10 Skills EVERY computer user should have (or lear...

I originally posted this list in January 2007. However, through my keen observation skills, I discovered that all computer users have not yet read and digested this information. For this reason, I’m posting it again because I won’t stop working to educate computer users until every computer user knows these 10 skills. Computers have become almost a main stream household appliance. Whether you have been using a...

Email of the Week – 011

photo credit: Joe Shlabotnik QUESTION Name:  Joanne From:   Portland, OR OS:      Windows XP ———————- On May 27 you talked talked about the # of processes that open at Start-up. Following your instructions I found I have 60 processes opening. I went in and unchecked several I didn’t need, however when I go back to normal start-up at closing,restarting my computer...

7 Great places to start learning

Not long ago, a commenter on the web site suggested we put up some links to our some of our best and most visited tips. I thought it was a great idea, and here are seven that I came up with. If you have your own favorite or most helpful HelpMeRick.com tips, please share them with everyone by leaving a comment below. Cut, Copy, and Paste -  I believe that this invaluable skill should be a computer prerequisite Print just...

All Q&A Session – July 2007

I don’t do it too often, but this month I decided to hold an all Q&A (2 hours) user group meeting. It truly is amazing how many questions 30 or 40 ravenous computer users can generate. Sometimes one question leads to another, and an entire “topic” can take up a half hour. You have to be at one of the meetings to truly experience the type of knowledge and information that gets shared and explored. Some of...

The powerful and easy to use msconfig – Vide...

Msconfig (a.k.a. Microsoft Configuration Utility) allows us to tweak a little extra speed from our boot ups and increase the available memory to our systems. You can find this utility by clicking on Start –> Programs –> Accessories –> System Tooks –> System Information. Once there, click Tools from the menus and then Configuration Utility. However, the fastest way to get to it is to: 1. Click on Start...

Searchable List of Startup Items found in MSCONFIG

I just found one of the easier, searchable lists of items that can be found in the Startup tab of MSCONFIG. The site also lists whether or not it can be or should be removed from your startup. Click here to visit the site.

How to get into Safe Mode when F8 doesn’t wo...

Some computers will refuse to go into safe mode no matter how quickly you press F8. If you are using Windows XP, here is how to force your computer to boot up with the safe mode prompt: Go to START->RUN Type 'msconfig' into the box (without the quote marks) Click on the BOOT.INI tab Check the little box that says /SAFEBOOT Click Apply and OK Restart your computer. To get your computer to stop booting up with the...

Using “Run” to get places

If you have listened to the show much, you have probably heard us tell people to go into "msconfig." This tip works in Windows XP for sure, but some commands may not work in other versions of Windows. msconfig is one run command that takes you into the Microsoft Configuration Utility, but there are other handy run commands, here are most of them. To use any of these click on START -> RUN and type the word or...

Count your processes

"My computer is running slow." This complaint tops the list as the number one computer owner complaint over the past few years. Once an infliction for older computers only, slow computer syndrome (SCS) can affect even the newest and most powerful of computers. With Windows XP, there is one quick barometer that you can use to test the health of your computer; the Processes list. Too many processes running...

MSCONFIG: These items are unneccessary

We talk about the Microsoft Configuration Utility (msconfig) so much, that we have a t-shirt available for it in our store. Msconfig is accessed by: Click Start Click Run Type:   msconfig Click OK Once in the utility, you want to click the "Startup" tab. Here is a list of some the programs that can be safely unchecked. After doing so, click OK, and restart the computer as instructed and your computer...

What’s in my msconfig?

Here are two sites that help you figure out what is in your msconfig: Task List Programs System Info 

Startup Cop Download

Statup Cop is a utility for Windows 2000 and 95 users. Since these versions of Windows don’t have msconfig, this tool helps with troubleshooting startup problems.

Quick Tweaks to Make Windows Snap

When I make a house or office call during the week to work on a computer, I almost always run through a few quick tweaks to make Windows perform just a little bit better. No matter how new a computer may be, it can’t be too fast. Try these tweaks on your computer to see if you can eek out a little more performance. Disable Visual Effects Starting with Windows 98 Second Edition, Microsoft added visual effects to menus...

How to turn stuff off in the background

Go to START -> RUN -> type in msconfig Click on the STARTUP tab Uncheck items that you know you don’t need to start up every time your computer starts If you accidentally uncheck something important, don’t worry, you can just go back into msconfig and re-check these items