I don't see a reason to
replace my 3 year old HP Spectre notebook. It has
all the components of a new one with its i5 CPU, 8
gigs of RAM and Windows 10. However, I can't
figure out why it's running so slow over the past
few weeks. Today it shut down on its own and took
me several minutes to boot into Windows again. My
Avast anti-virus says I'm protected. I'm worried
that I have a hidden virus or maybe some malware.
I see apps that claim they will speed up my
system, but I'm wary of scammers. Can you help me
and make a safe suggestion to revive my
notebook?
- Jonathan K. Brookline, MA |
This
is the top question we receive from folks. Seeing
that you have a great notebook, you really need to
repair and optimize Windows. But, this is not an
easy task. That's why eSupport recommends a safe
PC diagnostic and repair program named Reimage. This easy
to use program will save you the time and risk of
reinstalling Windows. Reimage's free scan
will quickly and safely diagnose your system for
all sorts of problems, like corrupt files, a deep
hidden virus, malware and even browser injections.
Next, Reimage will
automatically repair the damage found on your PC
with their patented technology that fixes your
Windows OS with a robust database of replacement
files. Reimage's award
winning technology actually reverses the damage
done to your Windows operating system.
» Download Reimage
|
Last week I searched
Google for a new Sony TV. Now I see Sony TV ads on
many of the sites I go to. I feel like I am being
followed or worse that I'm being spied upon. Why
do I see the same product ads regardless of the
website I visit? And how can I prevent this
invasion of privacy?
- Laura B. Crawford, TX |
|
Advertisers and search engines
secretly watch everything you do online without
your knowing it. These malicious companies gather
your data using a practice called "Digital
Fingerprinting". Next, they sell your
personal habits, whereabouts and activity to
others in order to influence your on-line
experience. These on-line ID thieves know exactly
where your personal information is stored on your
PC and they want it. To protect your on-line
privacy, we strongly recommend using TrackOFF today. TrackOFF instantly
stops on-line privacy thieves from tracking and
stealing your personal information such as your
family (age, religion, work and school), your
finances (income, debt, credit, loans, bank
accounts) and website history (articles, videos,
shopping). Try TrackOFF's free
on-line scan to see and hide the digital tracks
you're leaving behind.
» Download
TrackOFF |
What is the difference
between a computer with an integrated graphics
processor and one with a dedicated graphics
processor?
- James W., Dayton, OH |
|
Computers with integrated graphics
will either have a chip built into the motherboard
or capabilities built into the processor that
performs the task of displaying video onto your
monitor. The integrated graphics share resources
with your computer's memory, which can degrade the
computers video performance. A dedicated graphics
card is an add-on card whose sole job is to handle
video processing tasks. If you are someone who
plays video games or plan on editing home movies
on the PC, it would be wise to have a dedicated
video card. One of the key graphics processor
specifications is the amount of video memory the
card offers. The more memory the card offers, the
faster the computer will be able to play games and
the greater support it will offer for HD video. To
let you easily connect your PC to an HDTV, many
new computers offer an HDMI output to let you use
a single cable for audio and video.
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Driver Tip: The
Advantages of Updating Video Card Drivers
We get asked a lot if there really
are any advantages to upgrading the drivers for
your video card. Does it really make a
difference?
The answer is YES. It does make a
difference. There are several reasons to update
your Video Card drivers. Here are a few:
First, if you are a gamer you will
notice the difference much more than the average
computer user. Secondly if you are someone who
watches a lot of movies or videos on your
computer, up to date drivers are a must.
With many of today's game titles
and streaming video technologies, the need for
more advanced video cards has arisen. Along with
the new equipment it is important that you keep
your drivers up to date.
Keeping your video drivers up to
date fixes Limited Screen Resolution settings,
along with providing support for higher refresh
rates, it will also eliminate jitters in 3D
modeling. The newest driver will help with video
creation/editing software and eliminate skips and
pauses during video playback.
The drivers will fix issues where
videos play normally when scaled down, but play
poorly or refuse to play at full screen. The new
drivers will also help with higher frame rates (or
Frames per Second) during game play or video
playback resulting in smoother appearance and
better experience, which will lead to increased
system stability.
» Perform a driver scan
now!
PC Performance
Tip: Clear Your Cookies and Browsing
History
Internet privacy and security
starts with your web browser. Whether you use
Chrome, Edge or Firefox, all of your browser
history is stored
on your PC. Now you can
quickly identify all your browser history in
seconds and wipe them clean. Take a minute and run
the newest version of
eSupport.com's RegistryWizard
for a free PC Scan. Within minutes your PC will be
clean and optimized.
» Perform
a PC performance scan now!
BIOS Tip - Why
does a computer need a BIOS?
We were asked recently
by a customer an interesting question. Why does
a computer need a BIOS?
A BIOS is a hardware dependent
piece of code stored on the motherboard itself.
Every different motherboard needs a custom BIOS
written for it, so it would be impossible to have
a generic BIOS/OS all-in-one (although the BIOS is
technically just stored code, so you could
theoretically write an OS for one particular
motherboard).
The purpose of the BIOS is to do
the following:
When the PC starts up, the first
job for the BIOS is the power-on self-test, which
initializes and identifies system devices such as
the CPU, RAM, video display card, keyboard and
mouse, hard disk drive, optical disc drive and
other hardware.
Note that you can still start a
computer without any external storage - which is
why the BIOS is a requirement for a computer. In
other terms, the BIOS provides a common software
interface to allow a stored computer program to
communicate with various hardware devices
connected to the motherboard. For example, if I
have two different motherboards with two different
SATA controllers, the BIOS allows me to write a
piece of code that can work with both, without my
knowledge of how the motherboard actually sends
commands to the SATA device. I just have to tell
the computer "read sector X from this SATA
device", and the BIOS is responsible for
actually sending those commands to the hardware.
Where it actually gets the
"read sector X" information from is a
stored program contained within the BIOS, which
usually directs the computer to start reading from
a bootloader stored in a common location. These
common locations are agreed upon by various
software and hardware developers, and usually
provided to the public toallow for more
compatibility between systems.
Once a basic level of interfacing
(again, logical interfacing through software) is
established, the operating system itself builds a
common interface with your various hardware
devices (usually by using "device
drivers"), and the operating system can then
control the hardware.
Finally, it should be noted that
the BIOS is also used to make modifications to the
computer hardware configurations, and store them
in the on-board EEPROM (so your computer remembers
the changes next time you start it up). However,
once the operating system is loaded, it has full
control of the computer.
This allows for motherboard
manufacturers to develop software allowing you to
make these changes from within your operating
system, as opposed to having to reboot into the
BIOS. Again, this is very hardware and software
dependent, but goes to show that all computer
interfacing is relative. The BIOS is exactly what
its name implies - a basic input/output system, to
allow a common software interface for a more
advanced program ("operating system") to
take control of the machine.
» Perform
a BIOS scan now!
Enabling Windows God
Mode |
God Mode
brings up a special menu that puts lots of
settings together in one place. To enable God Mode
in Windows 10:
- Make sure your system account has administrative
privileges.
- Right-click on the Windows 10 desktop and choose
New > Folder.
- Name the folder:
GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} and
hit enter/return to make it stick.
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"I hate to lose more than I love to
win."
- Jimmy Connors |
Your brain has a huge appetite:
Though it makes up only 2 percent of our total
body weight, the brain demands 20 percent of the
body's oxygen and calories.
|
|
Ululate
To howl like a wolf.
|
Noisli
Improve Focus and Boost
Productivity with Background
Noise. |
Todoist
To do list and task
manager. Free, easy, online and mobile.
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