Just got off the phone with Sprint PCS’ Account Services dept. (formerly Customer Retention dept.) so I can confirm -- I now have unlimited nationwide minutes with SprintPCS and Google Voice (formerly GrandCentral . Here’s the scoop:

SprintPCS has something called “Pick 3″ where you pick 3 numbers and any phone call made to these three number (or from these three numbers to your Sprint cell) will be considered “Sprint to Sprint”). If you’re on the Sprint2Sprint plan, that means UNLIMITED MINUTES! Sprint doesn’t advertise the “Pick Three” plan anywhere, nor will they add it if you call their regular customer service. Only their Account Services dept. (formerly Customer Retention dept.) can add this to your current plan (with no additional charge). Now, since GoogleVoice lets you receive and place free calls nationwide (US), all you really have to do is ask Sprint to add your Google Voice number as one of the Pick3… Here’s how to get this to work:

1. If you don’t already have Google Voice, get one here (click “Get an Invite”):

http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html

2. Call Sprint PCS (*2 on your cell or 1-888-211-4727 otherwise). Click 0 (or anything else needed to get to the customer service). Don’t waste too much time with them, simply ask them to transfer you to the Account Services dept. (formerly Customer Retention dept.) They will insist on trying to help you -- just tell them you really need to talk to the Account Services dept and that they can’t help you (only the Account Services dept. can add the Pick3 to your plan).

Once you’re on the phone with the Account Services dept. Ask them to add the “Pick Three” to your plan (with no additional charge). Give them your Google Voice number as one of the three numbers.

If you don’t already have the Sprint2Spring (free unlimited minutes to/from any other Sprint number) ask them to add that to your plan as well (they may charge you extra $5 for that if it’s not part of your current plan already).

TIP: While you’re already on the phone with Account Services, tell them you were considering switching to one of the cheaper providers (Metro PCS, Cricket, etc) and ask them what better deal they can give you for cheaper (no need for more minutes since you will be getting free minutes from now on with Google Voice The Account Services dept can give you a much better deal than the Customer Service dept since their job is to retain important customer. You can even tell them you want this better deal to start immediately without renewing your contract for another year or two.

3. For your incoming calls to also be considered free unlimited minutes, you must set your Caller ID from within the Google Voice web interface to “Display as Google Voice number.” This is because most carriers determine the number calling based upon caller id.

NOTE to NON-Sprint users: this should work with any of the other top numbers plan like Sprint’s Pick 3:

• Verizon Wireless “Friends and Family”
• T-Mobile’s My Faves
• Alltel “U” & My Circle

(does AT&T have anything like top numbers? I’m not sure)

THAT’S IT!

To place any call with unlimited minutes nationwide (US) call your Google Voice number, enter your pin# / #2 / the number you want to call. Some phones will allow you to automate this process…

If you’re reading these lines, you’ve probably heard about social bookmarking. Then there’s social networking, social this and social that, but you don’t hear too much about social traveling, do you? Why is it that in our modern day and age people are not just willing, but are excited about sharing online experiences with complete strangers, while exploring less and less natural, real-life social networking and traveling opportunities?

One of my biggest passions in life is traveling and learning about other cultures. Living in the U.S. for quite some time now, though, I found that my way of traveling is different from what most Americans consider traveling. When I visit a new place, I look forward to spending as much time possible with locals, learning about their way of life, culture, politics, language, and doing less sight-seeing. It’s not that I don’t like sight-seeing, in fact, I think sight-seeing is great, but after a few hours of sight-seeing I get all anxious and I’m ready to cook a good meal with my new local friends, learn a local recipe, or a funny songs in their language.

Think about the 5 most meaningful experiences you had in your life. I’m serious. Stop reading for a moment and spend just 5 seconds thinking about these experiences. Now tell me, did most of these experiences involve PLACES or PEOPLE?

Throughout the years, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel the world and have found that I really enjoy the type of traveling I call “Social Traveling“.  Social Traveling is  focused on PEOPLE, not so much on PLACES. Sure, I get to see a lot of cool places along the way, but much more important, I get to share amazing experiences with amazing people, make a ton of new friends all over the world, save a lot of money on things I could care less about, like expensive hotels or restaurants, and most important, shape the way I see the world and keep on learning and becoming.

So I’ve decided it’s about time to share my top ten best ways for social traveling with my online friends (whom I hope to get to know more on a personal-level at some point

CouchSurfing

CouchSurfing is Servas’ young and sexy version. The idea is the same yet it brings to life the power of the internet and online social networking. You create a profile just like on Facebook or MySpace and start adding traveling-friends, join groups that are of interest to you, and  most important, host and get hosted by travelers all over the world.

Like Servas, CouchSurfing is an international network of people who are passionate about social traveling, cultural and educational exchanges of ideas.

” CouchSurfing is not about the furniture, not just about finding free accommodations around the world; it’s about making connections worldwide. We make the world a better place by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures. CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world! “

Pros: Free, easy web access, online social networking component, younger audience.

Cons: Not all members are willing to host, some open a profile but are not so active as real host/travelers.

I’m a big fan of CouchSurfing. I’ve hosted a number of travelers and CouchSurfed with others all over the US. It’s completely free and I like the younger vibe compared to Servas.

For more info, visit:
http://www.couchsurfing.com/
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?ref=search&init=q&q=couchsurfing

Servas

Servas is an international multicultural non-profit organization, working to build understanding, tolerance and world peace via traveling and cultural exchange. You can host people from all over the world, be hosted anywhere around the world, meet other amazing world-travelers who are interested in opening their doors to travelers just like you.

Pros: Serious world travelers, leaders, connectors, people who are passionate about social change, world peace, etc, family friendly, more mature travelers.

Cons: Cost money to join (though not too much), older audience, a bit more time consuming than CouchSurfing (next in this review), requires a short phone or face-to-face interview and application.

I’ve traveled with Servas a number of times, to Canada and in the US and enjoyed it very much. Other than membership fees, I spent no money on hotels and little on food (the people who hosted me fed me and showed me around, though that’s not always the case when it comes to food).

For more info, visit:
http://joomla.servas.org/content/blogcategory/42/77/
http://www.usservas.org/

Green Tortoise

If you’re looking for some adventure social traveling, Green Tortoise is for you. It’s the ultimate road trip experience across the US and South/Central America. You’ll do lots of hiking, exploring national parks, swim in natural hot springs, jump into mud rivers, do some crazy rafting, and more important, meet great people from all over the world. Wow, I sound like a commercial… I actually enjoyed their trips very much.

You’ll drive in a cool bus with up to 36 people. The bus doesn’t have seats, just comfy mattresses and a few extra bads hanging  from the ceiling. It’s pretty cool actually. Two drivers will drive at night while you’re asleep, and kaboom, you wake up in the middle of the Grand Canyon for a 2-3 days hike/camp. Back to the bus for another night, and you wake up in Yellowstone National Park or Bing Bend National Park, or a dozen of other national parks… Most of the driving is done at night so you save time while you cross-country the US.

Pros: Great way to see lots of places while not spending time driving (since the driving is done at night), very cheap (compared to any other way of traveling), great food (that’s my experience at least) since there are lots of health-conscious, green-oriented travelers, more of an international flavor (about half the people on both of the trips I took were international).

Cons: No real daily showers on most trips (which was not a problem for me since we swam in natural springs almost every day and you bring a biodegradable soup with you).

The Bus [click HERE to see video]

Green Tortoise is my personal favorite social traveling way and I’ve traveled with them twice so far. I’ve done their 14-days Southern Cross-Country Adventure trip (lots of hiking and camping) and their 15-days Baja Beach Daze (mot too much hiking, more relaxing on the beach kinda’ trip). I’d like to do one of their Festivals  & Fairs tours next.

For more info, visit:
http://www.greentortoise.com/budget.adventure.travel.html

BusAbout

BusAbout offers two kinds of social traveling opportunities. Their adventure trips are somewhat similar to the Green Tortoise idea only they travel in Europe and to other countries around the world. Their Hop-On-Hop-Off trips, on the other hand, are unique in that you can travel at your own pace while meeting lots of different travelers along the way.

I don’t know too much about the BusAbout since I’ve never actually traveled with them, but I’ve heard good things.

For more info, visit:
http://www.busabout.com

Now I’m about to write more on social traveling… There’s house swapping. and hosteling, and RV’ing and Shamrocker Adventures and Haggis Adventures and Busabout Adventures and Busabout Explorer and Oz Experience and Kiwi Experience and Baz Bus and… so many options, so little time… But I’d love to hear from you about your ideas on Social Traveling… Feel free to comment and share with other your favorite social traveling tips!

As you can see, the title of this post is Ten Amazing Speeches/Talks That Will Change The Way You See The World, but there’s one problem… I only have eight…  I’d love to hear from you which other speeches/talks should be added to the list… (add your comments at the end of this post)

These speeches/talks blew my mind! They are jaw-dropping, persuasive, courageous, ingenious, fascinating, funny and/or inspiring!

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address – Stay Hungry Stay Foolish

[22 minutes, speech starts after 7:30min]

“Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urges graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks– including death itself”.

Steve Jobs – Stay Hungry Stay Foolish [skip to the 7:30min]

Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture – Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

[76 minutes]

“Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. Pausch talkes about his lessons learned and gives advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals”.

Randy Pausch – Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

To learn more about Randy Pausch, visit his website:
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/

Sir Ken Robinson – Do Schools Today Kill Creativity? [20 minutes]

“A must-see for every parent and teacher. Education guru Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. Sir Ken Robinson is author of “Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative,” and a leading expert on innovation in education and business. (Recorded February, 2006 in Monterey, CA)”.

Sir Ken Robinson – Do Schools Today Kill Creativity?

For more amazing TED videos, visit:
http://www.ted.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/tedtalksdirector

Malcolm Gladwell – Age Before Beauty [82 minutes]

“On February 21st, 2006, Malcolm Gladwell gave a talk about the phenomenon of prodigies and late bloomers in art. The event was part of the New Yorker Nights, a series hosted by the Columbia University Arts Initiative and The New Yorker”.

Malcolm Gladwell – Age Before Beauty – Part 1 [23 minutes]

Malcolm Gladwell – Age Before Beauty – Part 2 [29 minutes]

Malcolm Gladwell – Age Before Beauty – Part 3 [30 minutes]

[source: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/03/06/060306onco_covers_gallery]

Another Gladwell favorite of mine is an article titled “The Formula” (click to read) published in The New Yorker in October 2006.

And of course, there are his two best sellers The Tipping Point and Blink, which are a must-read in my opinion, or listen if you’re an audible fan like me.

Seth Godin – Sliced Bread and Other Marketing Delights [19 minutes]

“In a world of too many options and too little time, our obvious choice is to ignore the ordinary stuff. Marketing guru Seth Godin spells out why, when it comes getting our attention, bad or bizarre ideas are more successful than boring ones. And early adopters, not the mainstream’s bell curve, are the new sweet spot of the market”.

Seth Godin – Sliced Bread and Other Marketing Delights

Other Seth Godin best sellers and personal favorites are The Big Moo, Small Is the New Big, and Purple Cow.

Tim Ferriss – The 4-Hour Workweek (mp3) [54 minutes]

“In a digital world, it is possible to design luxury lifestyles in the here-and-now without waiting for retirement. This presentation explores extremes of creating time and mobility, including: how to check e-mail twice a day…or once per week; the end of time management and the birth of “selective ignorance”; how to travel the world without your boss (or customers) ever knowing”.

Tim Ferriss – The 4-Hour Workweek (mp3)

[source: South by Southwest (SXSW) 2007 Podcasts]

You can download the complete audio book of “The 4 Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich” here.

Annie Leonard – The Story of Stuff [20 minutes]

“The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.”

Annie Leonard – The Story of Stuff

[source: http://www.storyofstuff.com]

Rob Bryanton – Imagining The Tenth Dimension [12 minutes]

“In string theory, physicists tell us that the subatomic particles that make up our universe are created within ten spatial dimensions (plus an eleventh dimension of “time”) by the vibrations of exquisitely small “superstrings”. The average person has barely gotten used to the idea of there being four dimensions: how can we possibly imagine the tenth?”

Rob Bryanton – Imagining The Tenth Dimension

Confused? I was too… fascinated, yet confused…
For more info about the tenth dimension, visit:
http://www.tenthdimension.com/

Jill Bolte Taylor’s Stroke of Insight [20 minutes]

“Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.”

Jill Bolte Taylor’s Stroke of Insight

Click here to view the embedded video.

For more amazing TED videos, visit:
http://www.ted.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/tedtalksdirector

Dan Ariely – Are We in Control of Our Decisions? [18 minutes]

“Behavioral economist Dan Ariely, the author of Predictably Irrational, uses classic visual illusions and his own counterintuitive (and sometimes shocking) research findings to show how we’re not as rational as we think when we make decisions.”

Dan Ariely – Are We in Control of Our Decisions?

Click here to view the embedded video.

For more amazing TED videos, visit:
http://www.ted.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/tedtalksdirector

Any speeches/talks I should add to the list? (add your comments at the end of this post)

Is your PC too sluggish? Suspecting there’s a virus or a spyware? Want to speed up your internet? Here’s my complete guide on how to make your PC super-fast, get rid of junk, clear lots of space on your hard-drive and protect yourself from viruses and spywares…

1. First Thing First – Update Your Windows XP

WHY: Periodically, Microsoft releases security patches, driver updates and other important component that will help keep your computer safe and secure.

TIME: 10-60 minutes (depending on how outdated your system is)

INSTRUCTIONS: Visit Microsoft Updates Website:
http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/

I recommend updating all available updates (for software and hardware). This may have to be run multiple times with multiple restarts. Run Microsoft Updates over and over again until it will show zero updates available on all sections. If you are a Microsoft paranoid or conspiracy theorist, at least update all ‘High Priority’ updates (security updates that help preventing viruses, hacks and spywares) and the ‘Hardware’ (drivers update that will make your PC run smoother and prevent software/hardware conflicts).

If you don’t already have it ‘ON’ I recommend setting Windows Automatic Updates to ‘ON’. This will guarantee you will have the latest security patches at all time. Here’s how to do this:
http://www.theeldergeek.com/automatic_updates.htm

2. Install / Update Your Anti-Virus:

WHY: Norton (Symantec) and McAfee used to be the leaders in Anti-Virus software but they have become big and ugly. Their latest versions takes a lot of computer resources and slow down your computer like crazy. I’ve done lots of testing with lots of anti-virus software and the only one I’ve been real happy with so far is AVG. It’s ranked pretty high compared to all other anti-virus software, it’s free, and it leaves them all way behind in keeping your computer’s performance fast.

TIME: If you don’t have any anti-virus installed, installing AVG shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes. If you have Norton, removing it may require extra work (10-20 minutes).

INSTRUCTIONS:

If you have any other Anti-Virus installed and would like to install AVG, you’ll have to uninstall the one you have first. I know you want to be safe but it’s a very bad idea to have two anti-virus software running at the same time.

If you use Norton or McAfee and would like to remove it before installing AVG, go to Start / Control Panel / Add/Remove Programs and remove anything that has Norton, Symantec, McAfee, LiveReg or Live Update. If it asks you to restart your computer, you can click cancel and continue removing all of these and restart when you are done. Make sure to check again for any of these in the Add/Remove list after restart (sometime they require additional removal action).

Norton is well known for not wanting to leave your computer so quickly so I’d also recommend using the Norton Removal Tool to make sure you have no Norton leftovers before you install AVG.

ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/removal_tools/Norton_Removal_Tool.exe
http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039

Download and install Free AVG:
http://free.grisoft.com/
Personally, I would recommend paying just a bit extra and getting the Complete Internet Security suite, which includes an Anti-Spyware. If you that, you can skip the next step on this guide and you saved yourself some money on additional anti-spyware.
http://www.grisoft.com/ww.product-avg-internet-security/

Whichever anti-virus you want to use, it’s worth NOTHING if you do not update it. On average, there are 5-20 new viruses a day. Make sure you update your Anti-Virus daily (AVG updates itself regularly but you can also run manual updates more frequently).

DO NOT RUN A FULL VIRUS SCAN JUST YET, DO THAT AT THE END AFTER CLEANING YOUR COMPUTER FROM JUNK.

For additional online free virus scan, visit:
http://www.ewido.net/en/onlinescan
http://portableapps.com/apps/utilities/clamwin_portable
http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner
http://www.virustotal.com/
http://www.virscan.org/
http://virusscan.jotti.org/

3. Install / Update Your Anti-Spyware software

WHY: Spyware has a range of meanings including Malware, Scumware, Adware, Keystroke-loggers, Browser parasites, Browser and homepage hijackers, unsolicited commercial software, dialers, and Trojan horses. Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer are the targets for most of this nasty stuff.

TIME: 5-10 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

If you’ve installed the new AVG Anti-Virus, you’ve probably noticed it comes bundled with a mini Anti-Spyware. If you paid and got the Complete Internet Security suite (which I recommend), you should be fully protected against spywares as well and you don’t really need to pay for another anti-spyware. Especially you don’t need one that will sit in your system tray 24/7, slowing down your computer. With that said, it’s not a bad idea at all to periodically scan your computer using an additional Anti-Spyware (without having it sit in the memory on a regular basis).

After testing a few of the top-ranked anti-spyware software (aside from the paid version of AVG, which I think is super), I settled on adding Spyware Doctor. It’s ranked among the top Anti-Spyware software and its scanning time is pretty short:
http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/

Note: after instillation. Spyware-Doctor will sit in the memory constantly and might slow down your computer (like any other anti-spyware). Since I have the complete AVG, I only turn it on when I want to run a scan (about once a week) and shut it down when it’s done. Once again, whichever anti-spyware you want to use, it worth NOTHING if you do not update it. Make sure you update your Anti-Spyware before you run a scan or have it set up for auto-updates.

Trend Micro offers a web based free Anti-Spyware but you can only scan and remove spywares with it and not install it on your computer:
http://us.trendmicro.com/us/products/personal/free-tools-and-services/index.html

Most people are well-aware of Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware (pun intended as a leading program. While Lavasoft are doing a great job in marketing their software, Ad-Aware is not the best anti-spyware out there and it’s actually listed in the mid to low level in terms of its ability to detect spywares. Not best, not worst. I’ve also used Spy Sweeper in the past (ranked high as well) but didn’t like is as much as I like Complete AVG and Spyware Doctor (which is also ranked higher). They all take over my registry and slow down the computer (which is normal for a process running like this in the background) but with one click, Spyware Doctor allows me shut it down or turn it on whenever I want to scan.

If you want to read more on how experts test and compare anti-spyware software, visit:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136206/article.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,122496-page,1/article.html

DO NOT RUN A FULL SPYWARE SCAN JUST YET, DO THAT AT THE END AFTER CLEANING YOUR COMPUTER FROM JUNK.

4. Update Multimedia Software and Disable Auto-Update and Startup Icons

WHY: We all enjoy multimedia when surfing the web, so why not have the latest versions. Old versions will frequently have security holes and will be slower to react. Once we update them all, we no longer need the auto-update feature, which sits in the memory and slows down the system. I prefer manually updating them all every couple of months over having all of them on auto-update, sucking my computer resources daily.

TIME: 30-60 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

QuickTime with iTunes (or just QuickTime if you don’t like iTunes):
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
or QuickTime Alternative:
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/QuickTime_Alternative.htm
or MediaMonkey (iTunes replacement):
http://www.mediamonkey.com/

While QuickTime and iTunes are great, they leave junk behind you want to clean. To disable QuickTime from loading on every startup:
Start QuickTime / Edit / Preferences / QuickTime Preferences /
under the Update tab – uncheck “check for updates automatically”.
under the Advanced tab – uncheck “install QuickTime icon in system tray”
OK, exit.
Start iTunes / Edit / Preferences /
under General – uncheck “check for updates automatically”
under Advanced – uncheck “show iTunes icon in system tray”
OK, exit

To permanently prevent QuickTime from auto-start, go to:
My Computer / Local Disk (C:) / Program Files / QuickTime -  delete QtTask.exe

To prevent iTunes from auto-start, go to:
Start / Control Panel / Add/Remove Programs -  remove Apple Updates, Bonjour

Free RealPlayer:
http://www.real.com/
or the Real Player Alternative:
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternative.htm

While RealPlayer is nice sometimes, it also leave junk behind it that you want to clean:
Start RealPlayer /Tools / Preferences /
under AutoUpdate – uncheck “Automatically download…”
under Message Center / select Message Topics – uncheck EVERYTHING
under Message Center / select Configure Message Center – uncheck EVERYTHING

To permanently delete the RealPlayer auto-start, go to:
My Computer / Local Disk (C:) / Program Files / Common Files / Real / Update_ob – delete realsched.exe

DivX (Video Codec):
http://www.divx.com/

AC3 Filter (Audio Codec):
http://ac3filter.net/projects/ac3filter

Adobe Acrobat Reader:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
of Foxit as an alternative PDF reader:
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/
For PDF Creation, you might want to check out PDFCreator as an alternative to Acrobat Pro:
http://www.pdfforge.org/products/pdfcreator/download

After updating to the latest version, to disable Acrobat’s auto-updates:
Run Acrobat / Help / Check for Updates / Preferences – uncheck “Automatically check for Adobe updates”

Abobe Flesh Player (DO NOT install the toolbar that comes with it):
http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer

Adobe ShockWave Player (DO NOT install the Norton that comes with it):
http://www.adobe.com/go/getshockwave

Google Toolbar, Google Desktop, Picasa, Google Earth, Google Talk (but NOT NORTON)
http://pack.google.com/

After you update all your google software, to disable google auto-update, go to:
Start / Control Panel / Add/Remove Programs – remove Google Updater

5. Make Sure You Have a Firewall Turned On

WHY: Firewall protects your computer from viruses, spywares, and other malicious attacks and speeds up your internet by blocking IP requests from malicious websites/port scanners. It’s super important that you use one.

TIME: 5-10 minutes to install.

INSTRUCTIONS:

If you want to test your system, visit the ShieldsUp page, click “Proceed” and then “All Service Ports” on the gray menu:
https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2
If all of the boxes are green, you’re protected. If they are blue, you’re so-so. Red – not good, duh.

If nothing else, I’d recommend at least using Windows XP’s own firewall (granted that you did all Windows Updates). That’s the least you can do for your security. Assuming you updated your window (see step 1) you should now have SP2/SP3 with firewall. To turn it ON go to: Start / Control Panel / Security Center
Click on the Windows Firewall icon / Click ON (recommended) and then click OK

For real protection, I’d recommend using either Comodo Firewall (free), Online Armor (free), or Outpost Firewall (not free). All three are ranked very high and provide the best protection you can ask for. I’ve used Outpost in the past and liked it a lot but it tends to be just a bit more complicated to setup. Comodo is much faster and currently my favorite firewall. Online Armor is easier to figure out but just a bit slower. All in all, they are all excellent.

http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/
http://www.tallemu.com/
http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpost/

I don’t recommend ZoneAlarm, Norton (Symantec) or McAfee firewalls. They all take major computer resources and slow down your computer.

You can read more about either, compare, and learn about firewalls here:
http://www.matousec.com/projects/firewall-challenge/results.php
http://www.grc.com/su-explain.htm

6. Remove Unnecessary Software

WHY: You may have a bunch of software-package on your hard drive that are no longer needed (or were never used). Some came with your PC when you bought it, others were gratuitously installed when you downloaded some other “free” software. Toolbars, file-sharing programs, free email enhancers, online shopping “companions” and download managers are notorious for this practice. These uninvited guests can put a big drag on your startup time, cause web pages to load slowly, and generally bog down your computer.

TIME: 5-30 minutes (depending on how much you remove)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Go to Start / Control Panel / Add/Remove Programs to see what software is installed. Remove the ones you know you don’t need, and do a web search to learn about the ones you’re not sure about. I’d recommend removing any toolbar (yahoo, msn, aol, etc) and leave/install only google’s toolbar but that’s a personal preference.

The PC Decrapifier can also help you remove any junk software you don’t need/use:
http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/

7. Remove Unnecessary Windows Components

WHY: Same idea as in #6 but this time we’ll remove pre-installed Windows software.

TIME: 2 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Go to Start / Control Panel / Add/Remove Programs – on the left menu, click ‘Add/Remove Windows Components’
Remove the ‘Indexing Service’ and the ‘MSN Explorer’ (this is not Microsoft Explorer, I don’t know anyone who ever uses MSN Explorer)

8. Remove Old Already-Integrated Windows-Update Installation Files

NOTE: This is for advance users only. If you’re not sure if you’ll ever need to roll-back your system, skip this step.

WHY: These files/folders are created by windows when you install windows updates and are no longer necessary once the updates are integrated into the OS. Deleting these files/folders will clear a lot of free space from your hard-drive.

TIME: 1 minute.

INSTRUCTIONS:

To delete, go to: Start / Search / All Files and Folders – In the upper box put $NT
Click ‘More Advanced Options’ and check the first three boxes (Search system folders, Search hidden files and folders, and Search subfolders). Click the Search button and wait until it’s done.
Hit CTRL+A to select all and delete. Alternatively, if you want to be on the safe side, you can sort the results by date by clicking the “Date Modified” column header. Choose all the folders that are at least a month old and delete them (you can select them all by holding the CTRL button while clicking each).

You’ve deleted the unnecessary backup but there’s still a reference to it in the Add/Remove section. To delete this reference, go to:
Start / Control Panel / Add/Remove Programs
Check the little “Show Updates” box on the top tight corner.

Scroll all the way down until you see ‘Windows XP – Software Updates’. Checking the date each update was installed on, choose ONLY those updates you deleted (either all or those which are older than a month) and click REMOVE. You will get an ‘Uninstaller Error’, click YES. Do this ONLY for those updates you’re getting an error message for. If you do not get an ‘Uninstaller Error’ (that means you are trying to remove an update that you did not delete earlier, cancel and DO NOT remove that update.

9. Disable and Stop Windows Services you DEFINITELY Don’t Need

NOTE: This is for advance users only. If you’re not sure which service to disable, go with the safe list or skip this step.

WHY: These are services windows runs every time you restart the computer. You’d think they are all necessary, but no, most are useless and take up memory/resources.

TIME: 2 minute.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Go to Start / Control Panel / Performance and Maintenance (if available) / Administrator Tools / Services
Double-click the following services and change their Startup Type from Automatic (always on) to either “Disable” (will never run again) or “Manual” (will only run if needed).

The Safe (to disable) List:

Alerter – Disable
ClipBook – Disable
Computer Browser – Manual
Error Reporting Service – Disable
Help and Support – Manual
Indexing Service – Disable
Messenger (this is NOT MSN IM !!! It is not only safe but highly recommended to turn off this service) – Disable
Net Logon – Disable
NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing (unless you ever use NetMeeting) – Disable
Network DDE – Disable
Network DDE DSDM – Disable
Network Location Awareness (NLA) – Disable
Network Provisioning Service – Disable
Performance Logs and Alerts – Manual
Portable Media Serial Number Service – Manual
QoS RSVP – Disable
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager – Disable
Remote Registry – Disable
Routing and Remote Access – Disable
Secondary Logon – Manual
Server – Manual
SSDP Discovery Service – Manual
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper – Disable
Telnet (unless you use it) – Disable
Uninterruptible Power Supply – Disable (if you don’t use one) / Manual (if you think you might do or will)
Universal Plug and Play Device Host – Manual
WebClient – Disable
WMI Performance Adapter – Disable

Additional services (not by Microsoft) you might have and can safely disable:
Ad-Aware 2007 Service – Manual
Bonjour Service – Disable
Cyberlink RichVideo Service(CRVS) – Disable
Bluetooth Support Service (unless you use bluetooth) – Disable
Crypkey License – Manual
FLEXnet Licensing Service – Manual
Google Updater Service – Manual
iPod Service – Manual
NMIndexingService – Manual

If you want to learn more about these services and see what other services you can disable,
For XP SP2, visit:
http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/Archive/servicecfg.htm
For XP SP3, visit:
http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

10. Stop Indexing Service

WHY: The Indexing Service in Windows XP indexes your files presumably to shorten the time needed to search your hard drive if you are looking for a specific file or part of a phrase inside a file. However, the constant indexing of files actually slows down system performance and does not benefit search performance except for extreme complex searches.

TIME: 5 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

I’m assuming you already disabled Indexing Service in step #9 but to instruct Windows to never index any file on your computer, go to “My Computer”, right-click  each hard drive one at a time, left-click “Properties”. Uncheck “Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching”. Click OK. If any files cannot be updated select “Ignore All”. Repeat for all of your hard-drives.

11. Disable Error Reporting

WHY: One feature incorporated into Windows XP is its error reporting service. The purpose of Windows error reporting is to provide Microsoft with the data necessary to determine the need for and develop patches. As beneficial as this can be to Microsoft, it can be inconvenient or just plain annoying to you.

TIME: 1 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Disabling this service is very straightforward:
Go to Start / Control Panel / Performance and Maintenance (if available) / System / Advanced tab – click on Error Reporting at the bottom / Select Disable Error Reporting / click OK.

12. Remove Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop Sharing (only in XP Pro, not in XP Home)

WHY: Do you really want to let anyone remotely control your computer?

TIME: 1 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Start / Control Panel / Performance and Maintenance (if available) / System / Remote Tab
Uncheck “Remote Assistance”, “Desktop Sharing”, or “Remote Desktop”. Hit OK to apply settings.

13. Improve Windows XP Performance

WHY: Why not? Default Windows XP visual settings slow down system responsiveness. You are most likely to see no difference after changing these settings (which is great if you like the current look/feen of your windows) but it should help speed up your XP.

TIME: 1 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

To keep the “look” of Windows XP while losing the sluggish feel, go to:
Start / Control Panel / Performance and Maintenance (if available) / System / Advanced tab – in the ‘Performance’ section select ‘Settings’. Leave only the following checked:

- Show shadows under menus
– Show shadows under mouse pointer
– Show translucent selection rectangle
– Use drop shadows for icons labels on the desktop
– Use visual styles on windows and buttons

Hit Apply and OK.

14. Optimize Windows Page File (Virtual Memory)

WHY: Virtual memory is the space on your hard drive Windows uses as RAM (Random Access Memory). The page file (pagefile.sys) serves as temporary, virtual memory storage for code and data. Too small of a file-size will cause your computer to slow down (over-using your RAM memory). Too big of a file size will also slow down your computer since your hard drive is naturally slower than your RAM to be used as virtual memory.

TIME: 1 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Before you change the virtual memory size, you need to know how much RAM your PC have. Do do that, go to:
Start / Settings / Control Panel / System / General tab – on this window, under ‘computer’ it will tell you how much memory you have.

Go to Start / Control Panel / System / Advanced tab – in the ‘Performance’ section select ‘Settings’ / Advanced tab, in the “Virtual Memory” section select “Change”.
Change to Custom Size and the values of both the ‘Initial size’ and the ‘Maximum size; to 1.5 x the amount of RAM in your system. For example, if you have 1GB of RAM, change both values to 1500 (MB) (1 GB =1000 MB).
Use only the C drive (disable page file on other drives) and make sure your page file size is not bigger than 3GB (3000mb).

Select Set, OK, Apply, OK, OK, OK. If Windows asks you to reboot, you don’t have to do so right now.

15. Disable System Restore or Reduce its Drive Space Usage

WHY: System Restore creates periodic snapshots of your critical system files (like the registry files, COM+ database, user profiles, and such) and stores them as a “restore point.” The idea behind it may be nice – in case something goes wrong with your system you can revert back to a previous working state, but in reality, this feature takes A LOT of resources and slows down your system. I can’t remember when I (or anyone I know) have ever used the rollback feature and there are plenty of backup software out there that will do the trick much faster.

TIME: 1 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Start / Control Panel / Performance and Maintenance (if available) / System / System Restore tab – for each drive partition, highlight it then select Settings, under Drive Space Usage adjust the slider to zero or check “Turn off System Restore on All Drives”.

If you really insist on not disabling this feature, the least you can do is lower the slider to roughly 3% or a max of 2GB of disk space for the C drive (or whichever drive your Windows is installed on). Being that the rollback is only effective on Windows components and not on personal files you’ve deleted by mistake, this feature (if used at all) should really only be used on the C drive. Hit OK.

16. Reduce Recycling Bin Drive Space Usage

WHY: In Windows XP the Maximum size of the Recycle Bin is set by default to 10% of your hard drive, when full, this can be a big waste of drive space. Reducing the Maximum size prevents excess space from being wasted. It is quite common to have hundreds of MBs of deleted files in the Recycling Bin and it is never emptied.

TIME: 1 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

To change the Recycle Bin Size, right-click Recycle Bin on your desktop, left-click Properties, select the Global tab, and “Use one setting for all drives”. Move the slider to 3%.

17. Improve Windows XP Response Time

NOTE: This is for advanced users only. Messing up with the registry can be dangerous so mess at your own risk. I’d also suggest backing up your registry before touching it.

WHY: Often times when Windows is shutting down a dialog appears saying the system is waiting for a service to close. These tweaks will reduce the amount of time that expires before this warning appears, making your startup/shut down time shorter.

TIME: 1 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Start / Run / RegEdit

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\HungAppTimeout
To set a lower threshold at which the system prompts you to manually end a hung task, change the HungAppTimeout value from the default 5000 to 2000.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WaitToKillAppTimeout
To set a lower threshold at which the system prompts you to manually end a hung task, change the WaitToKillAppTimeout value from the default 20,000 to 1000.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\WaitToKillServiceTimeout
Change the WaitToKillServiceTimeout value from the default 20,000 to 2000

Windows XP has a service called the Prefetcher. It basically monitors the different programs that start during startup and helps them launch faster. To find this tool browse to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters\EnablePrefetcher
Change EnablePrefetcher to 3

Speed up the Start menu – No, it’s not your imagination… the Start menu can be a little leisurely. Make it appear quicker by using the Registry Editor to change the value of:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay
from 400 (the default) to 200.

To shorten Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer) response time, go to:
My Computer / Local Disk (C) / Tools (top menu) / View / Uncheck “Automatically search for network folders and printers”. Hit OK.

18. Get Rid of Unwanted Startup Programs

WHY: Startup programs are all those little icons on the lower bar next to the time that load themselves with every restart. Some are necessary but most take a lot of memory and are not required.

TIME: 5-60 minutes (depending on how long it takes you to figure out which ones you need and which ones you don’t).

INSTRUCTIONS:

I use TuneUp Utilities (mentioned before) to change/remove stuff from the startup list. It’s an excellent program that does many wonderful things to speed up your PC. While it’s the best I found so far, it’s not free.:
http://www.tune-up.com/products/tuneup-utilities/

If you want a free startup manager, use either StartUp Inspector or AutoRuns:
http://www.windowsstartup.com/startupinspector.php
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx

Alternatively, you can go to:
Start / Run / MSCONFIG – under the Startup tab you will see the list of all your startup programs. To remove, simply uncheck whichever software you don’t want to automatically start with Windows.
I am not a big fan of MSCONFIG since it has much less options than the other software but it will do the job if you don’t want to download/install anything.

If you want to know what each startup program does, use the search function of these websites or google the program’s name with the combination of the word ’startup’:
http://castlecops.com/StartupList.html
http://www.tasklist.org/
http://startuplist.geekstogo.com/

19. Start Using Firefox (as much as you can) instead of Internet Explorer.

WHY: It’s faster, nicer, safer, and, well, just better better better.

TIME: 10-60 minutes (depending on how much time you spend on looking at Add-Ons).

INSTRUCTIONS:

Download Firefox 3 and install it from:
http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

Why firefox vs. explorer, you ask?
http://www.rocketboom.com/vlog/rb_05_dec_02
http://www.google.com/search?aq=f&q=internet+explorer+vs.+firefox+3

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Here are a few fixes that will improve Firefox memory usage and speed up surfing:

Open Firefox and go to the Address Bar. Type in about:config and then press Enter. Look for the following entries:
– “network.http.pipelining” and set value to true
– “network.http.pipelining.maxrequests” and set value to 30
– “network.http.proxy.pipelining” and set value to true
– “nglayout.initialpaint.delay” and set value to 50
– “config.trim_on_minimize” and set value to true
– “browser.cache.memory.capacity” and set value to 32768
– “browser.sessionhistory.max_total_viewers” and set value to 0

If you don’t have them, create them:
– Right click -> new -> boolean -> type in “network.http.pipelining” -> set value to true
– Right click -> new -> integer -> type in “network.http.pipelining.maxrequests” -> set value to 30
– Right click -> new -> boolean -> type in “network.http.proxy.pipelining” -> set value to true
– Right click -> new -> boolean -> type in “config.trim_on_minimize” -> set value to true
– Right click -> new -> integer -> type in “nglayout.initialpaint.delay” -> set value to 50
– Right click -> new -> integer -> type in “browser.cache.memory.capacity” -> set value to 32768
– Right click -> new -> integer -> type in “browser.sessionhistory.max_total_viewers” -> set value to 0

To speed-up Firefox furthermore, use the free FireTune:
http://www.totalidea.com/content/firetune/firetune-index.html

Install Your Favorite Firefox Add-Ons.
Firefox add-ons add new and exciting functionalities to Firefox. They can add anything from a toolbar button to a completely new feature. They allow the application to be customized to fit the personal needs of each user if they need additional features, while keeping Firefox small to download.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/

Here’s my personal must-have list of extensions but you can download as many different extensions as you wish.

20. Update Java and Disable Its Automatic Update Option

WHY: Updating your Java components will ensure safer browsing in terms of viruses and spywares as well as speed up your computer every time a website uses Java. My personal preference is to always disable auto-updates and every once in a while just update everything manually. I’d rather do it by myself than have all of these auto-updates sitting in the memory constantly and poping-up daily/weekly update reminders.

TIME: 5 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Get your Free Java Download at:
http://www.java.com/en/

After installing/updating, go to:
Start / Control Panel / Java /
under the Update tab – click Update Now to make sure you have the latest version.
under the Update tab – uncheck “Check for updates Automatically”.
under the General tab / Temporary Internet Files / Settings… – click Delete Files, change the “Amount of disk space to use” to 0 and uncheck “Keep temporary files on my computer”. OK, OK.

21. Run ChkDsk

WHY: ChkDsk (Check Disk) is a built-in Windows file system repair utility. Running it will fix and prevent any physical problems your hard-drives might have. Alternativelly, you can use TuneUp Utilities mentioned earlier. It actually does a better job than ChkDsk but it’s not free.

TIME: 5-60 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Go to My Computer / one by one, right-click \each hard-drive, left-click “Properties”, select the “Tools” tab, click “Check Now…”, check “Automatically Fix File System Errors”, then click “Start”. If it tells you it cannot perform the full scan now (or something like that) and asks you if you want to schedule a check after reboot, click “Yes”. Do this to all of your hard drives.

At this point, it is important that you restart your computer. Expect the startup time to take about 5-60 minutes since it will now run a comprehensive scan on your harddrive. In some computers it may look like the computer is frozen. It’s not, I promise… just give it the time it needs… you want a healthy harddrive after all…

22. Restart your computer

If you have not done so, restart your computer at this point, before you move to the next step of cleaning tons of junk from your computer. If you did the ChkDsk from the previous step, your startup will be slow this time as your computer checking your hard drive for physical errors.

23. Clean your Hard-Drive from Junk

WHY: Both Windows and application programs tend to leave temporary files lying around on your hard drive, taking up space needlessly. A hard drive that is close to being full can cause Windows to act strangely, and will slow down or interfere with efficient disk access and virtual memory operations. And if you surf the web a lot, your temporary internet files folder can become quite large, causing Internet Explorer or Firefox to slow down or malfunction. Cleaning up unneeded files, scanning for disk errors and decrementing the hard drive will help to restore some space to your system and speed up your system.

TIME: 10-20 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

My favorites, and the two cleaning tool I use are CCleaner and CleanUp!
http://www.ccleaner.com/
http://www.stevengould.org/software/cleanup/

these are two great and free little programs that will delete all these junk files and will clear a lot of space from your hard-drive (you will be surprised how much space can be cleared).

In CleanUp!, after installing/running, click Options and replace what’s under the Temporary Files tab with this list:

~*.*
*.*~
*.~*
*.—
*._mp
*.^*
*.??$
*.?~?
*.temp
*.$$$
*.$*
*.@@@
*.gid
*.ftg
imagedb.aid
*.ilk
vc?0.idb
*.nu3
*.nu4
file????._dd
*.bak
*.chk
*.tmp
index.dat
desktop.ini
thumbs.db
*.old
*.err
errorlog.txt
*.fnd
*.mch
*.dmp
0???????.nch
mscreate.dir
*.diz

(these are all files that are safe to delete from your hard drive. get ready to get the shock of your life when you find out how much crap you had…)

24. Restart your computer (again)

It’s important that you restart your computer again now so that CleanUp! can delete those junk files that were used by windows.

25. Clean, Fix, Defrag and Speedup Your Registry

WHY: Windows Registry stores a lot of junk that is not needed. Cleaning your registry, defragging and compacting it will speed up your system.

TIME: 5-10 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

I use TuneUp Utilities (which I’ve mentioned before). It does a great job in finding hundreds of potential registry problems and fixing them in no time. It also compacts and defrags the registry for best performance.
http://www.tune-up.com/products/tuneup-utilities/

Alternatively, you can use Eusing Free Registry Cleaner, free RegSeeker, GlarySoft’s Registry Repair, and previously mentioned free CCleaner:
http://www.eusing.com/free_registry_cleaner/registry_cleaner.htm
http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm
http://www.glarysoft.com/rr.html
http://www.ccleaner.com/

26. Restart your computer (what? again?)

Yes, it’s important that you restart your computer once again after messing with the registry…

27. Defrag Your Hard-Drives

WHY: File system performance is maximized when files are contiguous on the disk. This means that all of the data in each file would be located consecutively on the hard drive, instead of fragmented into separate parts all over the disk surface, causing the hard drive to work harder (slower) when reading/writing your files.

TIME: 30-180 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

With Windows XP, Microsoft offers a built-in Windows defragmenter. To run it, go to:
My Computer / right-click the local harddisk volume you want to defrag / Properties/ on the Tools tab, select Defragment Now / Defragment.
Alternatively, you can also go to Start / Run / type: Dfrg.msc / Select the volume that you want to defragment / Defragment. For best performance defrag ALL your hard-drives.

While Microsoft’s Disk Defragmenter is better than nothing, it does not fully optimize your hard drive performance, runs 300-500% slower, cannot be scheduled without a third party application and includes no advanced features. Unfortunately there is no free defragmenter that does a better job but if you want to pay the extra $ for a better defragmenter, I use and recommend either TuneUp Utilities or PerfectDisk:
http://www.tune-up.com/products/tuneup-utilities/
http://www.raxco.com/home_office/home_perfectdisk_professional.cfm

Diskeeper is also a great alternative (also not free):
http://www.diskeeper.com/products/products.asp

Note: Regularly, use only one software to defrag your harddrives. Switching programs frequently or using two different programs to defrag is not a good idea since each of them uses a different mechanism to defrag.

28. Defrag your Page File:

WHY: One of the limitations of the Windows XP defragmentation interface is that it is not possible to defragment files that are open for exclusive access. Thus, standard defragmentation programs can neither show you how fragmented your paging files or registry hives are, nor defragment them. Paging and Registry file fragmentation can be one of the leading causes of performance degradation related to file fragmentation in a system.

TIME: 5-10 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

I use TuneUp Utilities (yes, mentioned before) to do that. It does a great job in defragging both the pagefile and the registry, but it’s not free:
http://www.tune-up.com/products/tuneup-utilities/

Alternatively, you can download and use Microsoft’s free PageDefrag utility:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897426.aspx

29. Restart your computer (again?)

Yes, it’s important that you restart your computer once again so the PageDefrag can do its magic.

NOTE: After running PageDefrag (in the previous step) and restarting your computer, your restart time will take awhile… This is because the PageDefrag is actually doing its job. Don’t worry. Be patient even if it looks like the computer froze, give it some time, it will restart. If you readjust the Page File size, rerun PageDefrag, otherwise this only needs to be run once. On badly fragmented hard drives with a lot of files, PageDefrag may take a long time to run, be patient and let it finish.

30. TCP/IP Optimizer

WHY: Applications to Optimize/Increase Your Internet Connection Speed.

TIME: 3 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Once again, I use TuneUp Utilities to do that, but as said many times, it’s not free:
http://www.tune-up.com/products/tuneup-utilities/

A free alternative is the TCP Optimizer:
http://www.speedguide.net/downloads.php

Under the “General Settings” tab select your Connection Speed (Kbps), which is your Maximum Download Speed. If you do not know what it is, contact your ISP and ask them. Make sure the value you get is in Kbps. (exact capitalization is important, uppercase K, lowercase b, etc…) Road Runner and Yahoo SBC offer 1.5mb (1500Kbps) or 3mb (3000Kbps) service.

Under “Network Adapter Selection” check “Modify All Network Adapters”
At the bottom, select “Optimal settings”

If you’re connected to the internet using DSL, like Yahoo SBC (and NOT cable like Road Runner), check the “PPPoe DSL” box under the MTU. If you use cable, do not check this box. Click “Apply changes” and “Yes” to Reboot (or you can reboot later).

Note: Setting the Connection Speed higher then your Maximum ISP Download Speed will NOT improve performance and may actually hurt performance. Whatever your ISP claims is your Maximum Download Speed should always be used regardless of what any speed test shows. Maximum download speeds are theoretical and not always attainable for various reasons. It is normal for them to fluctuate. However, drastic differences between what your ISP claims you should get and what you are actually getting should be brought up with your ISP. It is your money after all and I would want to get what I paid for.

Find more info at:
http://www.speedguide.net/downloads.php
http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/
http://performance.toast.net/

31. SP2/SP3 TCP/IP Slowdown Fix (Event ID 4226 Patcher)

WHY: Windows XP SP2/SP3 limits the number of simultaneous incomplete outbound TCP connection attempts per second to 10 from an “unlimited” number (16777214) in SP1. With the new implementation, if a P2P or some other network program attempts to connect to 100 sites at once, it would only be able to connect to 10 per second, so it would take it 10 seconds to reach all 100. In addition, even though the setting was registry editable in SP1, it is now only possible to edit by changing it directly in the system file tcpip.sys. Keep in mind this is a cap only on simultaneous incomplete outbound connect attempts per second, not total connections. Servers and P2P programs can definitely be affected by this new limitation. The purpose of this is an attempt to limit the speed at which Viruses and Worms spread. However this does absolutely nothing to improve YOUR security. It merely attempts to slow the spread of a Viruses and Worms from your computer to others AFTER you have been infected. Remember it is a limit on OUTBOUND not Inbound connections.

TIME: 1 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

I recommend installing this patch for optimal network and Internet performance:
http://www.lvllord.de/?lang=en&url=downloads

To increase the number of connections from 10 to 100, type C, then 100, press Enter, type Y and finally Enter again. A “Windows File Protection” window will come up, ignore this by selecting “Cancel” then “Yes” and Reboot. This warning is normal since you are editing a protected system file.

For more info, visit:
http://www.lvllord.de/?lang=en&url=tools#4226patch

32. Run a COMPLETE Anti-Virus Scan (including compressed files)

33. Run a COMPLETE Anti-Spyware Scan (using one or more of the software described above)

34. Enjoy a clean and fast new computer…

Other useful and free software to improve XP performance:

http://www.glarysoft.com/gu.html

NOTE: The use of information provided on this page is at your own risk and responsibility.

The information on this page is taken from many different online sources such the ones below and from my own extensive experience in fixing PCs.

http://support.f-secure.com/enu/home/onlineservices/fshc.shtml
http://www.driveragent.com/
http://secunia.com/software_inspector/
http://www.blackviper.com/
http://www.matousec.com/projects/firewall-challenge/results.php
http://www.tweakxp.com/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,143642-page,16-c,webservices/article.html
http://www.lifehacker.com/

Here’s a quick guide on how to find cheap travel airfares online. When ordering tickets online, there are a few important guidelines you need to be aware of. I won’t get too much in details on why these guidelines exist, but will provide links to in-depth articles that may explain more in details, in case you want to learn more (at the end).

1. Buy early – If you have to be at a certain place in a certain time, buy your tickers as early as possible. If you’re not flexible on the destination and dates, don’t wait for last minute deals.

2. Buy late – If you just want to go for vacation and you’re flexible on the destinations or dates, there are lost of great last minute deals out there (see list of links below).

3. Depart and return in the middle of the week – Tuesday and Wednesday are the best days for departure and arrival. Thursday is next with Saturday right after. Sunday is not as good but Monday and Friday are the worst when it comes to airfare price.

4. Search for deals early in the morning (the search, not the flight) – Airfares online change three times a day as airlines periodically lower prices to fill up flights. On the weekend, the best time to check is early Saturday morning and again at 5pm, when the industry is most aggressively trying to fill seats.

5. Compare flights to hub cities with flight to smaller airports – Most of the time, flights to hub cities will be cheaper but sometimes, a more local airport will have some surprising deals.

6. When you need tickets for two or more people – always start the search with one person only and after you get the price, order the number of tickets you need.

7. Know when to fly - FareCast.com can help you predict when flights are cheaper statistically. Delaycast.com will help you predict flight delays.

So where can you fine cheap tickets? Lets start with what most people know and use:

http://www.travelocity.com
http://www.expedia.com
http://www.orbitz.com
http://www.cheaptickets.com

The following websites are not regular ticket-reservation websites (like the four above) but rather, they are search-aggregators that search multiple sites and deals. I search all of them and then compare prices to more known airfare websites:

http://www.kayak.com (US)
http://www.kayak.co.uk (Europe)
My personal favorites. Using the option “My dates are flexible” will allow you to see when are the best deals.

http://www.farechase.com
This is the ticket aggregator used by YahooTravel.

http://www.farecast.com
Predicts when you should purchase your airline tickets based on past ticket price increases and such.

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/
This is a great aggregator but it does not sell tickets, only show seat inventory (login as a guest). Orbitz.com is running the same software but this one is more flexible and gives you some very nice warnings and other flight info.

http://www.qixo.com

http://www.sidestep.com
[UPDATE: In Dec 2007 Kayak bought sidestep so don't expect to see much of a difference in their search results. I'd stick with Kayak]

http://www.mobissimo.com

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Next, are the cheap/last-minute airfare websites:

http://www.cheapair.com
http://www.bestfares.com
http://www.onetravel.com
http://www.travelnow.com
http://www.hoteldiscount.com
http://www.quikbook.com
http://www.bt-store.com
http://www.LowCostAirlines.org
http://www.LowCostAirlinesUSA.org

Europe and international Travel (cheap tickets to and within Europe):
http://www.ryanair.co.uk
http://www.easyjet.com/splash.asp?lang=en
http://www.gooflight.com/
http://www.skyscanner.net/
http://www.opodo.com
http://www.LowCostAirlinesEurope.org
http://www.attitudetravel.com/lowcostairlines/europe/
http://www.airtreks.com/

If you want to bid on the price, use:
http://www.priceline.com
http://www.hotwire.com

Next, you want to look at consolidator’s websites or call them directly. Consolidator buy bulk tickets in advance and sell them cheap to travel agents. Some consolidators will sell to individuals.

The most known consolidator for students, for example, is STA travel:
http://www.statravel.com/

I got a great deal to Israel once via this online consolidator:
http://www.foraticket.com

A number of times, for flights to Israel, I used these consolidators:
Shoshanna Segal – from Shoshanna’s Travel (Chicago) – 847-827-1608
Nurit – from Israel Tours Marketing Services (LA) – 1-800-713-3407 / 310-557-2335
Nitza Miller or Miri – from International Travel Bureau (SF) – 650-494-7088 / 1-800-525-5233 / 415-495-4199/5199

Other mix of consolidators and travel agents specializing in flights to Israel (friends’ recommendations):

Dina – from Apollo Apco Tours (Chicago) – 847-724-3280
Leora or Hyun/Ellen – from  All Ways Travel (CA) – 1-888-900-9297  /  510-526-7908
Nancy – from Est Intl (Houston) – 713-974-0521
Aviva – from OKT Travel (NY) – 1-800-804-0432 / 516-622-1600
Laora – from One World Travel (CA) 408-481-4779
Rinat – from World Express Travel (CA) – 1-800-441-8908 / 818-654-2880/2881 / or Ceci – 818-702-9572
Joicy, Dario or Mara – from Melrose Travel & Tours (Philadelphia) – 1-866-722-6440  /  215-728-7870
Odi & Rachel – from Okemos Travel (Michigan) – 517-349-7040
Shami – Gadi – from Time to Travel (Dallas) – 972-633-8810  /  972-633-9400
Shami – from Specialty Tours  – 1-800-320-9091
Zack (Tzachi) – from Talma Travel – 703-848-1255
Pnina – from Travel – 1-888-world18
Steve Lieurance or Charles from – Compass Rose Travel – 1-800-972-2223
Aliza or Sara – from Israel Tourism Center (NJ) – 1-888-669-5700 or 201-556-9669
Kamla – from Holiday Adventure Travel (SF) – 1-800-559-5513
Boris – from Lakeside Paradise Travel (CA) – 415-951-8814
Monta Vista Travel (CA) – 408 446-1101

If you want to learn more about booking airfare online, here are some great reference articles:

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-23054479
http://www.timeatlas.com/mos/Web_Sites/General/Finding_Low_Airfares_Online/
http://rickseaney.com/2008/02/27/tips-to-find-cheap-airfare/
http://www.independenttraveler.com/resources/article.cfm?AID=4&category=1
http://savvytraveler.publicradio.org/show/ta/2002/20020531b.shtml
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/sports_and_leisure/travel-site-reviews/fullstory.html
http://www.1stholidaystore.co.uk/cheapflights.htm
http://www.etntelephone.com/goodbad.htm
http://www.artoftravel.com/04cheapflights.htm
http://www.hostelscentral.com/hostels-article-226.html
http://www.uk250.co.uk/Flights/

Comments? Ideas? Suggestions? I’d love to hear about your experience booking airfare online. Feel free to use the comments section of this post.