TweakNow PowerPack is a fully-integrated suite of utilities that let you fine-tune every aspect of your computer’s operating system and Web browser. Computer manufacturers recommend that you run the built in system tools to maintain your operating system. Often times these tools are difficult to locate and that leads to neglect on regular maintenance. TweakNow PowerPack eliminates the hassle and confusion when it comes to performing regular maintenance on your computer. TweakNow PowerPack will do everything that the pre-installed manufacturers system tools will do, plus a whole lot more. Running the TweakNow PowerPack once a week will keep your computer clean, tuned and operating at it’s top performance.

The Registry Cleaner module provides you with a safe and simple way to clean Windows Registry. To keep your computer always at top performance, we recommend to clean your registry at least once a week. For Windows tweaking lovers, the suite provides more than 100 hidden Windows settings in the Windows Secret section. Using modules included in this section, you can easily customize your Windows like guru’s do. The Virtual Desktop module lets you run as many as four custom-designed desktop configurations simultaneously, allowing you to tailor your computer screen to your mood and your work requirements. Last but not least, the suite also gives you a complete picture of all aspects of your computer’s hardware, including detailed information about your motherboard, processor, video card, memory, hard disk and network.

This is a great tool that eliminates the need for multiple programs. TweakNow PowerPack puts all of the tools that you need to maintain your computers performance all in one easy to use program. The best part of TweakNow PowerPack is that it is 100% FREE.

Download TweakNow PowerPack Here

Important Tips:

• After downloading, close ALL running programs before proceeding with setup.

• Before running TweakNow PowerPack, it is recommended that you create a “System Restore” point.

• Read the “Help” section on the TweakNow PowerPack interface before running for the first time.

System Restore: Click  Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore

RAC Services does not receive any incentives, payments or rewards from TweakNow for our recommendation of their product(s)

Is your computer running slower then normal? Don’t worry just yet. No matter how new a computer is, the performance will decrease over time. The good news is that in most cases, you can easily increase the performance of your computer to “like new” speed. Below are some free programs along with a few simple steps to get your computer running smooth again.

Computers require regular maintenance. A lot of the maintenance tips and the factory installed system tools are often overlooked or ignored. There are a lot of factors that can slow down a computer. Spyware, Malware and Adware are probably the biggest culprits. The Anti-virus security software just isn’t enough these days. No matter how good an anti-virus program claims to be, it never hurts to run a second program that specializing in anti-spyware.

Problems with the Windows Registry are a common cause of Windows crashes and error messages. Registry problems can occur for many reasons, including references left behind after uninstallation; incorrect removal of software; missing or corrupt hardware drivers; or orphaned start-up programs. This will significantly increase the Registry size and slow down your computer, because Windows will need more time to load, search, and read data from the Registry.

Disk Fragmentation is another culprit in slow PC performance. As you add and remove programs, files and documents, the disk will get fragmentated and require a defragmentation in order to reorganize and optimize the disk.

A slow computer and browser can also be caused by the temporary files. As you work on the PC and browse online, the pages that you visit are stored in a temporary folder. As that folder gets bigger, it causes a noticeable reduction in performance.

The key is maintenance. Regular Maintenance will help your computer last longer, plus increase its performance.

If you are interested in using factory installed programs to maintain your computer, then please click here.

Below are four programs that RAC Services uses and recommends for maintaining a computer. All four programs are available in a free version. Upgrading to a full-version is optional. Honestly, the free versions work great, and you do not need the full-versions in order to see an improvement in your PC performance.

Click on the name of the program to read the details and download.

SuperAntiSpyware

Advanced System Care

Smart Defrag

Eusing Registry Cleaner

Once you have downloaded and installed the four programs above, proceed to the steps below.

First time steps and these steps should be performed once a month.

Step 1 – Open the SuperAntiSpyware. Click on “Scan Your Computer” then make sure that there is a green check mark in the box next to the “C:/”. Next, select “Perform Complete Scan”. (Run the “Complete Scan” once a month) A complete scan will take sometime to finish. You can continue working and let it scan in the background. Once the scan is complete, follow the on screen steps to remove the spyware.

Step 2 – Open the Advanced System Care. Click on the “Care” in the center of the screen. The Advanced System Care will automatically scan, detect and repair any problems. Once it is finished, close the program.

Step 3 – Run the Eusing Registry Cleaner. Click “Later” when asked to register. Next, click “scan” and once it has finished scanning, click “Remove”.

Step 4 – Run the Smart Defrag. Make sure there is a green check mark next to the “C:/”. Next, select “Optimize” in the drop down box. Then click “Start”.

Normal Maintenance:

The SuperAntiSpyware and Advanced System Care should be run weekly, ideally daily.

*the Smart Defrag will run automatically in the background when the PC is in Idol.

Remember to check for updates on a regular basis for these programs. Some of them allow you to select automatic updates.

If your Internet connection seems slow, the first step is to benchmark it using an Internet speed test site. An Internet speed test can give you an accurate indication of how much bandwidth is available to you at the current time.

Whether you have high speed broadband or a dial-up Internet connection, an Internet speed test can help determine if you’re speeding along the Information Superhighway as fast as you should be.

Of all the Internet speed test sites out there, this one is the winner by a landslide! It’s fast, free and graphically appealing with a speedometer-like display. A huge list of worldwide test locations are available making for very accurate results. The nearest one is automatically calculated based on your IP address which is very handy.

Description

• Speedtest.net can test the bandwidth between your PC and any of a huge number of test servers from around the globe.
• The speedometer-like display at Speedtest.net shows your bandwidth during the test in a format familiar to almost everyone.
• Speedtest.net automatically calculates the nearest testing server to your location helping you begin your test faster.
• Test results at Speedtest.net are saved to allow you to compare results over time, helping to spot slowdowns and upgrades.
• Saved results also allow comparisons to others based on ISP, state, Earth and more.
• Global Stats feature shows test statistics from all over the world.
• Each test at Speedtest.net generates a graphic displaying your personal results that you can email or share online.
• Speedtest.net tests both upload and download bandwidth along with latency, providing a complete picture of your connection.

Check your Internet Speed here

CPU-Z is a great program that gathers information on some of the hardware and devices on a computer. CPU-Z will list the motherboard, processors and graphic interface along with other hardware that is on your system. This tool takes the guess work out of determining what replacement parts and model numbers that you need for your system.

CPU-Z is a freeware that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system, including;

CPU

• Name and number.

• Core stepping and process.

• Package.

• Core voltage.

• Internal and external clocks, clock multiplier.

• Supported instructions sets

• Cache information.

Mainboard

• Vendor, model and revision.

• BIOS model and date.

• Chipset (northbridge and southbridge) and sensor.

• Graphic interface.

Memory

• Frequency and timings.

• Module(s) specification using SPD (Serial Presence Detect) : vendor, serial number, timings table.

System

• Windows and DirectX version.

CPU-Z is FREE and easily installs on most operating systems. Click Here To Download

Sometimes when troubleshooting a Windows XP issue, you need to enter Safe Mode. Typically, you would press the F8 key during the boot process to enter Windows XP Safe Mode, but that can be very difficult in some cases depending on the problem you’re having.

This simple tip will get you into the Windows XP Safe Mode a whole lot easier using the System Configuration Utility, sometimes called “msconfig”.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: Less than 10 minutes

Here’s How:

• Click on Start and then Run.
• In the text box in the Run window, type msconfig and click OK. This will open the System Configuration Utility program.

Note: Do not make changes in the System Configuration Utility other than those outlined here to avoid causing serious system issues. This utility controls a number of startup activities other than those involved with Safe Mode.

• Click on the BOOT.INI tab located at the top of the System Configuration Utility window.
• Check the checkbox next to /SAFEBOOT and click OK.
• You will then be prompted to either Restart, which will restart the PC immediately, or Exit Without Restart, which will close the window and allow you to restart the PC manually.
• After the restart, the PC will automatically boot into Windows XP Safe Mode.

Note: Windows XP will continue to boot into Safe Mode until the System Configuration Utility is configured to again boot normally.

• When your work in Safe Mode is complete, click on Start and then Run. Type msconfig in the text box and click OK.

This will again open the System Configuration Utility program.

• Choose the Normal Startup radio button and click OK.
• You will then be prompted to either Restart, which will restart the PC immediately, or Exit Without Restart, which will close the window and allow you to restart the PC manually.
• After the restart, the PC will boot into Windows XP normally and will continue to do so.

]]> http://racservices.net/2009/09/enter_xp_safe_mode/feed/ 0 http://racservices.net/2009/07/d-link-routers-setup-video-and-support-page/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://racservices.net/2009/07/d-link-routers-setup-video-and-support-page/#comments Sun, 19 Jul 2009 05:23:45 +0000 admin http://racservices.net/?p=199

Get simple, step-by-step solutions and troubleshooting tips for your D-Link Routers. View the Setup Video for the D-Link Routers.

D-Link has so many products with separate support pages, that we just can’t list them all.  You can go to the D-Link Support Site to choose your device for the proper support documents.

D-Link Router Setup Video

Belkin Routers: Get simple, step-by-step solutions and troubleshooting tips.  If you have questions regarding your Belkin Router, you are not alone. Below, you will find some helpful links as well as a setup video. These are the most common questions that we get, so we decided to add them to our site.

Belkin Easy Install Wizard

Configuring Wireless Security

Belkin Router Support Page

Belkin Router Setup Video

Netgear Wireless Routers and Gateways Modems.  Get simple, step-by-step solutions and troubleshooting tips for your Netgear Router.

Netgear has so many products with separate support pages, that we just can’t list them all.  You can go to the Netgear Support Site to choose your device for the proper support documents.

Netgear Router Setup Video

Linksys Routers: Get simple, step-by-step solutions and troubleshooting tips.  If you have questions regarding your Linksys Router, you are not alone. Below, you will find some helpful links as well as a setup video. These are the most common questions that we get, so we decided to add them to our site.

Accessing the Linksys Router’s Web-Based Setup Page

Setting-Up Wireless Security on a Linksys Router

Connecting a Wireless Computer to go Online Using a Linksys Router

Linksys Support Page

Linksys Router Setup Video

It’s probably obvious to you already, but I’ll say it anyway, it could just be a screen saver. If you wiggle the mouse or hit a key on the keyboard and your screen comes back, that’s it. You can adjust the screen saver behavior in the Display portion of Control Panel.
If you have a laptop, it’s possible that the computer has gone into standby or hibernate. If you simply push the power button and it comes back up to where you were (possibly after a few seconds), that’s probably it. Normally a computer should only go into standby if you’re not actively using it, but if your battery is very low, it my force standby in order to avoid losing what you’re doing.
Those are both normal, and expected behaviors. What’s left is typically an indication of a problem. In my best guess “order of likelihood”:
It could be your computer. The most common abnormal reason for a black screen is probably a computer crash. Given that it’s consistently 5 to 15 minutes after boot up, I’d be looking at possible overheating, or perhaps a power supply that’s going out. One simple way to determine if it’s just the monitor going out or the computer crashing is to play some audio on your computer. Perhaps load up a longish mp3 play list, for example. If the monitor goes black, but the music continues to play, you know that the computer is running, and that the problem is either the video card, video drivers, the monitor or the cables in between.
“The most common abnormal reason for a black screen is probably a computer crash.”
It could be a virus, or your computer’s other software or drivers. Unfortunately bad drivers for any hardware on your system can cause the machine to crash or go to a black screen without warning. I’ve also heard of this as a symptom of a virus (though typically a poorly written one). It’s more common that you’ll actually get a message, or the dreaded “blue screen of death”, but nonetheless, it’s still possible that bad software, particularly hardware drivers, could cause it. As always, make sure your computer is up to date on Windows, and of course anti-spyware and anti-virus software as well.
It could be your video drivers. Even though I’ve already mentioned drivers in general, the video drivers are worth a closer look. The software used to control the video card, which can often be quite complex, can also fail, have a bug, or crash in such a way that the screen goes black. Most commonly this’ll crash the computer with some kind of visible message as above, but it’s also possible that the video card drivers or software could fail, and the computer keep running. Certainly making sure you have the latest drivers always makes sense.
It could be the video card in your PC. It could, for example, be overheating, and as a result cut out after 5 to 15 minutes. Turn it off, it cools down, and you get another 5 to 15 minutes of use.
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It could be your monitor or display. Monitors and LCD monitors can break, and one way they can break is to go completely black. And yes, sometimes they’ll even come back on for a while, though it’s typically not as consistent as you’ve outlined in this particular question. The best way to test this, of course, is to try a different monitor for a while.
It could be your CRT’s circuitry. Many CRT monitors  often have their own standby circuit – if they notice that the signal has gone, they also power-down. If that standby logic fails, they could possibly go into their own standby state improperly. Usually there’s a standby switch that, if you push it, causes the monitor to spring back to life.
It could be cable between your monitor and computer. Again, this typically isn’t as consistent with respect to time as you describe, but a failing monitor cable can definitely cause an intermittent display, or cause it to go to black.
So as you can see, it’s not a simple process to diagnose. Some steps, like trying another monitor or cable, are pretty easy for you to take yourself. But if you’re not comfortable diagnosing system crashes or hardware problems like potential overheating, it might be time to take the computer in to a local technician for a hands-on diagnosis.