This article will help computer users who have found their computer getting slower and slower over the years. It’s when a person’s computer starts to slow down that they notice ads, like the example below, asking if their computer has slowed down, and then tries to sell them software to remove worms, viruses, spyware, malware, and to optimize your computer, whatever that means, but most often the problem is just a bloated Windows index database.

As the years go by, and you add more and more files and programs to your computer, it slows down incrementally until one day you start considering purchasing a newer faster computer, or start to become concerned that the computer has become infected.

Before buying a new computer, adding RAM, buying a faster hard drive, or purchasing software to clean infections that can waste time and slow your computer down even further, turn off the indexing service first and see if that fixes the problem, and restores your computer back to its old fast self.

The indexing service is supposed to speed up a search for files on the hard drive, which is rarely done by most people, so it’s not like there’s much to lose by turning indexing off.

This tutorial will walk you through turning off the indexing service in Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Window XP.

Windows Vista and Windows 7

Click the Windows Start button -> Control Panel -> then click Programs and Features.

Now click the link on the left for Turn Windows features on or off.

In the Windows Features window make sure the Indexing Service is unchecked. It probably is, because this is a remnant from Windows XP. If you need to uncheck it, click OK when done.

Now click the Windows Start button -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services. Locate the Windows Search service, and double click on it.

On the General tab locate Startup type: and select Disabled from the pull-down menu. Click Apply, then the Stop button, and finally the OK button.

Next click the Windows Start button -> Computer -> then right click the C: drive -> then click Propterties

Un-check the box next to Index this drive for faster searching.

Choose Apply changes to drive C:’ only, and click OK. Repeat this for any external, or additional internal hard drives, you have installed. Windows indexing all drives by default, so you’ll need turn indexing off for each one.

Reboot your computer. After the computer finishes restarting click the Windows Start button -> Control Panel -> Indexing Options.

If the Windows Indexing Service is not longer running you’ll see the message Indexing is not runnig.

Now click the Windows Start button -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services. Locate the Windows Search service, and make sure it says Disabled.

Windows XP

• Open “Control Panel”, select “Administrator Tools”, and open Services applet. Alternatively, type services.msc in the Rn text box from Start menu, and then hit Enter.
• Scroll down and locate Indexing Service service, and then double click on it.
• Click on Stop button to immediately stop the indexing service if the service status shows “Running.
• Under the “Startup Type”, select Disabled to permanently disable the indexing service so that it won’t run again.
• Click OK.

If the indexing service was slowing down your computer you should now notice a speed improvement.

© Copyright NerdGrind 2009. All Rights Reserved.

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Hong Kong-based video game manufacturer Palit is reading their Revolution 700 Deluxe video card. It’s based off of their ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 GPU, but this iteration overclocks cores to 750MHz and 2GB of GDDR5 memory will melt your face off at 3.8GHz. Those are some imposing clock speeds. A Palit press release exclaims, "All other cards beware. There is a new king in town and it only comes from Palit!"

No word on pricing or release date but sources indicate it won’t be too long.

© Copyright NerdGrind 2009. All Rights Reserved.

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Whether you’re trying to destroy or erase data from your hard drives when the FBI knocks on your door, or just want to securely, and permanently do emergency data destruction to protect yourself from identity theft, before you sell or recycle your computer, there’s an easy solution.

The free open-source boot disk utility, called Darik’s Boot and Nuke (DBAN), automatically and completely deletes the content of every hard disk it can find on, or connected to, your computer when you run it.

The bootable DBAN can run from CDs, DVDs, thumb drives, and floppy disks.

The process is easy:

How to automatically wipe all hard drives

WARNING: THIS WILL PERMANENTLY ERASE ALL DATA ON ALL HARD DRIVE HOOKED TO THE PC!!!

1. Boot from the DBAN floppy or CD image.
2. Enter ‘autonuke’ at the boot prompt.

Darik’s Boot and Nuke website is here.

Click here to download the exe to write the image to a floppy disk.

Click here if you don’t have a floppy disk, and would like to create a DBAN CD image instead.

Keep the disk in a safe place. If it falls into the wrong hands your system could be toast, or just a big toaster.

© Copyright NerdGrind 2009. All Rights Reserved.

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By default Windows hides WEP and WPA keys stored on your PC to connect to various Wi-Fi networks, but freeware utility WirelessKeyView lists them for you. When you’ve forgotten that Wi-Fi network key, run WirelessKeyView to see all the networks your Windows PC has ever connected to using its default Wireless Zero Configuration mechanism. This utility doesn’t reveal keys stored by third-party network connection software. Delete keys from old networks that you no longer need, and easily copy keys to the clipboard to send or save. WirelessKeyView is a free download for Windows XP and Vista. Click here to download WirelessKeyView.

© Copyright NerdGrind 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Related posts:

• Share Files and Folders and Printers Over a Network
• Clone or Copy My Hard Drive with Norton Ghost
• Share a Printer Files and Folders Over a Wired or Wireless Network Through a Firewall
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Before you start: To decide what type of network to set up or to find out what hardware and cables you need, see What you need to set up a home network. That topic has information about the different types of networks (also known as network technologies), as well as hardware requirements for each type.

Once you know what type of network you want and have the necessary hardware, there are four possible steps to take (two of these are not always required):

1. Install any necessary hardware.
2. Set up an Internet connection (optional).
3. Connect the computers.
4. Run the Set Up a Wireless Router or Access Point wizard (wireless only).

Each of these steps is described in detail later in this article.

Start by setting up one computer. Once you set up the network and you are sure that the first computer is working correctly, you can add additional computers or devices.

Note: This information is designed for people who have a broadband connection (usually DSL or cable) to the Internet rather than a dial-up connection.

Install the hardware

Install network adapters in any computers that need them. (Follow the installation instructions in the information that came with each adapter.)

Set up or verify an Internet connection (optional)

You don’t need an Internet connection to set up a network, although most people want to use their network to share an Internet connection. To set up an Internet connection, you need a cable or DSL modem and an account with an Internet service provider (ISP). Then open the Connect to the Internet wizard and follow the instructions. For more information, see What do I need to connect to the Internet?

If you already have an Internet connection, you just need to verify that the connection is working. To do that, open your web browser and go to a website that you don’t usually visit. (If you go to a website that you visit often, some of its web pages might be stored on your computer and will display correctly even if your connection is faulty.) If the website opens and you don’t get any error messages, your connection is working.

To share an Internet connection

You can also share one Internet connection among two or more network computers. To do that, you can either use an intermediary device or set up Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). Your ISP might charge a fee for multiple Internet connections. Ask your ISP for information about this.

Use an intermediary device

You can use a router or a combined router and modem (also called an Internet gateway) to share an Internet connection. If you use a router, connect it to both the modem and the computer with the Internet connection, and then verify your Internet connection again. The information that came with the router should include connection instructions. If you use a combined router and modem, plug it into any computer. Check the information that came with the device for more detailed connection instructions.

Note

The router and modem must be turned on to use the Internet connection from any of the computers on your network.

Set up ICS

If you want to share an Internet connection and you don’t want to buy any more equipment, you can set up ICS on the computer that is connected to the modem. That computer will also need two network adapters: one to connect to the modem and one to connect to the other computer. ICS is not included with Windows Vista Starter.

Connect the computers

There are several ways to connect computers-the configuration depends on the type of network adapters, modem, and Internet connection that you have. It also depends on whether or not you want to share an Internet connection among all the computers on the network. The following sections briefly describe some connection methods.

Ethernet networks

You need a hub, switch, or router to connect computers using Ethernet. (For information about each type of hardware, see How do hubs, switches, routers, and access points differ?)

To share an Internet connection, you need to use a router. Connect the router to the computer that is connected to the modem (if you haven’t already done this).

Ethernet network with wired router and a shared Internet connection

If your home or office is wired for Ethernet, set up the computers in rooms that have Ethernet jacks, and then plug them directly into the Ethernet jacks.

Ethernet network using built-in Ethernet

Wireless networks

For wireless networks, run the Set Up a Wireless Router or Access Point wizard on the computer attached to the router. The wizard will walk you through the process of adding other computers and devices to the network.

Wireless network with a shared Internet connection

HPNA networks

For HPNA networks, you need an HPNA network adapter in each computer and a phone jack in each room where there is a computer. Plug the computers into the phone jacks. The computers will be automatically connected.

Turn on all computers or devices, such as printers, that you want to be part of your network. If your network is wired Ethernet or HPNA, it should be set up and ready to use. You should test your network (see below) to make sure that all computers and devices are connected correctly.

Run the Set Up a Wireless Router or Access Point wizard

If your network is wireless, run the Set up a Wireless Router or Access Point wizard on the computer attached to the router.

• Open Set Up a Wireless Router or Access Point by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet, and then clicking Network and Sharing Center. In the left pane, click Set up a connection or network, and then click Set up a wireless router or access point.

The wizard will walk you through the process of adding other computers and devices to the network. For more information, see Add a device or computer to a network.

Enable sharing on your network

If you want to share files and printers on your network, make sure your network location type is set to Private and that network discovery, file sharing, and printer sharing are turned on. For more information, see Choosing a network location and Enable or disable network discovery.

Test your network

It’s a good idea to test your network to make sure that all of the computers and devices are connected and working properly. To test your network, do the following on each network computer: Click the Start button , and then click Network. You should be able to see icons for the computer you are on and all of the other computers and devices that you have added to the network. If the computer you are checking has a printer attached, the printer icon might not be visible on other computers until you enable printer sharing. (Printer sharing is not available on Windows Vista Starter.)

Note

It might take several minutes for computers running previous versions of Windows to appear in the Network folder.

© Copyright NerdGrind 2009. All Rights Reserved.

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The variety of options for home networking can make buying decisions difficult. Before you decide what hardware to get, you should decide what type of network technology (the way computers in a network connect to or communicate with one another) to use. This article describes and compares the most common network technologies and lists hardware requirements for each.

Note: This information could be applied to almost any operating system.

Network technologies

The most common types of network technology are wireless, Ethernet, and HPNA (home phone line). When choosing a network technology, consider the location of your computers, desired speed of your network, and how much you want to spend. The sections below compare these three technologies.

Wireless

Wireless networks use radio waves to send information between computers. The three most common wireless network standards are 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11a.

Speed

• 802.11b: transfers data at a maximum rate of 11 megabits per second (Mbps)
• 802.11g: transfers data at a maximum rate of 54 Mbps
• 802.11a: transfers data at a maximum rate of 54 Mbps

(For example, downloading a 10 megabyte [MB] photo from the Internet under optimal conditions takes about 7 seconds on an 802.11b network and about 1.5 seconds on an 802.11g or 802.11a network.)

Cost

Wireless network adapters and routers can cost three or four times as much as Ethernet cable adapters and hubs or switches. 802.11b products are the least expensive; 802.11a products are the most expensive. 802.11g products are priced in the middle and offer a greater signal range than 802.11b and 802.11a products.

Pros

• It’s easy to move computers around because there are no cables.
• Wireless networks are usually easier to install than Ethernet.

Cons

• Wireless is more expensive and often slower than Ethernet or HPNA.
• Wireless can be affected by interference from things such as walls, large metal objects, and pipes. Also, many cordless phones and microwave ovens can interfere with wireless networks when they’re in use.
• Wireless networks are typically about half as fast as their rated speed under all but ideal conditions.

Ethernet

Ethernet networks use Ethernet cables to send information between computers.

Speed

Ethernet transfers data at either 10, 100, or 1000 Mbps, depending on the type of cables used. Gigabit Ethernet is the fastest, with a transfer rate of 1 gigabit per second (or 1000 Mbps).

(For example, downloading a 10 megabyte [MB] photo from the Internet under optimal conditions takes about 8 seconds on a 10 Mbps network, about 1 second on a 100 Mbps network, and less than a second on a 1000 Mbps network.)

Cost

Ethernet cables, hubs, and switches are very inexpensive and many computers come with Ethernet adapters installed. Adding a hub, switch, or router to your network will be most of the cost.

Pros

• Ethernet is a proven and reliable technology.
• Ethernet networks are inexpensive and fast.

Cons

• Ethernet cables must be run between each computer and to a hub, switch, or router, which can be time-consuming and difficult when the computers are in different rooms.
• Gigabit Ethernet is expensive.

HPNA

HPNA networks use existing home telephone wires to send information between computers.

Speed

HPNA 2.0 transfers data at 10 Mbps. HPNA 3.0 transfers data at 128 Mbps.

(For example, downloading a 10 megabyte [MB] photo from the Internet under optimal conditions takes about 8 seconds on an HPNA 2.0 network and about 1 second on an HPNA 3.0 network.)

Cost

HPNA adapters cost a little more than Ethernet adapters but are usually less expensive than wireless adapters.

Pros

• HPNA uses the existing telephone wiring in your home.
• You don’t need hubs or switches to connect more than two computers in an HPNA network.

Cons

• You need a phone jack in each room where you want to have a computer, and all jacks must be on the same phone line.

Hardware requirements

There are several kinds of hardware used in home networks.

• Network adapters: These adapters (also called network interface cards, or NICs) connect computers to a network so that they can communicate. A network adapter can be connected to the USB port on your computer or installed inside your computer in an available Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) expansion slot.

Wireless, Ethernet, and HPNA network adapters

• Network hubs and switches: Hubs and switches connect two or more computers to an Ethernet network. A switch costs a little more than a hub, but it speeds up the transfer rate of information.

Ethernet hub

• Routers and access points: Routers connect computers and networks to each other (for example, a router can connect your home network to the Internet). Routers also enable you to share a single Internet connection among several computers. Routers can be wired or wireless. You don’t need to use a router for a wired network but we recommend it if you want to share an Internet connection. Access points turn wired Ethernet networks into wireless networks. If you want to share an Internet connection over a wireless network, you will need a wireless router or an access point.

Access point (left); wired router (center); wireless router (right)

• Modems: Computers use modems to send and receive information over telephone or cable lines. You will need a modem if you want to connect to the Internet.

Cable modem

• Network cables (Ethernet and HPNA only): Network cables connect computers to each other and to other related hardware, such as hubs and routers.

Ethernet and HPNA cables

The table below shows the hardware that you need for each type of network technology.

It’s a good idea to find out what kind of network adapters your computers have, if any. You might decide to go with a certain technology because you already have most of the hardware, or you might decide to upgrade your hardware. Most people find that a combination of technologies works best for their environment. For recommended layouts and information about assembling your network, see Setting Up a Home Network.

© Copyright NerdGrind 2009. All Rights Reserved.

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Sometimes you arrive on a web site that you absolutely want to come back to over-and-over again, but you don’t want to find it in a list of favorites. To get quick access to a web site you can put a shortcut on your desktop. When you are on the page you want to create a web shortcut to just right-click the page, and left-click Create Shortcut.

Now Internet Explorer will ask "Do you want to put a shortcut to this website on your desktop?" Click Yes.

There is a second way. Shrink your Internet Explorer window. Use the restore button in the upper right corner of Internet Explorer, then grab and edge and make the window smaller until you can see an empty space on the desktop.

Now go to the address bar and left click the "e" just like you see below. Hold the left mouse button down and drag the shortcut web address out to the desktop.

Now let go of the left mouse button, and you’ve got your shortcut. Right-click the shortcut and rename it if you need to. To access the web site again simply double click the shortcut, and the site loads.

© Copyright NerdGrind 2009. All Rights Reserved.

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Windows Vista, like Windows XP, comes with a free Disk Defragmenter. Defragmenting the hard drive on your computer makes it faster by organizing the files that have been spread (fragmented) across the disk closer together to allow them to be found and used quicker. It’s best to set the Disk Defragmenter on a schedule so you don’t have to worry about doing it yourself.

To open Disk Defragmenter go to Start –> All Programs –> Accessories –> System Tools –> Disk Defragmenter

Click Modify schedule.

To optimize the speed you’ll get from using the Disk Defragmenter, schedule it to run at least once a day when you are not using your computer. System performance can slow down while the Disk Defragmenter is running.

You may or may not notice a big difference if you’re hard drive is not heavily fragmented right now, but Disk Defragmenter will keep everything organized so you’ll never see that slow down caused by heavy fragmentation.

There are a few free, and better defragmenter programs such as Power Defragmenter, and Auslogics Disk Defrag, but the best on the market is Diskeeper, which was hired by Microsoft to develop the first Windows defrag program, plus Diskeeper can do some very special tasks like organizing the MFT (Master File Table) to get your disk completely reorganized. Diskeeper has a 30 day trial, but it cost money to use it after that. The free Disk Defragmenter that comes with Windows will meet most everyone’s needs.

© Copyright NerdGrind 2009. All Rights Reserved.

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Whether you’re at the office, on the road, or at home, everyone can benefit from a to-do list. If you’re using Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, then you already have access to an integrated to-do list, which integrates with a calendar as well. Those who don’t have Outlook 2007 can use either the Google sidebar, or the Windows Vista Sidebar.

Google Sidebar

To add the to-do list gadget to the Google sidebar right-click the sidebar, and choose Add gadgets.

A nicely organized window pops-up. There is search feature to look for either todo or to-do. I found one created by Google.

The to-do list is very simple. Checking the box means the task has been completed. If you wanted to create a time stamped list, simply type a date or time before each item on the list. If an item is too long you either have to widen the sidebar, or hover your mouse over the item. I’d prefer it wrapped the text, and showed it on the next line.

Right clicking a gadget gives additional options.

Windows Vista Sidebar

To add the to-do list gadget to the Windows Vista sidebar right-click the sidebar, and choose Add Gadgets.

A window pops-up with only a few gadgets. Microsoft wants you to visit their gadget site, so click the Get more gadgets online in the bottom right corner of the window.

Once on the gadgets page type in either todo or to-do in the search box and click Gallery.

Once you’ve found the right gadget click Download, and follow the directions. You can easily remove installed gadgets later. One interesting to-do list gadget integrates with Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, and even lets you know if you don’t have it installed. This gadget may also allow you to organize tasks according to calendar dates for a nice appointment calendar, which none of the other to-do lists can, but I didn’t explore this gadget any further myself. If you search for appointment there are several Outlook gadgets available.

There are a couple of more to-do list gadgets which operate similar to the Google to-do list gadget, and do not require Outlook to be installed.

Both to-do list gadgets allow you to create a list, and have similar features to the Google to-list gadget, but the one on the left stood out. The to-list on the left allows long tasks to word wrap so you can see the whole thing, plus it crosses out completed tasks. Obviously whoever designed the gadget on the left was more concerned with making the gadget easy to use, as well as convenient.

In case there are prying eyes, such as when you are using your laptop at Starbucks, or some other Hotspot, the left to-do list gadget above has the option to change the opacity down to 20%.

Right click on the to-do list gadget, and choose 20%. Now it’s almost invisible. Too bad there isn’t an option to autocomplete tasks.

© Copyright NerdGrind 2009. All Rights Reserved.

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Installing programs, or tweaking your system, causes changes to your windows registry. It’s good practice to backup your registry before making changes you think might mess up your Operating System. The backup process is very simple. Click the windows button, or start button, in the bottom left hand corner of your screen, then click run.

Type regedit, or regedit.exe, and click okay.

This loads the registry editor program window. Although you can backup individual registry keys, in this tutorial we will backup the entire registry. Select the root, or top most part of the registry tree, in this case it is Computer.

Next click File –> Export.

Save the file in a directory or folder, and with a filename, which will be easy to find if you need it. You can even save it to a thumb drive, floppy, or on your hard drive.

The registry backup is a snapshot of all the setting on your computer at the time you saved it. You might want to make this backup right before installing a risky program, so that you can restore the registry if things get messed up. You wouldn’t want to restore the registry a few days later, for instance, after you’ve made changes to your system you want to keep. The backup should be made most often just before something risky, where you might need to restore the registry right after your mistake.

To restore the registry simply follow the same steps except choose Import, select your backed up registry file, then open.

Windows Vista users should use System Restore instead, which fixes more than just the registry. Click here to find out how to use System Restore.

© Copyright NerdGrind 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Related posts:

• Share Files and Folders and Printers Over a Network
• Clone or Copy My Hard Drive with Norton Ghost
• Share a Printer Files and Folders Over a Wired or Wireless Network Through a Firewall
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