Tips to Improve Performance on Desktop or Laptop computers

• ALWAYS be sure that the virus program is up-to-date. Virus definition files are always being updated to make sure the software is updated regularly (every time you connect to the internet if possible).
  
  
• NEVER click on survey bars or "Click here to Win" boxes while on the internet. These are usually a scam set up to make users want to click on the advertisement. Many times this triggers unwanted spyware, adware and even trojan viruses to be installed on your computer.
  
  

• If running Windows operating system, you can schedule Automatic Updates to be performed on the computer. Please click here for more details.
  
  

• How to make Adobe Reader open up 10 times faster than normal.
  Adobe always takes a long time to load because it loads a lot of unnecessary plug-ins. Here's how to speed it up.
  
  In Windows Explorer, go to C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Reader and find the folder named "plug_ins"
  Rename that folder to something like "plug_ins_NOT"
  Create a new folder named "plug_ins" (same name as the original folder)
  From the "plug_ins_NOT" folder, copy the following three files to the "plug_ins" folder that you just created:
  EWH32.api
  printme.api
  search.api
  
  This way only the most common plug-ins are loaded. It speeds up the loading time considerably. If you need to go back to normal, just delete the "plugs_in" folder and rename the "plug_ins_NOT" folder back to "plug_ins"
  
  
• Take a look at the programs that continually access the Internet (Weather bug or weather alerts, Instant Messenger, etc). These types of programs not only use a lot of internet resources but can also slow down your computer's overall performance.
  
  These include:
      Weather information that continually updates the temperature reading on your screen
              (Weatherbug, The Weather Channel, Desktop Alert, etc.)
      Instant Messenger programs
      Realtime clock programs
      Hotbar or QuickSearch toolbars that show up in My Computer or in Outlook

  To remove any of these programs, click on Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs, then highlight the program and click the "Change/Remove" button.)

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• Hotbar Removal  

  If you are using a program called "Hotbar" which allows you to add color and animation to your email messages and toolbars, you will want to remove it from your computer.

  While it does give you a more colorful Internet browser and nice-looking emails and toolbars, it is actually a form of software known as "spyware." This means that it tracks all web sites you go to, and collects the information you type in while searching a web site, along with your email address and name.

  This information is then sold to companies who produce pop-up ads on your computer and send you spam, promotions, etc. It also slows down your computer and causes other kinds of problems.

  If you have it, Remove it - here's how:

  Click on Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs. Then highlight Hotbar, and click on OK or Change/Remove (depending on your Windows version). Go ahead and remove it.

  By the way, if you had read the license agreement for Hotbar (I know, I know - nobody reads those things) you would have seen the following:

  HOTBAR COLLECTS AND STORES INFORMATION ABOUT THE WEB PAGES YOU VIEW AND THE DATA YOU ENTER IN SEARCH ENGINE SEARCH FIELDS WHILE USING THE SOFTWARE. HOTBAR USES THIS INFORMATION TO DETERMINE WHICH ADS AND BUTTONS TO DISPLAY ON YOUR HOTBAR TOOLBARS AND WHICH ADS TO SHOW YOUR BROWSER.

  SOME INFORMATION COLLECTED BY THE HOTBAR SOFTWARE IS PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE, SUCH AS NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS.

  Licensee shall receive, and desires to so receive, various product/service promotions, marketing ads, and campaigns of third parties through the appearance of links, menus, pop-ups, and other methods on and/or in connection with the Service and the Software
  

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• Correcting A Corrupted Document 

  There are several techniques you can use to try to correct a corrupted document. Which method you use depends on the nature and severity of the corruption and the nature of the behavior exhibited. Although many of these methods succeed regularly, not every corrupted document can be recovered. Keeping a backup copy of a document is the best way to ensure its recovery. 

  Convert the File to Another Format

  Convert the file to another format, and then convert it back to its native format. This is the easiest and most complete document recovery method; always try it first.

  Save the file in Rich Text Format (RTF) file format; this format preserves the formatting in your Microsoft Word for the Macintosh document. After you save the file in RTF format, reopen the document in Word, and convert it from RTF. If this method succeeds, the file corruption is removed during conversion.

  To save the file as RTF, follow these steps:
  1. On the File menu, click Save As.
  2. In the Save File as Type list, select Rich Text Format

  If the corruption persists after you save the file in RTF file format, try saving the file in the following file formats: Other word processing formats, Text Only

  NOTE: Saving a file in Text Only format frequently corrects the document corruption problem; however, all document formatting is lost including graphics and field codes in Word 98 Macintosh Edition. This method requires more reformatting; therefore, use it only after other file formats fail to correct the problem.

  Copy Everything Except the Last Paragraph Mark to a New Document

  Word associates a wide variety of formatting with the last paragraph mark, especially section and style formatting. If you copy everything except the last paragraph mark to a new document, the corruption may be left behind in the original document. In the new document, reapply the section or style formatting. NOTE: You can select everything except the last paragraph mark by pressing COMMAND+END, and then COMMAND+SHIFT+HOME.

  Save a copy of the corrupted document in Text-Only format

  1.Open the Text-Only file.
  2. Copy the text from this file and paste it into the file that contains the uncorrupted portion of your document.
  3. Reformat the sections of the document you pasted in step 2, and then save the recovered document.

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