Simple Tips to Improve Your PC Experience

Ophtek, PC, pc checkup, PC Maintenance, PC Server, PC Tips, PC Tools, , ,
22
Dec 2020

If you’re using a PC on a daily basis then you want the experience to be as simple and comfortable as possible. But not everyone knows how to achieve this. 

Consisting of numerous forms of software and hardware, the build of a PC can be a complex and confusing one. Thankfully, operating one is relatively simple once you understand the basics. But there’s still room for plenty of improvement. And, most excitingly, if you can improve the way in which you use your PC you will quickly become more productive. It’s a win/win situation and one that is more than worthy of your organization’s attention. 

All you need to get started is a handy list of simple tips to improve your PC experience. And that’s exactly what we’re here to deliver. 

Enhance Your PC Experience 

You can quickly start enhancing your PC experience with the following tips: 

  • Speed Up with a Solid State Drive (SSD): Long boot times are a frustrating drain to anyone’s productivity, but this problem can easily be consigned to the past. A traditional hard drive disk (HDD) is comprised of a number of moving parts; the motion involved in operating a HDD’s movable parts, naturally, takes time to complete. But an SSD uses semi-conductor memory chips instead of moving parts. And this significantly speeds up boot times and other disk operations, so upgrading to an SSD is a no-brainer.
  • Remap Your Mouse Buttons:  A computer mouse is set up with right-handed people in mind. But what happens when a left- handed person, or someone who has injured their right hand, wants to use a mouse? The answer is simple: they get frustrated and struggle to use their PC correctly. However, it’s possible to remap your mouse buttons through the Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center app. From here you can reassign different commands to different mouse buttons e.g. reprogramming the left hand mouse button execute right hand mouse functions.
  • Make Things Bigger with Magnifier: It’s not always easy, at the best of times, to see things on a PC screen. The information you need can often be written too small and take several examinations to read clearly. Microsoft, though, are aware of this and has designed the Magnifier app to stop you squinting at the screen. Located in the Ease of Access section of Windows Settings, Magnifier provides you with a magnifying glass icon which you can use to magnify any area of the screen you want. 

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals. 

Read More

The Best Ways to Keep Your PC Organized

Best Practices, Ophtek, Organize, PC, Security, Updates, , , , ,
30
Jun 2020

The workplace can be a very stressful environment, so it’s vital that you keep organized. Key to this organization is a PC which doesn’t cause you stress.

It’s likely that your PC is your most important tool at work. After all, they can do almost anything from creative tasks through to data handling and communicating. But this is only possible if your PC remains organized. A badly organized PC will not only hinder your productivity, but it can have a negative impact on the health of your system.

The best workplaces avoid these shortcomings by making sure that employees follow simple, yet effective methods for organizing their PCs. And, as luck would have it, we’re going to share these with you today.

Keeping Your PC Organized

You don’t need a degree in computer science to keep your PC organized. You just need to follow these best practices:

  • Tidy Up Your Desktop: A cluttered desktop quickly becomes difficult to navigate, so it’s crucial that you keep it tidy. Ideally, your desktop should only ever contain shortcuts to the apps you use the most. Saving random files to your desktop may seem quick in the short term, but, in the long term, it makes finding everything on your desktop more difficult. 
  • Audit Your Files: No two files are the same and, accordingly, they will all have different lifespans in terms of usefulness. A spreadsheet on outgoing costs, for example, is likely to be something you regularly use. But a spreadsheet detailing a one off order is going to experience less usage. Therefore, it’s a good idea to regularly go through your files and see which can be archived and which should be kept on your system. This will free up storage on your PC and allow you to find useful files more quickly. 
  • Use a Structured Folder System: Structure is the backbone of all organization and, as a result, it should be integrated into your folder system. And this should be more extensive that just moving everything into My Documents. Everyone, of course, will need and want a different system as our brains all work differently. But what’s crucial is that you breakdown all your files into their simplest terms e.g. specific client names and then into increasingly specific folders such as customer orders, correspondence and contact details. 

Final Thoughts

A well- organized PC allows an employee to work to their full potential. It’s essential that all your employees are in this position as it will provide a massive boost to your productivity. Best of all, the most effective solutions are also some of the easiest to implement. However, consistency is crucial when it comes to organization, so make sure these best practices are regularly followed.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Read More

Know Everything About Your System with Speccy

Office IT, ,
26
Jan 2015

Speccy

Speccy is free software that provides a very detailed view of your computers hardware and software in a easy to understand, user friendly environment.

Speccy lists and provides very crucial and accurate specifications of your computer hardware and software. If you have ever been baffled by trying to find out how much RAM you have installed, what your Windows serial number is and a number of other things that you often have to communicate to your IT professional, then Speccy is worth considering. Here are 3 ways you can use Speccy:

Windows Serial Number

Windows

Sometimes in an emergency the only way to fix your computer is to re-install your OS. In order to re-install a legitimate copy of Windows, you must have your serial number handy. You cannot install install a legitimate copy of Windows without a valid serial number. It is always a good habit to copy and store your serial number somewhere safe in case of a computer emergency. Speccy conveniently lists your serial number and a number of other details for your OS.

RAM or System Memory

RAM

Sometime the best solution to speeding up an old slow computer is to just add more RAM to it. But how do you know if you have any room to add more of it? Or the type? Or the frequency? It is important to know these details when upgrading as different types of RAM are not compatible with each other. Speccy lists all these details in the RAM tab to the left. With this you will know exactly how much and what kind of RAM you are using and what kind of RAM you need to upgrade.

CPU or Processor Information

CPU

The number of cores and clock-speed of your CPU directly equates to the raw power of your CPU.  With CPU’s ranging from a single core all the way up to a whopping 12 cores, knowing how many cores you have will give you an expectation of performance. Other important information is how many gigahertz your CPU runs at and whether your CPU is a 32 bit or 64 bit processor.

Speccy offers vital information that is summarized and easy to understand. If you want to download Speccy head over to their website and give it a shot.

For more ways to improve your office technology’s effectiveness, contact your local IT professionals.

Read More
3 Reasons To Watch Your CPU Usage
3 Reasons To Watch Your CPU Usage

3 Reasons to Watch Your Computer Processor Usage

hardware, Security, Services, , , ,
20
Jul 2014

3 Reasons To Watch Your CPU Usage

Your computer processor is the brain of your system.  If your processor runs at 100% capacity there could be a serious problem. Here’s why you should check your CPU.

Modern operating systems like Windows 7, Windows 8 and Mac have come a long way in terms of making the most of your computer’s processor.  Multi-core processors have given computers a big boost too.  These and many other factors mean your processor should rarely be used at 100% capacity.  So what could it mean if your computer processor is being used at 99% or 100%?

1. A bitcoin mining virus has infected the system

Bitcoin Virus

Bitcoins are a fairly new form of online currency that can be transferred and used anywhere in the world.  Bitcoins are generated using a computers processor.  However imagine having access to tens if not hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting processors to generate bitcoins for you.  This has motivated criminals to write bitcoin mining viruses that will use your computers processor to make them money.

2. Trojan infections on the computer

3 Reasons to watch your CPU Trojan Virus

A trojan virus allows someone to connect to your computer over the internet.  They can use trojans to view your screen, record anything you type on your keyboard, steal your files or casually browse the data on your computer.  Trojan viruses are one of the leading causes of identity theft and can sometimes be very difficult to remove.

3. Software is malfunctioning or failing

3 Reasons to Watch Your CPU Buggy Software

As hard as they try, software publishers aren’t always able to keep their software up to date and working smoothly with the latest systems.  Often times the publishers will rely on users to let them know when their software misbehaves so they can release an update or fix.  High CPU usage can be a sign of a malfunctioning program so be sure to save your work often.

All managed services clients are automatically covered against high CPU usage.  Here’s how you can check if your processor working too hard.

For more ways to protect your home or office computers, contact your local IT professionals.

Read More