For a well performing hardware

[bbalegere]

To ensure that your PC hardware continues to perform well, and for the timely detection of potential failures, you should periodically diagnose the hardware.

The Internet offers both free and inexpensive tools that can help you keep a tab on your computer hardware. For instance, if you're a graphic designer and use multiple monitors, you may want to set the same gamma value for all the display devices - easily and quickly. And, what about your broadband Internet connection? If it's slow, you may want to test the upload and download speeds against the rated speeds. Following are a few tips to optimise the settings:

Conduct Memory Test

Are you experiencing computer problems, such as a slow startup of Windows? A reason may be due to a failing RAM (Random Access Memory). You can check your RAM for errors using the Microsoft Windows Memory Diagnostic software. Download it free from oca.microsoft.com/en/mtinst.exe

To use this software, you've to first a create a startup disk or CD. The option to create either displays in the Windows Memory Diagnostic Setup dialog when you start the software. If you use a floppy, the message, "Floppy created successfully," is displayed, once the software is successfully installed. Next, restart the computer with the disk in its drive. The first pass of the memory test starts automatically using the standard test suite. After the first test pause is complete, a second test pass begins and continues to run test passes until you exit by pressing the X key. Note that Windows Memory Diagnostic can test only the first 4 GB of RAM.

With Belarc Advisor, its possible to know what’s inside the PC without opening it. This freeware builds a detailed profile of not only the installed hardware, but also the software in your computer, and that too in just seconds!

When you double-click the short-cut icon for this software, you see a status window with the message, "Updating your profile of this computer." The software then launches your browser and displays your computer profile in it.

The profile will have comprehensive information about your hardware including the details of the motherboard, processor, memory modules, controllers, and display. What' more, the software provides the status of SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) if your hard disk supports it. This freeware provides information in an easy-to-access manner under captions, such as Main Circuit Board, Multimedia, and Network Drives.

If you want to get a list of all the software installed on your PC, the version numbers, and the location of the software, there's perhaps no easier and quicker way than to use this software. An asterisk mark appears to the right of each software name; just click the asterisk to find out where that software is installed. To conduct an audit of your PC, download Belarc Advisor version 7.0t from www.belarc.com/Programs/advisor.exe.

Perfect the Display

If you're a Web designer or an avid game player, you may want more control over the display parameters. If you manage a LAN, you may want to set a precise display on all the monitors.

PowerStrip (www.entechtaiwan.com/files/pstrip.exe), a shareware, not only lets you do these tasks, but also lets you adjust more than 500 video card parameters!

After you install the software, a monitor icon displays in the system tray. Right-click the icon and select an item from the available options. Say you want to change the brightness and contrast. To do this, right-click the PowerStrip icon in the tray, and select Color profiles > Configure. In the "Color profiles" dialog, simply drag the Brightness and Contrast sliders to the right or the left to obtain the desired levels.

PC temperature

An increase in the temperature outside the limits for the CPU, components on the motherboard, and fans can damage these parts. So, let a software keep an eye on the temperature and alert you if it foresee a problem You may use the free software Motherboard Monitor 5.3.7 (mbm.livewiredev.com) to take your PC's temperature. After installation, this software displays a chip icon in the system tray. To view the parameters, right-click the icon and select Dashboard. The software displays graphics of dashboards that display the voltages, temperatures, and speeds of components as relevant.

Motherboard Monitor tests over 1000 different boards and has other excellent features. For instance, this freeware sets off an alarm when one or more components exceeds the temperature limits and can also send e-mail to another computer. Furthermore, you can configure this software to start and stop programs when your processor reaches a specified temperature.

SpeedFan 4.28 (www.almico.com/speedfan.php) - another freeware program - not only monitor voltages, fan speeds, and temperatures, but also has a tool for an extensive online hard disk analysis. SpeedFan accesses SMART, and alerts you if it finds any hard disk problems. Depending on your hardware, SpeedFan can even vary the fan speeds based on the temperatures inside your computer!

Want to find out the upload and download speeds of your broadband Internet connection? You can test the speeds for free at www.broadbandreports.com/stest . The results allows you to compare the actual line sped with the rated speed. This site uses java applets to conduct the test and, therefore, requires that you install the java.com plugin. You can download it from java.com/en/index.jsp. To get quick test results, select a server - from the four US-based servers or global servers listed on the site - closest to you.

[popoko]

Great info.I had been looking for this.I have problems regarding the performance issues about my pc all along..

[navjotjsingh]

Thanks for posting such a nice article!