When trying to choose a certain web host, there are specific things to keep an eye out for. And one of the top things to look out for is the customer service offered by the web host. But apart from customer support, the technical support side of their service also has to be very good. Looking for a company that offers 24/7 support is therefore imperative in your search for a good web host. This is vital, especially for people who are new to the whole process and may feel they will need much assistance at the beginning. Checking out customer reviews about the web hosting service is also a great way to ascertain they are doing what they advertise in the correct manner.

A good web hosting company will also offer many different packages to suit a variety of needs. Future expansion in terms of disk space and bandwidth should also be catered for by the web hosting company.

Also, a guarantee on the uptime of a server should be offered by the web hosting service in question. Continuous uptime is imperative for any good online business so a web host that can offer up to 99 percent uptime is a good place to start.

Obviously, choosing a host that is user friendly will make the whole experience even better for the customer. Another feature of a good web host is the provision of email accounts which means that you will not need to use free email accounts and will give your business a much more professional look.

Cleaning the Temp folder:

All of your temporary files are stored in C:/Windows/Temp. Since they are one-time use files, you can safely delete all of them from the folder.

There may be anywhere from a few to very many files in the folder. Select them all and either hit the “Delete” key on your keyboard or right click on one of the files and select Delete

Searching for *.tmp files:

In addition to the Temp folder, temporary files are sometimes stored in other places on your hard drive, such as software files used for installation. To remove these temp files, go to the Start menu and select Search. Select All files and folders and type into the “All or part of file” box: *.tmp and hit Search. When it’s finished, delete all of the files.

Disk Cleanup

To rid your hard drive of any other unneeded, outdated, or duplicate files, run the Disk Cleanup by going to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools and selecting Disk Cleanup. It takes a few minutes to complete.

Defragmenting your hard drive:

You may also use the disk defragmenter tool to optimize your hard drive. To use the Disk Defragmenter:

¢ Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools and select Disk Defragment.
¢ In the Disk Defragmenter window, select the Defragment option.

It starts by analyzing the file configuration and then compacting the files.

It is suggested that while utilizing your disk defragmenter, all other programs are closed and you leave your computer idle. Since the process can take up to several hours on a computer that has not been fragmented recently, it is also suggested to let the defragmenter run overnight.

When it’s finished, your computer should run a lot smoother. If you would rather download a registry cleaner to speed up your computer, you will save a lot of time. It will also provide regular maintenance and prevent future registry errors.

Article created by Jake Ruston.

PDF, Adobe PDF, Convert to PDF, Firefox, Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox

Here at our office, we love the Firefox browser. The innovative tabbed browsing system that Internet Explorer has finally adopted in IE8 is just one of the many advancements Firefox brought to the table when it was first launched in 2004. Interestingly, the most useful change is also one that hasn’t been embraced by other browsers as fully: the introduction of plug-ins or extensions. Extensions are supplemental programs that improve your browsing experience, changing Firefox to make the management of the information you’re viewing less complicated. Some plug-ins offer powerful advertisement and pop-up blocking options, others allow web developers to test their code right in the browser, and some enable you to scrape information from a website and save it in a different format.

One such extension we’ll look at is Web2PDF, a nifty tool that allows you to convert a web page you’re viewing into a PDF format. This is very helpful if you’re hoping to distribute the information found on that particular web page to several people. With Web2PDF, all you have to do is convert the page to PDF format and distribute it through email or other connections.

Once the extension has been installed, you’ll have the ability to begin converting those page. Looking at the top of your browser, you’ll notice the addition of a button associated with the task. After you’ve decided to convert the page into a PDF, you’re tasked with just pressing that one button. Upon its submission, you will observe the conversion process.

When this process is finished, the tool will tell you to download your new PDF. Simply right click and designate a location to which you’d like the PDF saved.

As you look at the directory in which the file has been saved, you will notice that the filename corresponds to the webpage from which it originated.

The appeal of being able to save web content this way may be difficult for some users to see, but there are many uses for this format. PDF files work seamlessly across different systems, even PCs and Macs, meaning it’s one of the easiest ways to share information with a large group of people. PDFs offer advantages to offices as well, because their format makes them easy to print and doesn’t involve all the hassles of trying to print from a web page. Saving a PDF of information found online also ensures that this will be available to you even if something should happen to the website, such as the owners allowing their domain registration to lapse, intentional changes to the content that is available, or server failure on their part resulting in the loss of content.

If you’re one of those people who is unsure about installing too many extras on your browser, Web2PDF can be accessed directly. You can visit their website where you will see a field in which you can enter the URL of the web page you want to convert.

For anyone who is looking for a better means of saving the information you read while browsing the web, this is a simple way to do so.

You can download the Web2PDF converter for Firefox at this address: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/14979
If you don’t have Firefox, or would prefer to use the online service you can visit their home page: http://www.web2pdfconvert.com/

Geek Choice is proud of educating you about the daily advances introduced to this world in which our company continues to grow. If you have any questions, feel free to contact one of us. We are a Computer Repair company specializing in: Virus Removal, Malware Removal, Data Backup, Data Recovery, Wireless Networks, Business Networking, and much more. At Geek Choice we can fix a wide range of problems including: Slow Computer, Slow Internet, Printer not printing, blue screen of death, and anything else computer related.

With several tabs opened, Firefox has become infamous for using an inordinate amount of memory. On systems with a shortage of ram, being forced to quit the application altogether is not a rare occurance.

These issues are most prevalent on those PCs that either need to be upgraded or have not been correctly optimized. We understand that not everyone can go out and outfit their PC with lots of ram, especially in this age where budgetary concerns remain paramount. Taking that into consideration, it should be observed that there exists an efficient means of enhancing the performance of Firefox with the use of a simple utility made for just that purpose.

Coming from TotalIdea, Firetune is a quick solution for augmenting your experience with Firefox on a slow computer. Giving particular attention to the speed of your net connection and that of your computer’s processor, Firetune adjusts several internal settings of Firefox for increased performance.

Firetune works with Firefox versions : 1.x, 2.x, and 3.x

Firetune can be downloaded here.

Browser speed is but one of several areas of concern when taking notice of your personal computer’s performance. There are many more applications and settings that can be optimized. If you ever feel overwhelmed by all of this contact a professional computer repair technician. At Geek Choice we can help you properly setup your PC for the best possible performance. You can pick up the phone at any time and call us at 1-800-GEEK HELP (433-5435).

Protecting children from the hazards of dangerous and inappropriate material online has been a great challenge for families and schools since the internet became a part of daily life for the majority of Americans. Some may feel in their frustration that the easiest solution is to simply keep children off the internet entirely, but research has shown that keeping kids offline can stunt their development in the information age.

The internet is a priceless resource for the near instantaneous transfer of information, and being able to navigate it effectively is an indispensable skill in the modern world. Students can benefit greatly from the educational material online as well, so it’s understood that some sort of compromise must be made to allow children some access to the internet. Web filters are the most common tools that parents and schools employ to try to allow children online without giving them access to everything on the web.

The balance that any web filter must create between permitting some but not all content in is a difficult one, and some services are criticized for either blocking legitimate content or allowing objectionable content through. Some even suffer from both of these problems simultaneously. Even worse, a percentage of filters can easily be completely undermined by inquisitive teens and tweens with little to no technical skill required.

Google, being the single most popular and well known search engine on the planet, is stop #1 for most web users and especially most younger ones. There’s plenty of safe content out there for children to access, and Google has always offered its own filter for search results, which has been very successful. Unfortunately these settings could easily be altered by any user, including the ones who shouldn’t not be accessing unfiltered content in the first place.

Now, Google has launched an improvement that allows a user to lock the SafeSearch option with a password to prevent minors from altering the settings. The results subsequently generated by Google’s search engine while these SafeSearch settings are in place will also be visibly different from the normal search results, with a large image of colored balls in the upper right corner letting parents and teachers know even from across the room that the filter is still working.

There’s more than one way to keep children safe online, and the best option is to combine several layers of protection. Google’s new SafeSearch is a valuable tool to help keep offensive material away from children, but it’s no substitute for active involvement with children while they are using the internet and talking with them about the dangers that lurk in the unsavory parts of the web.

Geek Choice takes pride in educating you about the daily advances introduced to this world in which our company continues to grow. If you ever have any questions, feel free to contact one of us. We are a Computer Repair business specializing in: Virus Removal, Malware Removal, Data Backup, Data Recovery, Wireless Networks, Business Networking, and a lot more. At Geek Choice we can solve a wide range of problems including: Slow Computer, Slow Internet, Printer not printing, blue screen of death, and anything else computer related. Give Geek Choice a call any time at 1-800-GEEK-HELP (433-5435).

Despite how it’s presently running, tomorrow could usher in a set of surprising problems, which is to be expected with even new machines. Windows 7 ( Vista, too ) includes a robust set of tools – all included inside one easily accessed menu – that the frustrated user can utilize when trying to diagnose the source of an issue.

Accessing these tools is as easy as entering a command in the search box that is located in the Start menu. Once you’ve entered “performance info” you will be welcomed by a window from where you can select “Advanced tools.”

After those tools are available, it becomes apparent that you have at your disposal an impressive collection of diagnostic options that may – at the very least – aid you towards determining what lies at the source of your hurting system :

* Clear all Windows Experience Index scores and re-rate system
* View performance details in Event log
* Open Performance Monitor
* Open Resource Monitor
* Open Task Manager
* View Advanced system details in System Information
* Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows
* Open Disk Defragmenter
* Generate a system health report

One of the most informative tools you can use is Open Resource Monitor. Like Task Manager, Resource Monitor provides an outline of your system’s resources, permitting you to manage the available resources ( RAM, storage, bandwidth ) your system has to work with. Unlike Task Manager, which is somewhat imprecise in its detail, Resource Monitor works at the micro level – meaning, you are given a degree of specificity that illuminates how an individual process or application figures into the allocation of resources.

Another beneficial aid is the “Generate a system health report” option. Similar to having a physical at the doctor’s office, this will assess your system’s health, generating an analysis which will enlighten you on what areas you should address when experiencing issues with your personal computer’s performance. Taking only a few moments, the system analysis will return a report that details each vital facet of your system. Using this diagnostic analysis, you will be left with a more clear picture of how your PC is faring. For instance, if there’s a driver that’s impedeing your ability to hear sound, this report will highlight that conflict.

These are just the tools that are reasonably self-explanatory in their use and interpretation. The more advanced tools – like View performance details in Event log – are just as beneficial, but they need a level of expertise that your average user might be without.

For even the most accomplished technician, the poor performance of a system will remain a problem that never permanently subsides. If you have questions about the utilization of these tools, or would like to know how to clear up any problems they unearth, Geek Choice is always available to offer you that help. If you’ve got a slow computer Geek Choice, a nationwide computer repair service, can help you properly configure it for the best possible performance.

With the information age evolving quickly, the needs of an organization adapt accordingly. Increasingly, employees are working from remote locations, the advances in internet technology affording them the ability to work from an off-site location – home, business meeting abroad, etc.

The mobility of our workforce has led to the success of those companies driving our economy, with new technologies facilitating the uninterrupted productivity of employees whose presence in the office is no longer a necessary component in the operations of an efficient and profitable enterprise. By 2011, the number of remote employees is expected to have increased by 30.4 percent (IDC, “Worldwide Mobile Worker Population 2007-2011 Forecast,” Doc #209813, Dec 2007).

While technology has contributed to an outgrowth of wireless communication, with the internet providing the backbone for those gains, corporate security – namely, firewalls – obstruct the accessibility of those resources which are native to an office. This poses a number of problems, not the least of which being access to the network from those IT professionals tasked with managing the corporation’s network.

In the past, VPN (Virtual Private Network) has been the solution employed for that purpose. However, as any IT professional will tell you, the use of a VPN can prove complicated. VPN requires users to wait for authentication, a process that can see the end user waiting for what has commonly amounted to several minutes. If internet connectivity is lost, the VPN connection will also be severed, requiring the user to repeat the authentication process. With alternatives providing even less functionality and more hurdles to overcome, VPN has become the de facto solution, its problems notwithstanding.

Overcoming the challenges inherent to VPN, DirectAccess instantly establishes a bi-directional connection between the user’s computer and work network. Using Windows 7, the DirectAccess client detects its connection to a network. The DirectAccess client will then connect to an intranet website designated during the initial configuration of DirectAccess. The process is seamless and automatic. Unlike VPN, which requires authentication with each use, DirectAccess authenticates the computer before the user even attempts to access the network.

Simpler to use than VPN, the efficiency of DirectAccess is a boon to the productivity of an enterprise’s workforce. With a transparent connection to their corporate network, employees will no longer find themselves enduring the bothersome process that has soured many on the use of VPN. Using DirectAccess, the information on their work network – intranet, applications, file-shares – is accessible wherever the employee can access an internet connection for their portable computer, not just from their home connection.

Geek Choice, a leader in on-site technical service, prides itself on educating the public about those advances that are relevant to the industry within which we continue to grow. If you have any
questions about DirectAccess, give us a call at any time at 1-800-GEEK-HELP (433-5435). Our techs are here to help you. We can also help you with Virus Removal, Spyware Removal, a Slow Computer and general computer repair.

One such example is Acrobat Reader by Adobe, the de facto application used to read .PDF files. PDF ( Portable Document Format ) is the file format created by Adobe Systems for the exchange of documents. Independent of the common variables that are attendant to the compatibility of a file format ( software, hardware, and operating system ), PDF files are self-contained documents of a two-dimensional nature. Until just recently, Acrobat Reader – also created by Adobe Systems – was the the sole application that one could use to view a PDF file. Slightly over a year ago, Adobe released the format as an open format, giving the chance to read the file with alternative solutions.

Acrobat Reader, like all favored applications that have the already mentioned complacency, has seen its evolution stunted by a dearth of attention given to performance. Though basically used for just viewing files, its bloat is obvious, the application consuming approximately 30MB of space. While Acrobat Reader has features that haven’t yet been adopted by competing software, there are a number of alternatives that offer its core functionality without the surplus baggage.

One choice is Evince. Evince is prominent for its simplicity, its name accompanied by a tagline that reads, “Simply a document viewer.” That is precisely what Evince is, its unassuming interface underscored by the speed that you’d naturally associate with what is nothing more than a document viewer. A neat addition to Evince is its “Presentation Mode,” which handles a PDF as if it is a slideshow. In this mode, each page is treated as a slide. Originally written for use with Linux, there’s a Windows version that offers the same features.

Another great alternative is SumatraPDF. For those that simply wish to view and print PDF files, SumatraPDF does so without any of the lag one notices when using Acrobat Reader. While plain in appearance, not unlike Evince, its functionality is simple to glean from the easily navigable interface. With few buttons, you can take advantage of this specific tool for the functions that are most used by those viewing a PDF : open, page-jump, search. Though its functionality is limited to just the core jobs we associate with Acrobat Reader, it moves at an impressive speed, with a minimalistic design that spares you the needless trimmings.

Lastly, there’s Foxit Reader, an alternative that offers comparable features without the excesses of Acrobat Reader. Free and available for Windows, Foxit Reader is regarded by many to be the most gratifying choice for those who have sought a usable substitute for Acrobat Reader. One reason for its popularity is the impressive feature set : email the PDF while viewing it, highlight part of the screen and save it as an image, and convert the PDF to text. Those features come with the free version, without any mention of what’s included should you purchase the Foxit Reader Pro Pack. The main feature of the Pro Pack is the facility to edit your PDF files.

In the case of Acrobat Reader, this is but one of many instances where you will find that the most well liked software isn’t always the most practical answer. Acrobat Reader is definitely no slouch, coming from the company that created the PDF format, but there’s no way to deny that it can stand to shed lots of the weight that slows the current version down. Until that is done, the choices mentioned above should be more than enough to fulfill your wants where viewing PDF files are concerned.

Applications like Adobe Acrobat Reader are but one of many areas of concern when thinking about your computer’s performance. There are many more applications and settings that should be optimized. If you ever feel overwhelmed by all of this contact a professional computer repair technician. If you’ve got a slow computer Geek Choice can help you properly configure it for the best possible performance. You can pick up the telephone at any time and call us at 1-800-GEEK HELP (433-5435).