How To Speed Up Your PC And Internet

I'm going to provide some more well-none tips for keeping your computer "clean", then I point you to a free software program that does much more thorough job.

Unfortunately, the majority of Internet surfers still use Internet Explorer. In all my research and experience, the Firefox browser has always come out on top as the fastest and most secure browser. Be that as it may, IE users still need to do some regular maintenance to keep their Internet running from slowing down.

The frequency of these tasks depends largely on how much time you spend surfing the Net. IF you only spend a couple of hours a week in the Internet, you may only need to do this once a month. If you're like me and surf daily, you should probably clear your temporary Internet folders weekly. I actually perform these tasks every 2 or 3 days.

For Internet Explorer users, click on Tools button and a small window appears. select Delete files and another window appears. Here you have the option to delete Temporary Internet Files, Cookies, History, Form Data, and Passwords. I would clear the first three for sure. Form Data and Passwords saves login information for sites in which you have an account and must login to access curtain areas. This is so you don't have to re-enter your login information every time you visit the site.

Myself, I have several accounts, and I hate to have to type in my login information every time I visit the sites. Besides that, clearing form data does not really speed up your computer or Internet browsing.

However, pages you visit, images, and other information is stored in a temporary file. The more pages you visit, the larger this file becomes. Every time you visit a Web page, Windows searches through the entire file. Therefor, the more information is stored there, the longer it takes your computer to search it, and the slower your Internet browser becomes.

Thus, clearing this file will speed up you computer and no important information is lost.

Firefox users click on Tools then select Clear Private Data. Here you have about the same choices as with Internet Explorer.

So, you think you just deleted all your browsing history: pages you visited, pictures you viewed, videos you watched. Well, think again. Windows keeps copies of anything and everything you do on your PC or laptop; This includes email you've read or written.

Deleting these hidden files does not necessarily speed up your computer, so why do it? Well, what if you have to take your computer in for repairs? What if you want to sell it? What if the babysitter is nosy and wants to do a little spying while you and your spouse are out to dinner?

There are several programs that will easily un-delete All the Internet browsing history you thought was long gone.

There is a small, free, yet very effective program that will delete these hidden files for you while cleaning your Cache file and emptying the Recycle Bin. This nifty little program is called CCleaner (short for CrapCleaner). CCleaner is safe to use and runs on all versions of Windows including Vista.

You can even set CCleaner to Permanently erase these files by setting to make several (I use 7) passes.

If you download CCleaner, be sure to Un-check the option to download Yahoo Toolbar. The Yahoo Toolbar is a well known piece of Spyware.

As I stated in the first section, Windows must search the entire Temporary folder every time you visit a Web page. By default, the file size is set much too large and causes your browser and Internet surfing to slow down. You can safely reduce the size of this file to speed up you Internet speed.

Internet Explorer users click on Tools, then Setting in the new window that pops up. This button is located under the General tab. In the Settings window, you'll see a small section called Diskspace To Use. This usually defaults to 50mb. You can safely reduce the size to 10mb even for heavy Internet use. I actually set mine to 8mb.

We all no the problems viruses and spyware can cause and major computer slowdowns is only one of them. I've listed few programs which I've researched and used for years. These programs are absolutely free and just as good as any paid versions available today.

Free Anti-Virus.
There are 2 free programs which I've used with great success and provide full virus protection including email scanning.

AVG Free provides a high degree of protection and keeps your computer running fast, safe, and secure. You can always upgrade to paid version if you need more features. This is the one I currently use. AVG monitors your system automatically, but must be updated manually.

Avast free anti-virus is another highly rated program. I used it for years before switching to AVG. Avast monitors your system and updates itself automatically.

Note: Despite popular belief, you can use more than one different anti-virus or anti-spyware programs at the same time. Firewalls are another story. Use only one Firewall at a time.

Free Anti-Spyware.
Spybot Search & Destroy is very well known and has been around for ages. This should be part of your anti-spyware arsenal. Spybot S&D searches against it's own internal database, so it's good to have an additional program as backup.

AVG Free Anti-Spyware is another great program, and I use it for the same reasons I use AVG anti-virus.

Free Firewall.
There's only one free Firewall program I know that can match the protection level of any paid software and it's called COMODO Firewall Pro. You can download the Cnet 5 star rated software and check the great reviews and the link above. Remember: Firewalls are a must-have for Anyone surfing the Internet.

I hope I've helped you keep your computer running fast, safe, and secure. Be sure to register at my Windows Forum. I'll be glad to give you all the one-on-one help you need with any PC related issues.