JasonN.com - computer help

Run a Faster Windows PC, by Keeping it Clean

Sat, 12 Aug 2006 04:33:36 -0500

A fresh installation of Windows with all its updates and tweaks run's fantastic for most people. Then, we start throwing gunk into the system, including antivirus programs, firewalls, etc. and all the garbage we collect from the slumasphere: the dreggs of the public internet.

It is possible to run a faster, cleaner PC. It's also possible to keep it that way, even if you're not a computer genius. Just a few commercial tools and a little planning will make it an easy process - and your PC much more useful for much longer.

Essential Free Windows Programs

Sun, 27 Nov 2005 22:30:08 -0600

This list of free essential Windows programs will make the life of any developer or power user much easier.

7-Zip handles practically any zip version you could imagine. It will decompress tar, gz, rar, zip, bz2, rpm, arj, cab, cpio, 001, and deb files. It also allows for plugins to add further file type support.
Adobe Acrobat Reader or Foxit PDF Reader are essentials due to the ubiquitous nature of PDF documents. Foxit is lighter, much faster, and a smaller install. It's preferable on a system with limited resources, like a laptop. Adobe's tools can be resource hounds.

Turn Off Unnecessary Windows XP Services

Mon, 04 Apr 2005 11:14:06 -0500

[Check out Run a Faster Windows PC, when you're done with this article.]

Freaking out about gas prices in America? Check out The Pickens Plan!

Turning off unnecessary services in Windows XP can greatly reduce your exploit risk, while improving system performance. It's a good time to inject that often there are all sorts of "download optimizers" and other cute programs that vendors like to push on users. Most of the time, installing such things slows your computer down at best. It could subject you to potential security risks. The first rule is "If you don't know you need it, you probably don't."

Use Better Passwords

Sat, 19 Feb 2005 23:49:08 -0600

I'm always chastising someone about their bad passwords. They either use a silly simple password, or none at all for their personal computers, accounts online, etc. Some people will even use numbers for critical accounts like online banking. It's a huge security problem. What's the point in a password if it doesn't stop someone from breaking into your stuff?

More than two in three respondents (65 per cent) quizzed in RSA Security's survey use fewer than five passwords for all electronic information access and 15 percent use a single password for everything. These figures are unchanged from a similar survey last year.

John Worrall, VP of worldwide marketing at RSA Security, said: "The majority of consumers are aware of the problems associated with passwords, but until they are presented with a reliable, easy-to-use alternative, they're going to continue to exhibit poor password management practices." - The Register

Windows Security

Sun, 13 Feb 2005 21:45:51 -0600

This article will be updated periodically to supply useful and current information. Another good place to frequent is this site's computer security newsfeeds: feeds from various sources, including US-CERT (United States Computer Emergency Response Team).

2005 02 13

Re: Using Group Policy to Manage Windows Firewall in Windows XP SP2

Bookpool has an article describing how to use Windows XP SP2 Firewall to create a layer of security for your network (layer is my term). This article is specifically targeted toward networks with multiple computers running Windows XP Pro and Windows Server 2003.

Speed Up DSL and Cable Internet Connections

Tue, 08 Feb 2005 09:01:55 -0600

Often I have sat at someone's computer in a small office or home and found the internet service lacking. Basically, people set up their computers and local network in a way that makes their service much slower than it can be; this happens most often when you set it up just the way the ISP instructed.

The quickest and cheapest way to drastically speed up your internet responses is to tweak your computers' network settings and to insert a hardware router. Everyone I've convince to do this are amazed at how much faster everything seems to work. Explaining why this is the case is more complex and time consuming than just telling you how to solve the problem. We'll leave the nerdy tech speak for another article.