How to repair your computer for free

Every computer runs into problems at one point or another. Once a problem occurs, it’s important that you know how to solve it as quickly as possible.

The first thing you should know about repairing your computer for free is that Windows comes with a number of special recovery tools. In some cases, these free tools can repair minor problems your computer may be experiencing. For that reason, you may want to scan your PC with these tools before you purchase other solutions.

Disk cleanup tool: Windows’ disk cleanup tool scans your computer for unnecessary files and then wipes them from your hard drive. This can speed up performance and frees up space for more important files. It’s fast, free, and easy to use. However, it isn’t nearly as powerful as some of the paid programs on the market.

Disk defragmenter: When files are closer together on your hard drive, it speeds up performance. Windows’ built-in disk defragmenter does just that, moving files around to increase the speed and performance of your PC.

System restore: Perhaps the most powerful tool in the Windows’ arsenal, the system restore function can also be the most dangerous. It resets your computer to its old settings, removing any programs that you’ve recently installed and altering some files. This is useful if you have recently changed something on your computer, or if Windows has started acting abnormally but you don’t know what is causing it. In that case, you can simply restore your computer to what it was like yesterday, last week, or two months ago.

Msconfig: This tool is useful for more advanced users. It allows you to change the programs that load when your computer starts up. If you’ve been experiencing slow boot times, or if you have a lot of unnecessary programs popping up, then taking a look around this screen can significantly improve your computer’s performance. Simply go to ‘Start’, then ‘Run’, and type ‘msconfig’ into the command box. Once the tool pops up, you can de-select any programs that you don’t want to run when you start up.

The bottom line

Unfortunately, these free tools are nowhere near as powerful as some of the paid programs on the market today. The performance increases you see will be fairly small, especially compared to powerful all-in-one programs like PC Cleaner Pro 2012.

If you’re looking for minor boosts in performance, then these free Windows tools can be useful, but if you’re looking to protect your computer from malware, improve its performance, and clean your registry all with one simple click, then you will need a more powerful solution.

How to fix a slow PC

Computers tend to slow down over time. Usually, it’s not the user’s fault that this happens. Instead, it’s due to a number of different factors, including excess data build-up, malware, and even dust in the computer itself.

For that reason, there are several different ways to repair a slow PC. Here are just a few of them.

Clean your registry: One of the most overlooked parts of any computer is the Windows Registry, which contains important information about every single program that is installed on your PC. Since it is so important, it should be cleaned regularly. Fortunately, registry cleaners aren’t very expensive, and can often perform a number of different tasks that can speed up your PC.

Clean out the dust inside the case: Just like every other part of your house, a computer will become dusty over time. This dust can clog fans, which overheats your components and could cause your computer to slowdown or even crash. Get an inexpensive aerosol dust spray and take your computer case outside. Take off the outside cover and spray the inside of the case thoroughly, making sure to hit all the fans you can see.

Delete old, unused files: Your computer is constantly storing data, and you don’t need most of it. Over the years, this unnecessary data can clog up your hard drive and significantly slow down your computer. While you can delete these files manually, there are programs available that will do all of the hard work for you, and will seek out and delete all old files on your hard drive for free.

Optimize your internet: Your internet browser is likely the most frequently-used program on your computer. As such, you want to optimize it as much as possible. There are a number of guides available that tell you how to do that on your own, or you could download a program like PC Cleaner Pro 2012 that will do it for you. Your internet browser doesn’t always use your internet connection to its full potential, and optimizing it can result in noticeably faster speeds.

Scan for malware: While some viruses make their presence known immediately, others run quietly in the background of your computer sucking up valuable system resources. Many users have no idea that this malware is affecting their system, and they may simply think that their computer is running slowly. Perform a quick scan with anti-virus software to delete these problems from your computer.

What is a registry cleaner and how does it work?

You may have heard about the Windows Registry. It’s one of the most important parts of any PC, and it contains configuration data about every single program that is installed on your computer. Unfortunately, many users don’t realize that it needs to be cleaned regularly, and not doing so can result in computer slowdowns, crashes, viruses, and other such problems.

For that reason, you need to find a good registry cleaner. In general, registry cleaners are not expensive, and can be found for anywhere from $10 to $30. While there are some free registry cleaners available, they’re generally not recommended, and can cause more problems for your PC than anything.

So how does a registry cleaner work? Just like an antivirus program, a registry cleaner scans your computer to look for problems. Most of them are very easy to use, and if you can click your left mouse button, you won’t have any problem downloading, installing, and scanning your computer with some of the best registry cleaner software in the world.

During a scan, a registry cleaner looks for missing, broken, or corrupt entries in your registry. Since the registry contains hundreds of thousands of unique entries, sorting through all of these on your own would take an incredible amount of time, but a good registry cleaner completes a scan in just a few minutes. Once the scan is finished, your programs will likely run faster and you will experience fewer error messages and crashes.

For all of these reasons, registry cleaners are an incredibly important part of PC maintenance. And, to make the deal even sweeter, many registry cleaners come bundled with other PC tools, like anti-virus programs or disk defragmenters. A program like PC Cleaner Pro 2012, for example, has all of those tools in one easy, affordable package.

Remember, you don’t have to be a computer whiz to work a registry cleaner. In fact, using a program like PC Cleaner Pro 2012 has never been easier (or more important). The sooner you buy a registry cleaner, the sooner you can unlock the power within your computer and have it performing like it never has before.

How to clean out the inside of your computer case

As you may or may not know, dust can cause serious problems inside your computer. If you already perform general PC maintenance with software, but still aren’t seeing an increase in performance, then this dust might be holding you back. Today, we’re going to teach you exactly how to clean out the dust inside your computer case as quickly and easily as possible.

First, buy a can of aerosol spray from any tech store. Big box retailers like Wal Mart also carry them, and they can be found for around 10 dollars apiece. Once you get home, power off your PC and take it to a well-ventilated location (an outdoor spot like a deck or backyard work best).

Next, it’s time to remove the case from your computer. If you don’t already know how to do this, you may need to consult the owner’s manual. However, this is usually very easy to do: just remove some of the screws and the panel of the case should slide right off.

Next, take your aerosol can and spray generously inside in the case. Dust will be flying out at this point, so you may want to cover your eyes or mouth with something to protect yourself. Pay close attention to all of the fans on the case, as well as the components themselves. Remember that your video card and processor might have fans on them that need to be cleaned out too.

Also, be sure not to turn your aerosol can upside down. This can create moisture in the can that could damage your computer. If you’ve never cleaned your PC before, prepare for a lot of dust and be ready with a broom to clean up the mess that you’re about to create.

Once the inside of your PC is dust-free, you can screw the case back on and power it off. While the performance increase is not as noticeable as it would be after running a registry cleaner, for example, it will still provide a nice little boost to performance, and will prevent your PC from overheating when running performance-intensive tasks.

How to repair your PC to improve your gaming experience

One of the most popular things to do on a computer is play games. Whether you’re an avid PC gamer with the latest video card or you’re happy playing Farmville on Facebook, we can all appreciate faster performance while gaming.

Today, we’re going to show you exactly how to squeeze the most out of your PC and make it run faster no matter what game you’re playing.

Download the latest video card driver updates: Every video card manufacturer updates its software from time to time, and these updates can provide significant performance benefits for your PC. Sometimes, a driver can optimize a video card’s performance while playing a certain game, and they generally enhance the way your computer communicates with its components. Driver updates can easily be found on your video card manufacturer’s website.

Perform a scan with a registry cleaner: You may not know it, but the Windows Registry affects your computer’s performance while gaming. Since it has configuration data about every single program on your PC, it’s important that you keep it running as smoothly as possible. It’s easy to scan your computer with a registry cleaner, and doing that regularly can reduce the number of bugs and glitches that you experience while gaming and can reduce the strain on your hard drive.

Defragment your hard drive: Speaking of your hard drive, it’s important to defragment it on a regular basis. As your drive fills up with data and programs, the information can spread out and become more difficult to access. When you defragment it, this information is consolidated closer to the center of the hard drive, which improves the rate at which it scans and can noticeably reduce loading times.

Buy more RAM: If you’re willing to spend a few extra bucks to improve your computer’s gaming performance, then RAM is a good place to start. Not only is it easy to install, but it’s inexpensive and can speed up virtually any system. If you have fewer than 4 gigabytes of RAM, then your gaming performance should noticeably increase when you buy a few extra sticks.

Tweak your internet connection: If you play multiplayer online games, then it’s important for your internet connection to run as smoothly as possible. In a gaming world where a few milliseconds can make the difference between killing and being killed, improving your internet connection can have a profound impact on your gaming performance. While you can look up various guides on how to do this online, some programs, like PC Cleaner Pro 2012, will automatically optimize your internet for you.

Overclock your system: If you want to go the extra mile to improve your gaming performance, then you can always overclock your system. However, this is generally only recommended to advanced users, as it involves tweaking with settings and can permanently damage your components. Essentially, it involves pushing your components past their factory-recommended settings, which is possible if your system has enough cooling power.

How to save a ton of money when repairing your PC

Everybody likes to get a good deal. Today, we’re going to teach you how to save money when fixing your PC. While some PC repair can be done for free, you’re generally going to have to shell out a few bucks to ensure that your computer remains protected. Just remember: it’s better than spending a few thousand dollars on a new PC altogether.

Buy all-in-one programs: The computer maintenance tool industry is extremely competitive, and companies look for any way to get an advantage over their competitors. To do that, they often bundle many tools into a single program and call it an “all-in-one” solution. This is an easy way to get twice or even triple the amount of value out of a program. Instead of buying a separate registry cleaner, antivirus program, and disk defragmenter, for example, you can simply buy one program that does all of this for you. It’s that easy.

Avoid going to a tech support company: Big-box electronic retailers have services like Geek Squad that charge hundreds of dollars for incredibly basic repairs. If you’d rather save your money, these repairs are usually very easy to perform at home on your own – even if you’re not a tech geek. By looking up online guides and searching for other people who have experienced your problem, you can easily see which repair methods work and which ones don’t. Remember, downloading a powerful and effective program for fifty bucks is a lot cheaper than paying somebody to come to your house and fix your computer for you. At the very least, you’ll learn a lot of useful information about fixing PCs.

Consider antivirus software an investment: Instead of seeing antivirus software as a sunk cost that goes nowhere, think of it as an investment into your personal safety. Today, viruses are becoming more dangerous than ever before, and many of them can clean out your bank accounts and steal your personal data before you even know what’s wrong with your computer. In that sense, the thirty or forty dollars that you spend on an antivirus program today could help you save thousands of dollars in the future, which makes it a very good investment indeed.

Time has value: The core principle of investment is that time has value, and the same is true for your computer. When you invest in maintenance tools that speed up your PC, you’re adding valuable minutes onto the time you spend on the computer. If you work or do your banking on the computer, this time is absolutely priceless, but it’s useful for anybody who spends long hours on their PC.

How to distinguish between good and bad PC repair programs

With so many PC repair tools on the market, it can be difficult to know which ones are good and which ones are bad. And unfortunately, looking for PC repair reviews online isn’t always helpful, since companies often get paid to post favorable reviews of certain products on their website.

For that reason, it’s important to learn how to perform some basic research on your own. The more you know about good and bad PC repair programs, the easier it will be to make an informed decision on your next purchase. Here are some things to consider before buying your next PC repair tool:

Does it have good value?

In an effort to beat out their competitors, many tech companies bundle additional software with every purchase. This is a good thing for consumers, and it can help you save hundreds of dollars on PC maintenance tools. Instead of buying a registry cleaner, disk defragmenter, and antivirus program separately, you can buy an ‘all-in-one’ program that does the same job for the fraction of the price.

Does it perform the job as promised?

Whether you’re buying an antivirus program or a registry cleaner, it’s important for it to be as effective as possible at what it does. If it isn’t, then you might as well shell out a few extra dollars to buy better software. Look for independent reviews that claim an antivirus program can remove most – if not all – viruses on a PC, and always look for customer testimonials and other such claims. Put simply, the more time you spend researching a PC repair tool, the better chance you have of getting the most for your money.

Does the company frequently update its program?

Some companies stand behind their products and will offer customers updates throughout the year. This is particularly important for antivirus software, as it needs to keep up-to-date on the latest malware threats. If you can find a company that offers frequent, reliable updates, then you’re getting as much value out of your purchase as possible.

How fast is the program?

Some programs take hours to scan your PC, while others only take a few minutes. If you’re like most people, then you want your PC repaired as quickly as possible. If you can find a program that effectively eliminates viruses and does so in a fast and efficient way, then you’ve found a real winner.

Will it slow down my PC?

While some programs do a fantastic job of repairing your PC, they drain so much of your system’s resources that they’re not very useful after all. The best PC repair tools are lightweight, and can repair your PC without impeding its performance.

How to fix a PC that randomly crashes

Computers are complicated, and finding the cause of crashes can be difficult. If your PC has been having difficulties lately, here are just a few of the reasons why it could be having these problems, as well as the steps you can take to fix them.

Is your computer overheating?

If your computer freezes or crashes when running performance-heavy applications (like video games or video editing software), then it could be the result of overheating components. In many cases, this is a simple ventilation issue, and by clearing some of the dust out of your fans, video card, and processor, you can significantly cool down your PC. If this doesn’t clear up your problems, and your computer is still running hot, then you may need to install aftermarket heatsinks and fans or move your computer to a colder room.

Check for malware

Most PC crashes occur as a result of malware. Viruses can wreak havoc on your system’s performance, and the most serious forms of malware can cause your computer to lock up and shut down. To prevent this from happening to you, it’s important to have a good antivirus program installed on your PC.

Scan your registry for errors

Many people are unaware of how important the Windows Registry is at keeping your computer clean and healthy. In some cases, errors in the registry can cause serious problems in other parts of your computer, and this problem can be fixed by running a regular scan with a registry cleaner. These can be found for an affordable price online and do wonders for your PC’s performance.

Run your computer in safe mode

Every Windows-based computer has a built-in safe mode that can be accessed by pressing F8 during startup. While in this safe mode, your computer is running a limited number of tasks, which means that there are only a few places where errors can occur. If your computer still locks up or crashes while in safe mode, you could have a more serious problem on your hands.

Check your power supply

An intermittent power supply can bring down even the mightiest PC. If your PC crashes while starting up, or shuts down immediately when you try to perform a task, it could be a power supply issue. Replacing a power supply is not nearly as difficult or expensive as you might think, but some inexperienced PC users may still want to take it to a tech shop to get it repaired.

Top 5 Reasons to Buy a Registry Cleaner

If you’re on the fence about buying a registry cleaner, here are just a few of the benefits you should consider that might sway your opinion.

1)      Speeds up performance: The most noticeable way in which a registry cleaner improves your PC is by enhancing its speed and performance. The Windows Registry is very large and can become clogged with errors over time, forcing your hard drive to do far more work than it needs to when running basic programs. By eliminating these errors and optimizing your registry, you can reduce the strain on your hard drive and significantly increase your computer’s performance.

2)      Affordability: Registry cleaners are some of the most affordable PC maintenance tools on the market today. They offer a significant performance boost at a very small cost, and often come bundled with other software to make the deal even sweeter. Users generally see an immediate return on their investment in the form of faster computer performance and fewer malware problems.

3)      Easy-to-use: Registry cleaners are incredibly easy to use. Even somebody who’s using a computer for the first time should have no problems downloading, installing, and running a scan with a registry cleaner. In that sense, a registry cleaner does most of the hard work for you, and all the user has to do is sit back, relax, and watch the cleaner eliminate thousands of problems within the Windows Registry.

4)      A gift that keeps on giving: It’s important to clean your registry on a regular basis to prevent further problems from developing. Running a scan with your registry cleaner on a weekly or monthly basis is incredibly easy, and some programs will even allow you to set up a schedule. When you purchase a registry cleaner, remember that you can use it for as long as you have that computer, making it a very valuable tool indeed.

5)      Multi-functionality: Many registry cleaners come with multiple tools. For example, a tech company may bundle the program with a powerful antivirus program or an internet optimizer (or both). This significantly enhances the value of the final product and goes a long way towards ensuring that your PC remains as clean, healthy, and fast as possible for years into the future.

What is the Windows Registry?

While most people have heard about the benefits of using a registry cleaner, not everybody knows what exactly the Windows Registry does. In fact, the registry is one of the most important parts of any PC, and it contains hundreds of thousands of files that help your PC work properly every single day.

Inside of these files is configuration data for all the programs installed on your PC. They keep track of any changes you may have made within a program, as well as any unique user settings that you may have modified. So, every time you install or uninstall a particular program, these registry files are altered to reflect that change. Ultimately, this makes it easier for your PC to communicate with programs on the hard drive and leads to a smoother experience.

Your registry is separated into several different sections, each of which pertains to a certain location on your PC. These sections all begin with the code ‘HKEY’, such as HKEY_CURRENT_USER or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. This helps your computer differentiate between configuration settings depending on which user is on the computer at that point in time.

How does a registry cleaner optimize the Windows Registry?

So why does your registry need to be cleaned occasionally? Well, as you install more and more programs on your PC, the entries in your registry become more and more complicated. An update to a program may make one registry entry obsolete, while changing the files of another program could cause it to rely on a registry entry that isn’t there. Viruses and malware can even corrupt certain registry entries, and all of these actions can impede your PC’s performance.

If any of these errors occur, your programs may not function properly. At the very least, your hard drive will have to work harder to sort through all of the broken or missing registry entries, slowing down your PC’s performance and causing a number of other problems. If you don’t want this to happen to you, then you need to install a registry cleaner as soon as possible.

Fortunately, registry cleaners are incredibly affordable and very easy to use. They improve your PC’s performance in a number of different ways and make it less susceptible to viruses, malware, and other issues. If you’re not already scanning your registry on a regular basis, then doing so today can help you squeeze every ounce of performance out of your PC.