-=PC Hint's And Tip's=-

Ever wonderd why your computer is booting up slow? it maybe you have a lot of programs loading on start up. To find out what programs you have starting up, goto Start - Run - (type in the run box) - msconfig - Startup tab. This site will tell you if you need the programs starting up.

Whats my IP Address?

Click here to see your IP Address.

How to start Windows 2000/XP in Safe mode

1. Start Windows, or if it is running, shut Windows down, and then turn off the computer.

2. Restart the computer. The computer begins processing a set of instructions known as the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS). What is displayed depends on the BIOS manufacturer. Some computers display a progress bar that refers to the word BIOS, while others may not display any indication that this process is happening.

3. As soon as the BIOS has finished loading, begin tapping the F8 key on your keyboard. Continue to do so until the Windows Advanced Options menu appears.

Note: If you begin tapping the F8 key too soon, some computers will generate a "keyboard error" message. Please restart, and then try again.

4. Using the arrow keys on the keyboard, scroll to and select the Safe mode menu item, and then press Enter.

Configuring the Windows XP Firewall

Firewalls are a method of keeping your computer or network secure. Firewalls can either be hardware or software based. Windows XP offers a software firewall called Internet Connection Firewall.To enable and configure XP's firewall,

Click Start
Click Control Panel
Select Network and Internet Connections
The Network and Internet Connections window will appear
Select Network Connections
The Network Connections window will appear
Your network connections will be listed on the right side
Double click on on Local Area Connection
The Status will appear
The General tab provides your connection status, duration, speed, and activity
To access XP's Internet Connection Firewall, select Properties
The Properties window will appear
Select the Advanced tab
To enable the Internet Connection Firewall, select the checkbox at the top of the window
Select Settings to configure the firewall
- The Advanced Settings window will appear
- You can select which services you wish to enable under the Services tab
Note: None of the Services options should be selected unless you are running services, such as a mail or web server
To specify your firewall log file options, select the Security Logging tab
You can specify where you would like the firewall log to be located under the Log file options window
The ICMP tab allows you to specify whether you wish to allow others to be able to ping your computer, among other options
To view a description of an option, highlight it and view the Description field at the bottom of the window.