Most people believe you need to reinstall Windows  operating system regularly to keep it running at top performance, but to what extend is this belief true?

To many users Windows slows down over time and many don't know how to prevent the problem. Your PC wont slow down if you just take care of your it a little more. A few simple procedures  you won't have to spend hours backing up data, installing from disc, and re-installing your essential applications.

So what's the problem?

The inevitable is going to happen some day and your Windows PC will slow down over time, but there can be many things that can be done to delay the process as much as possible. What really is affecting your PC is the fact that there are too many things that are clogging up the memory and waste CPU cycles. Having unnecessary low level programs/applications or running more than one antivirus at a time really slows down Windows.The last thing that would really slow down your PC is running out of space in the hard drive.

The main problem is not the PC its the PC user that is filling up the computer with many junk files. In other words, its the person who uses the PC who has not taken care of the Windows PC as best as possible.

What to do?

The first thing is to stop installing junk programs/applications to your PC. This is like you eating candy all day and feeling sick after it. This is the same effect junk applications have on a PC it makes it get sick and if it is sick it wont be able to perform as efficiently as before.  Junk applications come with DLL files that only clog up space on the hard drive. They add always-resident Windows services when they don't need to, bloat up your registry, and add useless icons to your system tray that waste even more memory and CPU cycles. A few junk application may be ok, but the more you add up on a PC the greater the effect and the more a PC will slow down.

 

What to look out for.

• install official system drivers- from the manufacturer website. Drivers have a huge impact on performance, and you want to have stable, updated drivers.
• Apps that function as an Explorer plug-in- they directly hook into the shell and any problem will make your entire PC slow or crash repeatedly.
• Registry cleaners- wont really speed up your PC in most cases. They, however, set themselves to run at startup in the system tray, wasting your memory and CPU cycles.
• Antivirus applications- you should never use more than one real-time antivirus application at a time. Most recommend Microsoft Security Essentials as a free, fast, antivirus tool.
• Look out for anything that says it will "Speed Up Your PC" or "Optimize Your RAM"  this will most likely slow your PC

Last step.

Try and keep your computer clean feeding it only healthy, useful applications. Clean up your computers temporary files, your download folder, and defrag your computer every now and then. Simple things like this can go a long way into the health of your PC.

 

      iPhone Dummy

          

There is a new buzz about the latest iPhone but there is an even bigger buzz about its dummy. This looks and feels like the the iPhone. The only quirk about this "iPhone dummy" is, it does not work.  The dummy is a nonfunctional version of the iPhone, but many people are finding it to be an awesome toy.  Over a million has been sold!  Buyers of the iPhone dummy use it to prank their friends, their parents, and even total strangers.  Try one out and see what you can do.  A little imagination goes a long way and if you are as creative as the makers of the iPhone dummy you might be able to come up with something even better.

Its almost Christmas and the time for shopping has come.  Stores are all promoting sales and bargain prices to attract more customers.  Last Friday was the famous Black Friday and people go in for the best prices. Some people are lining up, making camp, and waiting for the stores to open at the middle of the night.  I saw the lines on TV and was surprised by the number of people who actually go.  Here are some pictures i found of people waiting for this one day event:

 

    

In my opinion, its crazy.  I am a self-declared sleepy head, I love to sleep and no matter how good the deals are I doubt you will ever see me waiting in these massive lines.  What I would recommend many of you to do is to shop online, I find it to be  more convenient.  I don't have to worry about lines, parking, and best all I don't need to sacrifice my slumber.  Get a computer and go to the stores' website and look for the item and wholah! you can buy anything right then and there.  Best of all, since some websites are competing with stores they offer FREE shipping.  One more thing before I wrap this up, the best thing about the web is that one can Google an item and compare prices. This is what I am doing to avoid lines and still be able to buy my loved one and I our Christmas gifts ;)

Still looking for something entertaining to put in your iPod Touch or iPhone?  Here are some apps that I use.  Best of all these apps are FREE!  Simply access your App Store in iTunes, iPod Touch or iPhone and download.

1. Skype – Don’t have an iPhone? With Fring/Skype, Wi-Fi connection, and a headphone with a mic you can make VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) calls from your iPod Touch for Free!

2. Blocks Drop2 – If you like Tetris and is extremely good at it then you will like this app.  Block Drop2 is slightly different then the original Tetris since the block shapes are slightly modified and you will also see new shapes but it works the same. The app also has a score chart of your scores, score chart of other plays in your country and the whole world.

3. Textfree Lite - Feel like texting? This app lets you text to your buddies directly from your iPod Touch for free, one bad thing about this app is you are limited to 15 text per day.  But no worries if you like the app then you can buy it in the App Store for $6 and have unlimited texting to anyone in the US.

4. Wi-Fi Finder – This simple app helps you find Wi-Fi hotspots where ever you are.  It searches over 150,000 locations in 135 countries.

5. IM+ Lite – This app supports AIM, iChat, MSN, Yahoo!, Jabber, MySpaceIM, Google Talk and ICQ.   It lets you keep all your instant messages together.

6. Family Guy: Uncensored Free - If you like Family Guy then you will like this app.  Play as your favorite character, Stewie and try to pass levels without running into everyday objects.

7. Emoji Free - If you like to be decorative and add a personal touch with smilies and happy faces to your notes, messages, or comments then this is the must have app for you. Over hundreds of emoticons to put into your conversation to make it look more lively.

8. Facebook - For those of you who can’t wait to check on their Facebook here is app that lets you access you Facebook account from the palm of your hand.  See everything from the comments your friends left you to posting up comments to the new picture your friend uploaded.

9. Epic Fail - To those who likes to have some fun and look at the many crazy things folks are doing out there then take a look at this app.   Epic Fail shows funny pictures of everyday people and the many crazy things they do.  Great for a good laugh.

10. Craigsphone - Craiglist.org has finally put up an app that is reliable and easy to use.  Choose your location, the county you wish to search in, and the items you want to search for.  This app allows you to view the pictures and look at the item.  No need to double check on your computer anymore.