Day 48 [Research: "Why is my computer slow?" - Day 10]

When getting an external HDD for backup, you don't need to remove the software that came with it. If you needed to make more room you can always shrink the existing partition.  This however can only be done with Windows Vista or later. The steps you will have to follow to accomplish this is by right clicking 'Computer' and select 'Manage'. You will then see 'User Account Control' window and then the 'Computer Management' window will appear and that's when you'll have to click 'Disk Management' option on the left-hand side. After all that, search for your external HDD on the bottom section of the main window and all that's left is right click on it and select 'Shrink Volume' to whatever extent you want. I'm on the 'Fast Fixes' portion of the section now and the main topic is 'How Can I Tell If My Hard Disk Is Failing?'. Under the 'Prevent and Cure Errors' part, it states that power failures, forced shutdowns and other problem can cause disk problems. Problems also include programs freezing when files are being opened and Windows crashes. Another indication that it's not going well is if the 'Checking file system on drive C:' message pops up frequently before Windows starts up. In order to help fix these problems you will need to download the DiskCheckup tool that's free. Another category in this section is 'Check Your Cables and Activity Light'. When the drive's activity light is constantly on even when there's no activity don't worry. The reason for this is most likely Window's indexing service or an anti-virus program is scanning the disk and these are done when the computer is idle and it may take quite a bit of time to be completed. When Window is short on memory however, it will use the hard disk as a temporary storage and this will strain the hark disk. Adding more memory can dramatically reduce the wear and tear of the hard disk. Also before condemning the drive, it's best to check the internal cables(Sata data cable that's connected to the motherboard) to see if they're functioning well and if not it's best to replace them.

Day 47 [Research: "Why is my computer slow?" - Day 9]

Further in the Hardware Section of the pdf file, there was a person who had difficulty figuring out which side of his headphone is left and right so he can speak comfortably on Skype with his buddies. The solution to this was pretty straightforward since you don't have to download a program to solve this. All you need to do is to right click the speaker icon in the notification bar located on the bottom right corner and choose Playback Devices. After that click on the Playback tab and click the Configure option to open up the Speaker setup. From there on you can click the Test option to have Windows play left and right sequence audio to confirm which side is which. There was a question that asked if external hard disks reliable and the answer would be yes. It is much faster and convenient than using multiple DVD disks. However rare it may be, they do fair. There are many reasons for it and the main one is solely just irresponsible care for it. There was a person who recently bought a Sony Vaio Tap PC with Windows 8 as it's OS, however he was not able to access the Bios. He did manage to access the UEFI and that's where the problem lies. He mistakenly changed a setting and disabled UEFI in hopes that the Bios would appear but now when he puts power on his PC it displays the message 'Operating System could not be found'. Luckily for the guy, his PC has a built in Rescue Mode. For him to recover his PC he has to first have his PC off, press and hold down the Assist bottom on the back of the PC and after a couple seconds there should be a Vaio logo appearing in the Rescue Mode Screen. From here on just follow it's instruction and the problem is solved. When upgrading your PC, it's best to know ahead of time if your equipment such as your printer is compatible with it. If not hope that the driver for your equipment has updated so it can be stable and usable.

Day 46 [Research: "Why is my computer slow?" - Day 8]

There was a question asking if it was a good idea to ignore Windows Update in order to save their 3G data. The answer is maybe depending if you have a reliable anti-virus software but it's only good in short terms, so it's best to have Windows updated to keep it safe from any harm that may come to the computer. If you're having AutoPlay problems there are many solution to it. If you insert a CD or USB device and nothing happens, you would have to go to computers and check the drives and disk if they're there and if not then you will have to run the AutoPlay Repair Wizard to try and fix the problem. After running that, reinsert the CD or USB device and it should pop up now. What you can also do with AutoPlay is set it to automatic import photos and videos from external devices such as a camera, phone, or tablet whenever it's connected to the PC. You can also change each devices setting individually to have it in your preference. I'm at the end of the first section of Windows and will be heading towards Section 3 which focuses on hardware. What I've learned in the hardware section is the transfer of data from a HDD towards a SSD. The question the person asked was if it was possible to transfer my files to a SSD but in return will Microsoft demand a new product key. The answer that was given varies. In most case the process would be done without a problem and to make sure of it you would have to start up the menu and right click 'Computer' and choose properties. Scroll down and there will be a section stating whether or not Windows is activated or not. There are at times however where Windows do require an re-activation but it won't require a new key. I also learned that when Windows continuously keep popping up messages such as 'You need to format this drive,' and missing files, the probability of your hard drive failing is high. It's best to back up your files and download Seagate's SeaTools.  Once installed check off your hard drive and open Basic Tests to begin working through tests and hope it's fine and that you are able to recover corrupted files.

Day 45 [Research: "Why is my computer slow?" - Day 7]

After going through 26 pages of the "Why is my Computer so slow?" pdf, I have learned that there is a folder that Windows Explorer(Microsoft) wants to keep hidden from people. The reason why it's kept hidden is because the folder,(which is called 'Installer') contains vital data that could lead problems to the software or Windows. Microsoft did have a tool to reclaim space that's taken by the folder but even with the tool it still caused problems so they withdrew it. It's best to avoid a failed installation/uninstallation as it will leave unnecessary files in the installer folder and you can't do anything inside that folder unless you want to deal with problems. If you have unwanted error files and want it removed then you would have to use Disk Cleanup. In order for you to remove then you will have to have be on administrator mode to actually remove anything. All you have to do from there on is find the Disk Cleanup shortcut, right-click it, run as administrator, and run the cleanup process and the files should be gone.

Day 44 [Research: "Why is my computer slow?" - Day 6]

When having problems with your keyboard such as missing keys, malfunctioning keys, or it's missing some keys due to the keyboard size, there is a solution for that. Keyboard mapping is what is needed and a good program to get for this problem is SharpKeys. It will pop up a window  that will show you what keys you want to use in substitute for the missing/malfunctioning key. After doing that, restart the computer for it to register the change. When upgrading Windows, make sure that the motherboard of yours support UEFI Bios. The likely hood of not having it means that your motherboard is out of date and that you will need a new one to be able to upgrade your operating system.

Day 43 [Research: "Why is my computer slow?" - Day 5]

The question that was asked in the pdf was, 'Is it safe to delete Windows Update files?', and the answer is yes. As a person who likes to keep their PC as clean as possible, I would most likely do this. To be able to do this safely though, you should not have any problems with up to date update. If there is no problem then you go and delete any files in the subfolder stored in 'C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download,' however do not delete the folder itself. When upgrading Windows, you can have all your previous data if you choose not to format the HDD. It should most likely be found in a folder called windows.old. If you choose to however to start out fresh with nothing but the installation of the OS, then just format it or delete the 'windows.old' folder. Also, if you want to customize your computer by having other than an image of a folder for a folder you can do so. By doing this, you simply right click on the folder and go on to the properties of it. After doing so you will see an option that will allow you to change the icon of the folder.

Day 42 [Research: "Why is my computer slow?" - Day 4]

If, for whatever reason you need to revert your computer back to several day/month/year, you would need to use System Restore. In order to do this, you will need to start up System Restore and at this point there will be Restore Points that your computer has made to keep your file secured at a certain point.  The likely hood of having files kept a year back is unlikely, due to the computer continually making save points as time progress and that there is a limited amount of save points. I also learned that you're able to view Windows 8 apps side by side. To do this, you drag the app to the side of the screen. If it's not working then the problem is most likely due to not meeting the minimum resolution which is 1366x768.