Security suites are designed to detect and remove threats from PCs. However, by protecting PCs’ file systems and memory in real time, this sort of protection comes at the cost of performance, and many users value performance as much as security protection. This series of blog posts helps you find out which security solutions have [...]
No matter how fast your PC is, there’s one thing slowing it down and that is low disk space. It’s probably the no. 1 cause of a sluggish machine and even one that IT pros tend to overlook. In this blog post, I’ll explain why low disk space can make every program slow down to [...]
It’s an age-old PC fact: Protection from malware, intruders, hackers, phishing and even spam comes with a loss in performance. We asked ourselves—is this still true in today’s world of super-fast computers? Have security suite makers learned any lessons from the past and reduced the footprint of their products? Over the past several months, we [...]
Antivirus software provider ESET describes its security solution “Smart Security 4” as “High scanning speed with low memory demands ensures your computers does not slow down.” In this blog post, we’ll determine if ESET’s security suite really is that lightweight and will explain what kind of performance impact you can expect. This test is the [...]
At last week’s AllThingsD conference, Microsoft’s President of Windows and Windows Live Division, Steven Sinofsky, unveiled the new Windows 8 user interface for the first time. I’ll take you through five of the absolute highlights presented at the event. Windows Phone 7-like User Interface: It’s all about the tiles Everyone guessed it, including us: Windows [...]
While Windows Update is an important part of Microsoft’s operating systems, it’s also one of the more fragile Windows components, and Windows Update issues are among the most common problems that plague users. In this podcast, we’ll cover why installing updates are so important for PC users, the issues users usually encounter with Windows Update, [...]
In 2007, Microsoft introduced “Windows DreamScene” into Windows Vista. This feature made it possible to enjoy a video clip, and not just static images, as your desktop wallpaper. Although users loved it, DreamScene was only available as part of the “Ultimate Extras” program—and only those users with Windows Vista Ultimate could access the feature. To [...]
You demanded more results from our security solution performance benchmark series, and here they are! If you’re a newcomer, here’s what’s been happening—in January, we kicked off a series of speed tests to measure the impact of antivirus solutions and full-blown security suites on a typical PC. We explore how much security tools affect Windows [...]
Windows Update is an important part of Microsoft’s operating systems. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the more fragile Windows components—update issues are among the most common problems that plague users. And this can be dangerous—without some updates, you may be open to security vulnerabilities! Windows Update just can’t be ignored, so in this week’s blog [...]
Device Manager is the central location for installing, uninstalling, troubleshooting, and even optimizing your PC hardware, yet it’s an underappreciated Windows feature. IT pros are often unaware of its full feature set, and beginners steer clear of its confusing (and potentially dangerous) interface. In this week’s post, the TuneUp blog team will show you seven [...]
