Author: Daniel Segun

Daniel Segun is a technology writer with over 5 years of experience. He loves to teach and inspire others. When he is not writing, he's probably busy developing websites. You can reach him here.

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How to Make Windows XP Run Faster

make windows xp run faster

Are you still running the old Windows XP on your PC? This tutorial will show you how to make it run faster.

Windows XP is five generations behind: it’s been succeeded by Windows Vista/7/8/8.1/10. Frankly, it’s not ideal for running standard modern-day functions. And to make matters worse, it’s highly prone to low memory – RAM – space issue, which significantly reduces system’s running speed.

In any case, if you are looking to speed up your old Win XP PC, follow through this tutorial.

How to Make Windows XP Run Faster

Below are some tips that can be employed/adapted to make WinXP run faster.

  1. Restart computer regularly

This should resolve minor lag issues, as the system is refreshed and all temporary files are cleared.

  1. Clean up disk storage

To do this:

  • Go to Start menu;
  • Click on Run and type in “cleanmgr.exe” in the run dialog box;
  • Click OK and then finish the cleanup.

  1. Reduce startup programs

Running multiple startup programs, especially on a low RAM space (typical of WinXP), often results in reduced system performance.

To reduce startup programs, go under “System Configuration” and disable/enable desired startup programs.

  1. Scan for viruses/malwares/ransomeware/spywares

If your PC is acting funny and the running speed is reduced, there is possibility of a virus attack. Hence, download and install a standard anti-malware program to scan and clear the viruses.

  1. Clean up system

If your PC becomes cluttered/congested with too many files and/or apps, your system’s performance would reduce. To resolve this, perform a clean up once in a while.

You can remove temporary files and other less relevant files/apps from your system. For better performance, you can employ a third-party clean up program like CCleaner.

  1. Adjust Visual Effects settings

Go to the “Performance Options” window under “Control Panel” and select the “Adjust for best performance” option. This will reduce the graphics effects of your PC, and your system would run much faster.

  1. Defragment hard disk

You can use Windows Disk Defragmenter to do this. However, under no circumstance should you apply this on computers with SSDs (solid state drives).

Closing Note

There’s a limit to how fast Windows XP computers can run, irrespective of the tweaks and changes applied to it. Hence, for better performance, you may have to upgrade to a newer version, preferably Windows 7.

Hope you find this post helpful?

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Games News Tech

Plants vs Zombies: Character Data Reverts to Level 1

Is your character data reverting to level 1 on Plants vs Zombies game? Don’t panic ! This short tutorial will show you how to resolve the issue, if and when character data reverts to level 1 in Plants vs. Zombies.

A number of Plants vs. Zombies gamers have complained of an issue relating to character data display. For instance, the character data reverts and display “Level 1”, even after getting past the first stage.

If you are a victim of this error, you can follow through this tutorial to resolve the issue.

Fix: Character Data Reverts to Level 1 in Plants vs. Zombies

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare (1) is a top-end multiplatform video game from American gaming developer – PopCap Games – in collaboration with software development giant – Electronic Arts (EA). The game’s main characters are Crazy Dave (David Blazing) – the protagonist – and Doctor Zomboss (Doctor Edgar George Zomboss) – the chief antagonist.

Character data on Plants vs. Zombies is displayed, by default, as “Level-1”, irrespective of the level you are. However, most gamers (especially the new players) are ignorant of this; hence, when such players get past the first level and the character data is still showing “Level 1”, it often creates some form of panic (where there is none).

If you find yourself in this situation, you need not panic; the issue is neither a bug nor an error, but rather a cloud syncing issue, which can easily be resolved within seconds. To resolve it, and set the character data as appropriate, try either or both of the solutions below:

Solution 1: Connect to Electronic Arts’ Origin Service

By default, character data on Plants vs. Zombies is saved and synced to the cloud. And to gain access to this data, you need to be signed into EA’s Origin service.

Therefore, if your character data keeps showing up as “Level 1”, simply connect to EA’s (Electronic Arts) cloud storage (where the data is saved) by signing into the franchise’s Origin service.

Solution 2: Relaunch Plants vs. Zombies

The first solution may require you to restart the game (after connecting to the EA service), before the issue is resolved. Hence, if, after signing into the EA service, the character data still reverts to Level 1, simply close the game and relaunch it. That should do it!

Share your experience with others in resolving this issue. You can drop a comment in the comment section below.

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Games News Tech

Plants vs Zombies: Stuck in Empty Tutorial Level

Plants vs Zombies is no doubt one of the most interesting games out there. And despite the fact that it’s been around for quite some time, it is still generating so much excitement in the gaming world.

However, till today, there is a preliminary level on the game that most new players are often confused about. This stage is known as the “Empty Tutorial” level, which most beginners are practically clueless how to get past.

To get past this stage, follow through this tutorial.

How to Break Out of the Empty Tutorial Level in Plants vs. Zombies

At times, as a beginner (or even a Pro) on Plants vs. Zombies, you may find yourself stuck in a stage (level) where you are unable to connect with other players. At this stage, you are still able to play the game; selecting base characters and shooting straying zombies. If you find yourself at this level, do not fret; you are actually at the game’s “Empty Tutorial” level, which is just like a trial stage or demo level.

Normally, this stage, as a tutorial level, is meant to show you what to expect on the actual game; it is not an actual level of the game itself. The “Empty Tutorial” level is mainly activated due to incomplete installation or while an update is still in progress. In either case, you get stuck at the level, with practically no idea how to break out.

To get past this level, try either or both of the solution below:

  • Allow Update or Installation to Finish

To break out of this stage and proceed to play the actual game, all you have to do is WAIT for the update to complete (if one is in progress). Also, if the game is still installing, check if the installation is complete; if not, WAIT for it to complete. Consequently, you’d be proceeded to the main menu.

  • Reinstall the Game

If you’re still stuck at the Empty Tutorial level, you can uninstall the game completely: go to Settings > Apps > Plants vs. Zombies > Uninstall (on Android) and uninstall the program. After successfully uninstallation, go to Google Play Store (for Android) or App Store (for iOS) and reinstall the game. This time, ensure the game is fully installed (at 100%) before launching it. And you are all set!

Hope you were able to resolve the issue? Let us know by dropping a comment below.

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Games News Tech

Plants vs Zombies: Game Won’t Start [Fix]

Plants vs. Zombies won’t start or freezes on startup? This guide will show you a workaround.

Many times, Plants vs. Zombies gamers have complained that the game hangs or freezes at startup, and in worse cases, the startup window simply fails to show up.

To get your game back up (and running), this tutorial will show you a number of solutions to resolve the issue.

Fix: Plants vs. Zombies Won’t Start

If this game fails to start on your computer/smartphone or it hangs up/freezes while you are playing it, a number of factors could be in play. Normally, when this happens, the cause could be a connection issue, unfinished update, unsuccessful game resume or a combination of some/all these.

In any case, the solutions herein, if properly applied, should resolve the issue, irrespective of the playing platform; be it on your computer or smartphone.

  1. Hard Reboot PC

Plants vs. Zombies was originally developed for Windows and macOS, before extending support to other desktop and mobile operating platforms. To fix the issue, if/when the game fails to start up on your computer, you can “hard reboot” your PC to reset/refresh the system and apps (including the Plants vs. Zombies game).

To hard reboot PC:

  • Do not force-close the game; leave the hanged up screen as it is.
  • Click on your PC’s power button and hold it down for 10 – 15 seconds, until the system powers down.
  • Restart PC.
  • Try launching the game again and check if the error is fixed.

Hard rebooting your PC would refresh the computer and all running apps and processes. This should resolve the issue.

In the same vein, you can try this method on your smartphone; by pressing down the power button until the phone is powered down, and then powering it up again.

  1. Disconnect & Reconnect Xbox One

If this error occurs on Xbox One, simply power down the console and disconnect it. After a few seconds, plug it back in and power it back on. This should get the game up and running again, without any issue.

  1. Reinstall the Game

Ultimately, if the error persists after trying the aforementioned fixes, you can reinstall the game on your computer or smartphone. Simply uninstall it from your device and reinstall it from designated sites like Play Store (for Android users).

Hope you were able to fix the Plants vs Zombies won’t start error? Share your experience with us by commenting below.

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Markets News Tech

How to Increase Computer Speed on Windows 10 Computers

Are you wondering how to increase computer speed on Windows 10? Don’t worry! we have prepared this post just for you!

Windows 10, as the most advanced version of Windows, is significantly faster than Windows 8.1/8/7 and older. The interesting thing is; you can still tweak your Windows 10 PC to make it run even faster. And we’ll be showing you how to do this in this tutorial.

Tips to Increase Computer Speed Windows 10

Update OS and Drivers

For optimum performance, ensure your OS and software/hardware drivers are up-to-date. While some computer are auto-updated (when new updates are released), you can check for available updates once in a while.

Limit Startup Programs

If you have many programs that run on startup, you are bound to encounter system lag. Hence, allow only relevant programs to start up with your PC. This would reduce the resource usage of your PC, which consequently speeds it up.

Scan for Malwares

This is very vital towards improving system performance. If your system is somehow infected with malwares (viruses), you are bound to encounter reduced system function/performance.

To improve performance, in this case, you’d have to scan for malwares and clear them off. You can employ any standard antivirus program (like AVG) for this.

Free Up Disk Space

This is especially important if a system is congested or cluttered, in which case, you’d definitely experience system lag or reduced performance.

To resolve this, check your disk space/storage under System > Storage, and see if it’s low. If it is, free up space by clearing out Recycle Bin and other apps/files you don’t need.

Adjust Appearance in Performance Options

There is an option on Windows 10, which adjusts appearance (in Visual Effects) to improve system performance.

To enable this option:

  • Go to the Start menu;
  • Type in “performance” in the box; and press Enter;
  • Select Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows;
  • Go to the Visual Effects tab and select Adjust for best performance; and
  • Follow the prompt commands to finish up the process.

Run System Restore

This process would reverse recent changes made to your PC. By running system restore, recent apps, updates and drivers among others would be removed. However, your personal files would not be touched.

Other Tips

  • Moderate/adjust RAM usage
  • Open only few apps you need at a time.
  • Adjust power settings (to high performance)
  • Restart computer regularly
  • And more.

Hope you were able to improve your computer speed on Windows 10? Drop us a comment to let us know.

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