Converting Audio Files to MP3

geeks.com
By Scott Nesbitt

If there's one thing that the computer world isn't short of, it's audio file formats. There are literally dozens of them. You've probably heard of a few, like WAV, WMA, RAM, ACC, FLAC , OGG , and others. It can be a confusing maze of acronyms and formats that leaves your head spinning.

It's safe to say that MP3 is the most popular audio format around. It's supported by every digital audio player on the market and in every media player – regardless of whether you're using Windows, Mac OS, or Linux. Not every audio file that you encounter will be an MP3, though. As such, you might not be able to play it on your MP3 player or media player. To get the file to play on your hardware or software, your best bet is to transform it to MP3.....

Read the full article here

Removing startup items - Vista Video Tutorial

Name: Speed up startup
Category: Removing what you don't need
Operating System: Windows Vista
Difficulty: This one is Grandma material!

Have you ever wondered why your computer takes so long to turn on? "It never was this slow" you say. Chances are it is because many of the programs you have installed over the years are loading when Windows starts. Many of these programs you don't even need or use.

I often wonder why so many programs default to starting when your computer turns on - hell how many times do we need that quicktime icon that many of us have in our toolbar every time the computer turns on. Many computers I see during my work have so much in their startup list that the computer is taking much longer to start than it should. I try to teach these people that many of these they just don't need, but most are scared to remove programs from startup because they think they will mess something up. I am here today to tell you - it's not that hard!

I came across a great video by pcwizkid again today, which explains the easiest way to remove startup items in Windows Vista. There is no fancy registry editing, no plying around with msconfig, no smashing your computer when it won't play that new game you bought (OK I can't promise the last one). This video only goes for 1 minute and is an absolute must watch for Vista users.

What advantage will this have?
Removing these mountains of programs that start when your computer does not only frees up valuable memory, but has the added advantage of speeding up the time Vista takes to start. Users with small amounts of memory 512MB or 1GB will possibly see a minor improvement in performance.

How do I do this?
Watch the video.


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File Formats - List of File Types (Extensions)

Name: Don't get in a *.tiz
Category: File Formats
Operating System: Windows
Difficulty: NA

Have you ever downloaded a file or seen a file on your computer and wondered what sort of file it is. I have many people ask me questions like:
what is a rar file?
what do I do with an ace file?
what program do I use to open an mpeg file?
etc. etc.

Well I certainly can't list all the file extensions here on my blog because there are literally thousands. I am going to list the most common file extensions for you to search through. However you might have one that is not on my list so what I will do for you is give you 4 links that will help you find the file extension you are looking for. This will hopefully help you work out what type of file you have and how you can use it.

File Extension Lists
Wikipedia file extension list - Great list with thousands of common and uncommon formats
Whatis File Extension List - Fantastic site, search by alphabetical lists of file types. Thousands of file types
UKT Support - Another alphabetical list of file types

Hopefully with my list and these three links you will find what you are looking for.

Common File Extensions (source fileinfo.net)

Text Files

.doc	Microsoft Word Document
.log	Log File
.msg	Mail Message
.rtf	Rich Text Format
.txt	Text File
.wpd	WordPerfect Document
.wps	Microsoft Works Word Processor Document

Data Files

.123	Lotus 1-2-3 Spreadsheet
.csv	Comma Separated Values File
.dat	Data File
.db	Database File
.dll	Dynamic Link Library
.mdb	Microsoft Access Database
.pps	PowerPoint Slide Show
.ppt	PowerPoint Presentation
.sql	Structured Query Language Data
.wks	Microsoft Works Spreadsheet
.xls	Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet
.xml	XML File

Image Files

.mng	Multiple Network Graphic
.pct	Picture File

Raster Image Files

.bmp	Bitmap Image
.gif	Graphical Interchange Format File
.jpeg	JPEG Image File
.jpg	JPEG Image File
.png	Portable Network Graphic
.psd	Photoshop Document
.psp	Paint Shop Pro Image File
.tif	Tagged Image File Format

Vector Image Files

.ai	Adobe Illustrator File
.drw	Drawing File
.dxf	Drawing Exchange Format
.eps	Encapsulated PostScript
.ps	PostScript File
.svg	Scalable Vector Graphics

3D Image Files

.3dm	Rhino 3D Model
.3dmf	QuickDraw 3D Metafile

Page Layout Files

.indd	Adobe InDesign File
.pdf	Portable Document Format File
.qxd	QuarkXpress Document
.qxp	QuarkXpress 6 Project File

Audio Files

.aac	Advanced Audio Coding File
.aif	Audio Interchange File Format
.iff	Interchange File Format
.m3u	Media Playlist File
.mid	MIDI File
.midi	MIDI File
.mp3	MP3 Audio File
.mpa	MPEG Audio File
.ra	Real Audio File
.ram	Real Audio Media
.wav	Windows WAVE Sound File
.wma	Windows Media Audio File

Video Files

.3gp	3GPP Multimedia File
.asf	Advanced Systems Format File
.asx	Microsoft ASF Redirector File
.avi	Audio Video Interleave File
.mov	Apple QuickTime Movie
.mp4	MPEG-4 Video File
.mpg	MPEG Video File
.qt	Apple QuickTime Movie
.rm	Real Media File
.swf	Macromedia Flash Movie
.wmv	Windows Media Video File

Web Files

.asp	Active Server Page
.css	Cascading Style Sheet
.htm	Hypertext Markup Language File
.html	Hypertext Markup Language File
.js	JavaScript File
.jsp	Java Server Page
.php	Hypertext Preprocessor File
.xhtml	Extensible Hypertext Markup Language File

Font Files

.fnt	Font File
.fon	Generic Font File
.otf	OpenType Font
.ttf	TrueType Font

Plugin Files

.8bi	Photoshop Plug-in
.plugin	Mac OS X Application Plug-in
.xll	Excel Add-In File

System Files

.cab	Windows Cabinet File
.cpl	Windows Control Panel
.dmp	Windows Memory Dump
.drv	Device Driver
.ini	Initialization File
.key	Security Key
.sys	System File

Settings Files

.cfg	Configuration File
.msi	Windows Installer File
.reg	Registration Information

Executable Files

.app	Mac OS X Application
.bat	DOS Batch File
.cgi	Common Gateway Interface Script
.com	Command File
.exe	Executable File
.pif	Program Information File
.vb	VBScript File
.ws	Windows Script

Compressed Files

.gz	Gnu Zipped File
.pkg	Mac OS X Installer Package
.rar	WinRAR Compressed Archive
.sea	Self-Extracting Archive
.sit	Stuffit Archive
.sitx	Stuffit X Archive
.zip	Zipped File

Encoded Files

.bin	Macbinary II Encoded File
.hqx	BinHex 4.0 Encoded File
.mim	Multi-Purpose Internet Mail Message
.uue	Uuencoded File

Developer Files

.c	C/C++ Source Code File
.cpp	C++ Source Code File
.java	Java Source Code File
.pl	Perl Script

Backup Files

.bak	Backup File
.gho	Norton Ghost Backup File
.old	Backup File
.ori	Original File
.tmp	Temporary File

Disk Files

.dmg	Mac OS X Disk Image
.iso	Disc Image File
.vcd	Virtual CD

Game Files

.gam	Saved Game File
.nes	Nintendo (NES) ROM File
.rom	Game ROM
.sav	Saved Game

Misc Files

.lnk	File Shortcut
.torrent	BitTorrent File
.yps	Yahoo! Messenger Data File

Speed up firefox - Video Tutorial

Name: Speed up!
Category: Speed up firefox
Operating System: XP
Difficulty: You could get your grandma to do this for you!

This is an absolute must watch if you use firefox. Following these tips will improve Firefox speed by up to 150%. The steps are easy to follow and most people should not find this very difficult at all.

I am going to also include tips for speeding up Internet Explorer in the future for all you Internet Explorer users.

Speed Up Vista - Video Tutorial

Name: Performance Baby!
Category: Speed up Windows Vista
Operating System: These instructions are for Vista
Difficulty: You could get your grandma to do this for you!

What is this about...?
This great Vista video tutorial will help you speed up Vista by using the Performance tool in Windows Vista. This tool is also in Windows XP and is a great way of speeding up performance on these two operating systems. This is really great for people with low RAM, but will not make a really huge difference.

This video will show you which graphical "features" to turn off to help your computer performance. The best part about this tool is that you can turn off as many of as few as you like, but the more you turn off the better performance you will get. When I first used this tool on Windows XP I found that I could turn everything except one option off (use visual styles on Windows and buttons) and I didn't even notice a difference in graphics!

What should I expect if I turn these "features" off...?
If you have over 2GB of RAM there is a good chance you wont even notice a difference, but on slower computers you should notice a slightly faster startup time and will get a slightly better response time out of Windows!

Should I be careful of anything...?
This is the best part you can safely turn all of these options off and Windows will still run without any problems. Play around with the options until you find the settings you are happy with!

How do I do this...?
Simple...watch the video!

Computer problems, use google

Name: Google can help me...?
Category: Solving problems
Operating System: MOST
Difficulty: Easy to Hard - depending on the solution

This is sort of a mini tech tip today, but one I think people often overlook. You would be surprised the amount of times that someone has brought a computer for me to fix and I have been able to fix it simply by using google and following a few directions.

If you get an error message that looks suspicious or is unusual then type the exact message into google. 99 times out of 100 someone will have had the same problem and have hopefully worked out a solution. There are thousands of computer help forums where people have probably asked about the same problem you are having and maybe someone has given a solution.

Once you have found the solution and are sure it is the same problem you are having then follow the solution on your computer. If this solution is out of your competence then take the computer to a computer service centre.

Completely remove private data - Security

Name: Is my old data safe
Category: Security
Operating System: All
Difficulty: Easy

What is this about..?

Sometimes we sell our computer, replace hard drives, or throw out our old computer. In most of these situations we format our hard drive and think all our old data will be unrecoverable or we might not even do anything at all.

Is my data safe...?

What I am going to say might shock some of you. When you format your hard drive anyone with even slight computer skill can recover most if not all of it! Shocked? Formatting does not remove the old data completely until the computer needs the space to write a new file to. This means your old data is still available to everyone. Imagine some grubby person going through all your files, photos and documents - not very nice is it?

What can I do about it...?

Fortunately there are many people that have been worried by this problem and this means that there are some great free programs that will completely remove private data on your hard drive.

• Darik's Boot and Nuke - a program that can be booted from floppy or CD and will completely erase a hard drive
• Eraser by Heidi Computers Limited
• Active@ KillDisk - more complex program for exerienced users
  

The instructions for these programs are all included on these sites and there are heaps of help files for them on this Internet.

Other options...?

The other options you have are physically destroy the hard drive with a sledgehammer or pay for someone to Degauss the hard drive. Degaussing is when the magnetic media is erased using a reverse magnetic field to scramble the electronic data and make it unreadable. It will cost you a few dollars, but you can be sure that your data will be safe. You can search companies that do this with google.

Disable Autorun

Name: Autorun... my computer is lucky to be crawling!
Category: Removing useless "features"
Operating System: These instructions are for XP other Operating Systems instructions click here
Difficulty: Moderate computer knowledge and nerves of steel

What is autorun...?
Autorun was another fantastic idea from Microsoft. This was the actual conversation about it at Microsoft headquarters*
MS employee 1: Lets make peoples lives easier by making Cd's run automatically when they insert the disk. MS employee 2: Great Idea

Well even though it was a great idea there are two fatal problems with this "feature"
a) spyware and viruses on a CD just might use this "feature" to autorun without your knowledge or permission
b) it's really really annoying

*this may be completely made up

How do I stop/get rid of it...?
There are 3 different ways of doing this:

1. Hold the shift key when you put a CD in your drive

2. This will remove autorun in most cases (and it also allows you to choose)

• Open My Computer.
• Right-click the desired CD-ROM and select Properties from the menu.
• Select the AutoPlay tab.
• Select each item from the pulldown list and for the Action to perform, select "Take no action" to disable autorun, or pick the appropriate action to take if enabling autorun.
• Select OK.

3. To be rid of it completely you need to edit the registry. This should not be done if you don't have some decent computer knowledge, but if you follow these steps carefully it does work.

a) In Windows Click Start, then Click Run

b) Type regedit -- Click OK

c) Click (one after the other) > HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Services > Cdrom>

d) Double click "Autorun" the value is set to 1 by default, change it to zero.

e) Click OK ---> Now restart, that's it!

Is that it...?
Yes autorun should now be disabled and you should be safe again from another great "feature."

If you found this tech tip useful consider subscribing to this blog for more (completely free)

Internet Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts

Name: Shortcuts aren't always bad (Part 3)
Category: Saving you time
Operating System: MOST
Difficulty: Your grandma could do this!

What is a keyboard shortcut...?
If you don't know then you might like to read my last article The top keyboard shortcuts for Windows

What is Internet Explorer?
Internet Explorer is a web browser that you are possibly using to view this web site.

In this post I am listing the most popular keyboard shortcuts for all you Internet Exploer users (for firefox users check out my keyboard shortcuts for firefox post)


So what are the shortcuts...?
Here they are - enjoy
(Remember to hold down the first key if there is another key after it (CRTL + D means hold control key and press D)

The Basics

• Stop page from loading
  Esc
• Refresh a page
  F5
• Set focus on address box
  ALT+D
• Go back a page
  ALT+Left Arrow
• Go forward a page
  ALT+Right Arrow
• Open link in new window
  Shift+Click
• Add site to favorites
  CTRL+D
• Open context menu
  Shift+F10

Tabs

• Open new tab
  CTRL+T
• Open link in new tab
  CTRL+Shift+Click
• Open link in new behind current tab
  CTRL+Click or Middle mouse button over link
• Switch between tabs
  CTRL+Tab or CTRL+Shift+Tab
• Close tab
  CTRL+W or Click middle mouse button over tab
• Close all other tabs
  CTRL+ALT+F4
• Jump to tab
  CTRL+tab number
• Open quick tabs
  CTRL+Q

Search

• Set focus in search box
  CTRL+E
• Change search provider while search box active
  CTRL+Down arrow
• Search in new tab
  ALT+Enter

Zooming

• Zoom in
  CTRL+(+ key) or CTRL+Mouse wheel up
• Zoom out
  CTRL+(- key) or CTRL+Mouse wheel down
• Zoom 100%
  CTRL+0
• Change text size
  CTRL+Mouse wheel up or down

Is that it...?
No there are lots more, but these are the most common and will get you started. I hope that these save you some time!

Tips for buying a new computer

Today I thought I would take a slightly different tack and tackle one of those questions that friends, family and people I hardly know are always asking me... What should I be looking for when buying a new computer.

With computers bigger is almost certainly better and this doesn't mean the size of the computer it means the components. A bigger hard drive will give you more space for your files, more memory will help with computer performance, a faster processor will make tasks take less time and so it goes on.

So what should I be looking for from my components...?

Hard drive

• If you download large video, music and other junk (like me) then space will eventually run out so if this is you then get a big hard drive. Currently 500Gb should serve you well.
• If you use your computer for word processing, email and not much else then hard drive space won't really be an issue for you. However still choose enough space to get you through to your next computer. 1-200Gb should be fine in this situation.

Memory (RAM)

Windows is a memory hog so this is an area that has become a little grey (especially after the release of Windows Vista). I now recommend that people try and get a computer with at least 2GB of RAM. I know you can add more later, but 2GB will last you for a few years at least.

Processor

Processors have gone through another change as well recently with the new dual core (and even quad core) offerings from Intel and AMD. The core2duo is wowing everyone at the moment and with good reason, it is one impressive processor. Basically a dual core processor means what it says - two processors in one. This leads to an improvement in multitasking and eventually, when the programs are made for it, an improvement in program speed. I am currently recommending the best processor that comes within my clients budget. In other words get the best you can afford, but make sure it is a core2duo (for the moment anyway!)

Optical Drive (DVD, CD, Blu Ray)

Currently dual layer DVD writers are cheap and this is what you should expect for your money. They have large storage space and provide great quality backups. The new generation of data storage is upon us though and Blu Ray and HD-DVD are becoming more and more common. However, at the moment Blu Ray and HD-DVD are not worth the price unless you really really need them. I am advising people to stick with a good dual layer DVD writer for now as it will do everything most "normal" people need.

Other storage media

I get asked on a daily basis "do I still need a floppy drive?" The short answer is no. They our outdated and I would be surprised if you can still find a computer with one in it for sale in a showroom. Get a good USB flash disk instead.

Graphics Cards

Now becoming essential even for Windows these are often overlooked. If you are a serious gamer then get a serious card. Otherwise just get a standard graphics card. I usually say that 128mb will be fine for most people and 512+mb for gamers.


Other Stuff that most people overlook (the boring stuff)

Motherboards - These can make a difference in regards to speed, upgradability and even stability. You can find great information about motherboards by searching the product name and number on google. If people are having problems with the model you should find it with google.

Sound Cards - These are usually integrated into motherboards and most people just want basic sound so this works out fine.

Modems - I remember my old dad had this huge clunky modem in his office that would connect magically to the world at speeds of about 2 kb/s and I though it was amazing! However, in the day of braodband and cable internet built in 56k modems are now basically useless, but if you need one it might even come as standard.

Ethernet and wireless - Most computers will come with an Ethernet port and it will have a speed rating. If you don't know what that means then it shouldn't bother you. Get a wireless card if you need it and think about it even if you don't. They are cheap and you might decide to go wireless at some point. New laptops should have wireless built in and if it doesn't walk away from the salesman in disgust!

Well that about covers it. I really hope this little guide helps you in what can be a daunting task of buying a new computer. If it did feel free to leave me a comment.

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Windows Vista Video Tutorial - Vista "features" slowing you down

Name: I'm feeling a little bloated right now
Category: Speed up your computer / Windows
Operating System: Windows Vista
Difficulty: Anyone who can watch TV can do this

What is this all about...?
Basically Windows is what some refer to as a bloated operating system as it contains many programs, services and other "features" most regular users will never use. The problem with this is that these "features" use system resources like RAM (memory) and Hard Disk Space. This video tutorial will help you remove some of the programs that you most likely didn't even know were using your computers resources.

How do I do it...?
Well this time I am going to let the video do all the talking/showing. It is easy to follow and if you are running vista I recommend taking the 1 minute to watch it. Remember that you can reinstall these "features" at any time, but you should still take care to remove only what you need.



Stay tuned for more Vista Tips and more Video Tips and tutorials. The plan is to have about one video tutorial a week and a few of my "normal" tips (yeah you still have to read them - sorry!). If you like what you see you can subscribe for free to my feed.

The Top Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows

Name: Shortcuts aren't always bad
Category: Saving you time (hopefully)
Operating System: MOST
Difficulty: My grandma has the skills to do this and therefore so do you!

Have you ever been clicking away with your mouse (copy and paste, copy and paste, file and open) and thought to yourself there has to be a better way. Well I am posting today to tell you there is a better and (slightly) quicker way to do things on you computer.

What is a keyboard shortcut...?
Well like when you drive in a car and take a shortcut it saves you time (unless you are my wife), keyboard shortcuts save time for common tasks that people usually do with their mouse. Some shortcuts are built into your keyboard like:

• Home key
• End Key
• Page down key etc.

However most of the following keyboard shortcuts are done by holding one of the following keys and then hitting a button:

• CRTL key
• ALT Key
• Shift Key

So for example a keyboard shortcut might read CRTL - C (copy). So this would mean that you would highlight the text as usual and instead of right clicking and selecting copy from the menu you would hold down the CTRL key and press C and the text would be copied (is this making sense yet?)

The most popular keyboard shortcuts in Windows (these may also work on other operating systems and many programs that run in Windows):
Remember to hold down the first key if there is another key after it (CRTL + V means hold control key and press v)

• CTRL+C (Copy)
  
• CTRL+X (Cut)
  
• CTRL+V (Paste)
  
• CTRL+Z (Undo)
  
• DELETE (Delete)
  
• SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)
  
• CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)
  
• CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)
  
• F2 key (Rename the selected item)
  
• CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)
  
• CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)
  
• CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)
  
• CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)
  
• CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)
  
• SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)
  
• CTRL+A (Select all)
  
• F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)
  
• ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)
  
• ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)
  
• ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)
  
• ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)
  
• CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
  
• ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)
  
• ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)
  
• F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)
  
• F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
  
• SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)
  
• ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)
  
• CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)
  
• ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu)
  
• Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)
  
• F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)
  
• RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)
  
• LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)
  
• F5 key (Update the active window)
  
• BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
  
• ESC (Cancel current task)
  
• SHIFT when you insert a CD/DVD into the drive (Prevent it from automatically playing)

Windows only shortcuts:
These are Windows only shortcuts. To use these hold down the Windows logo on your keyboard and then press the desired key (it will look something like this)

• Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)
  
• Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)
  
• Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)
  
• Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)
  
• Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)
  
• Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)
  
• Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)
  
• CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)
  
• Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)
  
• Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)
  
• Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)
  
• Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)

Is that is...?
There are literally hundreds more, but I will be posting some more (firefox and Internet explorer) later if you would like to keep updated on my tips you might consider subscribing to this blog.

Recover you Windows XP password

This tip is so important I suggest you do it right now don't wait another day!

Name: Create a Password Reset Disk
Category: Security (and probably forgetfulness)
Operating System: XP
Difficulty: My grandma could probably do this

What is this all about...?
If you use a password to log into Windows there is always the chance that you will forget it (or get amnesia from tripping over grannies old newspapers and smacking your head). Luckily if you are running Windows XP you can create a password reset disk to log onto your computer when you forget your password. This tip will not only save you all the pain if you forget a password, but is also damn easy to do!

Ok so how do I do it...?
It is quite simple actually just follow these steps (I will also give you some pictures):

1. Click Start ---> click Control Panel --> click User Accounts.
2. Click your account name.
3. Under Related Tasks, click Prevent a forgotten password.

Follow the directions in the Forgotten Password Wizard to create a password reset disk.
Store the disk in a secure location, because anyone using it can access your local user account.

Here are the same instructions in pictures (click to enlarge):

STEP 1 -------------------> STEP 2


STEP 3 ---------------------------> STEP 4

STEP 5

Is that it...?
Yes just make sure you keep the password reset disk somewhere safe and don't forget where you put it!

If you found this post useful you might consider subscribing to or bookmarking this blog.

The hidden hard disk space monster

Name: Hybernate??? it's like 100 degrees out here
Category: Free up space
Operating System: Windows XP (cannot confirm vista)
Difficulty: My grandma could do it with her eyes closed

Hiber-What?
Firstly when I talk to people about their computers I always ask this question. Do you use hibernate on your computer? I have had many different answers, but most poeple just shrug and say hiber-what?
Hibernate was this great idea where your computer would switch off, but well um... not switch off and you could turn it back on and continue what you were doing later with no delay for start up. Now that is one great feature for 1% of people, but for the rest of us (especially those with small hard drive space) it takes up too much room.
For example on my puny 20gb Hard drive on my laptop it takes up over 1gb! Now for something I don't use (and to be honest just plain annoys me) that is crazy. I am losing 1/20th of my Hard drive space to it!

Alright I hate it as much as you now, but how do I switch it off...?
This is the easy part. Simply enter the display properties (right click on the desktop)---> click on the screen saver tab--->click on the power tab (opens a new window)--> click in the hibernate tab--->uncheck enable hibernation---> click apply---> grandma now has turned hibernation off!

Screenshots of the process for the visual people














(You can click to enlarge these)

Is that it?
Yes, you will probably need to restart and you have just saved some space! Just remember this tip so you can tell your friends or when you buy a new PC (although it will probably have vista and all its wonderful imporvements).


If you liked this tip and want more like it then feel free to subscribe to this blog or bookmark this page at your favorite social bookmarking site. It's even free because I like you :-)

Defrag - The easiest and cheapest way to speed up your computer

I am going to start my tech tips with a very basic, but really important computer mantainence tip.

Name: The Defrag
Category: Speed up your computer
Operating System: All (screenshots and instructions from XP)
Difficulty: My grandma could do it with her eyes closed


What is it?
I remember it clearly I had my old 286 computer running so slowly it took over 10 minutes just to start Windows 3.11. I tried everything to fix it and ended up pulling my hair out, but what I didn't realise was that the problem was very very simple...

Files stored on a computer become fragmented (which basically means files are all over the place - a lot like the stuff in my house) and a defrag program sorts the files (and free space) out and puts them back where they belong. This is important because the more fragmented the files are on your computer the longer it will take to find and access them, thus slowing your computer down! Most people are pleasantly surprised at the difference regular defragmenting can make.

Alright so how do I do it...?
The best part about this tip is that it is easy. Microsoft has even built in a defragment tool right into Windows to make your life easier. You can access this by going to:

Start menu -> all programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter (see below)

(Click to enlarge)


Then simply click on the drive you want to defragment (usually drive C:) and click defragment (see below)!

(click to enlarge)


That is it, I told you my grandma could do it!

However, you might want to try an alternative disk defragment program that many people say are better and more comprehensive than the Microsoft offering. Best of all some of these alternatives are free - to check out some of the options visit the following sites:
Free Downloads Centre

Is that the end...?
Most people either forget or don't bother to defrag often, but it is an important computer maintanence tip. If you use your computer every day I suggest doing it at least once a month.


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Welcome to the tech tips blog

Hi my name is Tom and I am a computer nerd at heart - I am currently studying to enter the IT industry and thought I would write a blog with some of my tech tips. Here you will find posts on the following topics:

Tips to get the most out of windows (XP and Vista)
What's new in Technology
Spyware, anti virus and other security issues
The best free software
The hottest Internet tools

and much more...

Check back for more soon.

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