No Windows operating system is immune to flaws. Flaws in an operating system's design can make it really annoying to use, and Microsoft's last offering – Windows Vista – had more than its fair share in the opinion of many PC users. Windows 7, however, is out to correct the problems that Windows Vista had by making itself a lot less intrusive and in your face. It goes about this in a few different ways, but one of the biggest is its overhaul of the System Tray.

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The CPU is a critical component to your computer system. Without it, you basically have a pile of (circuit) boards and screws and wires. CPU itself stands for Central Processing Unit. Many people wrongly refer to the entire computer case as the CPU, but that is...well, wrong. The Central Processing Unit is a small chip that sits socked into your motherboard inside your computer's case. You won't actually be able to see it directly, though, even if you open the case, because it will be sandwiched between the motherboard and a heat sink and fan. A CPU is not very big, but it is extremely important to the running of your computer system, because it basically acts as the computer's brain. Everything that your computer does, the CPU must process – the majority of the data must go through it to make your computer function properly. In many modern machines, the video cards, sound cards and other components may also process data and instructions, like the CPU does, but the majority of the work is in the CPU's hands.

The faster the CPU, the better your computer will run. Processor speeds are classified in megahertz (MHz) and gigahertz (GHz). 1 GHz is roughly 1,000 MHz. When shopping for a CPU, you should look at the GHz rating and go for the highest you can afford, because the faster your CPU is, the better off you will be. Also check out the Bus Speed. 200 MHz is the current basic standard, but you can find higher and lower Bus Speeds on CPUs for sale, so keep an eye out. Also look for the Internal Cache. The Internal Cache is the memory that the CPU uses to hold recent data for quick access. The more, the better. Intel CPUs tend to have low Internal Caches, so while they perform well with some applications, anything that is more CPU intensive may cause your system to slow way down. Also, smaller sized chips tend to run cooler, which let them run faster more safely, so keep an eye out for that, too.

Since the CPU is the brain of your computer system, it is important to take good care of it, and make sure you choose one that is strong and fast enough to hold up against all of the things you want to run with it.

Anyone that has spent any time around PC gamers and other people that enjoy tweaking their computer systems in order to get the best performance out of them will have heard of overclocking at some point, but not many people are actually sure of what, exactly, overclocking actually is. Overclocking is a way of speeding up your PC via hardware changes, and you can do it yourself, but before you begin to consider it, there are some things you should know about the process, what it is, what it can do, and the negative side effects that can also happen with it.

In short, overclocking is basically the practice of running your PC at speeds higher than it was technically rated for. The term usually refers to the CPU (central processing unit), but you can overclock other hardware components in your PC, as well. CPU manufacturers test their CPUs at various speeds to find out how fast is too fast – when the CPU fails at a certain, then they know they had it running too fast and automatically rate it at the next lowest speed and sell the CPU at that speed. The tests are very strict and stringent, so the CPU may actually be able to run at a higher speed and still function properly and reliably. Often, CPU manufacturers do not run the tests at all, particularly if they have been manufacturing a certain CPU for some time and know what speed they should rate the CPU for, and to fill supply and demand, they may even rate some faster CPUs at a lower speed for packaging and selling purposes, even when that CPU can run much faster than the packaging tells you it can.

You do not absolutely need to overclock your PC. It has some risks associated with it, and you can kill your hardware if you are not careful. If your PC is running fine the way it is, there is no need to try overclocking. If you are curious, obsessed with making your computer system perform better no matter what, or you think it seems a little slow, then you might decide that it is worth the risk. Many people that enjoy PC video games, for example, choose to overclock because it can improve their frame rates during the game.

It may also not be worth the risk if you rely on your PC for work and your PC is tasked with doing a lot of CPU intensive operations all the time. Overclocked PCs can definitely be stable, but there is the risk of damage and creating an unstable system. Proper cooling of your system is a must, and especially so if you decide to overclock it, as it may make the CPU run hotter than it did before. All in all, overclocking is a technique that many people like to employ to get better performance from their PCs. You can give it a try, too, if you are willing to accept the risks!

Malware is a big problem for most PC users. These little malicious programs can get into your computer system and cause all kinds of trouble. Malware is an umbrella term used to describe viruses, Trojans, worms, adware, spyware, browser hijackers and more. All of these little programs are nasty bits of software that get into your system and are designed specifically to cause you trouble. System freezes, crashes, and sluggish performance all the way over to complete system failure are just some of the issues you can experience when your system is infected with malware. To avoid those programs and the trouble they cause, you need good software designed to detect them and clean them up.

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When you think of the words “PC repair course,” do you automatically think of a bunch of IT professionals in a room, learning difficult and mysterious techniques to fix computers? The truth of the matter is that PC repair courses are not just for people that have chosen to go into IT as a professional career.

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Whenever a new Windows operating system is released (or about to be released), PC users end up with a flurry of excited questions – what are the new features? Is there anything exciting? What does it look like? Will it actually work? And most importantly...should I buy it? While it is true that some Windows operating systems are not quite as functional as others, whether one operating system has features that will benefit you more than the last one is something of a personal preference. That means that these features might be worth the extra money to one guy, but not to you, or vice versa – something you find amazingly useful in your daily computer use might be completely useless to your neighbor. That is just the nature of personal computing in this day and age – we all use our computers for different things and no two people need the exact same things all the time.

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Switching to a new operating system is a pretty major step to take as a PC owner. Microsoft is not really known for releasing flawless operating systems – in fact, it's actually quite the opposite – so before you go ahead and buy Windows 7, you need to have as much information about it under your belt as possible. This will let you determine whether or not Windows 7 will actually benefit you. After all, there is no reason to upgrade from your current operating system (as long as you are happy with it, of course) if the new features are not going to do you any good or be of any use.

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The ability to efficiently and effectively locate and access your files and folders makes a huge difference in how well you are able to use your computer to get stuff done. Windows 7 offers you two new ways of organizing and managing your files that users may find even more useful and efficient than before. One of the features is called Library and the other is called HomeGroups. Let's take a look at what they are and how they are supposed to work!

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Windows 7 is the latest operating system offering from Microsoft. The previous OS, Vista, in all its various incarnations, was not without its issues, so if you are looking to upgrade to find something that is a better fit for you, then Windows 7 may be it. However, as with Vista, there are some things you need to know before you go trying to put a Windows 7 installation on your PC, whether it is your laptop or your desktop. The actual installation of Windows 7 will be fairly straightforward and easy for most users, but before you get started, there are a few choices to be made and things you need to be aware of!

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Everyone wants a computer system that can do everything they want it to do, and not take forever to get things done in the process. While it is true that computers have a limit to how fast they can possibly perform, depending on your hardware types and how you have things set up, there are ways to nudge your computer system into performing better for you, resulting in faster computing, faster application load times, and the ability to do more things at once than you otherwise would be able to comfortably do. If you are interested in performing some Windows enhancements to make your computer system run better, then you are in luck. There are many easy ways to go about getting it done, and that's just what we're going to talk about here!

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