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.
Our expertss are available round the clock, 24x7 at your service; you can give us a call on our toll free number 1 855 883 3366 or you can visit our website @ http://www.leniotech.com

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. 

About Author

Share your headaches with an expert who can fix all the issues related to computers, Printers, Scanners, HP, Dell, IBM, Lenovo, Acer, Toshiba, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, MacBooks, Email Setup, Microsoft Outlook, Windows Live mail setup, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Thunderbird, and File management etc.

Get 24x7 online computer repair, online technical support services from LenioTech experts.

If you need more help in configuring the firewall for home and small networks or for windows 2003, vista and windows 7 you can contact the technical experts of LenioTech on 1 855 883 3366 or visit the website: http://www.leniotech.com

Diagnose Boot Problems In Windows XP Using MSCONFIG

The System Configuration Utility is easy to use and will help you troubleshoot a wide variety of Windows XP boot problems. The ease with which you can temporarily modify the boot files, system services, and startup files makes MSCONFIG an extremely useful troubleshooting utility. The best troubleshooting features I have found are the boot options located within the BOOT.INI tab. Remember to use caution when manipulating boot option parameters and always write down any changes you make in case you get stuck.

Launching MSCONFIG

To use MSCONFIG, click the Start button and select Run. In the Open box, type MSCONFIG and click OK. The utility will open, as illustrated in Figure A.

Figure A

You must be logged on to the computer using an Administrator account before you can run MSCONFIG.

The MSCONFIG window contains six tabs: General, SYSTEM.INI, WIN.INI, BOOT.INI, Services, and Startup. We’ll take a closer look at each of these tabs in the following sections.

The General tab

The MSCONFIG General tab gives you some basic options for starting a computer. As shown in Figure A, the default setting for the utility is Normal Startup. The other two options for starting the computer are Diagnostic Startup and Selective Startup.

Diagnostic Startup allows you to start the computer with only the most basic devices and services that are needed for the computer to run. This startup gives you a clean environment for troubleshooting.
Selective Startup provides a variety of startup options that you can use for troubleshooting. By default, all the options under Selective Startup are chosen. However, deselecting one of these preselected options allows you to prevent one or more of the Selective Startup options from running.
For instance, if you think one of the programs that launch on startup is causing a problem, you can deselect the Load Startup Items option to prevent any startup program from launching. While this won’t help you determine which program is causing the problem, it will help you isolate the problem to a certain area. Please note that you’re unable to select the Use Modified BOOT.INI file unless you make a change on the BOOT.INI tab, which I’ll discuss later.
Finally, the Launch System Restore button provides easy access to the System Restore function, and the Expand File button is a very useful feature if you encounter a corrupted file and want to restore it.

The SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI tabs

The SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI tabs are included for legacy compatibility, and you may not need to use them very often. These tabs give you the ability to modify the SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI files or prevent lines of code from executing when the computer is started.

In Figure B, each line of the SYSTEM.INI file is displayed in the window. Sections of the file, such as drivers, are expandable to allow you to work with the lines of code in those sections. You can also deselect a section to prevent the entire section from being executed.

Figure B

Deselect a section to prevent the entire section from being executed.

The Move Up and Move Down buttons allow you to move lines or sections to other locations in the file. The Find button is used to search the file; the New button lets you add new lines; and Edit lets you change the value of a line. The Enable All and Disable All buttons at the bottom of the window will select or deselect all the lines of the program. Using these buttons to alter these files is much easier and safer than using a text editor to perform the same tasks.

As you can see in Figure C, the WIN.INI tab provides the same functionality as the SYSTEM.INI tab.

Figure C

Same as before, select and deselect.

Boot options using the BOOT.INI tab

The BOOT.INI tab, shown in Figure D, gives you many options for starting the computer. The top portion of the window contains the BOOT.INI file that the computer is currently using. You cannot edit this file using MSCONFIG. You can change the timeout value for the boot menu. Even if you can’t edit the file, it is easy to view the file when you use MSCONFIG.

Figure D

Microsoft recommends that you don’t attempt to use MSCONFIG to edit BOOT.INI unless you’re directed to do so by a Microsoft Certified professional.

Three of the four buttons provided in this window are for editing purposes and are grayed out by default. The Check All Boot Paths button is used to verify that the boot paths in the BOOT.INI file are correct. When you click this button, you’ll receive either an error message you can use for troubleshooting or a window alerting you that the boot paths have been verified.

Boot option pane

The most valuable functions on the BOOT.INI tab are the boot options, which are explained below. You can use these choices for a variety of troubleshooting techniques:

• /SAFEBOOT gives you suboptions for starting the computer.
  • /SAFEBOOT with MINIMAL starts the computer in Safe Mode.
  • /SAFEBOOT with NETWORK starts the computer in Safe Mode with networking support.
    Note: /SAFEBOOT with NETWORK does not load the normal network configuration; instead, it loads a generic TCP/IP network configuration.
  • /SAFEBOOT with DSREPAIR is used to repair Directory Services on Domain Controllers.
  • /SAFEBOOT with MINIMAL (ALTERNATESHELL) starts the computer in Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
• /NOGUIBOOT starts the computer without the VGA video driver that displays graphics during the boot process and Blue Screen crash information.
• /BOOTLOG enables boot logging to help you debug and troubleshoot startup problems.
• /BASEVIDEO starts the computer using a standard VGA video driver, as opposed to the one installed for the graphics card.
• /SOS causes the driver names to be displayed when they’re loaded. You can use this switch to diagnose driver-related issues.

The BOOT.INI Advanced Options screen, shown in Figure E, offers you more options for starting your computer:

• /MAXMEM limits the amount of memory that Windows XP can use. You can use this switch if you believe that your system has a bad memory chip.
• /NUMPROC limits the number of processors used in a multiprocessor system.
• /PCILOCK stops Windows XP from dynamically assigning system resources to PCI devices. The devices will use the BIOS configuration instead.
• /DEBUG starts the computer in debugging mode. It allows you to configure the machine with three additional suboptions, as follows:
  • /DEBUG with /DEBUGPORT specifies the communications port to be used for debugging.
  • /DEBUG with /BAUDRATE specifies the baud rate to be used for debugging. The default baud rate is 9600 with a modem and 19200 with a null-modem cable.
  • /DEBUG with /CHANNEL specifies the 1394 communications channel for debugging.

Figure E

These are the advanced options.

Working with the Services tab

The MSCONFIG Services tab, shown in Figure F, allows you to prevent specific services from starting when the computer is started. This is extremely useful when you’re troubleshooting service-related problems.

Figure F

Microsoft has designed the majority of services in Windows XP. To make it easier to find a non-Microsoft service, you can select the Hide All Microsoft Services option.

Troubleshooting using the Startup tab

The Startup tab lets you prevent items in your startup folder from starting when you log in. As you can see in Figure G, you can simply deselect the service to prevent it from starting. If you want to disable all the services, click the Disable All button. To enable all the services again, click the Enable All button.

Figure G

Media Contact:-
Susheel Dhatwalia
info@leniotech.com or visit us at http://www.leniotech.com/