Five Simple Ways to Speed Up Your PC

"Speeding up your PC is a great way to start of the New Year. Speed is definitely important these days," Agent Smith, the manager of Geek Squad at Best Buy, said.

Microsoft's five steps consist of freeing up disk space, speeding up access to data, detecting and repairing disk repairs, protecting computers against spyware and learning about Microsoft's Readyboost.

"Any one of Microsoft's five steps will significantly speed up any computer. So from Apple to Sony, and Dell to Toshiba, any users of [these steps] can benefit," says Smith.

1.Free up disk space

"You basically want to use Disk Cleanup when you install new programs to get rid of the space the old programs take up on the hard disk," Smith said.

The Disk Cleanup tool identifies and allows users to see files that are safe to delete -- such as items in the Recycle Bin, old programs and temporary files -- from their computers.

How to use Disk Cleanup

1.) Click Start, go to All Programs, then go to Accessories, finally go to System Tools and click on Disk Cleanup.
2.) Once in Disk Cleanup set up select the files you would like to delete.
3.) Clear the check boxes for the files that you do not wish to delete and click OK.
4.) Confirm that you want to delete specified files by clicking Yes.

2.Speed up access to data

A disk defragmenter, according to Microsoft's Web site, is a utility that consolidates a computer's fragmented files and folders so that they occupy only a single space on the disk.

How to use Disk Defragmenter

1.) Click Start, go to All Programs, then go to Accessories, finally got to System Tools and click on Disk Defragmenter.
2.) Select drives you want to defragment and click Analyze.
3.) After the analysis the dialog box will tell you if you need to defragment the selected drive if so click Defragment.
4.) After the process of defragmentation process is complete the results will be displayed, to view these in detail click View Report.
5.) To close program click Close in the View Report dialog box, and then click Close in the title bar of the Disk Defragmenter program.

3.Detect and repair disk errors

By running the Error Checking utility, one may check the files stored on their hard disks for bad sectors and those stored on their file systems for errors.

"Nine times out of 10, if you have bad sectors your computer is failing or will fail. It will only work if you replace the hard drive," Smith said.

How to use Error Checking

1.) Close any open files
2.) Click Start, then click My Computer
3.) Once in My Computer Right Click on the file you want to search for bad sectors then click Properties
4.) Once in the Properties dialog box click on the Tools tab
5.) Click Check Now
6.) Once in the Check Disk dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors, and click Start
7.) Choose to fix bad sectors if they are found


4.Protect your computer against spyware

Spyware is an illegal collector of personal information.Microsoft Windows Defender combats spyware and is free to download for Microsoft XP SP2.

"You want to remember not to have more than one anti-spyware program running at a time, or it will cause major problems in your computer's performance," says Smith.

5.Learn all about ReadyBoost for Windows Vista

According to Microsoft's Web site, ReadyBoost speeds up computers by allowing users to utilize flash memory in an effort to improve performance -- without adding more memory.

ReadyBoost works by using a universal serial bus -- USB -- along with Windows SuperFetch.

How to use ReadyBoost

"If you are not sure how to install ReadyBoost, we recommend that you come in and we will update the system for you," Smith said.

1.) Insert flash drive or secure digital memory card
2.) Windows Vista will check to see if the device is fast enough to work with the ReadyBoost program. If this is so place the amount of the flash drive's memory you want to use to store files and the amount you want to use to speed up your PC.


Source: Steps from Microsoft.com and media.www.technicianonline.com
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Strategic steps down the green IT path

Guidance from Forrester Research, along with real-world examples, shed light on the precarious path toward sustainability

Vendor and analysts can talk about the benefits of pursuing sustainable IT practices until they're blue (or green) in the face. The difficulty at this point isn't necessarily understanding the potential benefits for going green; it's knowing where to start and how to proceed.

Fortunately, organizations with expertise on the subject are stepping forward to dispense and demonstrate guidance down the green path. Among them are organizations such as The Green Grid, vendors such as Sun, HP, and Fujitsu, and research companies such as Gartner and Forrester Research. Forrester, in fact, recently released a report titled "Creating the Green IT Action Plan." As the title suggests, it provides high-level advice on the subject.

The first step companies need to take, Forrester recommends, is identifying and prioritizing your goals. That task in and of itself can demonstrate just how complex a green transformation can be.

For example, your goal might be business-oriented, such as reducing electricity consumption or making better use of existing IT equipment. Then again, your main objective may be geared more toward CSR (corporate social responsibility) and environmental stewardship, such as reducing your carbon footprint, and meeting current and future environmental standards.

Tangentially, Gartner's recent report "Conflating Lean and Green Is Unwise" notes that there may be crossovers between the lean objectives and the green ones, but in general, it's best not to lump them together.

Once you know what goals you want to achieve, the next step is assessment, Forrester recommends. It's like joining a gym on Jan. 1 to fulfill a drunken New Year's resolution to get in shape. First, you submit yourself to a series of prods, pokes, pinches, and a weighing to determine how out of shape you are. That way, if you stick to your regimen, you can go through it again in a couple of months to determine how far you've progressed. (Pants falling down to your ankles as you stride down the hallway is another indicator.)

Where was I? Oh, assessment. Your assessment steps will, of course, reflect the objectives you've set. For example, if you're aiming to reduce energy waste in the datacenter, you might measure the facilities PUE (power usage effectiveness), a measurement devised by The Green Grid consortium that's gaining popularity in the IT world. To measure PUE, divide your total facility power by IT equipment power.

By Green Grid's estimates, "PUEs range from rating of 1.3 (77 percent of the total power supplied to the data center is used to power data processing equipment) to a poor ratio of 3.0 (33 percent of total power actually reaches the IT equipment)," according to the Forrester report.

On the CSR side of the spectrum, Forrester suggests you examine your supply chain and procurement process. The supply chain indeed plays direct and indirect roles in your company's overall green picture, a fact not lost on companies such as HP. The company goes to great lengths to ensure its suppliers don't use chemicals that would violate stringent regulations such as ROHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances), which protects HP's bottom line. But it also goes so far as to train its suppliers in places such as China to embrace better environmental and social practices, because it reflects HP's own corporate values.

One other critical piece of advice from Forrester on the subject of assessment: Specify IT's organizational role. "A crucial part of that is identifying the leadership and execution role of IT relative to facilities, HR, legal, and marketing. Green IT must also be explicitly aligned with CSR and other green initiatives including regulatory compliance and reporting. And green IT efforts must fit with the technology organization's anticipated budget and capacity trajectory as dictated by the growth-of-business requirements," the report says.

As a third overall step in crafting your blueprint for a sustainable IT action plan, Forrester recommends going after the low-hanging green fruit; that is, the quick, easy, relatively low-cost steps toward cutting waste. There are plenty of opportunities here: improve datacenter cooling and airflow; cut print waste; and power down PCs and monitors at the end of the day. Savings here can add up, plus they set the tone organization-wide for a green evolution.

Finally, step four. And watch this step, because it's a doozy: "Craft and communicate an action plan." The communication bit is less daunting: It's a matter of effectively promoting the eco-ambitions to employees through various channels, and making sure they're engaged.

But an action plan itself is a complex document. Forrester recommends breaking it down into four components: "revising processes and metrics; optimizing efficiency of existing IT assets; revamping architecture and infrastructure; and [and] positioning IT to enable green business practices."

Revising processes and metrics is pretty clear and highly important. If your goal, for example, is to reduce electricity consumption, you might want to "forge links between IT and facilities" to measure energy consumption and devise methods to measure it. Another procedural shift, drawing from the green supply chain concept, is to review CSR requirements for your suppliers and the methods you use to measure whether your suppliers are meeting them.

Optimizing efficiency of existing IT assets alludes to making the most out of the hardware you already have. Depending on your goals, it might mean a server virtualization project, a storage-consolidation effort, or implementing a system for managing PC power consumption.

Somewhat related, "revamping architecture and infrastructure" means investing in new facilities and gear to meet a green tech goal. If reducing energy consumption is a high priority, you might consider moving from a PC-based office to a thin-client-based office. Building or consolidating an entire datacenter -- a project we've seen companies such as Sun and HP recently undertake -- also fall under this category.

Last on the action-plan list, there's "positioning IT to enable green business practices." This point relates to in-house technology investments that result in a green (and potentially lean) payoff. Examples might include investing in a teleconference solution to reduce environmentally unfriendly air travel or "looking at alternative energy technologies and suppliers," as Fujitsu recently did with the investment in a hydrogen fuel cell.

All told, I commend Forrester on this report, and I've just scratched the surface here of the document. Over the past several months, we've all read about the various technologies, practices, and projects out there that companies are using in the hopes of becoming green organizations. The report is an important reminder that, tempting as it may be to start throwing resources around to reap rewards of sustainability, planning, assessing, monitoring and procedural changes are critical -- and IT has a central role to play in it all.

src: http://weblog.infoworld.com/sustainableit/archives/2007/10/strategic_steps.html
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IYogi Computer Support Goes Green

New green PC services help individuals and small businesses save energy and money.

iYogi, a next-generation computer support services company, today announced the launch of their Green PC initiative. iYogi's new service is the first in the independent computer support industry to offer customers a way to save money, conserve energy and protect the environment by optimizing their PC's efficiency.

According to Energy Star, a joint program between the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, users can save up-to $75 Per Desktop PC annually through power management.

iYogi's Green PC initiative is a customized service that increases the energy-efficiency of users' computers starting with three primary undertakings:
1. Computer assessment, analyzing settings and PC energy use.
2. Customized efficiency plan, geared specifically to the individual's usage patterns.
3. Implementing setting changes to maximize the computer's energy use.

This service is free for iYogi's annual subscribers, and can be purchased for $9.99 as a stand-alone service for new customers. iYogi's Green PC website can help users identify ways to responsibly recycle or dispose of their hardware as well as provide insight into how to select new computer equipment that is environmentally friendly and energy efficient.

"Most people do not realize the enormous drain that PCs and laptops impose on electrical resources," said Vishal Dhar, president of iYogi. "Our Green PC service will allow small businesses and individuals to use technology responsibly, saving money in the process. By making small changes in the way you work, something as simply as not using screensavers, you can reduce your electric bill and reduce your carbon footprint."

For more information on iYogi's Green PC initiative visit http://green-pc.iyogi.net

About Iyogi:
Headquartered in Gurgaon, India with offices in New York, NY, iYogi provides personalized computer repair for small businessand home office users. iYogi offers 24/7 phone and online assistance for technologies we use every day and supports products from a wide range of vendors. Utilizing proprietary technology, iMantra, and superior team talent, iYogi delivers higher resolution benchmarks and service levels than competing support services. For more information and a detailed list of supported technologies, visit: www.iyogi.net
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