Increase Computer Speed (Clean Up uC)

Is your PC running slow?
Keeping PC free of clutter can help in performance and can also increase valuable disk space.
Here are a few simple Steps for maintaining the performance of PC.

Run the Windows Live OneCare clean up scan

The clean up scanner itself checks hard disk for any unnecessary files and gives the option to delete them. Run the clean up scan in performing a disk cleanup—or run the complete full service scan to check for other PC issues as well.

Clear Internet browser cache

The clean up scanner handles most frequent types of temporary files, but Internet browser automatically caches, or stores, another type of temporary file while surfing the Internet. Browsers like Internet Explorer save copies of the Web pages visited in order to load these pages faster while visiting those sites next time. Outside of speeding up browsing, still, browser does not require this cache of temporary files in order to operate properly. Since most of the Web sites have large graphics, clearing out browser's cache can save important hard disk space.
To clear cache in internet explorer
1.      Click the Tools menu, and then click Internet Options.
2.      Select the General tab, and then click Delete Files in the Temporary Internet files section.
3.      In the Delete Files dialog box that appears, select Delete all offline content, and then click OK.
If it's the first time clearing the cache, or it's been a long while dumped the cache and the file accumulation is large, deleting these files might take several minutes. When the cache is cleared, click OK to close the Internet Options dialog box.

Remove unused programs

Just because of using a program doesn't mean it isn't consuming resources and affecting PC's performance. Removing unused programs from hard disk is an easy way to maintain system and maximize available hard disk space.
To remove the unwanted programs
1.      Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2.      In this View, click Add or Remove Programs, then click Remove a program.
3.      Scroll through the list and look at each program. Windows XP lists how often the program is used and what day it was last started.

4.      Click the unwanted programs, and click Change/Remove, and then follow the prompts to uninstall it.
Then restart the computer after removing a program. After the computer is restarted, repeat this process to remove more programs.

Remove the optional Windows components

Remove optional Windows components from PC to free up space. Many components come normal with Windows, but may not use them frequently. Reinstall these components from Windows CD if it’s not needed later on.
In order to add or remove a Windows component:
1.      Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2.      In this View, click Add or Remove Programs, then click Add a program.
3.      On the left hand side of the menu, click Add/Remove Windows Components.
4.      Follow the commands in the Windows Components Wizard.

Modify System Restore data
Windows XP provides the option to restore PC to a previous state by manually saving restore information. System Restore continuously monitors PC for changes, like file changes, application changes, or installations. System Restore takes a "snapshot" of PC at a given point of time and then stores each of these snapshots so that it can turn back any changes to a period before experiencing any problems.
These snapshots of whole system take up memory space. Delete older snapshots which are not required in order to clean up hard disk.

To delete System Restore snapshots except for the latest one:
1.      Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and click Disk Cleanup.
2.      Wait till the Disk Cleanup calculates free disk space.
3.      Click the More Options tab, in the System Restore area, and then click Clean up.
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Firewall configuration help for additional network security

A firewall helps to keep your computer more secure with additional security mechanism. A firewall restricts information that comes to your computer from other computers and gives you control over the data on your computer.

Additionally, a firewall provides defense against hackers or inappropriate programs, including viruses and worms that try to connect to your computer without any invitation.

Firewall act as a barrier that checks all information, also known as traffic, which comes from the Internet or from a different network. The Firewall is a medium between your network and out side world (Internet). The firewall either turns traffic away or let it pass through to your computer, depending on your firewall settings.

In Microsoft XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), you may turn off or turn on the WindowsFirewall. By default, Windows Firewall is always turned on for all the network interfaces. This is the configuration which provides network protection on new Windows XP installations and upgrades. This default configuration also helps you to protect your computer from the new network connections as and when they add to the system.

Although Windows Firewall is always turned on by default, but some computer manufacturers and the network administrators may turn the firewall off. You may not have to use Windows Firewall. You may install and run any of the firewall that you want. Firewall can be of software level or hardware level. Network admins favorite is hardware firewall as it provides more security. One can choose firewall according to the requirement. If you decide to install and run any other firewall, turn off the Windows Firewall.

How to configure Windows Firewall settings
Statutory Warning This workaround can make your computer or your network more vulnerable to attack by malicious users or by malicious software such as viruses. We do not recommend this but are providing this information to you so that you can implement it at your own discretion. You can use this workaround at your own risk.

To examine and configure your firewall settings, you can follow these steps:

1.) First Click on Start, then click on Run, and type wscui.cpl & then click OK.

2.) In Windows Security Center, click on Windows Firewall.

Windows Firewall will include the following tabs:
● General
● Exceptions
● Advanced

The General tab will have the following settings:
● On (recommended)
● Don't allow exceptions
● Off (not recommended)

When you click on don’t allow exceptions, Windows Firewall will block all requests to connect to your computer, including requests from all programs or services that are listed on the Exceptions tab. The firewall will also block discovery of network devices, file sharing, and printer sharing.

They don’t allow exceptions option is helpful when you have to connect to a public network, such as one that is linked with an airport or with a hotel. This setting will help to protect your computer by blocking all the attempts to connect to your computer.

When you are using Windows Firewall with no exceptions, you can still view the Web pages, send and receive your e-mail, or use an instant messaging program.

The Exceptions tab allows you to add program and port exceptions to permit certain types of inbound traffic. You can also set a scope for every exception.

For home and small office networks, we will recommend that you can set the scope to the local network only, if it is feasible. This configuration enables all computers on the same subnet to connect to program, but drops all the traffic that originates from a remote network.

The Advanced tab let you configure the following:
● Connection-specific rules apply for each network interface.
● The Security Logging configuration.
● Global Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) rules which apply to ICMP traffic. (This traffic is used for the error and status information transmission.)
● Default settings. 

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Common Windows Shortcuts

Description	Press this key
Display or hide the Start menu	WIN
Lock the computer	WIN+L
Display the System Properties dialog box	WIN+BREAK
Show the desktop	WIN+D
Open Computer folder	WIN+E
Search for file or folder	WIN+F
Search for computers	CTRL+WIN +F
Display Windows Help	WIN+F1
Minimize all the windows	WIN+M
Restore all minimized windows	WIN+SHIFT+M
Open the Run dialog box	WIN+R
Show Flip 3D	WIN+TAB
Open Ease of Access Center	WIN+U
Open Windows Mobility Center	WIN+X

Get Rid of Duplicate Images on your Computer

You can have duplicate images on your computer for mostly three reasons:
#1. You transferred a set of pictures from the digital camera to your computer but did not erase them from the camera. Thus when you re-connected the camera, they got copied again to your hard drive but in a different location.
#2. You made some minor edits to a picture – let’s say you cropped it or fixed the rotation – and your image editing program saved the edited image as well as the original picture.
#3. You may also have images on your computer that are “loose duplicates” of each other.  That means the images are mostly identical except for very minor variations – often happens when you capture multiple frames in quick succession.
1. Deleting Duplicate Images
If you are only looking to find and remove images that are “exact” duplicates of each other, Google’s Picasa desktop software could be a good solution. Just import all your picture folders into Picasa and then choose Tools –> Experimental –> Show Duplicate Files to see a list of potential duplicates.

While removing duplicate images with Picasa, please remember that the software will list all copies that are found of an image including the original one. You therefore need to keep one of these copies and delete the rest as demonstrated in the above screencast.
Alternatively, create a separate folder that’s not included in Picasa and move all the potential duplicate photographs to that folder instead of deleting them.
Related reading: How to Backup your Photos
Now Picasa is a good solution for deleting identical duplicates but your disk may also be storing have pictures that look similar visually but may differ as far as pixels or bytes are considered. Such files won’t be recognized by Picasa as duplicates but VisiPic, a tiny utility for Windows, can come really handy here.
2. Deleting Similar Images
To get started, launch the program and click File –> Add Folder to add folder(s) that you want to scan for duplicates. Then slide the Filter to somewhere between “Strict” and “Basic” so that program may group images that are similar or only slightly different. Hit play to begin scanning for duplicates.

To eliminate the duplicates, just move your mouse over the thumbnails and left-click the pictures you want to delete. They’ll be marked with a recycle bin icon and you may then either choose “Delete” or even “Move” to transfer them to a separate folder.
The tool is also smart enough to auto-select images for deletion that either have lower resolution or lower file-size than the original image.

Online Account Security Enhancements.

A Security Checklist for Online Accounts

#1. I have enabled the “Always use HTTPS” setting for Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Google and all the other online services that support secure HTTP. This is especially important when accessing Internet over a Wi-Fi network because without HTTPS, anyone (and not just skilled hackers) can capture your login details using Firesheep, a simple Firefox extension.
#2. I have a few Google Accounts and they all use 2-step verification now. That means if someone tries to log into my Google account from a different computer, they’ll have to type an additional code that is sent directly to my mobile phone as an SMS text message or over a voice call.
#3. The 2-step verification can also alert you to potential hacking activity. If I ever get an SMS (or a voice call) from Google with the verification code but without requesting one, it is an immediate hint that someone knows my password though they won’t be able to get in without entering the verification code.
#4. I have connected my mobile number with my Facebook account. This is extremely important because I get an instant SMS and an email alert whenever my Facebook account is accessed from a different computer or another mobile phone.
#5. I carefully reviewed third-party sites that have access to my online accounts and revoked access to all the unwanted apps that I no longer use. In case you wish to do the same for your accounts, here are the direct links for Facebook, Google and Twitter.
#6. I maintain two email addresses – one is public that is displayed on the blog while the other email address is known to a select few. Why?
6a. The public email address is associated with services like Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn, Flickr, Tumblr, Posterous, Skype and a couple of other social sites where I want people to find me if they have my email address in their address book.
6b. I use the other “secret” email address with services like Dropbox, Amazon, Google Apps, my bank, my hosting service, Apple iTunes, PayPal and few other places where account security is even more critical and where I am not looking to get social.
#7. If I am testing a new online service, I almost always use a disposable email address to create a test account with that service. Some online services reject disposable addresses to prevent fake registrations but the one I use goes through as it is only an alias (or nickname) of my main email address.
#8. I prefer using a virtual credit card with shopping sites that I am either using for the first time or where the fine print is too long and there’s a risk that I could be billed again if I don’t cancel the account. This also helps keep my credit card safe from relatively unknown sites.
#9. Once in a while, I do mock drill with my most important online accounts to test the various recovery options I would have in case I forget my password or if I lose access to my secondary email address or misplace my mobile phone.
#10. The last point - how do I remember and manage so many different passwords?
Some people prefer to use password managers which are very convenient but at this time, all I use is a simple 1-page document (see sample) to store information of all my online accounts and the corresponding passwords. This file is password-protected and I put it on Dropbox so the information is available on all my computers.
This may surprise some but I also have a hard copy of this file that family members can refer to in case I am travelling and they need urgent access to any of my online accounts. Also, since they would need my mobile phone to access my Gmail or Google account, I have included backup verification codes in the printed document itself – thus the Google account can be used without requiring the phone.
One more thing. If you have two email accounts, never ever set one emails as the secondary (or recovery) email address of the other. That’s because if one of your email accounts gets compromised, the hacker can easily take over the other account as well.

Access your computer files from anywhere.

Scenerio: You have documents, photos, music and other important files on the home computer. How can you “remotely access” these files from your office computer or, when you are travelling, from your mobile phone?
Solution: The simplest solution would be that you copy all your data from the home computer on to a portable hard drive and carry it around but this is obviously a bit cumbersome approach as it requires you to manually sync the home computer and your portable disk.

Access Files on your Computer over the Internet

There are couple of ways by which you can retrieve files stored on your home computer from anywhere else using a regular Internet connection.

Option 1: Using Online Backup
You can use an online backup service like SugarSync, Carbonite, SkyDrive or even Dropbox – they provide desktop utilities that will automatically upload files on your home computer to the Internet and you can then access these files through the web browser of any other Internet connected computer.
The upside is that your files will always be available to you even if the home computer is not running. SugarSync and Carbonite have a mobile optimized website so you can access files from any mobile phone as well.

Option 2: Using Desktop Sharing Software
There are free desktop sharing software like TeamViewer and UltraVNC that also let you remotely access your computer files from anywhere else. LogMeIn Pro and CrossLoop Home are some other good options for transferring files from a remote computer but these are paid services.
If all your computers are running Windows, you can use the built-in remote desktop connection feature of Windows (available in XP and later) to access your home computer from another Window computer over the Internet.
With Desktop Sharing software, you’ll always have access to all your files but one big limitation is that it requires that the remote computer stays on. Also, none of these options will help you access files on a mobile phone except LogMeIn which has an iPhone app.

Option 3: Access Files Directly through the Browser
Online backup services, discussed above, will copy files to their own servers before you can access them for anywhere else. Screen sharing services are often slow and they won’t work on most mobile devices. Let’s now explore another set of services that allow you download files directly from the home computer.
Copernic, like Google Desktop, is a popular desktop search software that you may use to find emails, documents and other files on your Windows computer. They have a paid component called myCopernic on the Go that lets you remotely search for content stored on the home or office computer. You can preview the search results and then download them to your mobile phone or remote PC.
With Opera Unite, you can easily turn your computer into a web server and instantly access files and folders on that computer from any other web browser (including that of mobile phones). Opera Unite is a standard web server and therefore you’ll be downloading files directly from the computer – they’re not uploaded anywhere else.
Another option is GBridge that lets you setup a virtual private network using your existing Google Account. Companies use VPNs to let employees access corporate data over a public network (Internet) and with GBridge, even home users can build their own VPNs to access remote files more securely.
Windows Live Sync at sync.live.com is another great choice for remotely accessing files over the Internet. Just install the Live Sync client on your computer and you can then access the entire hard drive of that computer simply through the Windows Live Sync website.
Live Sync is available for both Mac and Windows. The new version of Live Sync is even better and it has integrated online storage (Live Mesh) so you’ll be able to access your important file even if the remote computer is off.
Finally, you may also want to check out HomePipe – this is an extremely easy and free service that lets you access your home files and media from any other computer or mobile phone. Install the HomePipe Agent and all files on that computer will instantly become available through the web. They also have apps for iPhone and Android phones.

Sharing Large files Over Internet.

A: Share Large Files over Email

The Gmail service cannot handle email attachments that are larger than 25 MB but the recently-revamped Hotmail service is a much better alternative as it lets you send email messages as large as 10 GB.
The maximum size of an individual file that you can attach to an Hotmail message is only 50 MB but you can use a file-splitting utility like HJ-Split to break a big file into smaller chunks and then attach them all to a single message. The recipient can then join these chunks to restore the original file and he can do without requiring external programs.

B: Share Large Files without Email

The downside with email attachments is obvious - most ISPs and web-based email programs (including Gmail) will reject incoming messages that have big attachments and therefore, if you are sending a bulky file via email, the recipients also have to be on Hotmail as well in order to receive that file.
One of the best options for sharing large files without email is Dropbox. Once you install the the Dropbox utility on your (Windows, Mac or Linux) desktop, you can upload files of virtually any size to the Internet - it’s only limited by the size of your Dropbox storage which is 2GB in the case of free accounts. Alternatively, if you don’t want to install Dropbox, you can upload files straight to the Dropbox website from your browser but the limit in this case is 300 MB per file.
You can even consider using Google Docs to share those big files over the Internet. Google Docs lets you upload files up to 250 MB in size and they can be in any format. You have 1 GB of free storage space for storing all the non-Office files on Google Docs but you can also buy more space for a reasonable fee.
Unlike FTP servers, services like Google Docs and Dropbox don’t support resumable downloads. That means if the connection breaks while the recipient is still trying to download your “huge” file, he or she will have to resume the download from scratch. That can be a deal-breaker for lot of people.
SkyDrive, part of the Windows Live family, can solve this problem in a way.
The service offers 25 GB of free online storage, with individual files limited to 50 MB. To upload a large file, split it into chunks of 50 MB each and then upload them all to a single folder on SkyDrive. The recipient can download the entire folder as a ZIP or, if he’s on a flaky connection, he can download files one by one and then join them all at his end.

C. Share Files without Registration

Finally, if you are looking for something quick and simple that doesn’t even require registration, talk to YouSendIt or WeTransfer (if the file size is really big). Just upload the files via the browser, enter the email address of the recipient and hit send. WeTransfer lets you send files up to 2 GB in size while the maximum allowed limit is 100 MB in the case of YouSendIt (free version).

Chart: Comparison of file sharing services