May 2003 Newsletter

What’s New at PC Pitstop, May 2003

After more than a year, we’ve resumed our free newsletter to registered users. We hope you will find it informative. Instructions for opting out of the newsletter are at the bottom of this email.

IN THIS ISSUE

• Is spyware crippling your system?
• Performance Tweak: Eliminate XP eye candy
• Performance Tweak: defrag early, defrag often
• Troubleshooting: Fix PC problems remotely
• Product recall: Flaming IBM monitors!

IS SPYWARE CRIPPLING YOUR SYSTEM?

Over 20 percent of all the computers tested at PC Pitstop have some sort of adware or spyware running on them. Perhaps your computer does too? It’s bad enough that these programs spy on your browsing habits, but they can also cause many system crashes and make your system run much slower. When you test your computer at PC Pitstop, we show you a report of the programs running and even color-code them so you know which ones are keepers and which should be terminated with extreme predjudice. Run our full tests to find out: Full Test

PERFORMANCE TWEAK: ELIMINATE XP EYE CANDY

Leo Laporte of TechTV has described the standard Windows XP look as a “Fisher Price User Interface.” It’s pretty in its own way, but all that beauty can be a burden for PCs that have slow processors or low-end video cards. To punch up the performance a bit, try this: Click Start | Control Panel | System | Advanced. Under the Performance area, click the Settings button. For blazing speed, select “Adjust for best performance”. If that look is a bit barren for your tastes, use Custom and select the visual features you really want.

PERFORMANCE TWEAK: DEFRAG EARLY, DEFRAG OFTEN

If you aren’t running a defragmenter on your disk drives at least once a week, it’s a safe bet that your PC is slower than it should be. To make things worse, the standard defrag utilities that come with Windows cannot completely defrag a drive that has been allowed to become highly fragmented. Is your system suffering from high fragmentation? Check for yourself using our full tests or disk health section: Free Disk Scan

TROUBLESHOOTING: FIX PC PROBLEMS REMOTELY

PC Pitstop’s TechExpress feature lets registered users send their test results to anyone in the form of a short clickable link. Do you need help fixing a PC problem? Register on our site and send the TechExpress link to a PC guru. If you *need* a guru, post your question and TechExpress link on our forums: http://support.pcpitstop.com

Conversely, is a friend always asking for help on *their* PC, but they live far away? Use TechExpress to “see” the details of how their PC is configured. Just have them register on our site, test their system, and send you the link! https://www.pcpitstop.com/techexpress/default.asp

PRODUCT RECALL: FLAMING IBM MONITORS!

In March 2003, IBM announced a recall on a 15-inch CRT monitor, model G51. These models, manufactured in 1997, have been identified as possible fire hazards. Based on the data PC Pitstop collected during testing, we have notified 56 of our registered users who had tested systems with the recalled monitor. Yet another benefit of PC Pitstop registration! For more information on the affected monitors, see the IBM web site: http://www.pc.ibm.com/g51recall/

ABOUT PC PITSTOP

PC Pitstop, LLC (https://www.pcpitstop.com) was formed in February 2000, and offers users a unique way to make sure their PCs are running fast, stable and secure–all through a free, Web-based interface.

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