Save hundreds of dollars on a new computer! I'll speed up your computer for you no matter where you live in the U.S.A.! I've been doing this full time since 2009 and I'm scary good at troubleshooting slow computers. 99% of the time it's a software or operating system problem that I've seen many times before.

SO STOP!

Before you spend money on a new computer and text me instead 808.224.1870 due to time differences.

https://InHomeComputerHelp.com

When an in home computer client here in Honolulu Hawaii asked me to optimize his old Windows 7 computer I had some outside of the box ideas to speed up his laptop and make it more secure. Here's what I did....

Window 7 Is No Longer Secure and it still Hogs Memory

So I texted my in home computer client this video I did on Linux Mint

He was sold on the idea of using Linux Mint. A faster and more secure operating system than even Windows 10 or 11. Most people nowadays do all their work online. One of the first things I do is make sure my computer clients are using online email instead of having email downloaded to their computer. Work is usually done by signing into an office online location, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, or individuals often do their work right inside Google Drive

Once you're in Google Chrome or FireFox there's no difference in the UI, which is the User Interface or how the internet browser looks.

I Installed Linux Mint

If you do this on your own don't forget to disable Secure Boot in the Bios. I strongly recommend hiring someone such as myself to do this. I can even help you remotely up to a point.

I Couldn't Get The Wifi to Work to Get Online

So I plugged in a USB wifi adapter

Downloaded the driver I needed from Github

I'm not going to get into using terminal code to install it. That's easily found online.

Once I had the internet working through a wifi dongle (USB wifi adapter) I then looked up and found the code I needed to get the wifi modem itself to work.

I typed this into the terminal

sudo apt install bcmwl-kernel-source  

Pressed Enter. Let it run Tapped y for yes when it was necessary and restarted the computer. The wifi was working on its own without the dongle.

Now I Needed to Make This Familiar to My In Home Computer Client

I installed Google Chrome. As long as you have a 64bit computer you can install Google Chrome

I added Adblock Plus to Google Chrome. Even in Linux, which doesn't require any antivirus software, you can still get fake virus warnings and other attacks on Google Chrome itself. Most of these attacks come from bad advertisements.

My In Home Computer Client Asked for More RAM

RAM stands for Random Access Memory. It's the memory used to run the operating system and programs. Often if you have buffering (the circle) in a movie you're watching, that's your computer waiting for RAM to be freed up.

For Windows computers, I recommend a minimum of 8gb (gigabytes) of RAM if you're going to use your computer for business, movies or games. Because I had installed a better streamlined operating system, Linux Mint, the four gigabytes of RAM he already had in the computer was sufficient.

I asked my in home computer client if he wanted a new laptop battery

His laptop battery was dead so I had to keep it plugged in all the time. If he was going to keep it in one place he really didn't need to replace it. He was going to move it around so I went to Battery Bill's on Nimitz here in Honolulu Hawaii and got him a new one. The cost surprised me a bit. It was $140.00. I want to be clear on this. I'm not saying Battery Bill's was expensive. I'm saying the battery itself was expensive, but for an old computer like that, I was lucky to be able to get one at all. Battery Bill's lived up to their title and had one in stock.

The Computer Was Already a LOT Faster BUT I Knew I Could Get It Smokin Fast....

At the time my in home computer client's computer was manufactured, the hard drive was made of moving parts. Nowadays we call it a spinner because the hard drive had actual spinning parts to get the data and present it to the monitor.

Moving parts wear out

moving parts slow down the gathering of data

The slower gathering of data slows down the computer.

So I Got My In Home Computer Client an SSD

SSD stands for Solid State Drive.

To be precise, I got him a Samsung 870 EVO SATA III SSD 1TB 2.5” Internal Solid State Hard Drive, Upgrade PC or Laptop Memory and Storage for IT Pros, Creators, Everyday Users, MZ-77E1T0B/AM

Now I Had to Clone The SSD

I wanted to get a Clone Dock HDD duplicator Disk Drive Hard Reader SATA Hard Drive Docking Station USB 3.0 SSD HDD Docking Station Dual Bay for 2.5 or 3.5inch HDD with Hard Drive Duplicator/Cloner 12 TB but, neither store I looked in had the clone dock duplicator. I already had purchased the SSD, So used a SATA to USB adapter I already owned.

I downloaded Foxclone. In this case foxclone45-05.iso. I had read great things about its easy to use UI (User Interface).

Once downloaded it's easy to make a live USB on Linux Mint. I just found the downloaded ISO and right mouse clicked on it. I always tell my in home computer tutoring students here in Honolulu Hawaii right mouse click for a menu left mouse click for an action.

This advice paid off. I just right mouse clicked on the file and selected burn to USB (or something to that effect). Once I made the Foxclone live USB, I set up the BIOs to boot to the Foxclone flash drive. My research was correct. I found a tab that allowed me to clone disk to disk. In a few minutes, I was ready to install the SSD into the laptop. I took the old spinner drive out and replaced it with the new SSD.

WOW The Laptop was SMOKIN FAST!

I always say a prayer first before starting a computer after swapping hard drives. You never know what little thing could stop the computer from booting up. The computer not only booted up, it booted up FAST!

Final Check

I made sure the Google Chome home pages were set. Adblocker was installed in Chrome. I powered it completely down, waited and restarted again. Everything was great! I saved my in home computer client A BUNCH OF MONEY on having to buy a new computer that wouldn't have even been as fast and secure as the one I upgraded for him.

I Delivered the Laptop Computer to My In Home Computer Client

I had him start it up and he said, "WOW!"

Later on I got a text from my client and thought, "Uh Oh"

If you're in the service industry, you know what I'm talking about. My first thought was, "Uh oh what's wrong?" This is what it said,

"Hi Rick,

Thanks once again for upgrading my laptop. Wow!!! it's super fast. I really like it! Thank you!"

Very kind of him to take time to text me with his appreciation of my work.

Honolulu Hawaii and all of Oahu Text or Call me, Rick Kirkham To Upgrade Your Computer and Save Money on a New One!

Exceptional Onsite and In Home Windows, Apple Computer and Mobile Phone Training, Tutoring, Virus Removal, Preventive Maintenance and Troubleshooting for All of Oahu Call or Text 224.1870 Mainland U.S.A. Text Only 808.224.1870 for Remote Computer Lessons and Support

J. Richard Kirkham B.Sc.
https://InHomeComputerHelp.com

Why is my computer running so slow? It could be a lot of reasons, but 99% of the time a slow computer is software-related. That means you don't need a new computer.

There Could be a LOT of Reasons Why Your Computer is Running Slow.

• Too many tracking cookies and temporary files will eventually slow down your computer

• Unwanted programs loading as a service and on startup will slow down your computer

• Your hard drive is going bad will usually slow down your computer before it crashes

• Not enough RAM will slow down your computer if you begin running programs that use a lot of resources

Too many tracking cookies and temporary files will eventually slow down your computer

Tracking cookies basically read your internet history. Have you ever noticed if you search for airline tickets after a few websites you start seeing ads for airline tickets? That's what the tracking cookies are doing.

Temporary internet files are little bits of information websites download into your computer. Have you ever noticed when you visit a website for the second time it loads faster? That's what the temp files do. The website basically looks for local information first so it doesn't have to load over the internet thereby speeding up the process of loading the web page.

The slowing down of your computer begins when you get too many temporary internet files and tracking cookies. Each time you visit a website it goes through all the tracking cookies and temp files first before loading.

The backup program I wrote

Is the only one I've seen that removes temporary internet files and cookies before backing up your important files and photos. Helping you to prepare for that day WHEN NOT IF your computer crashes while helping to speed up your computer at the same time.

Unwanted programs loading as a service and on startup will slow down your computer

It seems every program you have wants to load either as a service or on start. If it a program loads as a service that means it's loading before you login. If it loads on start the program loads after you login to your Windows desktop. These programs take up memory (RAM) which is used to run your apps, videos and even operating system (Windows 10, 11 Apple or Linux).

In Windows, you can stop these programs from loading using msconfig, but make sure you know what you're doing in there so you don't turn off something you need. I can help you with that either remotely or, if you're on Oahu, as a house call.

Your hard drive is going bad will usually slow down your computer before it crashes

Your hard drive is what stores your data and your operating system. When, again not if, that crashes you may lose your work files and photos. You have no idea how often I've gotten those sad puppy dog looks from in home computer clients here in Honolulu Hawaii as they explain to me their crashed hard drive has all of their grandkids' irreplaceable unbacked up photos. No pressure right? 99% of the time I'm able to recover their work files and photos for them.

This is especially true for older computers that have hard drives not SSDs. SSD stands for Solid State Drive. They have no moving parts and are faster and more stable than the older hard drives. Here's an . article on how I did a little outside the box thinking and sped up an old Windows 7 computer. Pay close attention to the type of SSD I used.

Buy Deliver Setup and Tutor Computer Service

After recovering my in home computer client's files and photos, they may use my unique Buy Deliver Setup Tutor Service. To my knowledge I'm the only in home computer tutor on Oahu that will actually interview my client, then based on your answers buy a computer for them (I am reiburssed with cash no checks), set it up and give my in home client computer lessons.

Whether I Replace the Hard Drive with an SSD or Setup a New Computer

I always setup Google Drive Backup and Sync. Now called Google Drive Desktop, . This service backs up (actually syncs) your computer files and photos with the Google Drive cloud. This has saved more files and photos of more clients than I can count.

Not enough RAM will slow down your computer if you begin running programs that use a lot of resources

These small computers and full operating system tablets, especially the Surface Tablets are very popular.

RAM stands for Random Access Memory. RAM is different from hard drive memory or storage space. RAM is used to run your programs, videos, which are also run off of programs, your internet browser such as Google Chrome (yes it's also a program) and even the OS (Operating System) itself which is Windows, Apple or Linux.

Okay Rick, So What Happens When I Don't Have Enough RAM?

The program has to wait for RAM to be freed up. A common example of this is buffering when you're watching Netflix or YouTube. That circle you see instead of the video playing is buffering. Other problems, such as slow internet speed or narrow bandwidth can also cause buffering, but we'll focus on RAM.

There Are 3 Solutions to Not Having Enough RAM

• Remove programs that automatically load with when your computer starts. This also leads to a slow load time of your operating system as well.

• Add more physical RAM chips to your computer if your computer is capable of taking more.

Most computer ITs would stop here, but no one ever accused me of thinking inside the box. So there is a third solution.

• Install a different operating system that doesn't take up as many resources as Windows and Apple.

A Different Operating System to Speed Up Your Computer?Sounds Hard to Learn.

Actually Linux Mint looks an awful like like Windows. However, Linux is much more secure and doesn't take up as many resources. Thus freeing up those same resources Windows would use, so you can use the RAM to run programs instead of the operating system. If you read my article on how I did a little outside the box thinking and sped up an old Windows 7 computer, You'll notice I told my computer client he didn't need more RAM because I installed Linux Mint.

I've Switch Over Several Clients to Linux Mint and THEY LOVE IT!

I've switched some in home computer clients from Windows right into Linux Mint from out of the box of a new computer. People spend most of their time online. Once you get into Google Chrome everything is the same as Windows and Apple.

One condo manager was calling me about every 10 days

90% of the problems were due to bad Microsoft updates. The final straw was not being able to use the printer for an important meeting due to a Microsoft Windows update. I backed up all his files and installed Linux Mint. I didn't hear from him for a month and a half and that was just for a question. I saved my client a lot of frustration and money.

If You Want to Install Linux Mint Yourself

The above link leads to a page where you can order a Linux Mint USB drive and directions. It also happens to be an Amazon affiliate link which helps to support my efforts in bringing you information such as this. I thank you for your support.

If you're in Honolulu Hawaii or anywhere on Oahu you're better off Texting me, Rick Kirkham, or calling 808.224.1870 to check my availability.

Contact Me for an Appointment

BEFORE the computer crashes. If you're in Honolulu Hawaii or anywhere on Oahu Text me, Rick Kirkham, or call 808.224.1870 to check my availability. Text only if you're on the mainland U.S.A. due to time differences.

Tuition and Rates

1 hour $95.00 USD 2 hours $190.00 USD 3 hours $285.00 USD

When an in home computer client here in Honolulu Hawaii asked me to optimize his old Windows 7 computer I had some outside of the box ideas to speed up his laptop and make it more secure. Here's what I did....

Window 7 Is No Longer Secure and it still Hogs Memory

So I texted my in home computer client this video I did on Linux Mint

He was sold on the idea of using Linux Mint. A faster and more secure operating system than even Windows 10 or 11. Most people nowadays do all their work online. One of the first things I do is make sure my computer clients are using online email instead of having email downloaded to their computer. Work is usually done by signing into an office online location, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, or individuals often do their work right inside Google Drive

Once you're in Google Chrome or FireFox there's no difference in the UI, which is the User Interface or how the internet browser looks.

I Installed Linux Mint

If you do this on your own don't forget to disable Secure Boot in the Bios. I strongly recommend hiring someone such as myself to do this. I can even help you remotely up to a point.

I Couldn't Get The Wifi to Work to Get Online

So I plugged in a USB wifi adapter

Downloaded the driver I needed from Github

I'm not going to get into using terminal code to install it. That's easily found online.

Once I had the internet working through a wifi dongle (USB wifi adapter) I then looked up and found the code I needed to get the wifi modem itself to work.

I typed this into the terminal

sudo apt install bcmwl-kernel-source  

Pressed Enter. Let it run Tapped y for yes when it was necessary and restarted the computer. The wifi was working on its own without the dongle.

Now I Needed to Make This Familiar to My In Home Computer Client

I installed Google Chrome. As long as you have a 64bit computer you can install Google Chrome

I added Adblock Plus to Google Chrome. Even in Linux, which doesn't require any antivirus software, you can still get fake virus warnings and other attacks on Google Chrome itself. Most of these attacks come from bad advertisements.

My In Home Computer Client Asked for More RAM

RAM stands for Random Access Memory. It's the memory used to run the operating system and programs. Often if you have buffering (the circle) in a movie you're watching, that's your computer waiting for RAM to be freed up.

For Windows computers, I recommend a minimum of 8gb (gigabytes) of RAM if you're going to use your computer for business, movies or games. Because I had installed a better streamlined operating system, Linux Mint, the four gigabytes of RAM he already had in the computer was sufficient.

I asked my in home computer client if he wanted a new laptop battery

His laptop battery was dead so I had to keep it plugged in all the time. If he was going to keep it in one place he really didn't need to replace it. He was going to move it around so I went to Battery Bill's on Nimitz here in Honolulu Hawaii and got him a new one. The cost surprised me a bit. It was $140.00. I want to be clear on this. I'm not saying Battery Bill's was expensive. I'm saying the battery itself was expensive, but for an old computer like that, I was lucky to be able to get one at all. Battery Bill's lived up to their title and had one in stock.

The Computer Was Already a LOT Faster BUT I Knew I Could Get It Smokin Fast....

At the time my in home computer client's computer was manufactured, the hard drive was made of moving parts. Nowadays we call it a spinner because the hard drive had actual spinning parts to get the data and present it to the monitor.

Moving parts wear out

moving parts slow down the gathering of data

The slower gathering of data slows down the computer.

So I Got My In Home Computer Client an SSD

SSD stands for Solid State Drive.

To be precise, I got him a Samsung 870 EVO SATA III SSD 1TB 2.5” Internal Solid State Hard Drive, Upgrade PC or Laptop Memory and Storage for IT Pros, Creators, Everyday Users, MZ-77E1T0B/AM

Now I Had to Clone The SSD

I wanted to get a Clone Dock HDD duplicator Disk Drive Hard Reader SATA Hard Drive Docking Station USB 3.0 SSD HDD Docking Station Dual Bay for 2.5 or 3.5inch HDD with Hard Drive Duplicator/Cloner 12 TB but, neither store I looked in had the clone dock duplicator. I already had purchased the SSD, So used a SATA to USB adapter I already owned.

I downloaded Foxclone. In this case foxclone45-05.iso. I had read great things about its easy to use UI (User Interface).

Once downloaded it's easy to make a live USB on Linux Mint. I just found the downloaded ISO and right mouse clicked on it. I always tell my in home computer tutoring students here in Honolulu Hawaii right mouse click for a menu left mouse click for an action.

This advice paid off. I just right mouse clicked on the file and selected burn to USB (or something to that effect). Once I made the Foxclone live USB, I set up the BIOs to boot to the Foxclone flash drive. My research was correct. I found a tab that allowed me to clone disk to disk. In a few minutes, I was ready to install the SSD into the laptop. I took the old spinner drive out and replaced it with the new SSD.

WOW The Laptop was SMOKIN FAST!

I always say a prayer first before starting a computer after swapping hard drives. You never know what little thing could stop the computer from booting up. The computer not only booted up, it booted up FAST!

Final Check

I made sure the Google Chome home pages were set. Adblocker was installed in Chrome. I powered it completely down, waited and restarted again. Everything was great! I saved my in home computer client A BUNCH OF MONEY on having to buy a new computer that wouldn't have even been as fast and secure as the one I upgraded for him.

I Delivered the Laptop Computer to My In Home Computer Client

I had him start it up and he said, "WOW!"

Later on I got a text from my client and thought, "Uh Oh"

If you're in the service industry, you know what I'm talking about. My first thought was, "Uh oh what's wrong?" This is what it said,

"Hi Rick,

Thanks once again for upgrading my laptop. Wow!!! it's super fast. I really like it! Thank you!"

Very kind of him to take time to text me with his appreciation of my work.

Honolulu Hawaii and all of Oahu Text or Call me, Rick Kirkham To Upgrade Your Computer and Save Money on a New One!

Exceptional Onsite and In Home Windows, Apple Computer and Mobile Phone Training, Tutoring, Virus Removal, Preventive Maintenance and Troubleshooting for All of Oahu Call or Text 224.1870 Mainland U.S.A. Text Only 808.224.1870 for Remote Computer Lessons and Support

J. Richard Kirkham B.Sc.
https://InHomeComputerHelp.com