Recent Comments
Comment by FrancesMC on Here's Why You Should X-Ray Your Computer (February 20, 2025 07:28 AM)
@ Mike, if you use Firefox, try ReaderView. Look on the URL line just to the left of the bookmark star, it's a little rectangle with horizontal li...
Comment by Enra on Here's Why You Should X-Ray Your Computer (February 19, 2025 10:29 PM)
Do you have any use for dxdiag?...
Comment by Mike on Here's Why You Should X-Ray Your Computer (February 19, 2025 08:45 PM)
I'm sorry, but it getting more difficult to read your column due to the overwhelming amount of intrusive ad popups. ...
Comment by Dave on Here's Why You Should X-Ray Your Computer (February 19, 2025 07:37 PM)
I use Wise System Monitor to monitor CPU temperature, RAM percentage, plus KB's being used, if RAM goes up I close programs to make computer run bette...
Comment by Ken H on [TIP] Try These Windows Keyboard Shortcuts (February 15, 2025 07:34 PM)
I don't want to memorise a bunch of alternative ways to do something I already know how to do easily enough. I just tried Ctrl+rt. arrow and it crashe...
Comment by Mike H on [TIP] Try These Windows Keyboard Shortcuts (February 14, 2025 09:30 PM)
I often use CTRL + Shift + T to restore a browser tab I closed in error. ...
Comment by Ian on [TIP] Try These Windows Keyboard Shortcuts (February 14, 2025 08:04 PM)
Many, many thanks for this:- after using a Mac since the late 1990s, I have just bought a Microsoft Surface with Windows 11 so these are really useful...
Comment by David Serfass on [TIP] Try These Windows Keyboard Shortcuts (February 14, 2025 07:26 PM)
This isn't a keyboard shortcut, but it is useful and it has been available for quite a while.Click the mouse button and a small circle will appear wit...
Comment by Jeri on [TIP] Try These Windows Keyboard Shortcuts (February 14, 2025 07:25 PM)
One I use all the time: Paste without Formatting CTRL + SHIFT + V...
Comment by Michelle on How to Do Online Genealogy Research (your family tree) (February 14, 2025 01:54 AM)
The FTDNA Rankin Project is a great research tool using Y-DNA to assist in family research. It helped my family locate Rankin's relatives in County Ty...
Memory Articles
Adding Memory: A Silver Bullet for Your Computer?
Does your computer seem slow or sluggish? The problem may be too little RAM memory. But “add more RAM” is not the solution to every case of poor performance, and buying more RAM memory than you need or can use is just a waste of money. Read on to learn the ins and outs of adding RAM memory and how much memory is the “sweet spot” for Windows and Apple computers...
...Do Memory Optimizers Speed Up Your PC?
An AskBob reader says “My computer is getting bogged down lately, especially when I have more than one program open. And the other day I got a 'low memory' warning. I've been looking into memory optimizers for Windows, but there are widely varying views as to how effective they really are. What is your opinion?” Read on for my take on memory boosters and optimizers, and why a shortage of available RAM memory might be a GOOD thing...
...Will a Memory Optimizer Speed Up Your PC?
An AskBob reader says “My system seems to be getting bogged down lately, especially when I have more than one program open. And the other day I got a 'low virtual memory' warning. I've been looking into memory optimizers for Windows, but there are widely varying views as to how effective they really are. What is your opinion?” Read on for my take on memory boosters and optimizers, and why a shortage of available RAM memory might be a GOOD thing...
...[SILVER BULLET] Add Memory to Speed Up Your Computer?
Is your laptop or desktop computer slow or sluggish? The problem may be too little RAM memory. But “add more RAM” is not the solution to every case of poor performance, and buying more RAM than you need or can use is just a waste of money. Read on to learn the ins and outs of RAM memory and how much memory is the “sweet spot” for Windows and Apple computers...
...Low Memory, Sluggish Computer (and brain)?
Yesterday I forgot where I left my phone and car keys. Perhaps if my brain had more free memory available, I would have remembered that I set them down on a messy tool bench, while searching for 1-inch screws to fix the front porch door, and umm, what was that other thing I had to do? Like your brain, a computer works better when there's plenty of memory available to process information and multi-task. So let’s see how we can address a low-memory situation before it becomes a real problem…
...Will Adding Memory Speed Up Your Computer?
If your laptop or desktop computer is slow or sluggish, the problem may be too little RAM (Random Access Memory). But “add more RAM” is not the solution to every case of poor performance, and buying more RAM than you need or can use is just a waste of money. Read on to learn the ins and outs of RAM memory and how much RAM memory is the “sweet spot” is for most computers...
...Is Low Memory Bogging Down Your Computer?
Yesterday I forgot where I left my car keys. Perhaps if my brain had more free memory available, I would have remembered that I set them down on the tool bench in the basement. Like your brain, a computer works better when there's plenty of memory available to execute tasks and process information. So let’s see how we can address a low-memory situation before it becomes a real problem...
...Does Your Computer Need More Memory?
If your laptop or desktop computer seems sluggish, the problem may be too little RAM (Random Access Memory). But “add more RAM” is not the solution to every case of poor performance, and buying more RAM than you need or can use is just a waste of money. Read on to learn the ins and outs of RAM memory and how much RAM is the “sweet spot” is for most computers...
...Will More Memory Speed Up Your Computer?
If your desktop or laptop seems sluggish, the problem may be too little RAM (Random Access Memory). But “add more RAM” is not the solution to every case of poor performance, and buying more RAM than you need or can use is just a waste of money. Read on to learn the ins and outs of RAM and how much RAM is the “sweet spot” is for most computers...
...[SOLVED] The Out of Memory Error
A reader asks: 'My computer is giving Out of Memory and Low Memory errors and I can't continue without restarting. Do I need to delete some files, get a new hard drive or is it something else?' Here's the solution to this common problem...
...Do You Need More Memory?
If your desktop PC seems sluggish, the problem may be too little RAM (Random Access Memory). But “add more RAM” is not the solution to every case of poor performance, and buying more RAM than you need or can use is just a waste of money. Read on to learn the ins and outs of RAM and how much RAM is the “sweet spot” is for most computers...
...HOWTO: Upgrade Memory to Boost Performance
Ask any geek how to speed up your computer and you will probably get the question, 'How much RAM do you have?' Adding more RAM memory is supposedly the panacea for sluggish performance, slow screen refreshes, thrashing hard drives, and most other symptoms of a struggling, overloaded computer. Here's what you need to know...
...Upgrade Your Memory for Better Performance
I'm often asked about how to add or upgrade a computer's RAM memory. If your computer doesn't have adequate RAM, it may be really slow when you open more than one program. If you want to upgrade your memory but you're not sure what kind to buy or where to get it, here's some practical help...
...Solving the Out of Memory Error
A reader asks: 'My computer is giving an Out of Memory error and I can't continue. Do I need to delete some files, get a new hard drive or is it something else?' Here's the solution to this common problem...
...How to Upgrade Your Memory
Adding more memory to your computer is usually the most cost-effective way to get a significant performance boost. But choosing the right RAM for your computer, and finding the right amount at the lowest price, is often a mysterious challenge. A memory configurator can help you get it right. Here's how...
...How to Fix 'Low Virtual Memory' Errors
Recently I installed a game on a friend's computer and when we tried playing it, we got a message saying 'Your system is low on virtual memory.' Does that mean I need to buy more memory, or could it be a software error? Can you please help us fix this problem?
...Do I Need a Memory Optimizer?
My system seems to be getting bogged down lately, especially when I have more than one program open. And the other day I got a 'low virtual memory' warning. I've been looking into memory optimizers for Windows, but there are widely varying views as to how effective they really are. What is your opinion?
...What Kind Of Memory Do I Need?
My computer only has 1GB of RAM, and is really slow when I open more than one program. I want to upgrade my RAM to 4GB, but I'm not sure what kind to buy or where to get it. Can you help?
...How Much Memory Do I Need?
Whether you are buying a new computer or upgrading an existing one, memory or RAM is an important consideration. Buy too little memory and your entire system will be slowed down, overworked, and some programs may not run at all. Buy too much memory and you're wasting money. To determine how much memory you need, let's look at the hardware and software you have (or plan to buy) and how you intend to use it...
...Memory Upgrade
Adding more memory to your computer is usually the most cost-effective way to get a significant performance boost. But choosing the right RAM for your computer, and finding the right amount at the lowest price, is often a mysterious challenge. A memory configurator can help you get it right. Here's how...
...Virtual Memory
What's the difference between virtual memory and real memory? And how can I add more virtual memory to my computer?
...Vista ReadyBoost
What exactly does ReadyBoost do? Is it the same as adding RAM, or is it more like a disk cache? I've read varying reports as to whether or not it really boosts performance on Vista or Windows 7. What do you know about ReadyBoost?
...Adding Memory
If your computer seems to stagger under the burden of your commands, responding slowly, freezing or timing you out; if working at your system feels like bicycling uphill, consider adding extra memory. Adding memory to your computer isn't so hard -- here's a step-by-step guide to figuring out if you need more RAM, learning what kind to buy and installing it yourself...
...