Don’t you just love the look and the smell of a brand new PC? My eyes and my heart always jump whenever I bring home a box that has an Acer, Lenovo, HP, or Asus mark on it.

The first thing that I usually do after pulling a brand new PC out of its cardboard shell is to run a diagnostic program to check if the specs indicated in the manual are true. Most computers are already pre-loaded with the basic stuff, the first and foremost of which is the operating system. If your unit’s hard drive is completely bare, then you have to install a fresh copy of your preferred OS first before you could run a diagnostic software.

Check Hardware Components

Many do not verify the accuracy of their units’ specs as claimed by the dealer, though, either because they treat the information indicated in the box as already gospel truths, or because they don’t have the necessary tools or software to do so. While it rarely happens that a unit which bears an “Intel Inside” logo to actually have an AMD chip for a brain, it’s still important to check if everything is as they should be.

Verification is all the more important when you buy a clone or ask the seller to modify some of the peripherals originally included in the package. It’s not unusual for buyers to ask the seller to make some changes in the package as they may not like the bundled peripherals or software in the unit. Components sometimes get mixed up during the assembly or modification phase. It’s imperative, then, that you ascertain if they threw in everything that you bought or ordered.

Verify Software

Hardware shouldn’t only be your concern when it comes to ascertaining if the specifications are indeed correct. As I’ve already intimated above, computers are usually bundled with software already. You should therefore check if all the promised programs are indeed installed. If the programs didn’t come for free and you paid for them, then it’s all the more reason for you to ascertain if they’ve indeed been installed and if they’re really the programs that you bought. Check the version and the license number and see if they match the ones indicated in the box or installation disk.

Download Updates

After you’ve already verified that every promised or indicated component and program is included in the unit, the next thing that you should do is to update them. Components need to be updated through their drivers. Months may have already passed since your PC came out from the assembly line. It’s possible, then, that the drivers that came with it are already outdated.

Programs need to be updated, too, especially operating systems. Microsoft issues updates or patches frequently, so it’s highly probable that the OS installed in your PC needs some patching up. Your PC may run without the needed hardware and software updates, but they’re vulnerable to crashes and attacks. You should therefore make sure that every component and program is updated before you start performing tasks.

One of the things that I like about most in a desktop computer is that I could easily upgrade it into a slicker and faster machine. The improvements could range from the mundane to the imaginative. Simple upgrades usually just mean an additional hard drive or the replacement of a rickety cooling fan with one that practically brews a hurricane inside the casing. Real upgrades, though, involve much more than adding weight and heft to the CPU.

An upgrade that really matters involves “transplants.” Changing the processor is a major procedure that comes under the category. Replacing the motherboard is also considered a major operation. Of the two, the latter is usually the one which allows you to effect real change or upgrade into your system. Every peripheral is connected to the motherboard. This means that every attempt to introduce improvements to a PC would depend if the main board allows it or could handle the same.

Having or choosing the best board, then, should be a paramount concern whenever you’re buying or upgrading a computer. Here are some of the things that you should consider when shopping for a new motherboard:

1. Processor

Different types of processors have different board requirements. If you’re using an Intel chip, then you certainly won’t be able to plug in an AMD processor to the motherboard that you currently have. There are also times when chips manufactured by the same company need different types of wafers. So before you go to the cash register with the first board that tickled your eyes, ask if it can host the processor that you currently have or plan to have.

2. Expansion Slots

If you’re the type that introduces peripherals to your PC on a monthly basis, then you should definitely choose a board that could accommodate your expansion whims. Make sure that the motherboard you choose is generous with slots and connectors. Entry-level boards often tempt you to ditch your expansion plans by integrating video, LAN, and other cards into the board. If you’re budget-conscious, then these all-in-one boards should already satisfy your needs. But if you want a comfortable elbow room, then choose the more expensive ones which could give you the discretion as to the type of cards and peripherals that you may want to use.

3. Winding the Clock

If you’re going to use your PC for some serious RPG action, then you should choose a motherboard that could stand the heat. Most PC games nowadays demand a lot of processing power. While you may have a spanking new processor, your board’s old and narrow data avenues might create bottlenecks that could put to waste whatever extra energy that your chip has.

Gamers usually resort to overclocking in order to prep up their motherboards. While this may give your system an added boost, it may also put your machine at risk from being fried from the heat that the extra speed would create. You should therefore make sure that your main board supports bus speed and CPU voltage adjustments.

Choosing a motherboard is not a simple task that you could take for granted. Your PC’s performance would greatly depend on the type of board that it’s running on. Consider all your present and future needs before you decide which board to use.

Do you watch movies or play online games on your netbook? I bet you don’t. Unless you’re content with circa 1980 games like Pacman or Donkey Kong, you can’t expect anything exciting from your diminutive machine.

The netbook’s limitation is largely due to its size. The hard drive alone already occupies about 30% of the device. The rest is taken up by the motherboard to which the processor and the graphics engine are already embedded. There’s clearly no space left for any peripheral which could help the main chip to pump more blood into the system.

Soldered Organs

A solution that many would want to consider is to replace the innards of their netbook. This would seem logical. Indeed, if you can’t add new parts into your machine, then just replace the existing ones. This is easy when you’re replacing peripherals in desktops. However, doing the same in netbooks is something that even brain surgeons would probably shy away from.

The main components of the mini PC are soldered in the motherboard, such as the processor. This means that you cannot replace the chip without cutting it off from the board. Obviously, any upgrade involving the processor alone is impossible. If you really want to replace the engine, you would have to throw out the whole chassis along with it. This would already be impractical considering the costs. You’re probably better off buying a new netbook altogether.

Brain Power

This doesn’t mean, though, that you can’t enlarge the biceps of your machine. One upgrade that you could definitely do is increase the RAM size of your mini PC. This would definitely take away a few pounds of burden from your processor and hard drive as applications can be loaded and ran in the memory.

While adding a few gigabytes of RAM into your machine may be simple, the consequent licensing issues may somewhat be complicated. As you may have noticed, most netbooks run on Windows XP. This OEM version has a limitation – it cannot be installed on PCs that have more than 1GB of RAM in it. You would therefore virtually forfeit your OS, or the legal use thereof, if you decide to inject more memory into your computer.

The policy does seem to be absurd, but analysts think that Microsoft introduced this restriction so that users would be forced to use Vista instead of XP in more powerful machines. Unless you’re willing to use an OS with a defective license, you should consider other methods of upgrade. Better yet, just consider using a different operating system which does not have RAM restrictions.

Trim Down Features

If you can’t add a few pounds to your netbook, then try putting the programs that it’s carrying on a diet. There might be some features in Windows XP that you can live without. Disabling them would mean freeing more resources for more important tasks.

One resource hog that you don’t probably need or even want is XP’s visual effects. To disable this, go to Control Panel and double click on System. Select the Advance tab then click on the Settings button in the Performance section. Revise the settings to Adjust for Best Performance.

Injecting steroids into your netbook may be difficult. However, a few simple tweaks in your OS or system’s settings may already give your netbook that extra boost it needs to perform tasks snappily.

Don’t you think it’s kind of funny that there are people who complain that the Internet has become too commercialized? While e-commerce has indeed flourished these past few years, free online services also multiplied like rabbits. There are many things in cyberspace that do not have a dollar sign for a tattoo. It would thus seem that charity is a rule or a virtue that’s etched in stone in cyberspace.

The email is probably the best proof that the best things in life are indeed free. Try asking for somebody’s email and he’ll very likely give you one that has a @yahoo.com, @gmail.com, or @hotmail.com extension. These three email service providers send and receive millions of emails everyday without poking their subscribers for money.

Free Hard Drives

Providing free Internet services, such as email accounts and social networking pages, is no joke. You’re terribly mistaken if you think that these services are given for free because they practically cost nothing for its creator. Take for example your social networking page. Your Facebook account probably contains almost a hundred applications and thousands of pictures. In a year’s time, the amount of data that you’ve stuffed into your page would probably reach almost a gigabyte already. Where do you think those files are stored? Subscribing to Facebook’s free services, then, is like availing of a free 1GB hard drive that you could access anytime and anywhere.

Is There a Catch?

Of course there’s a catch. Unless the people behind these online services have been inspired by Mother Teresa, they’ve probably figured out how to cash in on their charity work long before they offered their first free mailbox to the public.

Their primary source of income comes from ads. In case you haven’t noticed, advertisements of all sorts litter your screen whenever you open your email or access the host of your Web site. Ads bring in millions to Web service providers, enabling them to offer every netizen with a virtual real estate in cyberspace without executing a deed of sale.

Want More? Pay Up First

Free Web services often limit you to the basics. For many, though, the free stuff already provides for everything that they need. However, for those who already see or treat their email and social networking sites as life support devices, their need or addiction might probably force them to shell out a few bucks. Extra features and services are available, but they come at a cost. Additional mailbox space doesn’t come for free, and so do those extra weapons that you want for the online role-playing game that you’ve already become addicted to.

Don’t expect everything on the Internet to cost nothing. As with most things that are free, they are either limited or have strings attached to them that lead to your wallet.

Free OS anyone?

While analysts have been putting question marks all over the Chrome Operating System, Google has recently made them add exclamation points by announcing that it will be offering the program or free.

The Google operating system will debut sometime during the second half of 2010. It will initially breathe life to low-cost netbooks which cater to people looking for a machine that could primarily be used for surfing the Net. The move to focus on the netbook market is hailed by many as a brilliant strategy as the ultra-portable segment of the PC industry is fast outpacing laptops and desktops.

Threatened?

Many expect Microsoft to react by slashing prices of XP, Vista, and its upcoming OS. However, some analysts say that such a reaction might not be needed as PC users are expected to be more critical of Chrome than Windows 7. Even the most rabid Microsoft critic would concede that Google’s experience and reputation as an OS maker is nowhere near that of Redmond’s. And if mistake makes one better at his craft, then Google has a long, long way to go in matching Bill Gates’ expertise.

Even if Microsoft would bite on Google’s price war dare, the former isn’t expected to suffer heavy losses in projected Windows 7 revenues. It should be noted that Windows XP is Redmond’s flag OS in this segment of the PC market. Gates’ has long cashed in on this program of his, and any profit coming from XP is already considered as “surplus.” Hence, Gates isn’t expected to feel the pinch even if he slashes his old operating system’s price by half.

Cold Reception

Every program experiences birth pains during its first few weeks in the market. Cynics abound in the industry, so it won’t be surprising that Chrome will sustain a combination punches from analysts who make a killing by shredding whatever value that the object of their affection has.

Users will most probably take the experts’ skepticisms at face value, too. Many might even make their own deduction as to Chrome OS’ questionable reliability. Indeed, if Microsoft can’t make it right even after decades of trying, then how could anybody expect Google to hit the bull’s eye on its first try?

When it’s free, it’s…

I bet you could finish the phrase above by adding a couple of words that are anything but flattering. While Google may have whetted the interests of cash-strapped users by announcing that its OS will cost neither a penny nor a sweat, it has raised the eyebrows of those who were left hanging or unsatisfied by free programs. Many see freeware as free because it’s not well-written or thoroughly thought out by its authors. Just look at the 10-cent games that are being offered on the Internet for free download and you’ll now what I’m talking about. The fact that the Chrome Operating System is intended for low-cost netbooks that have limited capabilities hasn’t helped quell speculations that there won’t be anything much to talk about on Google’s attempt to get Microsoft’s attention.

Google still has about a year to turn skeptics into believers. Let’s hope that they could come up with an OS that could really spark a price war with Microsoft, especially since the numbers on Vista and Windows 7’s price tags really need some subtracting.

Could you name ten persons from your class or office that do not have Facebook or MySpace accounts? Something tells me that you’ll already stop counting by the time you reach your index finger.

Social networking sites have gained tremendous support and popularity over the past few years. Early versions of these Web sites started out as dating services. However, operators realized that they could swim on a bigger pond if they’ll cater to persons who simply want to be heard or to hear from friends and relatives.

Revealing Too Much

When the shift was made, the response was mind-boggling. Millions of people signed up for free accounts, filling out their profile pages with their complete names, birth dates, and other information that you would normally find in a bio data sheet.

At the rate people are signing up for a Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter account, one would think that the folks at the FBI might already be contracting the creators of the social networking sites to update government databases as to the personal info of the people on its watch list. Indeed, by simply glancing at the profile pages of your friends in Facebook, you’ll realize that it actually replicates a resume or a bio data sheet. It has everything that one would need to consummate the crime of identity theft.

Willing Malware Hosts

Phishers are not the only ones who are swimming in the pond created by social networking sites. Hackers have already tried dipping in the water and found it to be suitable for its malicious intentions. Facebook encountered its first malware attack about a year ago when a bogus Widget called Secret Crush was installed by its account holders, thinking that it was a legitimate application from the site’s operator. The program was supposed to pinpoint people in Facebook who might have a crush on them. Of course, the application didn’t work that way. Secret Crush turned out to be Secret Crash as it indeed crashed some systems due to the spyware that it installed.

For some reason, people tend to let their guard down whenever they’re logged on to a social networking site. Some quickly entertain programs that are being offered to them, while others readily give out information to people that they barely know. With this kind of attitude, you’ll surely be reformatting your hard drive in a few months time. While antivirus programs are made to protect your from external threats, it won’t stand a chance if the attack comes from within. Your antivirus can’t protect you from yourself.

Simple Prudence

By simply being cautious on the buttons that you click and on the information that you give out, you can save yourself from malware attacks and identify theft in social networking sites even without the help of security programs. When somebody wants to add you as a friend in Facebook, check out his profile first. If he doesn’t look familiar to you, reject his request. Likewise, when a widget or application is presented to you, don’t install it without checking its source. If it doesn’t seem legit or if you couldn’t find any information about it, then I suggest that you ignore it.

Is your PC coughing out blood lately? If you bought your computer during LeBron James’ rookie year, then you shouldn’t be surprised that it’s already asking for a respirator.

As with cars, computers need to be retired and replaced every five years from the date of purchase or from the date when it was first introduced by its maker to the market. Some even contend that PCs should be replaced every three years as programs demand for more processing power with each new version.

At present, it would seem that your computer should at least be powered by a dual core processor with RAM numbers not falling below the 4GB mark. However, many still end up buying a slower machine due to budget constraints or because they don’t know what specs suit them best.

OS as a Barometer

Many buyers are more preoccupied as to what’s installed in the PC that’s being offered to them rather than on the components that powers the machine. They couldn’t be faulted for just focusing on the “Vista” logo, though, as people generally estimate a computer’s age and capability through the operating system that it’s running on. This is not a bad barometer in determining a PC’s youth and vigor. Indeed, logically, only the latest computers would be able to meet the demands of Windows Vista.

Bare Minimum

However, measuring a PC’s strength and capabilities by the OS that comes with it is not always sensible. It should be noted that Vista comes in different flavors, with each having different processing demands. A machine that’s stamped with a “Vista Capable” or “Vista Basic” mark probably has specs that won’t even impress somebody whose last PC was powered by a Pentium III chip. Upgrading the pre-installed Vista Basic OS to Vista Premium or Ultimate with this type of computer will most likely result in countless nightmares during the start up phase alone as it’s processor will definitely find itself out of breath most of the time. Unless your wallet is on a diet or you just intend to use the PC for word-processing tasks, you should avoid machines bearing “basic” stickers.

Future-Proof

If you really want a computer that can compete with your dog in terms of longevity, then choose the one bearing a “Vista Premium Ready” or “Vista Ultimate” sticker. These logos assure you that the PC hosting such OS has the best processor and peripherals as only competent and dependable machines can handle the complete Vista package. It would also be safe to say that such a machine is also Windows 7-capable as the much awaited Microsoft program promises to be more efficient in utilizing system resources.

The registry is a vital component of the Windows operating system. In order to keep your PC running efficiently, it is critical that you keep this area healthy and free of errors. If not, the system might behave erratically or become completely inoperable. This is especially the case if the problem isn’t addressed in a timely fashion. Windows registry errors occur for a number of reasons but here are the top five.

1.) Incorrect System Shutdowns - When your PC is in use, the Windows registry is stored in the system memory. Any changes made are written to it during shutdown. Therefore, an incorrect system shutdown such as a crash or power failure can leave behind corrupt entries that causes major damage to the Windows registry.

2.) Missing Entries – In many cases, when an entry is deleted, a vacant space is left behind in the registry. Over time, the accumulation of these vacant spaces in conjunction with scattered file fragments results in registry problems that makes the computer perform sluggishly.

3.) Malicious Entries – Malicious software applications such as viruses, worms, spyware and Trojans place entries in the registry. These entries can stir up serious registry problems that range from system errors to damaging the registry to a point where it cannot function and your system is virtually useless.

4.) Orphan Keys - When uninstalling programs from your computer, orphan keys are often left behind in the Windows registry. Although these entries should be removed with the program you uninstalled, things do not always go as planned in the Windows environment. Once these keys mount up in the registry, the system usually hiccups registry errors and becomes terribly unstable.

5.) Duplicate Entries – If you have ever had to reinstall or upgrade an application, you might be stuck with duplicate keys in the Windows registry. Each time you reinstall or upgrade a program, keys are often added to the registry again without removing the original entries. Duplicate keys result in a cluster of unnecessary items that put a strain on the registry and generate errors.

How to Get Rid of Registry Errors

These are just five main causes of Windows registry errors. Unfortunately, several more exist. This is why so many experts recommend that you maintain the health of your registry and make repairs when things start to go haywire.

Although you could use the built-in Windows registry editor to manually remove the unwanted items, this isn’t advisable because removing the wrong entries could lead to more problems and eventually render your PC inoperable. The simple solution would be to obtain a good registry cleaner. This type of program will scan the registry on your computer and automatically remove those errors causing all the problems.

The registry is an integral part of your PC. If you want your system to consistently be in tip-top shape, this area must be tuned up every now and then. By practicing sound computing and utilizing a reliable registry cleaning tool, you can make sure your computer stays running safely and be free of registry errors.

Don’t you just love the look and the smell of a brand new PC? Nothing excites me more than tearing up its packaging and spending time with the manual for a preview of the things to come.  As with anything new, you would normally want everything that concerns it to be perfect, be it the table that it would be resting on or the software that will bring it to life.

If your new PC didn’t come with a bundled OS, then you will have the pleasant (sometimes) privilege of experiencing how Windows is conceived and born inside your computer. The task is not that daunting. Most of the time, you’ll just be reduced to a mere spectator as almost everything is done in autopilot.

Once the installation of your operating system has been done, the next thing that you’ll most probably do is connect a modem to your PC and immediately surf the net. While Windows XP and Vista already have a built-in firewall that could ward off attacks from cyberspace, it only provides a thin line of defense. Just like every newborn, it must be protected from external threats for a period of time first before letting it venture outside.

Before you try your new surfboard on the Internet, you might want to do the following first, unless you’re eager to experience installing your operating system again:

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Every once in a while, Windows grumbles about aches and pains that you think are just trivial. Crashes occur a few times in a month, and the blue screen of death makes its appearance once in a while.

While these symptoms may not alarm you, especially if your system is guarded by the best security and utility suites that a wad of Benjamin Franklin notes has to offer, you may want to take some insurance measures just in case. Serious PC problems often manifest themselves with mundane coughs and hiccups. By the time you seriously pay attention to the problem though, it might already be too late as the data corruption has already metastasized.

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