If you are like me, you probably have upgraded your computer a few times and in the process collected a few old computer monitors. With the new LCD monitors, the old CRT computer monitors are quickly becoming obsolete. Instead of taking up storage space, what are the other options for getting rid of these hunky computer monitors?

Rather than creating more electronic waste, there are a number of options for you to choose from.

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Do you regularly get an oil change for your car? Just like a car, your computer needs a little bit of maintenance every so often to keep it running smoothly. Many computer users leave out defragmenting their hard drives until their computer slows to a crawl.

Here are a few frequently asked questions regarding disk defragmentation.

What Causes Fragmented Files?

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Do you find that your computer is running slower than it used to? Does it seem to take a longer time to boot up? Are you aware of the frequent hanging that has made it difficult for you to trust your PC? Then, you should know that your PC is running slow and requires your immediate help. It may be because of a hardware or software problem.

Problems arise when you run out of memory in RAM (random access memory). If you find that the RAM often reaches its peak limit of usage, then it is time to add more RAM to your computer. You do have to check to see what the maximum RAM your computer takes. Adding RAM is not difficult but you have to be careful to buy the correct type of memory that fits with the computer you’re using. If you’re not sure, ask someone who is familiar with computers or head to your nearest computer store to get some help.

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Over time, your hard drive can get fragmented as you store more information on it. A fragmented drive will make your PC run slower. In order to optimize your PC performance, you should defragment your disk volumes from time to time.

When you open any folder, the mouse pointer briefly turns into the form of an hour glass to show that the computer is searching for the information you are looking for.  The more fragmented your hard drive, the longer it takes to show you the lists in the folder that you opened. This also happens when you open any volume, be it C or D or E. If you want to speed up the time in accessing your folders or your volumes, the best option is to go for defragmentation of the hard disk volumes.

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Computer viruses are aptly named programs. Like biological viruses, they are harmful in nature, doing anything from bogging down the internet with excess data to deleting data in an infected computer. Also, just like biological viruses, they are self replicating and contagious in the sense that they can be transmitted from computer to computer.

Before anything else, you should buy or download an anti virus security program. A good security program should be able to do 2 things: One, it should be able to detect and block incoming viruses. Two, the program should be able to detect viruses that actually manage to infect your system, and should be able to clean these viruses out.

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If you regularly or even occasionally use the internet, chances are you’ve come across an annoying and malicious set of programs affectionately referred to by computer users as ‘spyware’. Like ‘adware’, spyware programs track your internet usage, collect personal information, spawn ‘pop-up’ advertisements, and can even alter your internet browser settings. Spyware generally refers the kinds of adware that are covertly installed onto your computer without your consent.

Many spyware programs will cause your computer to slow down in its performance, and may even cause lock-ups and crashes. For this reason I highly recommend using a spyware remover on a regular basis to help keep your computer working at it’s best. There are a number of spyware removers available today, and the two I most highly recommend are ‘Spybot – Search and Destroy’, made by Patrick Kolla, and ‘Ad-Aware SE’ produced by Lavasoft. Both of these programs are available in a basic form free of charge. More advanced forms of the programs are available for a small fee, however I have personally been more than happy with just the free versions.

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The fastest and easiest way to see if you have spyware on your computer is to get a spyware detecting program and run it. Most of the time, you will have no idea that you even have this stuff on your computer. Their fist clue might be that all of a sudden something doesn’t look or feel right and/or something stops working right or at all. You want to make sure that you keep this stuff off your computer. For the most part, these programs are usually harmless. But there are those really awful ones that will get your most private information and completely mess up your life. There are some simple clues to look for that can tell you if you are running spyware unknowingly.

Here are some things to look for when looking for spyware:

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When you are accessing personal information through the internet such as using online banking, checking your brokerage account or managing your 401k, you want to make sure that you are using a secure password that is not easy to guess. Password theft can be very detrimental as you may not realize it until the damage has been done. If someone can hack your password, they will be able to get into your account and change the password so that you are locked out.

Here are 7 practical ways you can protect yourself from password theft.

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