How to Shop For a Right Desktop Computer

People will either buy a new desktop computer to replace their manual work or their outdated desktop computer. With the advances of computers today, a desktop computer will become outdated very quickly. Fortunately, the prices to purchase a new desktop computer are becoming more inexpensive and the features are improving. However, there are so many brands and configurations to choose from, people will need to prepare themselves with researching before going for a new computer.

You can find plenty of information about a desktop computer on the web, because of the convenience of search engine websites. Besides going for the reasonable price, things like warranty, technical support, upgrades and the quality of each component of the desktop are also important. Components like keyboard, mouse, monitor, memory, cd and dvd drive, computer processor, number of extension slots, number of USB ports, graphic and sound systems are things that need to be considered.

A comfortable keyboard will make your work easier, especially if you work many hours a day in front of the computer. Keyboard connections can be PS/2 or USB connectors to the computers. Most people will prefer USB because it is easy to connect to the computers. Just plug it in and Windows will automatically configure the computer for it. Mouse is also important to navigate the pointer or cursor on the screen, clicking a button, option box, or checkbox. There are remote and wired mouse, ball rolling and optical mouse to choose from.

Selecting the right speed of the computer processor or CPU is critical for the performance of the computer besides memory. The CPU with 2.0 GHz, which stands for gigahertz or the measuring unit for speed, will be faster than the 1.0 Ghz CPU. The size of Random-Access Memory or RAM for temporary storage will also affect the speed of the computer, the more GB or gigabytes the faster. Hard Disk is another storage device that store data permanently until they are erased, the more gigabytes the more storage capacity. You can refer to the technical specifications of the desktop computer or ask the technical support personnel for advice.

The monitor is essential for the desktop computer to show the data and graphics on the screen for the computer. LCD Flat screen monitors have become the standard as the displaying unit for computers. Things to look at are resolution, contrast, refresh rate, response speed, and brightness, they are all important for user visual comfort and health. CD and DVD drives with the right speed will also affect the performance of the data access for the computer system. Again, you can always do the research on the web or asking the technical personnel.

Teeny is a writer for finance, computer, travel, cars, shopping and other subjects for many years, please visit http://www.fidetips.com/computer for more information.

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Strong Password Authentication Essential to Your Computer Security

1. Why Password?
Your computer and the websites you frequently visit contain a great deal of personal information about you. It is important, therefore to ensure that you do not allow your personal details to get into the wrong hands.
We do so much online these days: banking, shopping and social networking have become everyday activities. There are nasty people out there who want to steal from you. Not just your money, but your very identity. It is therefore very necessary to protect yourself by restricting access to your personal data. This is where passwords come in. They make sure that your personal details are only available to you.
2. Why a Strong Password?
We all like to keep things simple. Passwords can be a pain. So let us make it easy to remember and  not complicate matters. Why not use the same password for all our safe sites. It is too much hassle remembering all those different passwords, after all.
Passwords can be seen as the weakest link between your data and those who could most benefit from access to your personal details.  Once the password is cracked they are in. If you use the same password for different applications, your system is vulnerable, along with your online banking and credit card accounts.
Examples of weak passwords include your name, username, date of birth, names of your children, even your car registration number. Paul123 would not be a safeguard against my online bank account, for example. Hackers can use programs that try to guess your password by browsing through your files to search for personal information.
Criminals use a number of methods to identify passwords. Dictionary search trawls through online dictionaries to come up with a match to your password. Brute force attacks try every possible combination of keystrokes that can be used in connection with a user name. Phishing, official looking emails purportedly from banks, for example, seek to obtain passwords or PIN numbers from unsuspecting victims.  
3. What is a Strong Password?
Many websites demand passwords that exceed seven or eight digits, including letters and numbers. Security experts advise even longer passwords, 14 characters are considered sensible. Experts also suggest that you mix upper and lower case letters and utilise characters in lieu of some letters. The key is to use a password that is simple enough for you to remember but no one else, even your close family and friends would be able to identify.
4. Further assistance
Microsoft has a very good application that rates the strength or weakness of your chosen password.

Password checker can be found here: http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/checker.mspx

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Based in Brighton in the United Kingdom, Paul keeps up to date with developments in all aspects of business and has a passion for helping companies to succeed in their marketplace. Following a multi-faceted career in commerce, Paul devotes his energies to writing articles that drive potential customers to his clients' websites. Paul can write about any subject which he will thoroughly research before pen touches paper or finger hits keyboard.

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A Safe Way to Repair Registry Files - Proven Not to Destroy Your PC

A 100% safe way to repair registry files.

When it comes to finding a safe way to repair registry files you need the right information and knowledge in order to make an informed decision on which approach you should take.

There are essentially 3 options available to you when faced with a registry problem:

1. Manually fix your registry

2. Employ the services of a computer technician or specialist

3. Use specially designed software for a safe way to repair registry

The first option should never be attempted by anyone who does not possess an advanced level of experience or knowledge of registries.

One wrong move when manually fixing your registry can lead to severe computer problems. In some cases, it can lead to your computer failing to boot up ever again.

The second option, whilst being a much safer and easier solution than the first option, is expensive. Computer technicians and service specialists charge a sizable hourly fee.

When you consider that most registry problems can be solved in less than 2 minutes using a relatively inexpensive software package, this option appears to present a much less attractive solution than perhaps first thought.

These specially designed software packages are called 'registry cleaners'. They perform a thorough scan of your Windows registry, weeding out and removing any invalid or redundant entries.

There is much skepticism surrounding the effectiveness and the safety of these registry cleaners, with some people claiming that they have removed vital registry entries from their PC's, thus rendering certain software and applications useless.

So we decided to perform a test.

This test consisted of taking the 10 most popular registry cleaners available and judging each according to the predetermined criteria of repair skills, eases of use, and customer service. We also checked the safety features of each software package.

Overall, Perfect Optimizer came out on top, scoring a hugely impressive 4.5 out of 5 in the overall test.

Perfect Optimizer performs a thorough scan of your Windows registry with extreme precision, ensuring that only unneeded and/or invalid entries are discovered and removed. This is something that other registry cleaners lack.

It truly is the safe way to repair registry files.

In order to provide added safety protection for your computer, Perfect Optimizer also lists all of the invalid registry entries that it finds, allowing you to double-check whether or not they are linked to essential pieces of software installed on your computer, in the unlikely event that it wrongly recognizes these as invalid entries.

It also backs up your registry before performing each scan, ensuring that if anything goes wrong throughout the process, the registry can easily be restored to its original state.

With free registry error scans taking just 2 minutes to complete, it can make the problems on your computer that were once perceived to be rather severe seem rather easy to rectify.

For a safe way to repair registry files, perform a no obligation, FREE registry scan today by clicking the link below:

http://www.registry2aid.com/Free-Registry-Scan.html

You really do have nothing to lose.

Don't put up with computer problems. Eliminate them. Give your registry a scan today at http://www.registry2aid.com

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Improving Your Computer's Performance

First things first-Housekeeping

PC's occasionally need both hardware and software cleaning. This includes removing unused programs, clearing accumulated data, and physically cleaning the interior (inside the tower) and exterior (outside the tower) components.

Removing unused programs is a fairly straightforward process all that really needs to be done is to navigate to the control panel and select add or remove programs. Select programs that you do not wish to keep and then select remove. You will be guided through the process by the uninstall wizard.

Clearing data is a bit more complex especially if you have a lot of data that needs to be removed. I would suggest starting by going through each and every folder on your system to determine what needs to go. Each time you select a document that is destined for deletion right click the document and select delete. This will remove that item to the recycle bin. Once you have completed task of removing old documents and files go to the recycle bin on your desktop and empty it, Also empty temporary files and internet data.

Physically cleaning your system is also an important practice. To begin obtain a dry or slightly damp cloth and a can of compressed air if possible. Start with the exterior components like the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and the outside of the tower use the cloth to wipe down these items.

Moving on to the interior of your computer start by opening the outer casing this process differs for each machine so you may have to struggle with it for a bit to figure out the proper opening method. Once inside take your can of compressed air and blow out any debris and dust that has accumulated inside the casing.

Next-UPDATING

-Keep your antivirus anti spyware up to date. The easiest way to accomplish this is by setting up regular updating.

-Keep your operating system up to date, this to can be accomplished through automatic updating.

Another important practice- RUNNING DISK DEFRAGMENT AND ERROR CHECKING UTILITY

The disk defragment utility available in windows helps to organize data more effectively thus freeing up disk space. This program can be found by going to start, all programs, accessories, system tools and then disk defragment.

Another important tool Window's has available is the Error checking utility that can detect and repair many disk errors. To run this utility go to start, my computer and right click your hard disk and select properties. Select the tools tab in the properties window and then select check now. In the box that opens next make sure to check the scan for and attempt recovery for bad sectors option.

Finally- ADD RAM

When all else has failed to speed up system performance it may be time to add more RAM to your system. RAM or Random Access Memory are modules found inside your computer case that are used to temporarily hold data while your computer is on. If you do not have enough RAM installed in your system (which is very common) system performance will be slow and freezing may occur. To alleviate such symptoms you can add more of this memory to your system. For a complete guide on how to do add RAM refer to the link below.

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