I Can Fix the Problems | Buy Mobile Phones' & Computers' Hardware and Software

If you discover that an important file has gone missing, you should immediately limit your computer use to a minimum. Saving files, surfing the web and other activities can easily overwrite data that could otherwise be recovered. Start by checking the Recycle Bin, in case the file has been accidentally deleted, and then search your hard disk using Windows built-in search facility - the file may have been mistakenly moved to a different folder.

It’s a good idea to install a data recovery program before it’s actually needed - PC Inspector File Recovery is an excellent free option. This program can quickly and easily recover files that have been deleted or have disappeared following a system crash. It can even recover data from an otherwise inaccessible hard drive. You could also try Restoration, which doesn’t require installation and can be run from a USB memory stick, or www.recuva.com. If possible, try to restore files to a seperate location to avoid destroying other data.

Should any of these programs fail, it may be time to call in the data recovery experts. Companies such as OnTrack can recover data from virtually any hard disk, but this may not be cheap.

Printing a document or a picture from anywhere in the house is very convenient, even if having to physically go and collect your printout afterwards kind of ruins the moment.

You can buy a wireless print server which will add Wi-Fi capabilities to any standard printer and simply plugs into the device’s USB port. D-Link’s DP-G310 Wireless USB Print Server is a good, flexible model, which costs around £60.

Vista comes with Microsoft’s own anti-spyware tool installed as standard. Windows Defender does a reasonable job of keeping your system free from infection, but it also slows it down. You can free up valueable resources by using Spyware Terminator instead.

Install the program and disable Windows Defender by going to Start, All Programs, Windows Defender. Click Tools, then Options. Scroll down, untick everything and click Save. Vista will flash up a Windows Security Alert in the System Tray. Double-click this to load the Security Center. The Malware Protection strip will be red. Click the down arrow to open it. Underneath, where it says ‘Windows Defender is turned off’, click ‘Show me my available options’ then select ‘I have an antispyware program that I’ll monitor myself’.

To remove the record of recently accessed documents, right-click Start, click Properties, and then click Customize. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Clear List. If you’re using the Classic Start menu, click Clear. Clicking Clear List empties the My Recent Documents folder. It dosen’t delete the documents from your computer.

If you don’t want to include anything in the My Recent Documents folder, click Customize on the Advanced tab and then clear the check box labelled ‘List my most recently opened documents’. In Windows XP Home Edition, My Recent Documents is not automatically listed on the Start menu. You can turn on this feature by right-clicking Start, clicking Properties, clicking Customize, and then selecting the check box next to ‘List my most recently opened documents’.