When looking to buy a hard drive, it is important to check a few things first to ensure that it will indeed work with your system. The most important is the interface (Older machines used IDE whereas newer machines lean towards SATA or even SATA2), though you should also take disk space and spindle speed into consideration.

Once you have your hard drive, you should do your best to leave it in the packaging until it is required. This will help prevent exposure to static, which can damage electrical circuitry. It is wise to wear an anti static wrist strap whenever doing any work within your PC.

First, ensure your PC is switched off at the mains but leave it plugged in. This will earth the case and help prevent static. Next, remove the case screws and slide off either the side panels or entire case housing depending on the design. The hard drive should be fairly easy to spot, and normally sits in a metal cage towards the front of the PC. If you are upgrading your drive, you will need to remove both cables from the back of the drive, undo the four screws holding it in and gently slide the device out.

However, if you are installing a second drive, you must check the jumper setting before installing the drive. The jumper settings are dictated by the location of a small plastic sleeve relative to the set of pins located next to the power connection. The drive can be configured in several ways, though the most common are master or slave � your primary or secondary drive. To find out which pins you must connect with the small black sleeve, refer to the sticker on the drive itself or the manufacturers handbook.

Once you have set the jumper on your new drive, slide it carefully into one of the bays, preferably with space between drives to allow air to flow, though this isn�t always possible if you have a small case, and secure it with four screws. Next, connect the IDE or SATA cable and power cable to the drive. If you have replaced your drive, you need to use the same connector as was in your previous drive. If this is a second drive, you need to plug the other connector on the same cable into your new drive. Most IDE cables come with two connectors, with the one at the far end the master and the one in the middle the slave. If you have second SATA drive, you need to connect a new cable from one of the remaining SATA channels on your motherboard to the new drive.

Replace the casing and turn on your PC and watch carefully as it boots up. Not only should you hear your new drive spinning up, but you should see it listed under the drives as your machine boots up. If this is a second drive, you should boot straight into Windows and be able to see your new drive under My Computer. You will need to right click on the drive itself and format it to the desired file system. If it is a replacement drive, there will be no operating system present, so you will have to install one using the set up CD.

If the drive does not appear, it is worth double checking the connections and that you have indeed set the jumpers appropriately.

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Spyware and adware has numerous effects on your PC, from the obvious pop up windows to more sinister problems such as application errors and interference with firewall and anti virus software.

It is therefore advisable to refrain from installing software from unknown vendors or clicking on pop up windows. You should also be aware that adware and spyware can come bundled with legitimate software as part of the license agreement, so check the agreements of free software very carefully before proceeding to install.

There are numerous ways to get rid of applications such as these, and whilst more �respectable� advert applications have the option to uninstall, the vast majority won�t and will require more effort to remove them properly.

If you suspect you are infected with spy or adware, your first port of call is the Add/Remove programs dialogue box located in Control Panel. This window will list software installed on your machine, and may include instances of spyware and adware that you weren�t aware were installed. Go through the list checking which applications you have installed, and using a search engine such as Google to check on those you don�t recognise. Any software that is reported as spyware or adware should be removed using the change/remove option. Be aware that this may not always actually remove the software, so even if you believe you have removed the offending application(s), it is worthwhile following the next couple of steps.

If this doesn�t fix the problem, or you wish to check that you are free of spy and adware, you should run Ad-Aware or Spybot Search and Destroy. These both scan your PC for known offenders and will give you the option of removing them. Both removal tools will do a fairly thorough job of removing spyware and adware, though there are still instances where they will be unable to remove an application.

For persistent spyware and adware, you may be required to remove it forcefully. If a removal tool finds an application but cannot remove it, you should use a search engine to locate a manual fix. There are numerous resources with information on removing the vast majority of these sorts of programs, though some are fairly involved and may even require you to edit the registry. If you must edit the registry, make a backup copy before you do anything, and check that the removal instructions are from a reliable source.

You will find that you can remove pretty much any instance of spyware or adware, though writers have created more and more complex programs to try and stop you removing them. By going through the checklist above you will be able to remove most if not all programs of this nature.

The first steps to take are mentioned above, and mainly involve running the likes of Windows update, disk defrag and updating hardware drivers. These will ensure you have an up to date system and benefit from added features and stability. It is also a good idea to run Anti Virus scans, remove unwanted applications and clear temporary folders Internet files.

The next step is a little more involved, and it is important that you take care in entering appropriate values to avoid severe system instability. The Page File acts as virtual memory, and stores frequently accessed data. The majority of machines are set to handle virtual memory automatically, and whilst this is ok, you can often improve performance a little by doing the following. Go to Start � Settings � Control Panel � System � Advanced � Performance Options. Click on Change, located under the virtual memory section. Set the �Initial Size??? to 1.5x the RAM in your system, and the �Maximum Size??? to 3.0x the RAM in your system and click on.

Another way to boost performance is to turn of Indexing. By default, Windows Indexes your files hence reducing search times, though this can have an adverse effect. To turn off Indexing, go to My Computer, right-click on your hard drive and select Properties. Uncheck �Allow Indexing Service�??? and select Apply.

If you use XP, you may have noticed numerous graphical features such as translucent menus and so forth. These may look visually appealing, but they also affect performance, particularly on lower specification systems. For best performance without losing the visual appeal, go to Start � Settings � Control Panel � System � Advanced Tab � Performance � Settings. In this dialogue, leave only the following checked: Show shadows under menus, Show translucent selection, Use drop shadows and Use visual styles. Those with a high end machine will not see much of a performance boost, but those running near to the minimum specification will certainly appreciate the added smoothness within the Windows desktop environment.

The Recycle Bin is often overlooked when optimising, and you will often be surprised how much is left in there and from how long ago. To reduce the space taken by the Recycle Bin, right-click on Recycle Bin, click on Properties, navigate to the Global tab and move the slider to around 3-5%. This will free up extra disk space and reduce the number of outdated files left on your machine.

Just by following these few steps, you can have a machine running quicker in no time. Although optimisation doesn�t stop there, these few ideas will help you learn about the inner workings of Windows and how to get the best out of your machine no matter how old it is.

Having gotten your system free of clutter, minimised the disk space lost to various Windows processes and optimised the Page File, its time to dig even deeper into the inner workings of your PC.

Many applications start with Windows, and whilst you may use them regularly, they can add up to a painstakingly long boot time. To see which programs start with Windows, navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\%User Profile%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup. Remove the shortcuts to any applications you no longer use, or don�t require to start with Windows, as this will drastically reduce the time you spend looking at the desktop waiting for everything to load.

You may also wish to check the registry keys located at: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. To do this, go Start � Run � regedit and navigate your way to the keys specified. Again, remove any keys that refer to old or unused applications.

Windows XP contains a function called Prefetcher, which preloads necessary files to start Windows and applications. Whilst you want your machine to preload boot files, preloading application files may result in an unnecessary wait. To ensure that only the boot files are preloaded, use RegEdit to change the DWORD value of the following key from 3 to 2: HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\MemoryManagement\
PrefetchParameters\EnablePrefetcher.

You may also have noticed the amount of time spent watching various messages relating to hardware during boot up. This is known as the POST, or Power On Self Test, and is the process whereby your machine detects hardware, tests RAM, checks CPU speed and so forth. If you enter your BIOS by pressing the required key during start up, you can turn off some of these tests to decrease boot time, such as checking for faulty RAM. You could also set your hard drive as the first boot device to save waiting whilst the floppy disk drive or CD ROM drives are checked for inserted media. These will all shave a little time off, though you should make a note of what you have changed should you run into any problems. Make sure you know exactly what you are disabling before doing it. Unfortunately, the options available vary greatly between machines so specific guidelines cannot really be outlined here.

By now you should be experiencing much slicker start up times, though if your thirst for speed isn�t quite quenched, here are a few other tweaks that will save you another second or two here and there.

Removing your background image in Windows can save a fraction of time, particularly if you have a high resolution image as your desktop, though things will look a little barren at first. To remove the background image, right click on your desktop and select properties. In the following dialogue box, scroll to the top of the background images list and select none, then click OK.

You can also remove the Windows splash image shown during start up. To do this, open up an instance of My Computer and double click on your primary hard drive. Scroll down until you find a file called boot.ini. Note � you may have to go to Tools � Folder Options � View tab and check �Show hidden files and folders� and uncheck �Hide protected operating system files�. This will allow you to see all the files on your system, though be careful as this will allow people to see hence accidentally remove critical system files. You may wish to reset these options once you have done this tweak.

Open the file in notepad and find the line that is similar to multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS=”Windows XP Embedded” /fastdetect and add � /noguiboot� to the end. Save the file and close it. From now on, you should get a black screen as you boot instead of the Windows splash screen.

There are hundreds of other tweaks and options you can change to get a little more speed out of your PC, but those mentioned here and in the previous article should be more than enough to cater for your optimisation needs.

A dedicated server for your web hosting allows you to have a server solely dedicated to your site(s).  In addition, a dedicated server will allow you complete authority to control and administer your server.  When and if you decide on a dedicated server for your web hosting, you should have a fair understanding of dedicated servers.  Although most dedicated server web hosting providers will provide technical support, you will find it a lot easier if you have the technical expertise to manage the server yourself.  However, if you find that you will not be able to manage your server by yourself, opt for a managed dedicated server hosting.  This option is especially for those who want to have dedicated web hosting but do not have the required expertise to manage it.  This service allows you to have an entire server managed by a specialized hosting company.  The cost of a managed dedicated server is quite expensive.  Therefore, if you think that you can run and manage your website server by yourself, you should opt for an unmanaged dedicated server web hosting rather than a managed dedicated server.

You should consider a dedicated server web hosting when you find that the traffic to your site has increased substantially and your site is taking too much time to load.  An analysis of the traffic to your site will tell you whether you should go to a dedicated server.  The main thing to understand is that when you have many users working concurrently on your website, you should replace your shared web hosting with a dedicated server web hosting.

Since a dedicated server web hosting does not share its server with other websites (like shared web hosting), you will find that you have a lot more command over your server operation and its bandwidth.  One of the advantageous features of dedicated server web hosting is that it can also be remotely configured and operated.  The only obstacle is the cost.  You are required to pay a lot more for your dedicated server web hosting as compared to your shared web hosting.  Nevertheless, the facilities more than compensate for the cost.

When you choose a dedicated server web hosting provider, you should keep in mind that it should provide you good network stability, reliable operation, and the ease of operation of sophisticated applications.  A dedicated server web hosting provider can be the perfect solution for anyone who is serious about his online presence.

For more information about a dedicated server and web hosting, visit http://www.dedicatedserveranswers.com and http://www.webhostinginfoguide.com

Once you have your graphics card, the first thing to do is uninstall your current graphics drivers. Although this may not be an essential step, it will help keep things tidy and avoid any conflicts, so it is worth doing. To uninstall the drivers, click Start � Settings � Control Panel � System � Hardware tab � Device Manager. Expand the �Display Adapter� tree and you should see a graphics card listed. Right click on the card name and select properties. Finally, go to the Driver tab and select Uninstall.

Next, shut down your machine and switch it off at the wall. Remove the case and locate your current graphics card, if you have one. The graphics card is typically found in the uppermost brown slot (AGP or even PCI-E) located above a series of white slots (PCI slots). Older machines may have a PCI graphics card, hence will be located in one of the PCI slots, though these are becoming more uncommon. To remove your current card, remove the screw holding the silver backing plate in place. An anti static wristband is useful here, though simply touching a metal part of the case will be sufficient to avoid static build up. You should now be able to carefully slide the card out of its slot, taking care not to touch any of the other components.

Next, take your new card out of it�s anti static bag and place it in the same slot. You may need to apply a little force to get it to sit in properly, though if the motherboard begins to bow excessively, ensure you have the connector lined up with the slot correctly. You may also need to pull a plastic catch up to hold the card in place. Next, replace the screw to the backing plate and check that the card is seated firmly. Some newer cards require their own power source, and if this is the case you will need to insert a power cable into the appropriate slot. This will be outlined in your new cards manual, and it is always advisable to quickly flick through and look for any additional steps.

Replace the sides of your case and boot your machine up. Windows should detect your new card, though it may be a good idea not to install a driver when prompted. Instead, click cancel and your machine should finish booting to the desktop albeit at a default resolution. Insert the CD that came with your card and set the drivers up from here, as there may be additional features and utilities that came with your card. Once this has completed, you will be prompted to restart your machine. After you have done this, you should be able to change the resolution and colour depth of your desktop by right clicking on desktop, selecting properties, going to the Settings tab and using the slider to select the most appropriate resolution.

It may also be worth going to the graphics card manufacturers website and searching for any driver updates. Newer drivers will get the best performance out of your card, fix bugs in prior releases and may even add new features.

If you set up your machine yourself, you may already have User Accounts
for each family member. However, adding a new account or modifying the
permissions of an existing one is relatively straight forward.

To create a new user, go to Start � Settings � Control Panel � User
Accounts, then select Create a new account. Fill in name and password
as required, then click next. Here, you need to select the type of
account you wish the user to have. The safest option is Restricted
User, whereby the user can save documents and use the machine normally,
but cannot make changes to system files, install any applications or
view other users documents.

Alternatively, if the user you are creating the account for is trusted
and knows their way around a PC, the Standard or Power User option may
be more appropriate. Users in this group have permission to install and
uninstall applications, add new hardware, run legacy applications and
so forth. The only real restriction with this group is the inability to
read other users documents. The Administrator group is completely
unrestricted, so it is wise to only give these permissions to users who
require access to every document on the machine.

To modify an existing account, go to Start � Settings � Control Panel �
User Accounts, then select Change an account. Choose which account you
wish to modify and then the option you wish to change. Most of the
options are fairly self explanatory, and from here you can change the
name, password, image and permissions associated with the user. You can
also remove an account entirely if you so wish.

The bonus of having individual user accounts is not just limited to
extra security. Each user has their own desktop, Start menu, visual
appearance and documents folder, meaning that if one user of the
machine chooses to alter the Windows theme, only they will see it.
Depending on the tastes of fellow users of the machine, this could be a
blessing!

You can also automatically log in to Windows, though this is only
advisable if your PC is secure and you do not mind sharing a user
account. To do this, to Start � Settings - Control Panel � User
Accounts. Select Change the way users log on or off, check the �Use the
Welcome screen for fast and easy logon� box and click ok. You can only
have one user account on the machine for this option to work, so you
must remove additional user accounts. Ensure that the account you will
be using has Administrator permissions, otherwise you may run in to
problems at a later stage should you want to modify applications or
system settings. Finally, ensure that the Administrator account has no
password by selecting the remaining user account, clicking remove my
password, typing in your current password and finally clicking remove
my password. You should now log on automatically each time your PC
boots up.

Thankfully, power supply units are fairly reliable, and the majority
outlive the working life of the PC. However, with newer components
requiring more power than ever, typical supply ratings have increased
significantly in line with the demand. Unfortunately, this means more
heat, and whilst good quality supplies will still comfortably see your
PC through its lifespan, cheap supplies have become synonymous with
early failure.

When looking for a new or replacement power supply, there are a few
things to bear in mind. The first and foremost is the form factor, and
the most commonly used are ATX and the newer ATX-2. Older machines
still use the AT form factor, though these are becoming less common. To
confirm what you currently have, simply take the case off of your
machine and look for a sticker on the power supply, which should tell
you everything from form factor to rating in watts.

The next thing to consider is the rating, which is quoted in watts. It
is never advisable to go for a lower rating supply than you currently
have, as it simply may not be able to deliver enough power to all
components. In many cases, going above your current rating will be
beneficial, as it will be able to handle additional hardware, as well
as run at less than full capacity, hence lowering heat generation and
extending its lifetime. Typical supplies are around the 350-400 Watt
region, though it is not uncommon to come across supplies or 500 Watts
or more. If you have a new machine with an up to date graphics card and
multiple hard and optical drives, then you may be advised to go for a
higher rated supply of around 500 Watts, though older machines should
cope perfectly adequately with a 350 Watt supply.

You will also need to check that the supply you are looking at has the
appropriate connectors. Newer supplies may be quoted as being ATX12V
compliant, which means they are suitable for power hungry Intel Pentium
4 and AMD Athlon systems. These are compatible with older systems, as
this merely indicates that the supply has the additional 4-pin 12V
connector required on the aforementioned systems.

It is always worth noting what connectors are available. Most supplies
have adequate connectors for a hard drive, optical drive, floppy disk
and so forth, though if you have multiple drives as well as a new
graphics card, it may be worth looking for something with a little
higher rating. You can piggyback power connectors, but you shouldn�t do
this too much to avoid overloading the power supply.

Finally, always aim for as higher quality power supply as you can
afford. Cheap supplies are generally best avoided, and whilst you
needn�t spend an excessive amount, getting one from a reputable brand
will pay dividends in the long run. You may also wish to look at silent
power supplies, particularly if your machine is located in a quiet
environment, though again this will all add to the cost.

The first thing to do is to think about what you will use your sound
card for. Are you a frequent gamer, watch movies or play music via your
PC? Do you have a home cinema set up? If this is the case, then you
should be considering a mid-high range card that will take advantage of
your speaker system and live up to your expectations. However, if you
do little more than listen to Windows sounds and play the odd CD
through your PC, a budget sound card would be more suited to your
requirements.

The majority of cards these days come with at least 5.1-channel
surround sound, though 7.1-channel is becoming more popular. If you
have a home cinema set up then it is crucial you get a sound card with
enough channels to make full use of your speaker system. If you�re just
using headphones or standard stereo speakers then the number of
channels isn�t an issue.

Connectivity is another concern, particularly if you are in to
recording. For the average user, the standard line-in, MIDI, and
microphone connections alongside the speaker outputs found on all
budget cards are more than enough. However, most high end cards come
with optical, firewire and digital connections, which may be essential
if you�re looking to record from instruments or edit sound and video.
Some cards even come with a breakout box or drive bay with additional
input and output ports, though these are more suited to serious sound
enthusiasts, which is reflected by their higher price.

Duplexing is another point to look out for if you intend to use your PC
for voice communication. Most cards come with full duplexing, meaning
that they can record and play back sound simultaneously. A few cards
still only offer half duplexing though, so again it is something worth
checking before making a purchase.

Sampling rates are another talking point and are usually mentioned on
the specification of a sound card. Almost all cards now handle 16-bit
sound with a 48kHz sampling rate, which is fine for music playback and
gaming. If you are looking for the full home cinema experience, though
may do better looking at a card with 24-bit support and a 96kHz
sampling rate. Top of the line cards now offer 192kHz sampling rates,
though these will set you back a considerable sum and are overkill for
all but serious music producers and audiophiles.

A final thing to note is the signal to noise ratio. Top of the line
models may have ratios as high as 110dB and above, though you will more
commonly come across figures of around the 85dB mark.

If you�re looking at a low end card and don�t require all the bells and
whistles, you can get a reasonable model for around the $50 mark with
more than enough features. If your budget extends to $150-200 you will
have a much greater choice, and the majority of cards in this price
bracket offer far superior sound quality as well as a feature list as
long as your arm. Serious audiophiles will be looking at anything up to
$500 for a top of the line card with breakout box, though as stated
previously, these models really are overkill for the majority of home
users.

LCD monitors aren�t without their drawbacks, though, and there are a few things you should bear in mind when looking to purchase one. The first thing you want to consider is the size of monitor you are looking for. A 15??? LCD will be on par with a 17??? CRT in many respects, so you may not need as large a monitor as you think.

The next thing to consider is the response time. Response time indicates the time taken for a pixel to change from black, to white and back to black again, and is essentially a measure of the time taken for an image to change. Early monitors had high response times, leading to �ghosting� or �smearing� of images, as the display couldn�t update the display fast enough. This was a problem, particularly for gamers, and was another reason LCD monitors weren�t adopted earlier. Typical response times vary from around 8-16ms, though monitors with 2ms response times are appearing, albeit at a significantly higher price.

Another problem with LCD�s is that image quality can degrade on resolutions other than the monitor�s native resolution. This problem is less noticeable on newer models, though is still apparent if you look carefully, so it may be wise to select a monitor with an appropriate native resolution for best results.

A fundamental problem with LCD monitors mean that a pixel cannot emit zero light. Instead, a small amount of light is leaked, turning blacks to greys and so forth. The contrast ratio refers to the luminosity of the brightest to the darkest colour that the monitor can produce, and the higher the value, the better. A good monitor may have a contrast ratio of around 800:1, though this value varies greatly between manufacturers and models.

The dot pitch refers to the diagonal distance between like phosphor dots within the display, and is measured in millimetres. In general, the lower the dot pitch, the crisper the image and the better the image. Typical values range from 0.15-0.30mm, though again you can expect to pay more for a crisper image.

Other factors to consider include input, as most graphics cards now offer a digital output offering superior image quality. The viewing angle may also be important depending on how you intend to use your monitor. If you wish to watch films, you may appreciate a wider viewing angle to allow you to watch the screen from a distance. You should also prepare yourself for a few dead pixels, which are those that remain the same colour regardless of what they should be. Manufacturers have tolerances for these, so whilst you shouldn�t have many, one or two are not uncommon.

A final note is, as with anything, you get what you pay for. Whilst budget end monitors are adequate for day-to-day use, there is a huge difference in quality between low and high-end monitors. Shop around before purchasing and look for the best specification you can afford.