System Tweaks

Disable System Restore

You can gain a lot of drive space by disabling System Restore. (You should already have a backup regimen in place before you do this.) In Vista, right-click My Computer, select Advanced system settings, click the System Protection tab, and uncheck any drives. In XP, right-click My Computer, then under System Tasks, click on "View system information." Click on the System Restore tab and click the box next to "Turn off System Restore on all drives" to disable it.

Configure Windows Update

View All Text of a Folder Fast With Depeche View

View and search all text files of a directory in one window as fast as possible. Search a phrase just by clicking on it. Copy text, and create bookmarks with the same ease. If you have to read through many small ASCII text files, e.g. source code, this tool allows text

Microsoft Office 2007

View Documents as Drafts

One thing that annoys us about Word 2007 is that it doesn't automatically let you open a document in Draft view (which was the Normal view in earlier versions of Word). To enable this, click the Office button > Word Options > Advanced > General. Then click the box next to "Allow opening a document in Draft View."

Display Formatting Marks

Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows Vista and XP and Microsoft Office

Windows Key+E

The best part about shortcut keys is letting your keyboard do half the work. This is a perfect example: This shortcut allows you to open Windows Explorer with one quick keystroke.

Windows Key+M

Wireless Home Networking

Fix Connectivity Issues

It sounds crazy, but 95 percent of all Internet connectivity problems can be solved by power-cycling both the router and the modem. Turn them both off, and then turn the modem back on first. Once its "sync" or signal light comes on, turn on your router.

Use Encryption

You've probably heard this before, but it bears repeating: Always enable your router's wireless security! Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption is the oldest (and weakest) form of security; the newer (and stronger) Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and WPA-2 are the best protection available today for home users.

How to make a computer faster: 6 ways to speed up your PC

By following a few simple guidelines, you can maintain your computer, help increase your PC speed, and help keep it running smoothly. This article discusses how to use the tools available in Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP Service Pack 3 to help make your computer faster, maintain your computer efficiently, and help safeguard your privacy when you're online.

Note: Some of the tools mentioned in this article require you to be logged on as an administrator. If you aren't logged on as an administrator, you can only change settings that apply to your user account.

1. Remove spyware, and help protect your computer from viruses