PC Memoirs

Have you ever heard of System Mechanic? Until a few weeks ago, I hadn’t. I am always looking for software that speeds up slow computers and cleans the hard drive, and I just found a new one.

System Mechanic is a program that’s designed to clean, fix, speed up and repair your PC. It is created by iolo technologies and it’s quite simple to use. Unfortunately it’s not free, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying out the program. You should download a trial version and do a test run first. And if you like it, you can buy it for $49.95 (Currently on special for $39.95).

I tested System Mechanic on my 5 year old laptop and the results were promising. With one click, it scanned my computer and suggested improvements: It found and fixed some registry errors, it cleaned unnecessary files from my hard drive and suggested which programs I could remove from the start up list. And this even though I clean and maintain my laptop with other software.

System Mechanic works with Windows XP, Vista and 7, and has received over 200 editor’s choice awards.

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I came across a new problem, and this time the subject was a laptop. My mission was to repair an ACER Travelmate 2200 laptop that wouldn’t charge and run on AC power. It would run fine on battery, but when you plug in the AC adapter, it does nothing. It keeps running on battery power.

The problem gets weird when you turn off the laptop. Suddenly it charges the battery. Once the battery is fully charged, you can turn it back on and keep working. However, it would be annoying if you had to do turn off the laptop every time and wait for the battery to recharge.

There is a simple explanation for this, but I didn’t think of it immediately. The AC adapter I was using was not a genuine ACER brand. It was a Toshiba adapter that had the same DC plug. But that’s not the (only) reason why it didn’t work. Even though the adapter supplied the correct voltage of 19V, it didn’t supply the required current. ACER needs 7.1A, and Toshiba only supplies 3.65A, and newer models only 6.1A. For ACER to charge the battery and work on AC power at the same time, you need the exact same current or more. It doesn’t work if the current is less than what’s required. And it’s not recommended to use an adapter from another brand anyway. You should only use genuine parts for your laptop to avoid more problems.

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Not too long ago I wrote a post about the most popular operating systems and browsers on the Internet (read here). I quoted statistics from the w3schools Web site, which gave Firefox the number one spot among all browsers. They collected data for over 5 years and came to this conclusion. Internet Explorer (6, 7 and 8 combined) came at second place with about 35%.

However, I read an interesting article about the funeral for IE6 on the CNN web site, and their source was Netmarketshare.com. According to their browser market share information, Internet Explorer (all versions) leads the way with about 55%, and Firefox (3.0 and 3.5) is far behind with 20%. Now that’s a considerable difference to w3schools stats.

I wonder how those Web sites collect and analyse their information. After all, the difference in Firefox usage is over 30% (46% vs 20%). There is some explanation on the W3schools site:

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I have recently published a post about Ultrasurf, a program that enables you to surf the Net anonymously and securely, but now I have found something even better: the XeroBank Browser. Previously called Torpark, the XB browser is an open source browser that works similar to other ‘anonymous’ browsers, but it may be even better. Open source means it’s free.

XB browser not only allows you to hide your IP address and identity/location details, but it’s safe against spyware and pop-ups. In addition, it’s fully portable, so you can run it from a USB stick and you don’t have to install it on your hard drive. It also doesn’t store a cache or cookies on the hard drive. It’s simple to run and there’s no need to configure anything. It is actually very similar to the Firefox browser.

So if you don’t want your ISP to know what sites you visit, then hide your tracks with XB browser. No one will be able to identify you or collect data about you on the Internet.

The only downside seems to be that it can slow down your Internet speed, but if you have broadband, I don’t think this will be a problem.

Download the latest version of the XeroBank browser here.

Are you annoyed by the fact that there are so many scams on the Internet? Don’t you hate it when you receive an email that asks you to update your bank account or credit card details? Or when someone sends you hot tips about the share market? Or when you sell your old PC on eBay, and the buyer wants you to send it to Nigeria! No kidding! This happened to me!

I have seen many Internet scams over the last 10 years, most of them trying to get your personal information, bank account details or make you buy some fake product or service, just so they can take your money. Such offers usually come via unsolicited email.

If you do get such emails, do not respond and do not click on any links. Just delete the email.

Here are some of the major scams you should protect yourself from:

Update or confirm your account information – I have received many of these in my hotmail account. Luckily it always goes into the junk email folder. However, a few years ago, Hotmail didn’t have the junk email filter and I had to read these. Basically, some fake bank asks you to provide your bank details so they can update your account. Never, ever provide your bank account information over the Internet!

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