, so I wouldn't plan on doing anything too intense for a while. When it is done you should notice a difference in how quick your applications open and load. Smart defrag also has an auto defrag feature that I like because it works anytime your computer is idle and keeps it cleaned up.

Step3  Physically Clean your PC!

Not many people ever even open their computer let alone clean it out. Dust is the number one killer of computers. For your computer to work at its best it needs plenty of fresh air to keep it cool. That is why your computer has fans, so get a can of compressed air and take the side of your computer off and have at it! If you are on a laptop just spray the compressed air in all the vents while the computer is running and you will see all the dust blow out. Just remember to spray the air in short bursts and DO NOT TIP the can up (spraying directly at your keypad) as the propellant will spray out and can harm electronics. I have circled a few common areas for dust to build up in your PC, so take a look and check any intake fans as well!

Core Temp

If you are interested you can download Coretemp to monitor your tempreatures, just download the installer and run it. Also a good way to see the difference if you run it before and after cleaning out your PC. I hope this helps some of you that did not already know how to do all this. I know I can not stand a sluggish computer and this will make a difference.

Me again, easy peasy right. Let me know what you think. We may keep this tutorial thing going!

Let's Talk: Kids and Technology

My generation I'm sure has heard a lot of jokes growing up about how we knew more about computers than our parents did. I'm sure some of us are still hearing the same old jokes, but now it's moved onto the next generation. My kids generation.

My mother came over today to play with the girls. We were having a great time playing with blocks and other games when I thought to show my mother pictures. Now I'm not sure how everyone else does it, but I'm sure a large portion of us mostly have their pictures on file instead of in albums. I edit the pictures and almost never print them. There doesn't really seem to be many reasons to print them these days.

The cycle is 1) Take way more pictures than necessary 2) Have way too many pictures to edit in a timely fashion 3) e-mail, Facebook, blog etc. When no. 3 comes, there are a few exceptions like my parents who do not do anything online. They have a computer mind you, but wouldn't know how to navigate Facebook if it meant their life.

Now, back on point. It came picture time at my house and I had to use the restroom. Between my mother and daughter who do you think I put in charge of showing pictures? My three year old daughter. She jumped up there and started navigating her way through pictures like nothing else mattered.

My mother almost in shock watched as I excused myself to the restroom. The shift has changed. It's not only my three year old out lapping my mother with technology know-how, but me. Between the many v-tech systems the girl has, navigating pictures on our desk top and even using my iPod she just about has me beat. It takes me longer to figure something out than her.

I was always picked on as a kid because I grew up in the calculator generation. Using it for tests instead of long hand. Using spell check and having the thesaurus at my fingertips made me lazy, but I do believe my kids technology will benefit them in the long run. The technology now teaches kids instead of doing it for them. Sure, the spell check and the calculator do still exist and are there to help them when they became of age, but v-tech teaches them to see things, think, understand, explore.

Here's a bit from CBS News' website:

(CBS) Teens aren't the only ones who need limits on media use. Pediatricians and researchers warn that parents need to set strict guidelines about how much time their younger children spend using televisions and computers — even if the programs are educational. And they say toddlers and screens shouldn't mix at all.

After a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics linked television watching by toddlers between 1 and 3 with subsequent attention problems including ADD, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that children under 3 should not spend any time at all in front a computer or television. For those 3 and up, they suggest no more than two hours of screen time per day for non-homework activities, even if it's educational.

I am all for technology, but in moderation just as a good piece of chocolate or sucker needs to be monitored and controlled in the amounts of intake. The occasional sucker is fun and puts a cute little smile on their face, but suckers all day will rot their teeth and leave them plump and tired just the same as too much technology will leave them lazy, mentally exhausted and plump from lack of exercise let alone missing out on what life has to offer.