Simple Computer Tune-up: Speed Up Your PC- P32 ppsx
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2. Internet Explorer opens. Click the Help drop-down menu.
3. Click About Internet Explorer.
4. A window opens. Look for the word Version. Listed imme-
diately next to it will be the version number for your copy
of Internet Explorer (see Figure 12-2).
Figure 12-2: About Internet Explorer window
5. Click OK.
Determine the Manufacturer and
Speed of Your Processor (CPU)
The processor — also known as a CPU—is the part of your com-
puter’s hardware that performs the tasks handed out by your software.
Typically, the faster a processor is, the more powerful your computer
will be. Some programs and newer versions of Windows require a
minimum CPU speed in order to work correctly.To find out how
fast your CPU is and which company made it, do the following:
1. Right-click the My Computer icon on your desktop. If
this icon is not available, click the Start button in the
lower-left corner of Windows and right-click My Computer.
If you can’t find the My Computer icon anywhere, do the
following:
a. Right-click in the empty space on your desktop.
b. Select Properties.
c. A window opens. Click the Desktop tab.
d. Near the bottom of the window, click the Customize
Desktop button.
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e. Another window opens. On the General tab, beneath
the words Desktop Icons, place a checkmark in the
My Computer box.
f. Click OK.
g. You are returned to the previous screen. Click Apply.
h. Click OK.
i. The My Computer icon appears on your desktop.
Right-click it.
2. Select Properties.
3. A window opens. Near the bottom of it, you should see the
name of the company that made your CPU (usually it is
Intel or AMD) as well as the CPU’s speed listed in meas-
urements of “MHz” (megahertz) or “GHz” (gigahertz) —
for example, 500 MHz or 1.5 GHz (see Figure 12-3).
Figure 12-3: System Properties window
Determine Your Amount of System
Memory (RAM)
The memory in your computer — commonly referred to as RAM
(Random Access Memory) — is the hardware used by Windows and
your software to store temporary information.The more RAM you
have, the more programs you can use simultaneously and the faster
your computer will be. Here’s how to find out how much RAM your
computer has:
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1. Right-click the My Computer icon on your desktop. If
this icon is not available, click the Start button in the
lower-left corner of Windows and right-click My Computer.
If you can’t find the My Computer icon anywhere, do the
following:
a. Right-click in the empty space on your desktop.
b. Select Properties.
c. A window opens. Click the Desktop tab.
d. Near the bottom of the window, click the Customize
Desktop button.
e. Another window opens. On the General tab, beneath
the words Desktop Icons, place a checkmark in the
My Computer box.
f. Click OK.
g. You are returned to the previous screen. Click Apply.
h. Click OK.
i. The My Computer icon appears on your desktop.
Right-click it.
2. Select Properties.
3. A window opens. Near the bottom of it, you should see the
amount of system memory (RAM). See Figure 12-4.
Figure 12-4: System Properties window
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Determine Your Hard Drive’s Size
and Remaining Space
A hard drive is a piece of equipment that stores all of the programs
and data on your computer (think of it as a digital warehouse). If
your hard drive has too much information on it, your computer can
become noticeably slow. If the hard drive becomes completely full,
you will be unable to install new programs or download files from the
Internet until you free up some space.To determine the overall size of
your hard drive and how much room it has left, do the following:
1. Double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop. If this
icon is not available, click the Start button in the lower-left
corner of Windows and click My Computer. If you can’t
find the My Computer icon anywhere, do the following:
a. Right-click in the empty space on your desktop.
b. Select Properties.
c. A window opens. Click the Desktop tab.
d. Near the bottom of the window, click the Customize
Desktop button.
e. Another window opens. On the General tab, beneath
the words Desktop Icons, place a checkmark in the
My Computer box.
f. Click OK.
g. You are returned to the previous screen. Click Apply.
h. Click OK.
i. The My Computer icon appears on your desktop.
Double-click it.
2. A window opens. Right-click the icon for the hard drive you
want to check. For example, if you want to know the size
and remaining space for your C: drive (which is the drive
that most people have Windows installed on), right-click the
icon labeled C:.
3. Select Properties.
4. A window opens. On the General tab, you should see the
words Used Space.This indicates how much of your hard
drive is being used.You should also see the words Free
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Space, which indicates how much room is left on your hard
drive (see Figure 12-5). Both of these numbers will be
expressed in measurements of gigabytes (GB) or megabytes
(MB) — for example, 500MB or 2GB. Don’t be alarmed if
you see that your gigabytes have a smaller number than
your megabytes; a gigabyte is much larger than a megabyte
(1 gigabyte is equal to 1,000 megabytes).
Figure 12-5: Hard Drive Properties window
Open Your Computer’s Case
After you have used Windows to do a quick analysis of your PC’s
primary features, you should open the computer’s case and examine
the equipment inside. Becoming comfortable with opening the case
and identifying the components is essential if you ever want to per-
form a hardware upgrade on your own.
1. Turn off your computer and unplug it from all electrical out-
lets.This will prevent you from receiving a serious electrical
shock and will protect the computer from being damaged.
2. Examine your case to find out how it opens. Some cases
have a removable cover shaped like an upside-down “U” that
slides off when some screws are unfastened. Other cases have
side panels (or doors) that slide off or swing open when they
are unscrewed or when a special button is pressed.
3. If you cannot figure out how to open your computer’s case,
check the owner’s manual or documents that came with
your system.
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