There are many free programs you can use to make your Internet experience safer, but you have to look in several different places and download them and install them. Lots of work. Well, I have put everything in one package that will take care of all that work with one click.

Introducing the Personal Geek Security Pack; a quick and easy way to install every program I recommend to keep your PC safe. Click the link and every program will be downloaded and installed automatically. No toolbars or other extras will be installed. So easy! And free

The Personal Geek Security Pack includes the latest versions of Microsoft Security Essentials, Flash, Java, Adobe Reader, Malware Bytes, and Spybot.

Please share this post with your friends now so they can benefit, too. Thanks!

Download the Personal Geek Security Pack.

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Does your computer have less than 1 GB of RAM? If so, you’re cheating yourself.

Actually, the manufacturer cheated you. They always install the minimum amount of RAM necessary to run your PC so they can save money. They charge an arm and a leg for more at purchase time, but if you buy RAM after you get your PC, you can save a few bucks.

If you add more RAM, your computer will be faster. How do I know this? Because with only a little RAM, your PC uses the hard drive when it needs extra storage space. Writing and reading operations take a lot longer on the disk, what with the moving parts and all. RAM operations are made of electrons, which move at the speed of light. At least that’s what they told me in college.

I’ve seen the results many times. When I add RAM to my clients’ computers, they always experience a speed boost. The PC boots faster, it loads programs faster, so you will spend less time waiting for things to happen. For some people, this increase is so great that they feel like they have a new computer!

It’s easy to see the amount of RAM you have. Right-click on “My computer” and choose “Properties”. It’s there somewhere.

For Windows XP the minimum you should have is 1 GB.
For Vista and 7 you should have at least 2 GB.

RAM comes in different pin numbers, speeds, capacities, and even more geeky stuff that is beyond the scope of this article. You don’t need to be a geek to figure out what kind of RAM you need. Memory manufacturers have made it easy for you.

The best one is the Crucial Memory Advisor™ tool.

Select your manufacturer, product line, and model from the menus.

If you don’t know this information you can download their scanner, which will examine your system and tell you how many memory slots your PC has, how much memory you have, and what type of memory you need. Then you can order from Crucial right there. Disclaimer: I am not making any money from Crucial; they don’t even know I exist.

Many computers have only 2 slots for RAM, so if you have both of them filled already, you might want to buy one 2 GB stick (or 1 GB for Windows XP) to replace one in your PC. Some older models that have 2 slots allow only 1 GB total. In that case, you would need to buy 2 sticks of 512 MB each.

If you’d like some help with your next upgrade, please give me a call at 541-791-6502. If you want to install the RAM yourself, here is a video from PC World to show you how easy it is. Follow each step carefully to ensure the safety of yourself and your static-sensitive computer parts.

Please feel free to leave any comments or questions!

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Everyone should download Firefox to get the latest & greatest.

It’s faster, safer, and less prone to crash. And all the really Cool Kids are doing it.

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Why do you need Microsoft Security Essentials? It’s a free antivirus program, it’s easy to set up, it runs quietly in the background, and it works really well! Sure, those other free antivirus programs work, but they can take up a lot of memory, invade your web browser with pesky toolbars, or slow down your computer.

Microsoft Security Essentials uses less memory than AVG and it won’t install those browser toolbars that drive me insane. Too many add-ons in your browser slow down the Internet. Sure, you can elect to install AVG without the toolbar and the link scan and the this and the that, but with Microsoft Security Essentials you don’t even have to worry about that stuff.

My experience with Microsoft Security Essentials has been free of those problems, and when I was cruising around the web yesterday and picked up a virus, Security Essentials told me right away with a pop-up notification. I performed a quick scan and the virus was eliminated.  Just like that.

This is the easiest antivirus program I’ve ever seen. It updates automatically and scheduling automatic scans is easy. You can choose quick, full, or custom scan. And look at the interface: It’s clean, uncluttered, and simple.

Microsoft Security Essentials

Requirements: Windows XP (Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3); Windows Vista (Gold, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2); Windows 7 (Awesome).

Learn more and download Microsoft Security Essentials today. But before you install it, uninstall whatever antivirus program you have running currently. They won’t get along and I hate it when they fight.

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