The only one on that list I would possibly tell you to delete is the older version of Java if you want, you are supposed to delete those when you get newer ones. if you want to know what they are you can highlight and copy each one into a google search to find out more. Adobe flash player activeX is what lets you view certain types of videos and things such as you tube videos etc.you should leave it alone Intel Graphic Media has to do with your Graphics card on your pc so you really don't want to mess with that. Just google them. this is what bootskin is that one you could get rid of but you may also want to use it some day... I don't know. BootSkin this is what logonstudio is LogonStudio both of those are part of stardocks it must have come with your pc if you did not add it on. this is what all the DivX is, this is a program that allows you do video and play the divx video. DivX for Windows diskkeeper2008 is a utility that was apparently added on your pc which is used to defrag the pc and do other tasks. Diskeeper 2008 "Diskeeper defragments your system automatically in the background with absolutely zero overhead." that is their quote. If you do not use it or want it you could certainly remove it, it is usually a free trial then you would be required to purchase it. the stardoc.com items are free I think. I have never used any of those so can not comment on them. to get rid of an item listed in your add remove programs list you simply click on it to select it then click the remove button on that line. Start> control panel> add remove Programs

Maybe it doesn't know the words. I know, I know, old as dirt. It could be one of a few things things. Fan, hard drive, or power supply (really the fan in it). Could be any or all. You say 'all the time' which points more towards a fan since your hard drive(s) should not be constantly spinning (working). Open the case and physically observe the cooling fans. Are they all spinning freely. Is the noise emanating from a fan? Could even be that there is a wire being hit by one of the fan blades. Pick up the computer and shake it violently - ONLY KIDDING. Get back and let us know if it's a fan. We will take it from there. Klaa2

Wow, makes me feel like I'm on Gizmodo (or any other Apple fanboy site). We have an iPad and a Kindle Fire. I do use them in the kitchen, but still find myself running into my office and printing recipes off my desktop. The reasons are 1) I hate the auto-shutoff power conservation mode. When I'm cooking, up to the elbows in raw meat or chopped garlic and want to look over at the recipe, I hate having to scramble for the power button to turn it on again. Paper never turns off. Sure, I could keep it plugged in to an outlet, and defeat the auto-off but then I'd have to reset it whenever I'm running on battery. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the iPad is not smart enough to use two power management schemes depending on whether it's running off line power or battery (the way any cheapo laptop can)? (please educate me if that's wrong!) 2) I like my recipe front and center immediately above my cutting board, where it's exposed to all of the stuff flying off the board and the adjacent sink. Paper doesn't mind. iPad is not so happy. 3) After I'm done I throw the printed recipe into a stack. It's a neat way for me to search back over recipes I've used previously. I can annotate them or throw them out if they were losers. Yes I can keep my recipe box at Epi but it requires an actual effort. Tablets are great for looking up things online quickly--"what is a dacquoise again?" But give me paper, or one of my heavily grease stained cookbooks, when I'm actually cooking.

Cleaning a keyboard really is dependant upon what the normal hazards happen to be. If it's the cookie crumbs, dust and an occasional oyster shell or something, then yes, turning it and tapping is good, followed by some compressed air and then set it on end and give it a good heavy spray of glass cleaner, preferably one with a high alcohol content to help dry quickly. I would always set it in front of a fan and turn it every few hours to aid drying. However, I'm not one that gets the cookie/cracker crumbs. I do get dirty/greasy fingers on the keys so a wipe with a damp paper towel works fine for the keys. And I have one, well actually two other "hazards". The feline friends contribute a lot to cushioning the keyboard keys. For that, a soft "camel hair" or even a soft duster brush or soft paint brush does a pretty good job, but occasionally I need to pop the keys off as they quit working and pull out the fur accumulation. It does however work as a powder puff and removes the dust with it quite nicely. One should be backing up any valuable data on a regular basis. I'm not a big bookmark fanatic so that's not a big deal. I have a webpage set up that I use more for "bookmarks" so that gets backed up and occasionally to the internet so it's available there if I lose the computer. What is important is my actual address book with phone numbers, addresses and the like. I use a very simple program called Ajour and I back that up regularly. I also have an alarm program with birthdays, anniversaries and reminders to do simple routine chores so that gets backed up. I can't even venture a guess how many times people would bring in computers to my shop in tears that their entire life was on there and we had to try to recover data because they didn't back anything up. Talk about mixed feelings! First you want to give them a hug to comfort them, but then again you wanna slap 'em silly for being so stupid!! LOL As far as cleaning the innards, it's really not difficult. Shut down the computer, UNPLUG IT and take the cover off. The best thing for ridding it of dust is again compressed air (I have a compressor with a spray nozzle but canned air will work too) and spray out. Pay particular attention to the CPU heat sink, all fans and the power supply. You'll be amazed how much dust builds up in there. Don't be alarmed by it, it's doing its job of moving the air through and let's face it, air is dusty. I would usually start with blowing out the power supply since that's usually the worst and it shoots dust back into the case, then go to work on the CPU/heat sink and fans, then get around the RAM and any corners that may hold dust. Dust in an insulation so if it's around any sort of chip that builds up heat it can contribute to premature failure. Before you put it back together, power it up and make sure it boots properly in case you dislodged a RAM chip or something and also check to see that all the fans are working properly and aren't being obstructed by wires or anything. If you have a lot of loose wires it's a good idea to tie them off with cable ties or electrical tape to keep them from stopping a fan or air flow. Don't use wire twist ties from bread bags or something - they contain wire and can short out contacts and even cut insulation on the wires. Once clean, close it back up and pat yourself on the back for being a kind and thoughtful owner! Oh, it's a good idea to do this about once a year, in case you were wondering. As far as how often to backup, it depends at what point it would be a catastrophic loss. It should be before that point. For some, never. For some, every minute or so. Really depends on the person. Also, for the keyboard letters, a fine point marker ("Sharpie" type) works well, then cover it with some clear nail polish, a piece of clear tape or something and it won't wear off so easily. Or even some colored nail polish to write it on there, or paint or what have you? Other ideas for places to back up to: the internet, flash drives, another hard drive connected to the system either internally or externally, another computer around the house, a friend's system, writable CD Roms... Most anything will work, it's more important to do it, than to obsess over onto what. Remember that backing up on your own system is OK if the file gets corrupted, however if your system is stolen (and I've had mine stolen twice) then you lose it if you don't have it backed up. One time they even stole my backup tapes! So a good hiding spot for the backup is a good idea too but just remember where it is.... I have a backup drive around here somewhere and I'll be a snaggletoothed Canadian if I can find it!!! :) (Just kidding Canada!!) But seriously, I don't know where it is. Getting old stinks! Happy computer operation and maintenance everyone!