class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sunlikely-icon.png?54167" alt="weather report" />Check the weather in your area, including the forecast, in a few clicks, then get back to what you’re doing. That’s the idea behind Sunlikely, a weather website so simple and so complete you’ll wonder why you ever used anything else.

The site’s own about page sums up everything: “Sunlikely is a weather application designed to give you instant access to the weather around you, without the clutter of other sites”. It’s that lack of clutter that makes Sunlikely stand out, at least to me.

We’ve profiled a variety of class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/weather/">weather services here at MakeUseOf. A year ago I myself called Wunderground class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/weather-underground-weather-site-web/">the best weather site on the web. Since discovering Sunlikely six months ago however, I haven’t used anything else.

Quick Access to Forecasts

To get started, visit class="vt-p" href="http://www.sunlikely.com/">Sunlikely. The main thing you’ll notice is simplicity. When you start, for example, you’ll only see this:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sunlikely-location.png?54167" alt="weather report" width="580" height="174" />

You can type in your city or ZIP code manually to get the forecast you’re looking for. Alternatively, you can click the auto-locate button. Either way you’ll quickly see your local weather conditions:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sunlikely-main.png?54167" alt="weather report application" width="580" height="238" />

Like I said: it’s simple. That’s the point. Your location will be remembered from now on, so you’ll only need to enter it once.

Below the current weather summary you’ll see the forecast for upcoming days. Click a given day and a drop-down will show you how the weather will evolve during that day:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sunlikely-forecast.png?54167" alt="weather report application" width="580" height="249" />

Some might be looking for more information than this, but I like the rough overview. It’s simple in a way that the Internet seldom is.

There’s one more feature – access to radar. This can be very useful if you want an idea of how conditions are evolving, or if you intend to travel.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sunlikely-radar.jpg?54167" alt="weather report" width="580" height="300" />

As you can see, the radar is a Google Map that pops up within the tab you have open. It loads quickly; you can also close it quickly to get back to the forecast.

Wondering where the information is coming from? It’s directly from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or class="vt-p" href="http://www.noaa.gov">NOAA.

The Web Needs More Simplicity

I’d tell you more features of this site but there really aren’t any. With Sunlikely you get the weather, and that’s it. Services like Wunderground are great, but they do tend to overwhelm their visitors with the sheer amount of information they offer. Most of the time a simple overview is all you need, and Sunlikely delivers.

That, I think, is why I’ve been faithfully using Sunlikely for months now. It tells me what I need to know in order to decide how I’ll get to work (bike or bus?) and nothing else.

Conclusion

It’s not a perfect service. It currently only works in the USA, which is of course a letdown for the vast majority of Internet users. But I think there’s something here that will resonate with people. Hopefully we see more focused sites like this pop up all over the world as people strive to simplify their online lives.

Do you have any other examples of sites like this? Share them in the comments below. Also feel free to share your thoughts on Sunlikely, because we love hearing from you. />
/> Hey Facebookers, make sure to join href="http://www.facebook.com/makeuseof" target="_blank">MakeUseOf on Facebook and get access to some exclusve stuff. Over 105,000 fans already!

/>

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/sunlikely-fast-simple-indepth-weather-report/">Sunlikely: Fast, Simple & In-Depth Weather Report [Currently US Only] is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

More articles about: href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/radar/" title="radar" rel="tag">radar, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/tracking-tools/" title="tracking tools" rel="tag">tracking tools, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/weather/" title="weather" rel="tag">weather />

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View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sunlikely-icon.png?54167" alt="weather report" />Check the weather in your area, including the forecast, in a few clicks, then get back to what you’re doing. That’s the idea behind Sunlikely, a weather website so simple and so complete you’ll wonder why you ever used anything else.

The site’s own about page sums up everything: “Sunlikely is a weather application designed to give you instant access to the weather around you, without the clutter of other sites”. It’s that lack of clutter that makes Sunlikely stand out, at least to me.

We’ve profiled a variety of class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/weather/">weather services here at MakeUseOf. A year ago I myself called Wunderground class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/weather-underground-weather-site-web/">the best weather site on the web. Since discovering Sunlikely six months ago however, I haven’t used anything else.

Quick Access to Forecasts

To get started, visit class="vt-p" href="http://www.sunlikely.com/">Sunlikely. The main thing you’ll notice is simplicity. When you start, for example, you’ll only see this:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sunlikely-location.png?54167" alt="weather report" width="580" height="174" />

You can type in your city or ZIP code manually to get the forecast you’re looking for. Alternatively, you can click the auto-locate button. Either way you’ll quickly see your local weather conditions:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sunlikely-main.png?54167" alt="weather report application" width="580" height="238" />

Like I said: it’s simple. That’s the point. Your location will be remembered from now on, so you’ll only need to enter it once.

Below the current weather summary you’ll see the forecast for upcoming days. Click a given day and a drop-down will show you how the weather will evolve during that day:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sunlikely-forecast.png?54167" alt="weather report application" width="580" height="249" />

Some might be looking for more information than this, but I like the rough overview. It’s simple in a way that the Internet seldom is.

There’s one more feature – access to radar. This can be very useful if you want an idea of how conditions are evolving, or if you intend to travel.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sunlikely-radar.jpg?54167" alt="weather report" width="580" height="300" />

As you can see, the radar is a Google Map that pops up within the tab you have open. It loads quickly; you can also close it quickly to get back to the forecast.

Wondering where the information is coming from? It’s directly from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or class="vt-p" href="http://www.noaa.gov">NOAA.

The Web Needs More Simplicity

I’d tell you more features of this site but there really aren’t any. With Sunlikely you get the weather, and that’s it. Services like Wunderground are great, but they do tend to overwhelm their visitors with the sheer amount of information they offer. Most of the time a simple overview is all you need, and Sunlikely delivers.

That, I think, is why I’ve been faithfully using Sunlikely for months now. It tells me what I need to know in order to decide how I’ll get to work (bike or bus?) and nothing else.

Conclusion

It’s not a perfect service. It currently only works in the USA, which is of course a letdown for the vast majority of Internet users. But I think there’s something here that will resonate with people. Hopefully we see more focused sites like this pop up all over the world as people strive to simplify their online lives.

Do you have any other examples of sites like this? Share them in the comments below. Also feel free to share your thoughts on Sunlikely, because we love hearing from you. />
/> Hey Facebookers, make sure to join href="http://www.facebook.com/makeuseof" target="_blank">MakeUseOf on Facebook and get access to some exclusve stuff. Over 105,000 fans already!

/>

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/sunlikely-fast-simple-indepth-weather-report/">Sunlikely: Fast, Simple & In-Depth Weather Report [Currently US Only] is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

More articles about: href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/radar/" title="radar" rel="tag">radar, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/tracking-tools/" title="tracking tools" rel="tag">tracking tools, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/weather/" title="weather" rel="tag">weather />

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View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sunlikely-icon.png?54167" alt="weather report" />Check the weather in your area, including the forecast, in a few clicks, then get back to what you’re doing. That’s the idea behind Sunlikely, a weather website so simple and so complete you’ll wonder why you ever used anything else.

The site’s own about page sums up everything: “Sunlikely is a weather application designed to give you instant access to the weather around you, without the clutter of other sites”. It’s that lack of clutter that makes Sunlikely stand out, at least to me.

We’ve profiled a variety of class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/weather/">weather services here at MakeUseOf. A year ago I myself called Wunderground class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/weather-underground-weather-site-web/">the best weather site on the web. Since discovering Sunlikely six months ago however, I haven’t used anything else.

Quick Access to Forecasts

To get started, visit class="vt-p" href="http://www.sunlikely.com/">Sunlikely. The main thing you’ll notice is simplicity. When you start, for example, you’ll only see this:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sunlikely-location.png?54167" alt="weather report" width="580" height="174" />

You can type in your city or ZIP code manually to get the forecast you’re looking for. Alternatively, you can click the auto-locate button. Either way you’ll quickly see your local weather conditions:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sunlikely-main.png?54167" alt="weather report application" width="580" height="238" />

Like I said: it’s simple. That’s the point. Your location will be remembered from now on, so you’ll only need to enter it once.

Below the current weather summary you’ll see the forecast for upcoming days. Click a given day and a drop-down will show you how the weather will evolve during that day:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sunlikely-forecast.png?54167" alt="weather report application" width="580" height="249" />

Some might be looking for more information than this, but I like the rough overview. It’s simple in a way that the Internet seldom is.

There’s one more feature – access to radar. This can be very useful if you want an idea of how conditions are evolving, or if you intend to travel.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sunlikely-radar.jpg?54167" alt="weather report" width="580" height="300" />

As you can see, the radar is a Google Map that pops up within the tab you have open. It loads quickly; you can also close it quickly to get back to the forecast.

Wondering where the information is coming from? It’s directly from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or class="vt-p" href="http://www.noaa.gov">NOAA.

The Web Needs More Simplicity

I’d tell you more features of this site but there really aren’t any. With Sunlikely you get the weather, and that’s it. Services like Wunderground are great, but they do tend to overwhelm their visitors with the sheer amount of information they offer. Most of the time a simple overview is all you need, and Sunlikely delivers.

That, I think, is why I’ve been faithfully using Sunlikely for months now. It tells me what I need to know in order to decide how I’ll get to work (bike or bus?) and nothing else.

Conclusion

It’s not a perfect service. It currently only works in the USA, which is of course a letdown for the vast majority of Internet users. But I think there’s something here that will resonate with people. Hopefully we see more focused sites like this pop up all over the world as people strive to simplify their online lives.

Do you have any other examples of sites like this? Share them in the comments below. Also feel free to share your thoughts on Sunlikely, because we love hearing from you.

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/sunlikely-fast-simple-indepth-weather-report/">Sunlikely: Fast, Simple & In-Depth Weather Report [Currently US Only] is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

More articles about: href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/radar/" title="radar" rel="tag">radar, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/tracking-tools/" title="tracking tools" rel="tag">tracking tools, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/weather/" title="weather" rel="tag">weather />

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View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-left" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 5px; float: right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/intro4.png" alt="" width="300" height="83" />Note-taking applications, such as class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-alternatives-synchronize-multiplatform-quick-notes/">Evernote, Simplenote, etc. abound, each with pros and cons, but most work tailored to a specific need. Want to add stickies to your documents? There’s class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/attach-notes-document-gumnotes/">GumNotes. Want to access your notes anywhere but don’t want them on your hard/flash drives? class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-cool-ways-sticky-notes-online/">Here class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/wrttn-fast-note-taking/">are class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/shrib-quickly-notes-save-online-securely/">some class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/walnote-keeping-notes-online/">web-based class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/jotstore-notes-online-share-easily-securely/">sticky class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/lessmemories-simple-note-taking/">notes applications (my personal favorite is class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/super-simple-sticky-notes-from-jjot/">Jjot) or you can even try class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/make-your-own-sticky-notes-with-notepad-windows/">making your own with Notepad.

class="vt-p" href="http://pnotes.sourceforge.net/">PNotes, short for either Pinned Notes or Portable Notes, is a feature-packed sticky notes program, but not just any. It’s a worthy addition to your collection of portable applications as it includes ways to protect your notes, reminder alerts, support for drag and drop of pictures, it’s been translated to class="vt-p" href="http://pnotes.sourceforge.net/index.php?page=3">many languages, etc. Here are some of the more interesting features of PNotes.

id="more-61230">

Password-Protect & Encrypt Your Notes

Once you grab the latest version of PNotes, 7.0.107, class="vt-p" href="http://pnotes.sourceforge.net/index.php?page=5">here, you’ll see a lot of options on system tray icon right-click.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/110.png" alt="" width="214" height="570" />

This is perhaps one of the big features that held my attention at first: You can set a password to protect your notes in the Control Panel for PNotes.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/1a.png" alt="" width="499" height="316" />

Once you set it, you’ll be give the option to store your notes as encrypted files, and even hide the program icon from the system tray when it’s locked. Thus, this is probably THE notes program you should have on your flash drive so if your jump drive gets stolen, your precious tidbits of information will be locked away.

Create Notes With Rich-Text Formatting & Add Pictures

You have most options you’d want in rich-text formatting, including ability to insert bullets, change fonts, and even highlight text. What’s also neat is that you can create a new note from the text contents of your clipboard while retaining clickable links.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2.0.png" alt="" width="580" height="558" />

The feature reminded me of class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-sync-notes-with-cintanotes-and-dropbox/">CintaNotes and class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/quotepad-quick-notes-set-reminders-windows/">QuotePad, applications which allow you to customize a hotkey to create a new note instantly from highlighted text, but of course, PNotes can do it also with just two or three more clicks, and it looks like it bundles a lot more features, like hierarchy of notes, grouping and ability to include images.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2.2.png" alt="" width="372" height="348" />

While it says in the class="vt-p" href="http://pnotes.sourceforge.net/help/index.html">Help section for the program that you can insert images by copying and pasting them, I couldn’t quite get the copy-paste of images to work (only text was copied).

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2.11.png" alt="" width="483" height="316" />

Luckily, drag- and dropping pictures worked really well. You can also right-click on each note, then selecting Insert > Insert picture to paste an image from your hard drive. PNotes also has an extensive collection of smilies, which could be useful for the Diary notes. You can set transparency, font, color and size (unless you use a custom skin) defaults for all or individual notes.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2.3.png" alt="" width="580" height="445" />

Honestly, there are so many customization options that you can spend more time exploring those than actually creating notes. I’d just start writing notes and then customizing things as I go because the defaults might work just fine.

Set Reminders For Any Items

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/34.png" alt="" width="375" height="491" />

You can set reminders or due dates for notes at very specific schedules. You can choose to remind yourself at repeated intervals as well, and whether PNotes should track the overdue items or not.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/3a.png" alt="" width="297" height="404" />

You can also toggle high priority status for individual notes, and sort notes by high priority, completed items, schedule, last saved times, and tags (which you need to define first in PNote’s Control Panel).

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/3b.png" alt="" width="580" height="218" />

Diary Mode

If I can encrypt my notes and/or password-protect them, I’d definitely want to use this program for my journal entries. It’s highly convenient that PNotes also bundles a Diary mode or category, where each entry’s title is automatically populated with the date.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/4.jpg" alt="" width="575" height="472" />

So if you’re wary of publishing your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter or even dedicated journal applications (like class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/keep-a-personal-online-diary-with-penzu/">Penzu) that are still hosted on third-party servers, PNotes can be a good alternative as you can password-protect your note database and encrypt your notes.

Overall, this program has an unbelievable set of features. You can even set hotkeys for hiding and showing your desired group of notes. As someone who relies on keyboard shortcuts a lot, I would like the program even more if it had more keyboard shortcuts than the universal ones for copying, pasting, saving, printing, etc. but I shouldn’t ask too much as this powerful program is being offered for free, and it’s open-source so the developer probably isn’t making much money.

Do you use an offline note application or prefer web-based services, like Evernote? Share your experiences in the comments below! />
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class="align-left" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 5px; float: right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/0-aws-intro.png" alt="speed up wordpress blog" width="210" height="236" />You’ve undoubtedly seen a ‘Top 10 WordPress Plugins’ post before. It’s pretty much required reading if you have a new WordPress blog, and everyone seems to be writing them these days. We’re guilty of this as well, having written class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tech-fun/search/?cx=009717636731598800244:qhe4rh7wuxs&cof=FORID:11&q=wordpress+plugins&sa=">our share of plugin articles over the years.

One plugin I’ve seen on a lot of these lists is class="vt-p" href="http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-super-cache/">WP Super Cache, a caching engine designed to produce static HTML pages and load your blog faster. WP Super Cache is a good plugin, don’t get me wrong, but is it really the fastest?

If you’re really looking to speed up your WordPress blog, I recommend you check out the class="vt-p" href="http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/w3-total-cache/">W3 Total Cache plugin.

id="more-54894"> /> In this article, I’ll educate you about this plugin and show you what you can do to give your blog a blazing fast speed.

What’s All The Hype About?

Before I show you how to set up this plugin, I figured I should give you a little more incentive to check it out. According to the class="vt-p" href="http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/w3-total-cache/">plugin page, W3 Total Cache is:

the fastest and most complete WordPress performance optimization plugin. W3 Total Cache improves the user experience of your site by improving your server performance, caching every aspect of your site, reducing the download times and providing transparent content delivery network (CDN) integration.

It boasts a significant improvement (at least 10x) in overall site performance, as well as “instant” second page views.

Don’t know what a CDN is? Read on and I’ll show you how to set all this up.

Getting Started With W3 Total Cache

Once you’ve installed and activated the plugin, head over to the settings page.

On the General Settings page, you should see a few messages at the top of the screen. One may ask you to ‘empty page cache’. Go ahead and do that and make sure you disable/uninstall any other caching plugins (like WP Super Cache) for the time being.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/1-aws-general.png" alt="speed up your WordPress blog" width="460" height="170" />

W3 Total Cache’s default settings are fine to start with. Go ahead and check the box under General to turn caching on.

You should already see an increase in speed just from using W3 Total Cache, but to throw your site into warp drive, I’ll show you how to set up a CDN.

Why Use A CDN?

If you are hosting your own WordPress blog, chances are you are renting server space from somewhere. Regardless of what hosting provider you are using, your server is probably in another state/country. Add that to the fact that it’s a shared server (probably a busy one) and sometimes it can take a while to load all of your files (images, etc.).

A content delivery network allows you to eliminate this delay. A CDN will use a server close to you to deliver your content when called upon. It’s this efficiency that allows your website to load faster.

Setting Up Amazon CloudFront

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/2-aws-generalcdn.png" alt="" width="567" height="221" />

Still on the General Settings page, scroll down until you see the Content Delivery Network settings. Check the Enable box, and under CDN Type select Amazon CloudFront. Save your changes and you should now see a bunch of new messages at the top of the screen.

Go to the CDN Settings page from the drop-down menu at the top and scroll down to the Configuration section. To fill in this information, you’re going to have to input some data from Amazon.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/3-aws-awsmain.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" />

Head over to the Amazon class="vt-p" href="http://aws.amazon.com/s3/">web services page and click Sign Up for Amazon S3. Then, head over to the class="vt-p" href="http://aws.amazon.com/cloudfront/">CloudFront page and sign up for that as well.

[Note]: Technically Amazon S3 and CloudFront are not free, but they’re awfully close. It costs roughly 15 cents per GB of monthly bandwidth transfer, which most of us won’t come close to using. Not a bad way to make use of the change you find in your couch.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/4-aws-scredentials.png" alt="" width="580" height="350" />

Once you’ve signed up, head to the Account tab and select Security Credentials.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/5-aws-scredentials2.png" alt="" width="580" height="275" />

You’ll want to copy your Access Key ID and Secret Access Key and paste them into their respective WordPress fields.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/6-aws-mngconsole.png" alt="" width="318" height="123" />

Now, you can scroll up to the top of the Amazon web services screen and click on the Sign in to the AWS Management Console link. This will take you to your management page.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/7-aws-createbucket.png" alt="" width="240" height="146" />

Click on the Amazon S3 tab and select Create Bucket. Name your bucket (preferably something short) and go back and enter in that name in the Bucket field of WordPress.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/8-aws-createdist.png" alt="" width="580" height="483" />

In the management console, select the Amazon CloudFront tab. Click Create Distribution, select your bucket under Origin, and click Create. When the State column goes from ‘InProgress’ to ‘Deployed’ (takes a few minutes) we’re ready to move on.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/9-aws-domain.png" alt="" width="423" height="235" />

See where it says Domain Name? Copy what’s in front of .cloudfront.net and paste it into the hostname field in WordPress. Click Test CloudFront upload and save your changes to make sure everything checks out.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/10-aws-export.png" alt="speed up your WordPress blog" />

Finally, head to the top of your WordPress screen and click on export your media library. Click Start and it will upload your existing media files to your CloudFront account. When finished, go through the other buttons and do the same thing.

[Note]: You only have to do this once, when you first install the plugin. Everything you upload to your media folder from here on out will automatically get copied over to your CloudFront account.

Conclusion

The first time you visit your website after setting up W3 Total Cache it should load at normal speed or even slower than usual. Don’t be alarmed, as this is normal. Click refresh and see how much it speeds up your WordPress blog!

What do you think of this plugin?  Let us know in the comments below. />
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class="align-left" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 5px; float: right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/classic_blue_gimp.png" alt="gimp tutorials" width="219" height="219" />You can find a myriad of class="vt-p" href="http://www.tuxradar.com/gimp">written tutorials and class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-websites-learn-gimp-photo-editor-online/">websites class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-websites-learn-gimp-photo-editing/">on class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/gimp/">GIMP, the open-source class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-websites-to-make-you-a-photoshop-ninja/">Photoshop alternative, as well as YouTube channels dedicated to GIMP tutorials, but which tutorials are more suitable and totally worthwhile for beginners?

Since I’m also a learner of GIMP, I thought that tutorials illustrating the first few points of the official user manual from class="vt-p" href="http://www.gimp.org">GIMP.org may just be what beginners need to familiarize themselves. This collection here gathers clearly-narrated screencasts and are thus very good starting points for those that don’t prefer to read long user manuals.

So hit the jump to learn more GIMP terminology.

id="more-54161">

GIMP Basics

This is a video walkthrough of the installation and user interface of GIMP, made by a university instructional design staff member, so you can expect a very easy-to-follow and informative narrative. In the video, he goes over how to perform 7 basic image editing tasks: scaling, cropping, cutting (with transparency), flipping, rotating, reducing and saving.

By watching these, you’re basically going over the first text tutorial on GIMP.org, class="vt-p" href="http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/Lite_Quickies/">GIMP Lite Quickies.

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="465" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/i9up3Je0hyc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="465" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/i9up3Je0hyc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="465" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GWHAbY7mllY?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="465" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GWHAbY7mllY?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

Optimizing Images For Web Use

The following video shows how to export a file to JPEG and monitor the file size of the new image. There’s a small hiccup from 1:10-1:30 in the video, but it’s definitely helpful to know that you can select and preview the quality of the new image before you save it especially now that lots of sites have restrictions on maximum file size.

In the video, the user tries to save a JPEG with the highest quality while keeping her image under 256KB which is the YouTube limit for channel background images.

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="465" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/x-3fp4ksoRc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="465" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/x-3fp4ksoRc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

Feathering

This technique creates a fuzzy frame (this “frame” has an adjustable radius, of course) around a spot in the picture you may want to focus on or copy and paste somewhere else, in which case, the pasted image will blend “unobtrusively with its surroundings.”

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="465" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RxVNWg5kESI?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="465" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RxVNWg5kESI?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

Paths

The Paths (aka, Bezier curves) tool can help you create more defined shapes by making anchor points. The following GIMP tutorial shows how to cut a piece from image 1 to paste as a layer into another image, using the Paths tool to complete the outline around the piece. Using this tool will allow more control over the outlines or shapes.

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="360" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-0Ddw4G8-e8?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-0Ddw4G8-e8?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

Brushes

According to the user manual, brushes are pixmaps from the paint tools (except for the ink tool) used for painting, erasing, copying, smudging, lightening or darkening, etc. GIMP has a set of basic brushes, but if you don’t find what you are looking for, check out the following video to see where and how to find and install brushes.

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="360" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/w5eHzqWA2wY?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/w5eHzqWA2wY?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

QuickMask Mode

QuickMask mode is basically a more intuitive way to fully visualize your selection, so you can do more precise work and effectively adjust your selection when the marching ants just aren’t enough, as according to the official GIMP user manual, “what the marching ants show you as either inside or outside the boundary is really just a slice through a continuum.” For more information, watch the video below.

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="465" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/utRMHJDdBO8?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="465" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/utRMHJDdBO8?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

Filters

Red Eye Removal: If you’re ready to play around and get familiar with the simplest of the filters, try following this really simple GIMP tutorial, which you’ll be able to complete very quickly. This is useful if your camera doesn’t have settings to optimize lighting (and thus, prevent red eye) or you have older pictures lying around that could use some red eye removal.

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="360" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/q-5K_fzxzOo?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/q-5K_fzxzOo?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

Drop Shadows: To create more depth to text and objects, consider adding a drop shadow by selecting an image (in a specific layer) and going to Filter > Light and Shadow > Drop Shadow.

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="360" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/b1qrYaHO-vM?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/b1qrYaHO-vM?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

Layers

Layers are individual transparencies on top of an image that can add easily removable effects to specific parts. The following video will also go over layer modes, transparencies, and layer visibility.

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="360" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/j9bp9bsmJRY?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/j9bp9bsmJRY?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

This should get you pumped up enough to dabble in GIMP. After this, you should be able to follow those more advanced tutorials, whether they’re class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/vunkysearch-gimp-and-photoshop-tutuorials/">text or in class="vt-p" href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tutorial+gimp&aq=f">video.

What beginners’ video tutorials did we miss? Please help the GIMP-learning author and let us know in the comments!

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Now a days computers come with great speeds but over the time they lose their processing speeds. It cause enormous amount of frustration in us. What is the case with your computer? Is your computer losing speed as the time passes? Most likely the culprit is registry of your computer.  What should be done to regain the lost speed of your computer? Computer experts would advise you to look inside your computer and fast fix the dirt of your computer registry.

To accomplish this important task, you need to find out a software capable of fast registry fixing. The software you are looking for should do the job quickly and safely and it shall make the life of your computer easier and happier. Returned glory of the old days!

Problems start when with the ticking of clock, the registry of your computer gets choked with data and it often gets too fragmented. One option is to repair the registry manually but experts strongly advise not to do it manually as it could harm your computer enormously. The best way is to use fast registry fixing software that can do the job of making your computer running better, faster and safer.

The computer’s registry has a large database that allows computer to work effectively. The changes you regularly make to your computer are stored in the windows registry. Over time, useful and useless files get stored in the windows registry. The number of files keep on growing and that causes your computer to get slow or even crash in the worst of situations.

A software that can fix your registry fastly is highly recommended. It should delete all the useless entries and thus making your registry much lighter and faster. Care must be done to ensure protection of useful entries.

The best registry cleaner should remove unwanted files, and corrects errors.  
It should also do defragmentation so that you can reach out to your data easily.
The best registry cleaner software also look out for entrenched keys, folder entries, and 
other useless entries.  Many of the viruses tinker with registry contents and thus effecting the functionality of your computer in a negative way.

A good registry cleaner ReginOut can fix all of the above-mentioned problems with backup options in a simple way and is also coast effective.

Registry fixes are a fact of life for Windows computers.  The registry will gather errors during normal usage. Cleaning the registry on a regular basis is one of the maintenance tasks needed to keep a Windows computer in top condition.  If you’ve never cleaned the registry on your Windows computer, the odds are good that you will find some errors in the registry even if the computer has no symptoms.  Getting rid of those registry errors will help your computer run better and prevent future errors from stopping your system cold.

Introduction to the Windows Registry

The registry is a database used by Windows to track all the information about what is installed on your computer.  All the programs and hardware that are part of your system have entries in the registry.  Windows uses this information whenever you run a program to find all the files needed and how to use them.  In a way, the registry is the information booth of Windows.  Windows consults the registry constantly, and it is a vital part of your system.

Clean Regularly to Prevent Serious Problems

Because the registry is a large system that is updated frequently, it is easy for mistakes to creep into registry entries.  Windows is capable of working around some registry errors, but the more mistakes there are in the registry, the less likely it is for Windows to be able to run your programs correctly.  Eventually, a registry problem is likely to stop you from running a program.  Some of those cases could have been prevented by regular registry fixes.

How to Clean Your Registry

Since the registry is a large database written partially in computer code, it is nearly impossible for a human to manually find and fix every error in it.  Instead, use software designed to hunt down and repair registry mistakes.  Registry cleaners are available across the Internet, and cleaning your registry is just a matter of running a good one and letting it do the job.

Finding a Registry Cleaner

Not all registry cleaners are created equal.  Most of them will do a passable job, finding the obvious problems and fixing them.  However, do a little research before you pick a cleaner.  You need to be sure the company that created the cleaner has a good reputation and keeps their word.  

Check out the company name with a consumer protection agency to make sure they are not installing something nasty on your computer.  If they have a solid reputation, check to see if they have a guarantee.  Most registry cleaners offer a free scan that will tell you the problems they find without actually fixing them.  Run the scan to see what errors they come up with.  Virtually every registry has errors if you’ve used your computer for any amount of time, so look at the types of errors as well as the quantity.  Once you have a good registry cleaner, remember to run it regularly, not just if you see registry errors.  Regularly registry fixes will speed up your computer and keep your system in better overall health.

If you have ever experienced having adware or spyware on your computer, you know how annoying and frustrating it can be! From slowing down your computer, to opening up programs automatically, to those little pesky advertisement popups, it’s no wonder why so many people would want to get rid of adware. Before we discuss how to get rid of adware though, let’s talk about what adware is and how & why it suddenly appears on your computer.

So what is adware?

Adware is short for advertisement-supported software. It is downloaded to a users computer and begins running immediately. While running, it collects information about what websites the user is visiting, once it has this information, the adware spits out relevant advertisements that the computer user might be interested in. This is often very annoying, as you may be doing some general work on your computer or playing a game, and out of nowhere, an advertisement pops up! If this has ever happened to you, you may have adware and should get rid of adware immediately.

How does adware show up on my computer in the first place?

Well, there are several possible reasons for this. One could simply be that you chose to download a certain adware program – one that displays ads to support its development costs. Perhaps you downloaded a regular and good program, but it came bnndled with adware. Sometimes it is your choice to download the adware and you don’t even know. Unfortunately, sometimes it is also not your choice to download adware, which makes it another reason why it is so annoying.

Why is adware bad?

Adware is bad for many reasons:

- It slows down your computer by running programs in the background (i.e. ones that you don’t even know are running)

- It takes up hard drive space

- It annoys you while you are trying to work or do something else by displaying pesky little popup advertisements

- It can often install other adware, to make your computing experience even more unenjoyable!

- Sometimes adware is also spyware and can spy on what you’re doing on your computer!

- Some of the information obtained from your computer is used and sold to third parties without your consent!

So how can I get rid of adware fast?!

You could do it the manual way by uninstalling each piece of adware software, or you can get a good program that will scan your computer and detect any adware on there. You can then delete all adware files from your computer.

If you have ever experienced having adware or spyware on your computer, you know how annoying and frustrating it can be! From slowing down your computer, to opening up programs automatically, to those little pesky advertisement popups, it’s no wonder why so many people would want to get rid of adware. Before we discuss how to get rid of adware though, let’s talk about what adware is and how & why it suddenly appears on your computer.

So what is adware?

Adware is short for advertisement-supported software. It is downloaded to a users computer and begins running immediately. While running, it collects information about what websites the user is visiting, once it has this information, the adware spits out relevant advertisements that the computer user might be interested in. This is often very annoying, as you may be doing some general work on your computer or playing a game, and out of nowhere, an advertisement pops up! If this has ever happened to you, you may have adware and should get rid of adware immediately.

How does adware show up on my computer in the first place?

Well, there are several possible reasons for this. One could simply be that you chose to download a certain adware program – one that displays ads to support its development costs. Perhaps you downloaded a regular and good program, but it came bnndled with adware. Sometimes it is your choice to download the adware and you don’t even know. Unfortunately, sometimes it is also not your choice to download adware, which makes it another reason why it is so annoying.

Why is adware bad?

Adware is bad for many reasons:

- It slows down your computer by running programs in the background (i.e. ones that you don’t even know are running)

- It takes up hard drive space

- It annoys you while you are trying to work or do something else by displaying pesky little popup advertisements

- It can often install other adware, to make your computing experience even more unenjoyable!

- Sometimes adware is also spyware and can spy on what you’re doing on your computer!

- Some of the information obtained from your computer is used and sold to third parties without your consent!

So how can I get rid of adware fast?!

You could do it the manual way by uninstalling each piece of adware software, or you can get a good program that will scan your computer and detect any adware on there. You can then delete all adware files from your computer.

If it happens that you’re currently looking into getting an id scanning solution but you feel a bit overloaded with all the options out there, then you just have to listen to some good advice on the subject that should greatly simplify your search for the best scanner for you. Using a portable scanner can significantly improve your system of managing digital input, primarily when the storing of critical material is a factor. Prior to committing to a particular scanner, we encourage you to hear what the experts have to say.

Comparable to any current and sophisticated hardware device, transportable scanners have been developed to be less complex and simpler to use. They can answer most of your day-to-day scanning requirements, like business contacts, expenses, travel claims, financial records, and on and on. In just a few short moments they yield exceptional pixel resolution in formats ranging from images to text. At the moment, the retail price of an id scanning solution is well within financial reach both for companies and individuals.

Among the many benefits you’ll find with these compact scanners is the great convenience of them no matter where you are. Included with the scanners is tailored scanning software that enables you to obtain impressive results from pictures and text and easily save them as images or text or in a database. Let’s say you need to scan an id card. the scanner extracts the full card image, face image, signature image and full text data of the card and set it all up in convenient data and image fields that can be saved to your choice of software.

Before committing to an id scanning solution take the time to go through these important procedures: (1) decide what you need a scanner for; (2) search the internet for scanners you think might fit your needs; (3) take a close look at the scanners’ capabilities; (4) verify that the company has a good reputation and check out feedback from past scanner customers; (5) find out about freight charges and returns.

Thinking of getting a compact usb scanner for your business? if you are interested in buying a photo scanning software but you don’t know which type would best fit your needs, you first need to think about what you want to use it for, which will ensure that you purchase the right scanner for you. Choosing to use a mobile scanner can greatly enhance your system of managing digital input, most of all when saving crucial documentation is a major consideration. So before you decide to purchase a portable scanner, we encourage you to keep in mind the following points.

Like any other current and sophisticated hardware device, transportable scanners have been developed to be much simpler and easier to use. They can be used for most of your day-to-day scanning requirements, like important cards and receipts that are piling up, financial records, and on and on. It’s done in an instant, and these small scanners deliver exceptional pixel resolution in several different format options. At the moment, the cost of a photo scanning software can fit a reasonable budget whether you’ll be using it for pleasure or getting down to business.

Perhaps the most attractive of the many features of mobile scanners like these is the great convenience of them no matter where you are. Included with the scanners is the latest software which makes it easy to obtain impressive results from pictures and text and easily save them as images or text or in a database. For example, id cards scanning systems can extract the different elements of the card (photo, signature, text) as well as the full image of the id card arranged in appropriate records of text and images which can be saved to another file or application.

Before purchasing a photo scanning software take the time to go through these important procedures: (1) clarify what you will be scanning; (2) scour the internet for the best scanners for your requirements; (3) see how the various scanners differ in their specifications; (4) make sure the manufacturer is reliable and see what other users’ opinions have been; (5) establish freight charges and procedures for returns.

Computers are certainly the wave of the future and with them constantly changing, evolving and improving, it only make sense that if you have an older computer with Windows XP, it might run slowly. So now the question is how to make Windows XP run faster? There are many different ways and in this article, we will explore some of those ways.

One of the first ways that you can make XP run faster is going to be cleaning out all of the viruses and malware that might be on your computer. Are you currently running a very good anti-virus program on your computer? If you are, you should run that at least once a week so that you can clear out any viruses that might be on your computer.

After you have run your anti-virus program, you should definitely apply all of your Windows updates. You know all of those annoying little boxes that pop up along the corner of your task bar alerting you of a Windows update? Well, you should click on that icon and make sure that you are updating all of your Windows updates regularly.

Once you have updated all of your updates for Windows, it is now time for you to make sure that you keep your hard drive clear! You never have to live with a bunch of programs that you never use. Going into ‘Add and Remove Programs’ at least once a week is a great idea. That way, you can stay on top of all of the programs that are on your computer that might slow it down.

After you have done all of those steps, you computer should absolutely be working faster! Making Windows XP work faster can be a trying task but as long as you follow all of these steps, you should have absolutely no problems.

Have you found that your Windows XP is running slow although it worked great a few months ago? Do you get the system errors while you are surfing the net? Have you encountered that your Windows XP goes freezing or crashing some of the time? Well, I think you will get the best answer for resolving all of these problems here! Read this review and start to speed up your slow running PC now!

To be honest, most computer users will come across these problems after using their PC for a while. When they first got their computers, PCs always act well and have nothing wrong with the system. But with the regular use, your Windows XP starts to go slow, and even grind to a halt some day. Do you want that happen to your PC some day? If not, then you should take the following actions to speed up your slow running Windows XP and make it go fast again!

NO.1 Check whether there are useless programs that you rarely use on your PC. Some users like to download and install various programs on their computers but do not uninstall them completely. But the existence of them will slow down your PC running. So you should delete these programs timely.

NO.2 Reset your Startup items. Go to Start—Run—Input msconfig and press Enter. You will see the setting form for Startup items. Keep those programs that you need while booting system and remove those you should not add into it. You will be surprised by your computer fast booting after resetting this.

NO.3 Keep your PC far away from virus infection. Virus infection can be extremely harmful to your system. You should equip your PC with powerful anti-virus and keep it up-to-date, so as to make your computer under real-time protection.

NO.4 Get an excellent Registry cleaner for cleaning up the Registry entries from your system. You know that whenever you want to speed up your machine, you have to optimize its system and empty the crap in its system in advance. The Registry entries are the crap of your PC system and as time goes on, they will be a lot and affect your PC running greatly. An excellent Registry cleaner will help you get rid of this problem effectively and make your Windows XP go fast instantly!

The best way to speed up your slow running PC!

To speed up your Slow Windows XP, I highly recommend you try to use some professional tools for enhancing your PC performance and make it run like a new one again! You can Free Download A Trusted Tool from this site:

http://www.bestregsoftware.com/

Is  Windows XP Slow to Start Up and Slow To Run? Are your programs and games running so slow you give up using them?

When your computer starts up the first thing that happens is windows loads all the programs it needs to run at start up. If there are a lot of programs installed this can take a considerable amount of time and until they are loaded you just have to wait until they are finished loading before you can do anything.

The next thing that happens is windows reads everything from the windows registry and applies all the program, windows and device settings for your computer that are stored in there, and the bigger the registry the longer it takes and makes windows XP slow.

If there are too many programs installed or errors in your computer registry it will slow right down and will keep running slowly until these problems are fixed.

Here are three ways to fix this.

#1 Remove programs from windows start up by going to your start menu then programs then startup and right click any in there you don’t want to start up and delete it from there. This will just remove the programs from start up and will not remove the programs themselves.

#2 Remove programs you are not using by going to add and remove programs which is in the windows control panel and then look at the list of programs in there. Remove what you do not need or use as these will make windows XP slow.

#3 Launch the windows task manager by pressing ctrl-alt-del on your keyboard simultaneously. Then select the task manager tab then processes. You will be able to see in there quite clearly what programs are using the most memory that you are currently using.

#4 The next step is to run a free registry scan. This will find errors in your computer registry that are slowing windows down. As windows stats up and runs it is constantly referring to the registry to find out how to load and run programs and what settings are needed for windows and programs. Once errors appear in the registry windows will run with an increasing number of problems.

Each time you add a program entries are added and even after you remove programs the entries remain and windows keep looking for these programs, unless you fix it. By running a registry scan you can find all these entries quickly and fix your PC and make it run faster in minutes and you will no longer find windows XP slow.