Scan disk also known as Check disk for newer version of Windows. This tool is used to check if the hard drive has critical errors that might affect the performance of the programs installed in the computer. The errors in the hard drive can result into system crash such as blue screen, slow performance, user account corruption and corruption of files including personal files.

Scan Disk will check the hard disk for physical damages. It will also check damages on the software that is installed in it. The main purpose of scan disk is to look for bad sectors and restore them to working condition. This is due to improper termination of a running program.

Scan Disk will provide a report that contains the errors it has found and the amount of disk space it has scanned. It’s important to use scan disk to prevent your file from corruption. Aside from this, there is a good chance that your computer will perform at optimum performance level after it has been ran.

This is how you run scan disk or check disk:

1. Double click your My Computer icon. Right-click on the C: drive. Select Properties then choose the Tools tab .

2. Under Error Checking , click the Check Now button. A dialog box will pop up, check both check boxes and click Start .

NOTE: Some people say that when they try to run scan disk or check disk it keeps on resetting itself. It doesn’t happen all the time but if it happens to you there’s a way around this.

Restart your computer, just as your computer starts to boot up (before the Windows “splash screen” appears), keep hitting F8 on your keyboard. A menu should come up. Choose the SAFE MODE option then run Scan Disk following the normal procedure and it should work just fine. When done, re-set your computer and be sure to switch back to normal mode.

How Can Techie Now Help?

If you find the instructions above too difficult to follow or you don’t have time to do it, Techie Now is glad to help. Contact Techie Now and enjoy your computer experience.

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This feature of Windows is only applicable for a computer running in a network. If you have more than one computer at home that are linked to each other and they share files between them, then this feature is a must for easy accessing of files from the computers in the network. Adding a map drive is just like adding a shortcut of a shared folder from other computers. You can just put the map drive icon on the desktop and then double click it to gain access of the data in that folder that is saved in other computers for easy access.

Mapping a Network Drive

1. Right click on an empty space on your desktop click on New and then Shortcut.

2. On the Create Shortcut window click on the Browse button and click the arrow by Network to expand it and show the list of all the computers in the network. Click on the target computer to expand it and then choose the shared folder that you want to map and click OK. Click Next.

3. Type the name of the shortcut in the box and then click Finish.

The map drive icon will look like this

How Can Techie Now Help?

If you find the instructions above too difficult to follow or you don’t have time to do it, Techie Now is glad to help. Contact Techie Now and enjoy your computer experience.

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If you want to create another account or a few more accounts for the other family members on your computer system, this article will help you with it.

Often times as the owner of the PC you want your account to be secured. You don’t want other people to get their hands on your personal files and stuff. Instead of turning on the Guest account for other people to use, you might want to create a personal account for one’s person to give him/her more control on the account such as set their own wallpaper, screen saver and settings.

Creating a User Account

1. Click Start, click Control Panel and then click User Accounts.

2. Click on Create a New Account.

3. Type the name that you want for the account you’re creating in the box and click Next.

4. Pick an account type by selecting between Computer Administrator or Limited. If you choose Computer Administrator it means the account has full control on the computer, it can even delete other accounts as well. You want this type of account if you want to have a back-up account of your original that has full control or the user you intend to create the account for has the same rights on the PC as you do. Limited account is your choice for other people you want to create the account for but not to have full control on the PC such as changing settings on the hard disk, scanning the drive, installing programs and removing them. So once you have chosen the type of account click on the Create Account button. Changes will take effect after you restart the PC.

How Can Techie Now Help?

If you find the instructions above too difficult to follow or you don’t have time to do it, Techie Now is glad to help. Contact Techie Now and enjoy your computer experience.

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Defragmentation is a process that reduces the amount of fragmentation in the hard disk. It organizes the files of the disk to arrange fragments of each file close together. It will most certainly create larger areas of free space using compression to impede the re-fragmentation. In many cases, the result of this is faster processing of programs and files which is good and can save a lot of time when users working on their PC’s. Although this is a tedious process it will surely help the PC restore it’s original performance.

Defragging a Hard Disk

1. Open My Computer and right click on drive C: to select properties.

2. On the Properties window click on the Tools tab and click the Defragment Now button.

3. On the defragmenter window just click on the Defragment button and it will start the process.

Note: Avoid doing anything else on the PC while the defragment is ongoing so that it will finish faster and it can defrag all files that it needs to.

How Can Techie Now Help?

If you find the instructions above too difficult to follow or you don’t have time to do it, Techie Now is glad to help. Contact Techie Now and enjoy your computer experience.

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Most people know how to install a program, whether it is from a disc or downloaded from the internet. However some users don’t know how to get rid of them when they don’t want it anymore or they need to free up some space from the hard disk, just accidentally installed a program or they need it for troubleshooting purposes to fix a bug or a disk error caused by faulty programs. Some other users will delete the shortcut icon of the program on the desktop and delete the folder in program files thinking those will completely remove the program from the PC, but it won’t.

This article will show you a simple way of removing or uninstalling a program that you have installed in your PC system.

Steps on removing a program

1.  Click Start, click Control Panel and click on Add or Remove Programs.

2. You will see a list of all the programs that are installed in your PC. Just look for that program you want to remove and click on it to highlight it. Once it’s highlighted click the Change/Remove button on the far right side and just follow the instructions of the un-installation wizard to complete the removal process.

How Can Techie Now Help?

If you find the instructions above too difficult to follow or you don’t have time to do it, Techie Now is glad to help. Contact Techie Now and enjoy your computer experience.

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System Restore is a Windows feature that is very useful for users to troubleshoot software issues in their PC’s. System restore check and backup the entire system settings every time you install a driver or a software that will make changes on the system configuration. The backups are called restore point and they are normally named by the dates they are created on so you can easily select what restore point you want to go back to. The idea is, if you encounter a problem after installing a program or a driver you can use this tool to go back to a state prior to the problem’s occurrence . It’s also important to know that it will not delete or remove personal files and folders, only those programs and drivers you install in the hard disk between the restoration point you want to go back to and the present time.

To Run System Restore:

1. Click start, run and type msconfig and click OK.

2. On the System Utility Window click on the button on the bottom that say’s Launch System Restore.

3. Leave defaults and click Next. Select a date to restore from, (Warning all software installed after date will be completely removed) and click on Next. You will be asked to confirm date, then click on Next. Your computer will now reboot and start the process of restoration. After the restart it will say that the restoration is successful, your problem should now be solved, if not try another date prior to this.

Note: You can undo system restore by simply launching it again and selecting Undo Restore.

How Can Techie Now Help?

If you find the instructions above too difficult to follow or you don’t have time to do it, Techie Now is glad to help. Contact Techie Now and enjoy your computer experience.

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System Restore is a Windows feature that is very useful for users to troubleshoot software issues in their PC’s. System restore check and backup the entire system settings every time you install a driver or a software that will make changes on the system configuration. The backups are called restore point and they are normally named by the dates they are created on so you can easily select what restore point you want to go back to. The idea is, if you encounter a problem after installing a program or a driver you can use this tool to go back to a state prior to the problem’s occurrence . It’s also important to know that it will not delete or remove personal files and folders, only those programs and drivers you install in the hard disk between the restoration point you want to go back to and the present time.

To Run System Restore:

1. Click start and type System Restore in the search box and press enter. You will see a screen where you can choose to roll back the system to the last restore point. You can select “Recommended restore”, and just click next, or you can choose a different restore point.

2.  If you choose a different restore point you will see a list of restore points, choose one of them by clicking on it. Then you need to confirm it, after that the PC will restart to perform the task. Once it is finish a message at the start up will show up that say’s the system restoration is successful.

Note: You can undo system restore by simply launching it again and selecting Undo Restore.

How Can Techie Now Help?

If you find the instructions above too difficult to follow or you don’t have time to do it, Techie Now is glad to help. Contact Techie Now and enjoy your computer experience.

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According the InfoWorld survey taken over the past several weeks, XP users are still resistant to upgrade to Windows 7 even though a lot of Windows Vista users are now flocking to Windows 7. Why? It is because XP users are comfortable and afraid of change thanks to the blunder with Windows Vista. Windows Pulse tracking service find out that 64 percent of its readers is still using the legacy operating system.

The survey shows that 4 percent of real –world PC consumers are now using Windows 7. Many of them are new users, not including those who have upgraded from Vista or XP if any. InfoWorld claims that 10 percent are now using the new OS, while Vista runs at 30 percent. It is monitored through the exo.performance.network. Devil Mountain Software manages the network tracking the users who have chosen to opt in. InfoWorld observed that Windows Vista is losing its market share as the Windows 7’s popularity increases.

NPD Group also had a recent survey confirming Windows 7 popularity over its oft-criticized predecessor. The survey found out that the initial boxed upgrades of Windows 7 are 234 percent higher over Windows Vista. Moreover, Microsoft offered significant pre-sale discounts for Windows 7. There is also restricted demand for upgrades because many businesses avoid Windows Vista for so many reasons. Windows Vista created a lot of problem of users. It is bloated and has a very high requirement of hardware. Of course, it is not a good deal for the business owners to invest more money on the hardware if they are not that sure with its performance too. It also causes a lot of application incompatibility.

Windows 7 had a long beta cycle and had received generally good reviews. There is no direct upgrade path from Windows XP to Windows 7. For XP users to upgrade to Windows 7, they must perform a clean install. In addition, some machines are still weak for Windows 7.

How Can Techie Now Help?

Windows Vista users have decided to upgrade to Windows 7 because of its popularity but XP users still defiant in doing the same thing. If you need help in deciding whether you’ll move to Windows 7 or stay to Windows XP, Techie Now is willing to assist you anytime. Contact Techie Now for PC support services: virus and spyware removal, performance optimization, installation and configuration, and general repair. Techie Now offers provides your PC needs at your convenience.

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It is known that Windows 7 will be generally available on October 22, 2009. A general perception among users is that upgrading from Vista is a good decision. You get several benefits such as performance enhancements, better battery usage, improved looks and feels plus several other new features. However, when leaving the old good Windows XP users should think twice as other factors come into place.

Techie Now is be ready and happy to guide you through your decision whether or not to migrate to Windows 7… while making sure that you’re happy with it.

Techie Now will be happy to guide you through your decision and well as the actual migration… but most of all we’d like to make sure you are happy with your decision in the first place.

What’s in Windows 7 for me?

This is the key question. You need to make sure you really need – or want – the new features provided by Windows 7. If you still are using Windows XP then the chances are that you’re used to it and know everything you need know to accomplish your daily tasks. Migrating to Windows 7 entails learning new ways of working on your computer. Is it worth investing your time ? Is this the right time for you? Here are some factors to help you decide:

1. If you use the computer to access the internet, your work is mostly done on line and you plan to carry on that way, then you may not naturally benefit from Windows 7. At the end of the day, you normally just open your internet browser and dismiss any other gadgets around you;
2. If you do work with files, access local networks, use locally installed applications, etc. then you’d benefit from Windows 7′s enhanced productivity features such as jump lists, improved tasks bar, home groups etc. (see http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/features/whats-new.aspx) for a complete list).

We recommend that you carefully consider how you work in your computer today before deciding whether or not to migrate. Whenever possible visit a local shop and see a demo, talk to friends who already did the migration and check on some forums and blogs before investing your time and money.

Will my computer support Windows 7?

From a hardware perspective, there’s a huge difference in the minimum requirements from both operating systems (see table below).

Note: To check your current hardware in XP, right click on “My Computer” and choose properties.

It is likely that some hardware components would need tuning to get your computer above the minimum requirements for Windows 7. Think about it carefully, because you may be better off buying a new computer altogether rather than upgrading some of the parts only.

How will I migrate from Windows XP to Windows 7?

Migrating from Windows XP to Windows 7 entails a ‘custom install’. Note the small print of the migration chart: “If you are upgrading from Windows XP, you will need to back up all your files and settings, perform a custom (clean) install, and then re-install your existing files, settings and programs“.

Windows 7 Upgrade Chart

The migration will take a few hours to complete so you should plan for. The technical process is straight forward but if you have many applications to install it can be quite tedious. Final timings will depend on how many applications you need re-installing and, of course, you computer performance.

At a high level, we recommend you follow these steps

1. Back up for your files and settings
2. Do an inventory of all your current applications
3. Review each application in the inventory making sure that you’ve backed up its data
4. Launch and go through the Windows 7 installation
5. Install and customize the applications that you need from your inventory
6. Restore the backed up data
7. Confirm all your applications are working and that you can access all your data

How Techie Now can help ?

Techie Now can help you all the way through this decision. If you’re unsure about the migration just call us or start a free chat conversation on line. If you’re ready to migrate then select the Windows 7 Migration service in our portal and we’ll be happy to assist you.
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