A Little Knowledge Can Be A Dangerous Thing!!!
I've been working in the computer industry for 20 years and have seen, and been a part of, the introduction of mini-computers, personal computers and the grandfather of the graphical user interface (GUI). With the evolution of all these products, be it hardware or software, I have received many calls from customers, peers, friends and family to answer a variety of computer questions. (Please don't call with your computer questions).
I'm writing this article today because of a request I had recently from an immediate family member with his/her computer related problem. To protect the innocent, we will name him/her "Pat". I'm sure we have all heard of the expression "A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing". Well, with computers, there is no more dangerous thing than "a little knowledge". It seems my Pat, was helping her in-laws, who have less than "little knowledge", with their computer because they were low on hard drive space. Well according to Pat, there is only one solution START DELETING FILES. The math is simple:
+ LITTLE KNOWLEDGE
- A WHOLE BUNCH OF FILES
= PAPERWEIGHT
- one of those users who has developed a love for technology and its many applications,
- not afraid to install new software (from whatever source) on your computer, and
- not afraid to play around with system settings and parameters, then this web site can be helpful.
If, after all these activities, your computer is not a paperweight (see equation above), but is performing poorly, is unstable or is unable to run applications with which you previously had no problems, then you are a candidate for www.pcpitstop.com.
PC Pitstop can help you get your PC back in top form -- running fast, stable and securely. It runs diagnostics on your PC to identify things that can help improve performance. The process is fully automated, private and safe. After the diagnostics run, it will give you tips for improving all kinds of things. Best of all, the service is FREE! (Why is that word always capitalized?).
The diagnostic tests are safe, passive evaluations of your system. The test will not change any settings on your PC and they have adopted a stringent privacy policy that protects any personal information you provide.
Important: Be sure that you are accessing the PC Pitstop site through Internet Explorer, not an AOL browser. You start IE using the "E" icon on your desktop. Also, it is suggested that you upgrade to AOL 6.0 prior to the evaluation if you are using an older version.
If you would like to have your system evaluated, go to www.pcpitstop.com and, on the home page click on the picture of a key with the caption 
"Ready for a free PC tune-up". (Why isn't that word capitalized?) You are now ready to start the evaluation. If you have never been here before, click on the key in the New Member box. DO NOT TOUCH YOUR KEYBOARD OR MOUSE DURING THE EVALUATION. Simply follow the instructions to the end.
At the end of the evaluation you are provided with recommendations and a rating chart that tells you how different parts of your system are working. Click on any of the subsystem names or flags in the table provided to see more information and recommendations, or see the detailed summary page to look at all the subsystem information on one page. View the Test History page for a summary of all test results for your configuration. See how your system compares to others that have been tested. Also, click on any of the tips to find out what it means and how to fix it. In many cases, pcpitstop can fix the problem automatically if you wish.
Granted, this won't help you if you, or someone like my "Pat", has turned your computer into a paperweight. It may however help you improve your system's performance. Until the next time, stay happy, and don't let your "Pat" touch your computer.
