Tech Tip Thursday - How do I speed up my computer?

If you have an old computer and it has been getting slower and slower, a defragmentation of your hard drive could improve its performance. 

What does it mean to have a fragmented hard drive? 
Well, when you install programs on your computer, it takes up certain blocks on your hard drive.  When they are removed these blocks become free again, allowing them to be overwritten by the next program or file that you write to your computer.  That can cause these blocks to become out of place and it can take longer for your computer to find certain files or parts of a program when your hard drive seeks for the data.  This is a normal process and over several months or years of this occurring, it can slow down your computer significantly.


How do I defrag my hard drive?
If you have a Windows computer, it can be found under Start-> All Programs-> Accessories-> System Tools-> Disk Defragmenter

After it opens, just click Defragment and let it run.  Sometimes, this can take up to a few hours.



If you have an Apple computer, things are a little more difficult.  On some Mac's the hard drive defragments automatically (around 3 AM if the system is on and not asleep), but this is normally on smaller files (20 MB and under).  You have to use a third party program to do this for you, a recommended one is http://www.coriolis-systems.com/iDefrag.php (However, it is not free.)


Hope this helps!

Where to start...

Well, this is my first blog post so I don't even know where to begin; I guess I will start by introducing myself.

My name is Lamar and I am currently a quarter century old.  I try to stay as stress free as I can, although that seems nearly impossible these days. 

I work as an IT manager for a teleradiology company that involves a lot of hard work as well as a lot of interrupted time away from the office.  Being on call 24/7 is probably one of the worst things about my job.  I grew up wanting to design/create video games, but I'm not quite there yet.  I love helping people and as frustrating as it can be sometimes, I try to stay away from the stereotype of the rude, know it all IT guy.  I work with some doctors that really like to test my patience at 3 AM in the morning, but enough about work!

I also have an amazing girlfriend, Jenna!  Her blog can be found at This is Love.  I don't know how I got so lucky to be with her.  She is definitely THE most caring individual that I have met.  Somehow we managed to make it through a year of being together ;P  She is a very inspirational woman who has brought me closer to God and I can't thank her enough for all that she does for me.  We have had such a great relationship and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.  I just wish that she would just finish her college degree so we don't have to be so long distance!  And to think... we were just friends at college when we could have seen each other every day.

I am an avid spear fisherman and scuba diver.  I completed my certification almost 2 years ago and it was probably one of the best decisions of my life.  There is nothing like being surrounded by fish at 100 feet underwater and experiencing the different world that is down there.  It's also great to experience it with my dive partner, my brother, Brian.  We rely on each other to stay safe and I really can't describe what it's like to experience a world like that with him.  I highly suggest you at least think about doing it if you have any interest in nature or the ocean, you won't regret it.  Even if you feel a little unsure, you should give it a chance if given the opportunity... it has given me so much confidence that I can tackle anything life throws at me.  I will probably posts some stories in the future about some of my diving experiences.



Me and my brother



I also love music and it has played a major role in my life.  I played trumpet in the band for 12 years (3 middle, 4 high, 5 college) and would not have done it any other way.  I listen to music at work all the time and I don't think I could get through the day without it.  Music can help you out of a bad day or just help the work day go quicker.  I will try and keep you up to date on some new bands that I am really in to, there aren't many genres of music I don't enjoy.

I think that just about does it for now... I will try and keep all my future blogs much shorter!!!