July 2016 - Archieve

Under the hood articles from the past.

Wednesday, 20 July 2016

How To Fix The ‘Computer Not Booting Up’ Issue



You turn on your computer one day and Windows refuses to boot — what do you do? “Windows won’t boot” is a common symptom with a variety of causes, so you’ll need to perform some troubleshooting.
Modern versions of Windows are better at recovering from this sort of thing. Where Windows XP might have stopped in its tracks when faced with this problem, modern versions of Windows will try to automatically run Startup Repair.
These are some steps to fix that problem:- 

First Step -  Check the power cable. It may seem simple, but double-check that the power cable is plugged in and the outlet is working.

  • Plug the computer directly into the wall to see if your surge protector or power strip is the cause of the problem.
  • If you are using a laptop, make sure that the power adapter is securely connected.
Second Step -  Remove your laptop's battery and connect the power adapter. You can run your laptop without a battery inserted as long as you are plugged into a power source. If your laptop turns on when the battery is removed, something is wrong with the battery and you should contact the manufacturer for a replacement.


Third Step - Try a different monitor. If your computer is starting up but you can't see anything, there could be something wrong with your monitor. Double-check the monitor's connection, and try plugging in a different monitor if possible.

Fourth Step - Open the computer. In order to check the connections inside and to test the power supply, you'll need to open the case.
  • Remember to ground yourself with an antistatic wriststrap or by touching the exposed metal of the case before touching any internal components.
Fifth Step - Check your power supply cables. Ensure that the cables that connect your power supply (the box that your power cable is attached to) to your motherboard are securely connected.

Sixth Step - Test your power supply. Old power supplies have a tendency to fail, but testing them is a relatively straightforward process. Power supplies are the most common cause for problems with a computer's boot sequence.

Seventh Step - Replace your power supply. If your power supply doesn't work after testing it, you'll probably need to replace it in order to get your computer working again.

Eighth Step - Check for loose screws. If a screw has come loose in your case, it could be causing your motherboard to short out. Gently rock your case back and forth and listen for metal rattling. Either use your fingers or a long pair of tweezers to remove the screw from the case.
  • Look for any cables that have lost their protective coating, as exposed wiring may be causing a short as well. Replace any cables that have decayed too much.

Click the resources, for more details:- http://www.wikihow.com/Fix-a-PC-Which-Won't-Boot | Computer Will Not Boot Up

Tuesday, 5 July 2016

How To Remove Browser's Cache And Cookies


Step 1. Open your browser and click the hamburger menu in the upper right corner. Older versions of Chrome have a gears or wrench icon instead. 

Step 2. Click Tools > Clear Browsing Data from the drop down list.

Step 3. Select the time frame you want to delete. If you want to erase all your cookies, select the beginning of time.

Step 4. Check Cookies and other site and plug-in data. Check or uncheck other options as desired.

Step 5. Click Clear Browsing Data. Your cookies and other selected data are now cleared.


Chrome in Mobile
Step 1. Open Chrome on your mobile device and click the "hamburger" menu in the upper right corner. 

Step 2. Click "Settings".

Step 3. Click "Privacy."

Step 4. Click "Clear Cookies, Site Data". Confirm the follow up prompt.



Hope this will help you.

Friday, 1 July 2016

8 Ways To Fix A Slow PC/ Laptop


As with all PC issues, don’t be afraid to give your computer a reboot if something’s not working properly. This can fix quite a few problems and is faster than attempting to manually troubleshoot and fix the problem yourself.

Process 1. Find Resource-Hungry Programs

To find out, open the Task Manager. You can right-click your taskbar and select the “Task Manager” option or press Ctrl+Shift+Escape to open it. On Windows 8, 8.1, and 10, the new Task Manager provides an upgraded interface that color-codes applications using a lot of resources. Click the “CPU,” “Memory,” and “Disk” headers to sort the list by the applications using the most resources. If any application is using too much resources, you might want to close it normally — if you can’t, select it here and click “End Task” to force it to close.




Process 2. Close System Tray Programs

Click the up arrow icon near the system tray, right-click any applications you don’t need running in the background, and close them to free up resources.



Process 3. Disable Startup Programs

Right-click the taskbar and select “Task Manager” or press Ctrl+Shift+Escape to launch it. Click over to the Startup tab and disable startup applications you don’t need. Windows will helpfully tell you which applications slow down your startup process the most.


Process 4. Reduce Animations

To disable animation, press Windows Key + X or right-click the Start button and select “System.” Click “Advanced System Settings” on the left and click the “Settings” button under Performance. Choose “Adjust for best performance” under Visual Effects to disable all the animations, or select “Custom” and disable the individual animations you don’t want to see. For example, uncheck “Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing” to disable the minimize and maximize animations.




Process 5. Scan for Malware and Adware

To be extra safe, scan your computer with an antivirus program. You should also scan it with Malwarebytes, which catches a lot of “potentially unwanted programs” (PUPs) that most antivirus programs tend to ignore. These programs try to sneak onto your computer when you install other software, and you almost certainly don’t want them.




Process 6. Free Up Disk Space

If your hard drive is almost completely full, your computer may run noticeably slower. You want to leave your computer some room to work on your hard drive. Follow our guide to freeing up space on your windows PC to free up room. You don’t need any third-party software — just running the Disk Cleanup tool included in Windows can help quite a bit.


Process 7. Uninstall Programs You Don’t Use

Open the Control Panel, find the list of installed programs, and uninstall programs you don’t use and don’t need from your PC. This can help speed your PC up, as those programs might include background processes, autostart entries, system services, context menu entries, and other things that can slow down your PC. It’ll also save room on your hard drive and improve system security — for example, you definitely shouldn’t have Java installed if you’re not using it.



Process 8. Defragment Your Hard Disk

However, if you do have a mechanical hard drive and you’ve just put a lot of files on the drive — for example, copying a huge database or gigabytes of PC game files — those files might be defragmented because Windows hasn’t gotten around to defragmenting them yet. In this situation, you might want to open the disk defragmenter tool and perform a scan to see if you need to run a manual defrag program.




Source: http://www.howtogeek.com/228570/10-quick-ways-to-speed-up-a-slow-windows-pc/