Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Its Credit Crunch Time... Don't Upgrade Your PC!

Its credit Crunch time… Don’t upgrade your pc. Fix your slow computer. 6 Secret Steps

In the current financial climate we all want to save some money where we can. We don’t want to be spending our hard earned cash during this recession… just in case.

But – you need a new computer? Can't survive without your regular internet session or your facebook time? Lets get your current one running properly again and save some hard earned cash.



So how to fix a slow computer? Here are a few quick fixes.

1. Empty temp directory
Don’t let your temporary directory fill with hundreds or even thousands of temporary files. When windows starts and when programs load these will be scanned and can then slow down your computer.

SO – you should empty this directory regularly to keep your performance optimal and to speed up your pc.You can find this under C:/ documents and settings, Administrator, Local Settings, Temp.

2. Empty your temporary internet files
Go to your control panel and double click the internet options icon. Delete the cookies and delete temporary internet files. This will clear these from your system and will free up some space on your computer and will improve performance somewhat.

3. Check if your hard disk and registry has any problems
For computers that operate on Windows XP or 2000 OS you can check your system for minor hard disk errors and repair them.

How do you do this?
Right click the c drive and click properties then tools. Choose to check the computer for problems by clicking ‘check now’. You can then complete a file check or a physical disk check by selecting either of the two check boxes. This may take a while but is worth completing every now and then.

To take this one step further you can use a computer registry cleaner to analyse your Windows Registry and further improve the performance of your computer.

RegCure™ is one of the top rated Registry Cleaners available in the market. One of the best ways to improve the speed of your computer is to clean your computer registry with an effective registry cleaner. There is a low cost involved with this, however you can run a free trial first to see if there are errors with your registry that require repair.




4. Make sure your active desktop is not turned on.
Turning on your active desktop basically turns your computer desktop into a web page. While there are some benefits to this like up to the minute weather reports, this can have a profound effect on the speed of your computer. Turn this off and you will help to fix a slow computer.

So how can you do this?
Windows 95,98 and Me: Right click the desktop and choose Active Desktop. Uncheck Active Desktop.Windows 2000: Right click the desktop and choose Active Desktop. Uncheck show Web Content. Windows XP: Right Click desktop and choose properties. Under desktop tab choose customize desktop. On the web tab make sure there are no websites chosen. If there are not then active desktop is not on.

5. Install a quality anti virus program
Unfortunately, whenever you use your computer to access the internet you are at risk from computer Viruses. If you computer becomes infected it will significantly slow your computer, not to mention making it vulnerable to crashing, corruption of data and ultimate failure. You need to ensure that your computer is protected from viruses. Visit

our anti virus reviews for details on the most popular anti virus products on the market today. Each of these will give you a free scan to see if your computer is infected.

6. Check your system for spyware and remove
Spyware programs have the ability to view and track your internet browsing habits and even steal personal information such as your credit card details, bank accounts or passwords. Not only this but they can slow your computer down a he amount. There are a range of Anti-Spyware products available on the internet. Anti-Spyware software is designed to remove any spyware, malware or adware from your computer quickly and easily and to protect your computer from ongoing threats. Visit our spyware page for details of some of the most popular anti spyware products.



Sunday, December 7, 2008

Remove Computer Virus - Protect Your Computer

Operating a computer without using up to date and effective anti-virus software is like playing a game of Russian Roulette!

Eventually, whether you like it or not, you will lose - and the consequences can be unthinkable.

A virus can make your computer painfully slow to load, provide annoying pop-ups, load strange software, right through to hijacking your system or completely crippling your computer.


This can lead to loss of productivity, loss of important data and huge repair bills for your pc. You may already have a virus on computer simply waiting to strike without you even knowing it.

You need to ensure that you have an up to date anti-virus application that utilizes the necessary technology to combat modern viruses and phishing attacks.

The new breed of anti-virus are specifically designed to detect and remove sophisticated viruses from your computer and to protect it moving forward. There are a range of Anti-Virus products available on the internet.

Which Anti-Virus product should you choose to clean and protect your computer. Below we list some of the best Anti-Virus tools on the internet so you can select the best tool to fix your computer and protect it from viruses on an ongoing basis.


Visit Strowan.com and check out the reviews and opinions on the best Anti-Viruses available... and the ones to avoid.

Top Rated Anti-Virus Software

PC Tools Security 2009
91/100
Read More





Anti-Virus PLUS

90/100
Read More





NoAdware
75/100

Read More

Remove Spyware From Your Computer


Is your computer or internet explorer painfully slow to load?


Do you keep getting annoying pop-ups appearing on your PC, do you get strange software loading and appearing on start up? Do you get loads of unwanted spam in your email or does your internet home page keep getting hijacked?


If any of the above is true then the chances are that your computer is infected with spyware, adware or some other malicious threat.

If you are experiencing problems with your computer then you need to download Anti-Spyware and remove spyware from your pc now.

Spyware programs have the ability to view and track your internet browsing habits and even steal personal information such as your credit card details, bank accounts or passwords.


All of your computer activity could be being recorded right now!


There are a range of Anti-Spyware products available on the internet.

Anti-Spyware software is designed to remove any spyware, malware or adware from your computer quickly and easily and to protect your computer from ongoing threats.Which Anti-Spyware products should you choose to clean your computer. Below we profile the best Anti-Spyware tools on the internet so you can select the best tool to fix your computer and protect it from spyware on an ongoing basis. Check out the honest review and opinions on the best Anti-Spyware available... and the ones to avoid by looking at strowan.com

Top Rated Spyware Removal Software

Strowan.com rates these Anti Spyware products

Overall Rating



Fix Slow Computer - Which Registry Cleaner

Is your computer too slow, unresponsive, or is the performance simply less than desirable? Do you want to fix your slow computer and get it to run like new again?

If your computer is often running slow, crashes or freezes, shows Windows errors, fails to load applications, or suffers from 'blue screen' errors then there is a very good chance that you need your Windows Registry cleaned...

Your Windows Registry is the most important part of your Windows Operating System. This is the the part that controls the operation of Windows. It is imperative that your Registry is clean, free from damage and well organized. If this is not the case then you are likely to experience a frustratingly slow PC which will eventually lead to corruption, crashing and freezing of your computer.


To keep your computer running at optimal speed and without any problems you need to ensure that you complete regular professional maintenance. If you are regularly installing and uninstalling software, hardware or drivers on your PC you can cause problems with your Windows Registry, leaving behind unused applications, damaged drivers and other such junk in your Registry.


This ongoing damage to your computer slows down your PC markedly and if not removed can cause more serious computer problems such as freezes, unresponsive programs, crashes as well as causing irreparable damage to your computer.

There are a range of Registry Cleaners available on the internet. Registry Cleaning software is designed to ensure that the complex process of cleaning your registry can be done quickly and easily and by anyone.


Which Registry Cleaner should you use?

At Strowan.com we profile the best Registry Cleaning tools on the internet so you can select the best tool to speed up your computer and get it running more reliably again.

Check out the honest reviews and opinions on the best registry cleaning software available... and the ones to avoid.

There are reviews and profiles on the following Registry Cleaners as well as links so you can get a free scan of your system and work out why it is running slow.



Overall Rating
RegCure 95/100








Registry Fix 93/100











Registry Easy 86/100










Error Nuker 83/100








RegClean 81/100


Fix Your Blue Screen Problems

A crucial part of your Windows operating system, Windows Registry is the component that governs the operation of Windows. Without a clean and well-organized registry, your Windows system is vulnerable to blue screen problems, corruption, freezing, and crashing.

Are You Suffering From BLUE SCREEN PROBLEMS? Use This Free Scan to Analyze Your Registry!

RegCure Will Automatically Speed Up, Clean & Repair Your PC's Registry Of The Following Problems:

- Blue Screen Problems
- Windows Operating System Problems
- Windows Installer Issues
- Windows Explorer Errors
- DLL Errors
- ActiveX Control Problems
- XP, 2000, 98 and ME Issues
- lsass.exe svchost.exe & other exe Errors
- Registry Errors
- Virtual Memory
- Runtime Errors
- IExplore and System32 Errors
- System Crashes
- Slow PC Performance
- Chkdsk Issues
- Computer Freezing
- Internet Explorer Errors
- Javascript Errors
- Hardware Malfunction
- Scan Disk
- Driver Errors
- Corrupt Registry Files
- Task Manager Related
- Computer & Application Shutdown

Why is my computer suffering from Blue Screen Problems?
You made the investment in your computer so that you could enjoy the benefits of a fast, easy, reliable machine that would make your daily computer use more enjoyable and efficient. Unfortunately, after continued use, all computers suffer the effects of a corrupt and ineffective Windows Registry, causing your computer to become slow, error messages to appear, and blue screen and system crashes. Eventually, what was supposed to make your life easier is now the source of your immense frustration.

Is it time for a PC check up?
Computers perform best when they receive regular, professional maintenance. The ongoing installation and un-installation of software, hardware, and drivers often leave remnants behind in your registry, resulting in a tangle of unused applications, broken drivers, and incomplete and empty command signals. This mass of confusion slows down your computer and if not addressed promptly can lead to serious problems such as blue screen problems, computer freezing, programs not responding, and system crashes.

How Do I Fix My Blue Screen Errors?
In order to fix Blue Screen problems and clean your computer correctly and thoroughly, a full analysis of your registry is necessary. Most computer users find this task confusing and time consuming and those who are not advanced computer experts run the risk of permanently damaging their system by trying to fix their windows registry manually. Using a registry clean and repair application is the fastest, easiest, and safest way to fix windows and other computer errors. While there are a number of registry repair applications available, few offer a comprehensive set of features that enable you to completely clean your registry safely. It is crucial that you choose a Windows registry repair product that you can trust.

Symptoms & Causes of a corrupted Windows registry

Blue Screen Problems
Windows Errors
Hardware malfunctions
Computer freezing
Slow performance
System crashes


Frequent installation and un-installation of programs
programs that did not install or un-install correctly
Hardware installation and un-installation
Unused and corrupted drivers


How To Fix Blue Screen Problems
RegCure uses the most sophisticated technology available to analyze your registry for missing, obsolete, and corrupt entries. Compatible with all Microsoft products and third party applications, RegCure seeks out those remnants left behind on your registry from failed installations, incomplete un-installations, disabled drivers, and spyware applications. Find our how to fix your computer errors today with Regcure.

Speed Up Your Slow Computer



Speed Up Your Slow Computer - Optimal Computer Performance. Part 1

Technology is evolving so rapidly in this day and age that the lifespan of any electronic product seems to get shorter and shorter every year. Computers are no exception with new computers becoming outdated within just a couple of years. Often it seems that after only a matter of months your computer performance is no longer as fast, responsive or satisfactory. Many people think that this is just part and parcel of computers as you add software, files and continue to surf the internet and that you need to start looking for a new computer within 18 months to 2 years.

However, this is not actually the case. There are a wide range of things you can do to speed up your current computer and prolong the life of your slow pc.

Part 1 of this article discusses 5 steps you can take to fix a slow computer and keep it running at optimal performance. And best of all – they are either free or very minimal cost… so you don’t need to shell out thousands, or even hundreds to improve your pc.1.

Optimize Display Settings
While it is always nice for your computer to look great… displaying a huge range of visual options can also slow your computer and mean less than ideal performance. By removing some of these unnecessary visual options you can improve the speed of your computer.
Go to the Control Panel
Click System
Click Advanced tab
In the Performance tab click Settings
There are a range of options you can remove here. I would suggest you only retain the following as ticked:(1) Show shadows under menus (2) Show shadows under mouse pointer (3) Show translucent selection rectangle (4) Use drop shadows for icons labels on the desktop (5) Use visual styles on windows and buttonsYou can play around with these settings, as these will not affect the stability of your computer.

Disable File Indexing
File Indexing is a service that uses a huge amount of your computers RAM. By disabling this your system can immediately become faster and more responsive.

How do you do this?
a. Double Click the My Computer icon
b. Right click the c: drive and hit properties
c. Uncheck “allow indexing service to index this disk for fast file searching” Apply this change to C: subfolders and files and click OK.

Remove Your Desktop Picture
It may be nice to have a pretty picture on your desktop background. However, did you know that this pictures uses a huge amount of memory and can slow your computer performance. If you remove the image this can improve the speed of your computer.

Scan Your Computer Registry
RegCure™ is one of the top rated Registry Cleaners available in the market. One of the best ways to improve the speed of your computer is to clean your computer registry with an effective registry cleaner. Visit RegCure for a free scan to see if your registry requires attention.



Empty the prefetch folder
'Prefetching’ is when Windows XP pre-loads portions of data and applications that are frequently loaded. While this has the benefit of allowing programs to appear and start quickly… after a while it can end up a burden on your computer as XP wastes time pre-loading obsolete data. By regularly emptying your prefetch folder you can gain some improvements in system performance.

How do you do this?
The prefetch folder resides on your local hard disk, under the Windows folder.%systemroot%\prefetch-or-X:\windows\prefetch
Where X is the drive letter where you have Windows installed. Either path will get you to your local system. The second path is for those who have the default installation on the most commonly used drive letter, C:\

Friday, December 5, 2008

How To Fix A Slow Computer – 10 Quick Steps By www.fixaslowcomputer.com

Does your computer seem slow, unresponsive or out of date only a few months after your purchased it?

You need to do everything that you can to prolong the lifecycle of your computer and to fix a slow computer.

Here are 10 quick steps you can take to help fix your slow computer and make it run like new again.

1. Optimize Display Settings
By removing some of the unnecessary visual options on your computer you can help fix your slow computer and improve the performance.Go to the Control PanelClick SystemClick Advanced tabIn the Performance tab click SettingsThere are a range of options you can remove here.

I would suggest you only retain the following as ticked:
(1) Show shadows under menus
(2) Show shadows under mouse pointer
(3) Show translucent selection rectangle
(4) Use drop shadows for icons labels on the desktop
(5) Use visual styles on windows and buttonsYou can play around with these settings, as these will not affect the stability of your computer.

2. Disable File Indexing
File Indexing is a service that uses a huge amount of your computers RAM. By disabling this your system can immediately become faster and more responsive.
How do you do this?
a. Double Click the My Computer icon
b. Right click the c: drive and hit properties
c. Uncheck “allow indexing service to index this disk for fast file searching” Apply this change to C: subfolders and files and click OK.

3. Remove Your Desktop Picture
It may be nice to have a pretty picture on your desktop background. However, did you know that this pictures uses a huge amount of memory and can slow your computer performance. If you remove the image this can improve the speed of your computer.

4. Scan Your Computer Registry
RegCure™ is one of the top rated Registry Cleaners available in the market. One of the best ways to improve the speed of your computer is to clean your computer registry with an effective registry cleaner. Visit
http://www.fixaslowcomputer.com/ for a free scan to see if your registry requires attention or click here.






5. Empty the prefetch folder
Prefetching’ is when Windows XP pre-loads portions of data and applications that are frequently loaded. While this has the benefit of allowing programs to appear and start quickly… after a while it can end up a burden on your computer as XP wastes time pre-loading obsolete data.

By regularly emptying your prefetch folder you can gain some improvements in system performance.

How do you do this?
The prefetch folder resides on your local hard disk, under the Windows folder.%systemroot%\prefetch-or-X:\windows\prefetch
Where X is the drive letter where you have Windows installed. Either path will get you to your local system. The second path is for those who have the default installation on the most commonly used drive letter, C:\


6. Reduce the number of fonts
Extra fonts on your computer do use up a lot of your systems power! TrueType Fonts in particular are a drain on computer resources.

So how can you get rid of some of these fonts?
Open Control Panel
Open Fonts folder
Move fonts you do not require to a temp directory so you can reinstall them later if required.

Anything over 300 fonts is probably excessive and can really slow your computer.

7. Improve folder browsing
You can improve your folder browsing so that a single Windows Explorer window does not take the rest of your operating system down you can launch separate folder windows in multi processes.

Step 1.
Click on My Computer, tools, then Folder Options.
Click on the View tab.
Scroll down to "Launch folder windows in a separate process," and enable this option.

Step 2.
Stop Windows XP automatically searching for network files and printers everytime you open windows explorer.1) Open My Computer 2) Click on Tools menu 3) Click on Folder Options 4) Click on the View tab. 5) Uncheck the Automatically search for network folders and printers check box 6) Click Apply 7) Click Ok 8) Reboot your computer

8. Disable Performance Counters
Windows XP has a performance monitor utility which monitors several areas of your PC's performance. These utilities take up system resources so disabling is a good idea.

To disable:
1) download and install the Extensible Performance Counter List
2) Then select each counter in turn in the 'Extensible performance counters' window and clear the 'performance counters enabled' checkbox at the bottom button below

9. Disconnect USB Devices not in use
Printers, Scanners, Cameras and hard drives that connect to your computer can slow your system when Windows boots. This is because Windows will load all the drivers for the devices connected to your computer. If you are not using these items regularly disconnect them. You can plug them back in when you need them and Windows will only load the drivers it needs at any time.

10. Scan for Spyware or Viruses
Unfortunately, whenever you use your computer to access the internet you are at risk from Spyware and Viruses. If you computer becomes infected it will significantly slow your computer, not to mention making it vulnerable to crashing, corruption of data and ultimate failure. You need to ensure that your computer is protected from viruses and spyware. Visit
http://www.strowan.com/ for details on the most popular anti virus or spyware products on the market today. Each of these will give you a free scan to see if your computer is infected.