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  1. How to speed up a slow computer

    September 20, 2012 by Karl

    computer berry berry berryberryberry

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    This article will show you how to speed up a slow computer (PC, not Mac). It may have been a super fast computer when you first bought it, but over the past years it has been slowing down more and more. The reason for this is all the junk that gets placed on your computer without your consent. I will show you how to clean things up using a few tools that are available for free on the internet. This is the same process that the pros use to speed things up, except the pros will ask you for $150 or more when it is finished.  Many people just get frustrated with their computer and buy a new one when these simple steps can add a few more years to their PC.

    Check for Malicious Software

    The first thing to be concerned with is malicious software that may be hiding on your computer.  Whether you have the best anti-virus (AV) software protecting your computer or not, you should run one more check.  Over the years I have found that no two AV companies will catch the same problems.  It never hurts to double-check.  Before doing anything else, download and install the free version of Malwarebytes.  This is used by the best geeks in the business to check for problems on their own PC’s.  I run it every few months just as a precaution.  It will work alongside any other AV software you currently have, so there is no need to do anything to that.  Just download it, double-click on the downloaded file, and allow the software to install.  Once installed, run a full scan on your computer.  It may take an hour or so, but it will be well worth it.  It will probably find something that is slowing down your machine, or even causing damage.  One machine that I ran it on had over 200 issues that it corrected for me.  If it finds something, it will probably ask you to re-boot your PC when completed.  Do that before moving on to the next step.  If it finds anything, be sure to run the scan again after your computer has re-booted.  It may find more.  Do this as many times as needed until it gives your computer a clean scan.  If you need to do it more than three times to get a clean result, then it might be time to call a local professional.
    Malwarebytes

    Remove junk files

    Now that your computer is clean from any malicious software, you will want to clean up any junk files that are slowing your computer down.  It is possible to do this by yourself by cleaning each of the areas, one at a time, but it would take hours, and lucky for us there is some free software that will do this job for us.  It is called CCleaner.  Again, you only need to download the free version (I always download it from FileHippo, one of the download options on the screen).  When the file is downloaded, double-click the file to install it on your computer, and click-through any install option screens.  When the installation is complete, start the application, and click the “Analyze” button at the bottom of the page.  After it goes through its search, verify on the left that NONE of the “saved password” items are checked, or you will lose all your saved passwords.  This should be the default setting.  Look at the top to see how much space you are saving on your computer!  Now click “Run Cleaner” at the bottom.  It’s that simple!
    CCleaner
    Performing these two tasks above will significantly improve the speed of your computer.

    Warning

    There are a few more things that you can do to speed up your computer, but they are for more advanced users.  Please judge your own abilities and proceed at your own risk.  These instructions are for windows Vista and Windows 7 only.  These same tasks can be completed in Windows XP, but the menu options are different, so they are not covered below.

    Remove applications that you no longer use

    To do this you will need to go into your Windows control panel and select “Programs and Features”.  Alternatively, you can get there by clicking the windows icon in the lower left corner of your desktop and typing “programs and features” at the prompt.  Once there, look through the list of applications on your computer and decide if you can afford to remove any of them.  If you don’t know what it is, don’t touch it.  If you know you installed it in the past and you no longer need it, then click on it to highlight it, and then click the button on top of the page that says “uninstall”.  Click yes to any of the prompt windows that come up.  After you have removed all the applications that you no longer want, re-boot your computer, and enjoy the faster speed of your machine.

    Remove items from your startup configuration

    If it takes forever for your machine to boot up, there are a few things you can do, but it will affect your performance later.  Almost every application that you install on your computer places something in the startup (boot-up) configuration to speed up the time that it takes for their application to start later.  In doing this it slows down the boot-up process of your computer.  If you are someone like me who keeps the computer running for the whole week, then this shouldn’t be that big of a concern.  If you are someone who boots up the computer every time you use it, then this slow boot-up could be troubling.

    Here’s what you do.  Click on the Windows icon in the lower left of your desktop.  Type in “system configuration” at the prompt and hit enter.  This will open up the System Configuration window.  Make sure you are on the General tab and click on ‘Selective startup’.  Now click on the Startup tab and scroll through the applications that will load on startup.  Un-checking the item will keep it from loading at startup.  Be sure to click the apply button for any changes you make. Now re-boot your computer and see how it goes.  If there are errors or things you don’t like simply repeat these steps to undo what you changed.  Enjoy!

    If you like this article, you might also be interested in:

    https://frugalberry.com/save-money-on-your-desktop-printer/

     


  2. Save money on your phone bill!

    June 5, 2012 by Karl

    telephone berry berry berry berry berry


    This article will show you how to save money on your land-line phone. Many people still like the security of a land-line phone and if you have a business it is almost a necessity. If you have reliable internet service, you can easily cut the price of your land-line in half if not better. We went from a $60-$70 bill (USA) to less than $10 per month for a much better service! Anyone can do it if you have a little technical knowledge.

    How do we save so much money? We made the shift from our standard Verizon service with two phone numbers, to Voice Over Internet Protocol (also known as VoIP).  When we were with Verizon, we had the very basic service for each of our numbers. With VoIP we have built-in caller ID, voice mail which we have sent to our email as an attachment, and more importantly, the ability to block phone calls from specific numbers. If we have specific telemarketers calling us from the same number all the time, we simply block their number. It’s GREAT! All for less than $10 per month for two phone numbers! We even switched our existing phone numbers from Verizon to our new VoIP service!

    To make this possible, you need to have a solid high-speed internet service. DSL, Cable, or FiOS are the best, but you are not limited to these. The important thing to check is the amount of latency you have with your internet service.  To find out what your latency is, go to speedtest.net.   On the speed test, latency will show up as either ping, or latency, and will be in a box showing the number of milliseconds of latency you have.  (ping and latency are basically the same thing for our purposes).  If the latency is less than 150ms then you are in a great position to switch to VoIP.  If it is between 150ms and 300ms, you will hear some noticeable lag or echo in your calls.  If it is greater than 300ms, I would not recommend VoIP as an option.

    You can purchase a VoIP phone, but that is not necessary, and they are very expensive compared to standard phones.  What you will need is a box called a VoIP phone adapter that will convert your internet signal to a voice signal and feed it into the existing phone lines in your house.  The one I have been using is the  OBi110 Voice Service Bridge and VoIP Telephone Adapter found on Amazon.com for around $50.  You will need one for each phone number you have coming into the house. The OBi110 gives you more flexibility than other devices because it allows you to tie into Google Voice which gives you free outgoing calls.

    Next you need to set up a VoIP account with one of the many providers out there.  The one I chose and love is voip.ms.  They offer LOTS of flexibility at very low prices.  You also need to set up a Google Voice Account.

    Here’s the way it works.  Your incoming calls will be routed to your VoIP provider, who will send the call to the OBi110 device which connects your internet to your phone line.  Your phones will ring and work just like they normally do.   Your outgoing calls will be sent from your OBi110 device to your Google voice account, and from there the call will be sent to the number you dialed just as normal.  The only difference is that the person picking up the call will see your Google Voice number on their caller ID display rather than your normal number.  That’s it!  Your outgoing calls will be free with Google Voice, and your incoming calls will be charged at the rate of your VoIP provider.  In my case it is $6.95 per month + $1.50 per month for 911 service.  The additional phone number I have set up for $.99 per month on the basic plan because I don’t use it much.  You will need to tweak things to work best for your own calling usage.

    The OBi110 can also be tied into individual phones if you like, instead of tying it into the entire house.  The flexibility of this device is truly amazing.

    Initially I bought the OBi110, and tied it directly into my business phone just to check it out.  I also had my regular Verizon service tied in at the same time so I could compare.  After a month of testing, I could see the savings add up, and by the next month I had purchased another device and plugged them both into all our house phones.  I then transferred or “ported” our existing phone numbers from Verizon to my new voip.ms service, and cut Verizon out of the loop completely.  My bill for last month (May 2012) was $9.48 for both phones.  This is my sixth month after the switch, and we are completely thrilled with the service and the savings.

    obi setup photo

    I am sure you would have the same results if you have a decent high-speed internet connection.  If you have made the switch already or want to give it a try, please leave me some comments below.  I love helping people save money!

    I do receive compensation from Amazon for the OBi110 links on this page, but would recommend the product whether I received anything or not.  It is an excellent product.

    OBi110 Link