How to make your computer faster for free

Wondering "How do i make my computer faster", but don’t have the cash to buy better hardware? Well here is some quick and easy tips on how to make your computer more efficient without dropping a dime!
1.) Defrag your hard drives.

I. Often windows will automatically do this once per day or per week or so. Mine does it every Wednesday night when I should be sleeping ~3AM. This way I know that all my files are organizing themselves relatively often.

II. To make sure your computer is doing this regularly, go to Start Menu>>Program Files>>Accessories>>System Tools>>Disk Defragmenter.

2.) Remove Spyware, clean up your temporary Files, fix your registry and clean out dangerous startup entries. These can all be done individually, but it can be time consuming. GLARY UTILITIES is an amazing program that does all of this with the program’s “1 Click Maintenance.” I swear by this program now. It is amazing. It regularly finds and removes several gigabytes of temporary internet files and the first time I ran it, over 400 registry errors were found and fixed. This program is free so I highly recommend that you check it out. Also, check out my TIGGITY POST on Glary Utilities for more about its capabilities.

3.) Remove unused programs from your hard drive. Chances are there is a ton of programs on your computer that you don’t use, and probably never will use. How about removing them and getting that extra storage space available so your computer has less junk to think about. Note: I highly recommend checking out the importance of each program on Google before removing it permanently. How about all of those crappy demo games that came with your comp, or old games you no longer play, or programs that you didn’t even know existed? Ya, you can do without those.

I. Go to Start>>Settings>>Control Panel>> then click ‘Programs’ or ‘Programs and Features’

i. A long list will open eventually and it will be a near comprehensive list of all of the programs that are installed on your computer. Again, I recommend removing only stuff you are familiar with and know your computer can function properly without. So click on any program that you can do without and then click the ‘Uninstall button at the top of the window. This is a great way to remove computer garbage and get your PC back to health.

4.) Change what programs automatically run at windows start up. Ok so you like Skype, Windows Messenger, Norton, AIM, Yahoo! Messenger etc, etc, etc. These programs can be set so that they do not load at windows startup, but instead ONLY WHEN YOU WANT THEM TO. You don’t need a bajillion programs launched at the same time as windows. Open Messenger when you want to, or Skype etc. This is really easy and reduces computer start up time drastically. There are two methods to do this:

I. (Automatic) Download and run Vista Services Optimizer if you are still using Windows Vista. Check out my EARLIER POST about this free software for quick instructions on how to use it.

II. ( Manual) Go to start menu>>Run>> and then type ‘msconfig’
Then click the startup tab. Here you can uncheck the programs that you do not want to launch at start up. This does not disable the program, it simply sets the program to load when you start it, rather than at windows launch. Here, again, be careful to make sure you don’t uncheck programs that Windows needs to launch at startup. Just type in the command and do a Google Search to see if it is vital at startup or not. Most of them that are here are probably not essential, but make sure before you uncheck them, please.

5.) Adjust the visual graphics that appear during Windows use. If you can do without mouse trails, and fancy windows minimizing and other effects that make Windows look cool, but are not necessary, then you can remove all of these and set Windows to max performance.

I. Go to Start>>Settings>>Control Panel>> click ‘Performance’ or ‘Performance Information and Tools.’ Then click on ‘Adjust visual effects.”

i. Here you will have options to ’Let Windows choose whats best,’ Adjust for best appearance, ‘adjust for best performance’ or create your own custom scheme. I recommend letting Windows choose, but if you really need that extra speed then create your own custom or adjust for best performance.

6.) Change your desktop background. Having a simple background color or design can actually make a pretty significant difference in performance when compared to a fancy landscape or large image from the internets or your digital camera. Simple, but it should work on low capacity computer.

7.) Disable the Bandwidth reserve in Windows. Windows reserves 20% of your bandwidth so that it has access to priority bandwidth when it might need it. Why not let it share in your regular bandwidth and allow those extra 20% participate all the time?! To do this, click on this link HERE. http://www.vistax64.com/attachments/tutorials/1757d1196149757-qos-bandwidth-reserve-limit-disable_reserved.reg?ltr=Q

I. Download the .reg file somewhere easy to access – I recommend your Desktop.
II. Right click on the icon and select ‘Merge’

III. Click Run
IV. Click Yes

V. Click OK

VI. For this change to take place, restart your computer.
VII. Feel free to delete the .reg file at this time. Also, if you would like to restore your reserved bandwidth for whatever reason, you can do that HERE http://www.vistax64.com/attachments/tutorials/1758d1196149762-qos-bandwidth-reserve-limit-restore_default_reserved.reg?ltr=Q


I hope you find these resources to be useful! I know i did. Enjoy!

99 ways to make your computer faster

Check out the Microsoft page for improving speed for more suggestions
Microsoft speed page

Have your computer increase available physical memory automatically with Cleanmem

It may seem kind of counter intuitive to install another program to reduce your memory used, but Cleanmem is only 2,064k or 2 MB ram, which is basically nothing. When I use it my used physical memory typically drops 30% or more immediately. Great success! All that extra memory can be put toward helping my computer run more efficiently and not be bogged down by programs that I’m not using right now.

Cleanmem can be set to automatically clear unused memory and cache as often as you would like. I have it set to do so every 5 minutes because I am constantly hopping around different tasks and don’t want to close them out myself in Task Manager all the time. If you do wish to do it manually, the task manager shortcut is Ctrl+Shift+Esc, not Ctrl+Alt+Del like most people assume.
The program can be got HERE and like all the programs I review, it is free!
Here is the User Interface and the options pages available with Cleanmem:

Double click on the Monitor Stats icon at anytime to have Cleanmem do an instant check on memory usage and remove unused memory to enhance performance immediately.

If there are certain programs that you never want to have cleared from your RAM, then it can be added to Cleanmem’s ignore list and will be exempt from being cleared. Additionally, if there are only certain programs that you wish to be monitored and removed from your RAM if they exceed a certain level that can be done through settings as well.
If you use multiple programs on a regular basis then Cleanmem will probably be of much use to you. I think its great. Enjoi!

Descrease Windows Start up Time: Vista Service Optimizer

Chances are, your computer launches more programs at startup than it needs to or should. Tons of programs, like Yahoo! Messenger, Skype, AIM, Chrome etc might be useful when you use them, but are they really necessary at Windows startup? Probably not. There are a couple of ways around launching these at Windows startup: adjust them using MS Config or the easier and safer method, by getting a small and simple program to determine what programs you should launch. MS Config is nice if you know exactly what you are doing, but if you don’t you could really screw up some important startup stuff. So if you aren’t super tech savvy but still want to minimize startup time and computer efficiency, this post is for you. Vista Service Optimizer is great for eliminating unnecessary startup programs without any risk of removing those your computer depends on. It was just updated on November 14th, 2011 so it is very up to date. It is customizable to each persons desires and at startup you can create a user profile, in which VSO asks you a few questions to best optimize your PC. Pretty cooool. So grab it right HERE and then proceed with me if you will.

On the last page of the Setup Wizard, I recommend unchecking the 2 options unless you want to sign up for extra stuff; I don’t.

Then open the program and it will look like this:

1.)

The first thing you should do is create a user profile where it will ask you several questions about what type of hardware you have connected to your computer (printers, Ethernet cables etc etc). So click on the ‘More Functions’ button and a drop down menu will appear. Select ‘User Profile.’

Answer the questions and then click ok. Now you are ready to let VSO do its work.



2.) Click ‘Auto Tune Up.’

3.) Click ‘Optimize.’ This shouldn’t take more than 15 to 30 seconds and then your results will show you how many unnecessary startup programs were disabled.
It is as simple as that!
Another thing you can do with VSO is the Service Diagnostics, which will improve speed in a similar fashion and may have the exact same result as the Auto Tune Up as it did with mine.

Now get back to whatever it is that you do on your computer, and do it faster than before!

10 fun tricks to do on Google and more

Alright, everybody has seen the Google barrel roll trick, so I went on a hunt for other fun things you can do on Google etc, just for S and G’s. So I compiled a list of little commands you can do that might bring you some simple entertainment. 10 to be exact. I decided not to upload any pics because that would take some of the fun out of it for you. Note: These are not new, but some of them might be to you. Check it out!

In Google search bar, type:

1.) “askew” or “tilt” take your best guess at what happens ;P

2.) “recursion” This was an April fools joke from Google. Get it? Get it? Get it?

3.) “google gravity” and then click “Im Feeling Lucky” This one is a lot of fun, flinging around all the boxes :)

4.) “Google Pacman” and then click “Im Feeling Lucky” This one brings back the Google page from earlier this year celebrating the anniversary of Pacman. Love this one.

5.) “Epic Google” and then click “Im Feeling Lucky”

6.) “annoying google” and then click “Im Feeling Lucky”

And then some extra fun stuff:

7.) In Google Maps type a starting location and destination that are separated by an ocean. Look at the suggested vessel for crossing the Ocean. Haha… now that might take a while.

8.) Turn your text upside down and post it on any webpage: upside down text creator

9.) Google Chrome has an extension that can be added for free from the Chrome Webstore called “Upside Down” and when installed you can make the whole page load upside down. Good for a prank on someone elses computer at the very least!

10.) In Google Earth, type Ctrl+Alt+A and enjoy a flight simulator! Woooooo!
This is in addition to the other incredible things you can do on GE: exploring the moon, mars, under the ocean, view the earth in Ancient times!, see 3D models of buildings, creating custom tours and more.

If you have more awesome tricks, please let me know. Otherwise enjoy!

Check out my other posts to find out about some really cool free software: http://tiggity.blogspot.com/

Create your own custom hot keys with AutoHotKey!

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How cool would it be if you could make custom shortcuts to any program or website or location on your hard drive or create custom command lines in your videogames just by pressing a key or keys on your keyboard? Really cool! Well its possible! And free! AutoHotKey is a free program that works on any version of windows and it is very simple and user friendly for all the non-techies. For a list of the ridiculous amount of stuff you can do with AutoHotKey check out THIS PAGE. This is great!
The program is 6.2 MB which is pretty tiny and the amount of time it can save you is HUGE. So snag the program right HERE and then follow this quick walk thru and start making as many custom hotkey shortcuts as your lil heart desires. I recommend downloading the top option on this page because it is the most up to date:

So save the program and run the install file. Upon your installation completion and your first opening of the program, a window will ask if you want help getting started. Click yes.

It will then open up the sample script which is a document that you open in Notebook and you will use every time you want to create a new shortcut. So read it! It takes like 45 seconds, srsly.
Now, on to making your own custom key combinations. I highly recommend checking out the HotKeys Introduction and Simple Examples’ in the AutoHotkey Help section. It really is quite helpful.
All of your hotkeys must have at least 2 buttons or the script will not run. So here I will create a hotkey shortcut that will automatically open up my blog with the use of two buttons: Alt + t simultaneously. So I type in the script like so:

After you have typed in as many hotkeys as you want for now (there is no limit essentially), then close the program and then reopen it.
Now anytime I press ‘Alt’ and ‘t’ at the same time my default browser (Chrome) opens up directly to Tiggity. Cool! That is just one very simple command of hundreds that you can do using this program.
Alright so now I will create a hotkey to automatically open u Adobe Photoshop CS5, one for logging off and one for restarting my computer. Here are what the scripts looks like.

Now anytime I press Ctrl+Alt+p my computer opens up CS5. Anytime I press Ctrl+Alt+l my computer logs off and returns to the windows login screen and whenever I press Ctrl+Alt+r it closes down all open programs and restarts.
Check out the link I posted above for a list of the capabilities of this program. Enhance your gaming, organization, or just your convenience. Enjoy!

Making Mondays Easier: Accessing Blocked websites

So its Monday… again. For most people that means back to work or school. I bet you wish you could access all those web pages that your employer or school blocked, huh? Here is a sneaky little trick that makes it so you can! While you won’t be able to check the most recent versions of the web pages, you can check the most recently cached version of the page even if it is blocked! Schweet.
Open up your web browser (this should work in any web browser). Do the following:
In your address bar type in "cache:" and then the URL of the website you would like to visit. So if you wanted to check out textsfromlastnight.com you would type in “cache:http:www.textsfromlastnight.com” or for ebaumsworld “cache:http:www.ebaumsworld.com” and so forth. I hope this helps get you through your Monday! Enjoy! Love, Tiggity

Download YouTube videos and songs for free!

There are some really awesome and funny videos on YouTube as everyone knows, duh. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to download those and have them on your HD for instant access whenever you want. Maybe watch all your favorites in succession? Well, check it out. DVDVideosoft Free aka Free Studio makes this possible and really easy and fast! This program can do a lot, but today I will be showing one of its capabilities: downloading from Youtube to a WebM video (which can be viewed on basically every single media player)! But just so you know, this program is also capable of downloading videos straight to audio MP4 format so that you can add them to your iTunes (because some songs are really hard to track down elsewhere). Free Studio can also convert audio in multiple formats, videos into mp3s, easily edit and cut portions of videos (from your HD or YouTube), burn CDs and DVDs, screen video recorder, convert videos to Android, blackberry, PSP, Xbox, Nintendo, PS3 etc, as well as iPhone, iPad, and iPods. These are just some of the features of this amazing free program. So go snag this program right HERE. It takes up less than 58 MB of space and can do sooo much! Then I will walk you through the process of downloading a YouTube video to your hard drive.
Ok so when you download there is a screen during setup that asks if you want to install the DVDVideosoft tool bar and make it your default search engine. I recommend you uncheck them all like so:

Continue with the install and open the program. I really like the way this program looks. Here is what the user interface looks like:

Alright so with the program open, click on the YouTube button. Then click on the ‘Free YouTube Download’ button.

A new window will open asking you to insert the URL of the YouTube vid that you want to download that looks like this:

So you can add as many URL’s into this window as you would like. Just right click and paste them in this window. The program will do a quick scan to make sure the URL is valid and that the whole video is available. Then just click the download button at the bottom of the window or the Play Arrows just to the right of each video and it will download to your desired folder. Here I am downloadin some of my all time fav’s: Bizkit the Sleep running dog and the baby who laughs at paper tearing. Hilarious!

You can select from several different video qualities or just download the MP3 version of these videos in the quality drop down menu on this screen:

And then it will download. WOW! It downloaded those really fast! Faster than I can stream those videos as a matter of fact!
And that is that. The files are saved for viewing at any time. Now you can make a compilation of all of your favorite YouTube videos and watch them all in a row! You can also burn these files to a DVD to take with you and watch anywhere. Note: I don’t encourage you to sell these or illegally reproduce copyrighted material. So don’t get caught! do it!
Any great unknown vids I should know about? Please inform me and boost my YouTube IQ! Thanks!