"More than likely I'll tinker with it and make repairs and upgrades until the poor thing just stops working. Then I'll get a new machine and cannibalize this one for parts."

It seems no matter how new or good your computer is, it’s never quite right. Your machine always needs a tweak here and there, especially if your machine is running Windows.

Me, I’m a dinosaur lover. I’ve had my same desktop since 2000. It came with Windows 98, a 600 MGHZ processor and 64 MEGS of RAM. I installed a CD RW drive when I first got it and I crack it open occasionally to blast out the dust and make sure all the cables are attached cleanly and all the cards are still firmly in their buses. I keep threatening to upgrade it with some memory sticks and I think my monitor is going to die soon but other than that I’m satisfied. More than likely I’ll tinker with it and make repairs and upgrades until the poor thing just stops working. Then I’ll get a new machine and cannibalize this one for parts.

In the meantime I work with what I have. My peers laugh at me and my dino ways but I do okay. If I were less of a writer and more of a webmaster, I’d likely install more RAM and a better video card. Regardless, I manage to make and upload galleries and can update my sites relatively easily. My system crashes when I tax my resources so I just reboot. No big thing.

The thing is I don’t think I’m the only webmaster in the world who needs a little extra software in order to make things hum. Luckily there are a bunch of great, little programs out there that help your Windows PC perform better and faster. Many of them are freeware or shareware. Here are some that I’ve found and use:

XTEQ X-SETUP Pro
(http://www.x-setup.net)
I’ve written about this program and I probably will again because I love it. X-TEQ is a system tweaker. It will let you work on those hidden settings in your machine and warn you if you’re about to do something foolish. This program gives to access to all kinds of system/hardware/software settings and includes some great wizards.

Tired of Windows update? Set it to done with X-TEQ. Want to speed up your machine? Try the Memory Wizard. Got some irritating program that bugs you at startup but you’re afraid to delete it? Check out the startup/shutdown wizard. You can simply disable those auto-loading proggies. Each setting comes with a complete description of what’s going on and what actions the software recommends. This program contains so many cool plugins I’ve not been able to use them all. XTEQ Pro works on all versions of Windows including NT. The personal copy is free and if you use only one of it’s many tools, it’s well worth the 4.5 Meg download!

Sequoia View
(http://www.win.tue.nl/sequoiaview)
This is a neat program and it doesn’t really do anything except give you a unique perspective on the contents of your hard drive. Sequoia shows you the files, documents and programs installed on your machine through a graphical display. This new overview of your computer illustrates exactly where the space hogs live. If you’re running out of drive space this little utility will instantly point out the big stuff you might not need anymore. You can’t or uninstall delete any files with this program but the view is highly informative.

Free RAM XP Pro
(http://www.yourwaresolutions.com)
There’s never enough RAM. With this utility you can free up Random Access Memory automatically and easily! Turn it on while you’re gaming or playing mp3s or have it load on startup. Monitor your CPU usage. Increase system response time, stability and speed.

There are all kinds of system utilities that will improve the performance of your machine and these are just three. I’ve chosen to write about these because I actually use each one of them. They’re all freeware/shareware and they do their tasks without spyware or obnoxious ad banners.

Which brings me to my next article this series. In Part #2, entitled: "Tweak Dat: Your Internet!", we’ll take a look at some cool little apps that will improve your Internet browsing experience. One of the main ways to do that is by getting rid of pop-ups, browser hijacks and spyware bogies. Look for it right here on Cozy Frog!

** Click Here For: Tweak Dat: Your Internet!