Welcome to the Hints, Tips section of our website.  Periodically we will post helpful information to help you and your computer function better.  This section will also contain a log of useful information such as products to avoid.  If you would like to contribute, please email your tips to webmaster@meyercomputer.net

Kazaa, LimeWire, Morpheus, WinMX, Ares, BearShare, File Voom, Flickr, MP3 Suite, MP3 Rocket, Snappy Music, Shareaza & other P2P music sharing software are EXTREMELY BAD! - Theses software packages disable security on your computer and can literally expose your files to anyone on the Internet.  This leads to poor performance, viruses, Trojans, and identity theft.    In addition, the Recording Industry of America has been taking legal action against the worst offenders for illegal swapping of MP3 files.  Worst of all, these programs open up your PC to the world.  Hackers know this and therefore take advantage of it.  Any computer with these programs installed is a PRIME target for spyware, malware and viruses.  These programs have NO redeeming value.

Weatherbug and similar live weather programs - This program will help slow your internet connection (especially if you have dial-up).  It has to continuously check the web to pull the temperature.  Its also a great way to obtain more pop-up ads and spam.  

Computers are available in just about any price range.   Midrange desktops would be in the $700-$900 range and midrange notebooks in the $1000 range.  The higher end units can reach up to $5k.  Choosing the right computer depends entirely on what you want to do with it.   If your looking for better graphics, video or gaming you need to be in the mid to high end range.

Buy the best computer you can afford. - By getting the best you can afford, you will have a machine that will not be as obsolete as quickly.  However all machines become obsolete eventually.  If you buy a low end budget PC, you can expect to replace it in as little as 1-2 years time; as opposed to getting as much as 3-4 years of life from a better machine.

More is always better. - Get as much CPU speed RAM, and hard-drive space as you can.  You won't regret it.  Its always cheaper to spend a little more up front than to add it later.

Buy what you really want. - If you want a CD burner, buy a computer with a CD burner.  It will cost you much more to add one in later.  This advice applies to pretty much any component.

Get at least a 1 year manufacturer warranty. - Many of the lesser known, no-name clone brands only have a 30-90 day warranty.  Some have no warranty at all!

Stick with a brand name computer! - Many local computer stores will custom build a computer for you.  This has several down sides.  The first is a very short warranty (if any at all).  The second is that the components of the machine haven't been tested together.  YOU will be testing it after you buy it.  A name brand machine will go through a lot of testing before it is sold to the public.

Memory is cheap! - Don't think of getting less than 512 meg on an XP computer or les than 1 Gig on a Vista computer.  Many Vista users are even going with 2 Gig and even 4 Gig!  You can't have too much memory!  This is never the place to skimp!

Hard-drive - Consumer machines may be purchased with as much as a 750g drive.  160 gig has become the new standard size for business class machines.  (Business users store data on networks and therefore can use a smaller drive in the desktops which will save a company money).  If you collect MP3 music or do a lot with digital photography you will want a larger drive.  Hard-drive technology is getting better, faster and cheaper all the time!

Intel Celeron - Celeron is another word for "Stripped Down Pentium".   A 2.4 Celeron is NOT the same as a 2.4 Pentium 4.  Its MUCH slower.  A Celeron is not recommended for applications that do heavy math and video rendering such as AutoCAD, PhotoShop and practically any game.

Monitor Not Included - Monitors are rarely included because everyone has different preferences.  Some people want 17", 19", 20", or 22" in either flat or square screen formats.  Therefore the monitor is sold separate from the computer.  The price of the monitor depends on what size you get and whether it analog or digital.  Any computer that has a monitor included as a package deal tends to be a lower end system.

Video - The video capability of the computer can determine how fast your screen draws.  The simple integrated video systems are designed for not much more than simple word processing and spreadsheets.  They are NOT intended for graphics, video or gaming.  Integrated video is typically found in the low end systems.  A better choice is a computer with a video slot.   You can always upgrade to a faster video card later if the original card doesn't meet your needs.  Good gaming video cards often sell separately for $200-$300.

Never purchase a machine from a discount chain - Manufacturers make special versions of the computers with lesser components to meet the discount chains price point (such as Wal-Mart).  The old axiom still applies.  You get what you pay for!   For example: A manufacturer may cut costs by $20 using a 5200 RPM hard-drive instead of a 7200 rpm drive.  This will slow the machine by as much as 30-40%!  These machines are almost always skimp on memory and are Celeron units.

Do you have a network? - If the answer is YES; you want a computer with Windows 10 Pro.  The operating system is intended for network usage.  Windows 10 home has the vital networking components stripped out.  Many small business owners will make the mistake of buy a computer with a home version (because they save about $90) and then later realize that they need a $200 operating system upgrade to move up to the business version that includes networking.

Spyware and Adware is unavoidable - Everyone's PC will eventually get a certain amount of these unwanted programs.   Spyware/adware are programs put on your computer by various companies that are targeting you for advertising.  Some spyware is used to gather personal information and in extreme cases identity theft.  It's important that you keep your clean your PC of spyware/adware.  Most pop-up ads are in fact generated by spyware/adware.  Running a pop-up blocker only treats the symptom and doesn't get to the source of the problem.   By removing the spyware/adware you can eliminate 90% of the pop-ups.  I recommend using at least one of the following products.  In fact, I use them all.  At this time, there is no single program that will catch or remove everything.

Norton AntiVirus (includes antispyware)
McAfee AntiVirus (includes antispyware)
Spybot Search and Destroy
Windows Defender

BEWARE #1 - There are many FAKE ant-virus and anti-spyware programs which are actually spyware.  Stick to software you know and trust such as the ones listed above.

BEWARE #1 - AVG antivirus is free.  However it misses a LOT of stuff.  You get what you pay for!  I don't recommend it but its better than nothing at all.

If you need help with spyware or virus removal, please contact us or CLICK HERE.

These are some simple things that anyone can do to help their machine run better.

Periodically do a disk cleanup.  Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Disk cleanup.  Check all the boxes EXCEPT "Compress old files" and click Ok.

Empty the TEMP folder - Many software applications will create temporary files in the C:\Windows\TEMP folder.  Periodically it is a good idea to delete everything in this folder.  Computers can be very slow if you have hundreds or even thousands of files in this folder.  The Windows Disk cleanup doesn't do a good job of getting everything in this folder.

Defragment regularly  Using the defragmenters built into the different versions of Windows to optimize your drive(s).  They have a schedule system so you don't even have to remember to defragment.

There is no perfect defragmentation schedule that will fit everyone.  Rule of thumb is that the more you use a computer the more you should defragment.

Cleanup your startup folder.  A large number of programs will place a program in your startup folder.  Everything in the folder will be run when the computer is rebooted.  The more items in the startup folder the slower your boot time will be.

Remove old software and unnecessary software.  Every PC gradually accumulates at least some software 'clutter'.  The 'cleaner' the machine the faster it will run.  Remove any old applications and games that you no longer use or need.

Remove slow software.  Anything that runs in the background will slow you down.  Some software is especially notorious.  See the section "Software to Avoid and Why".