Tip of the Day #1: Escaping the Slowness

There are many people who want to know more about computers but don't know where to start. I am going to start posting a tip of the day so I can help with that. If you have any questions about these tips then please leave a comment or send an e-mail.

Today's tip deals with the slowness of a computer when it comes to opening many programs. Sometimes when you open many programs like Internet Explorer with Outlook, then it will slow your computer down if you don't have enough RAM (Random Access Memory) for the OS (operaing system; Windows XP, Vista, Mac, etc...). So when your computer is freezing what do you do? By default and by nature, you just want to push the power button down until it turns off.

Well, thats an option but there its a better one than that. What you do is hit Control + Alt + Delete at the same time. This will bring up the Task Manager dialog box. This is the box that shows everything that is going on with the computer at the moment. So if something is slowing the computer down, you can end it here.

These are the steps to undue a freeze or slowness:

1. Open the Task Manager dialog box but hitting the Ctrl + Alt + Delete
   
   
2. Click the "Process" tab
   
   
3. Click the "Memory" bar which is located next to the "User Name" tab
   
   
4. Click the scroll bar and go all the way to the bottom
   
   
5. At the bottom of the box check the "Memory" column to see if there is a number that is frozen. For instance it may say this (going from right to left):
   
   > explorer.exe John 03 12,976K Windows Explorer
   > dwn.exe John 02 14,096K Desktop Window Manager
   > chrome.exe John 01 42,144K Google Chrome
   
   
6. If you know that you have Google Chrome open then look at the Chrome section. If the Memory column isn't fluxuating, then click the "End Process" button at the bottom right hand of the screen.
   
   
7. Click the "End Process" button again as a confirmation that you want to do it

You should have to do this if you have many programs open at the same time and it is really slow. Now make sure you know that if you end a process like Word, Excel, Internet, then anything you may have typed already will be lost.

Additional Tip #1: I have learned that it is a great idea to save all the time. If I am typing a document, then I always save about every few sentences. It becomes a habit to hit two buttons: Ctrl + S.

Additional Tip #2: I have had my Internet windows close when I am typing something important like this blog or an e-mail and the Internet window will close losing everything I had typed already. So to help with this I usually select all (Ctrl + A) then I copy it all (Ctrl + C). This was if something does happen, then you are protected. Always copy your text before you submit it. I have had times where I have typed something really long and when I go to send it, the server will time-out or something goes wrong with the website and I lose everything.

That concludes Tip of the Day #1: Escaping the Slowness.

Any questions? Send me a comment or e-mail.