… nothing happens.

Just a cold, black screen staring back at you.

And no matter how many times you hit the power button… nothing happens.

It’s dead as a doornail.

And then it hits you…

That means you can’t access any of your files.

Your documents, your photos, your music, your ebooks…

The problem?

Your hard-drive is toast.

There are 2 kinds of computer user

Computer techs have a saying…

There are two kinds of computer user: Those who have experienced a hard-drive failure. And those who have yet to experience a hard-drive failure.

In other words — it’s not a matter of if… but when your hard-drive fails.

And once it fails, you’re hosed.

It happened to a friend of mine a couple of years ago.

He had to send his hard-drive to a specialist file recovery service.

Man, they charged him a small fortune.

Why?

Because they could. Because they knew he had no other options.

Oh — and it took 6 weeks before he got any of his files back.

So… how can you stop this nightmare happening to you?

Option one: Use a backup hard-drive

You can get an external hard-drive and backup your files to it.

Of course, with an external drive, you’ll need to keep it plugged into your computer for the backup software to do its thing.

Or, if you have a desktop computer, you can fit an internal slave drive.

You’ll need some backup software — something like Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image.

(Or not — some external hard-drives come with backup software already installed.)

You may also want to use some encryption software if your files are sensitive.

Option two: Use an online backup service

If you don’t wanna mess around with extra hard-drives and software, then the easier option is to use an online backup service.

All you have to do is sign-up, and a bit of software does the rest.

Your files are then automatically uploaded to a secure server every day. (Or as often as you want.)

Super-easy.

Plus, there are a few benefits over using a backup drive.

First — you get unlimited storage, so you’ll never run out of space.

Second — you can back-up more than one computer.

Third — your files are encrypted, so they’re totally secure and safe from prying eyes.

Fourth — you can access your files from anywhere.

Pretty cool, eh?

It makes backing-up your precious files easier than falling off a log.

Choose your poison

Which option you choose is up to you.

But — if you value your files, then whatever you do — choose one.

Because when disaster strikes, it’s gonna save you a butt-load of heartache.

My PC Backup has a free trial if you wanna give an online backup service a test-drive.

Uh… you don’t.

You have to re-install the driver that’s giving you trouble.

Which means you’re gonna need your original driver installation disk.

And if you don’t have it?

Then you could try searching the hardware manufacturer’s website.

This is actually a better option, because you’ll be able to install the latest driver version. So it should have a few more bugs worked out, which means it should be more stable.

Or you could try searching a driver download site.

But be careful with this last option.

Why?

Because some driver files may be labelled incorrectly. And that means you may end up downloading a different files than the ones you think you’re downloading.

Plus — there’s a risk of the files being infected with something nasty. So be sure to scan them for malware before opening them.

And if you still can’t find the drivers you need?

Then your only option is to use driver update software.

This option will give you instant access to millions of up-to-date drivers…

… all ready to download and install with a couple of simple mouse clicks.

And the added benefit is, you can update all your other drivers to latest versions at the same time.

For 3 awesome driver updaters, check out my driver update software comparison page.

A free scan will reveal all the drivers they have available for your computer.

• Fixes any problems your computer has…
• Fixes any new problems as soon as they arise…
• Speeds up your computer so it runs faster than when it was new…
• Protects your privacy by removing evidence of your activities…
• Keeps your hardware devices working properly…
• Helps you open files you can’t open…
• Keeps your computer healthy and running like new…

Be pretty cool, wouldn’t it?

Well, these are just some of the things PC Health Advisor does.

And the best part?

It comes with a scheduler and can do all these things automatically.

Does computer maintenance get any easier than this?

Nope.

Check it out here: PC Health Advisor review

… that you feel like throwing it out the effin’ window?

You’re not alone.

I think most people feel like that at some point.

So — here are the top 5 things making your computer crawl…

1. Ravaged by system errors

The average computer can be swarming with hundreds — even thousands — of system errors.

Stuff like DLL errors, file association errors, broken shortcuts etc.

They’re simply caused by everyday use.

So it’s not your fault. You’re not doing anything wrong.

But they’re unavoidable.

2. Choked by junk files

Every time you use your computer, it creates a butt-load of temporary files.

A butt-load.

We’re talking browser cache, temporary Internet files, document revisions, duplicate files…

And that means you have a mountain of junk clogging up your computer.

And it’s eating up your valuable hard-drive space.

3. Crippled by a fragmented hard-drive

When you save a file, fragments get stored all over your hard-drive.

Not all in one place, as you’d expect… but scattered.

So whenever you open a file, your computer has to scurry around searching for all the pieces.

And that takes time.

4. Hammered by outdated or faulty drivers

Your computer uses driver files to “talk” to your hardware devices.

But if those driver files are corrupt or outdated…

… then that device may not be running at full throttle.

5. Clobbered by lousy system settings

Right out of the box, your computer isn’t properly optimised for speed.

Good news is — there are dozens of settings that can be tweaked to unleash its true potential…

… and make that puppy fly.

The simple fix

PC Health Advisor can quickly fix all these problems… and a bunch more.

It can transform your computer from a simpering wimp into a fire-breathing powerhouse… with a few simple mouse clicks.

Check it out here: PC Health Advisor review.

… you get the dreaded “Windows cannot open this file:” dialogue box.

Uh oh.

Now what?

Well, you have 2 options.

The hard option…

Your first option is to try opening the file with every program on your computer.

Yeah — it’s a bit of a song and dance, but here’s how you do it:

First, right-click on your file, and from the dialogue box, choose “Open with” then “Choose program…”

Now select one program at a time and see what happens.

If that program doesn’t open it, rinse and repeat until one does.

A quick heads up: If you have heaps of programs installed on your computer, now may be a good time to stick the kettle on, because this is gonna take a while.

And after all that… if none of the programs can open it?

Then you’re hosed.

And it’s time to put on your detective hat and start pounding the search engines for answers.

Or the easy option…

Your second option is the easy one: Use a program called FileCure.

After installing it, all you need to do is right-click on the file you can’t open.

From the dialogue box select “Scan with FileCure”.

Bam!

FileCure instantly tells you what program you need to open the file.

And if you don’t have that program installed on your computer?

No problemo…

Because FileCure will guide you to the necessary software so you can download it.

And that’s it — you’re back in business, my friend.

Pretty cool.

And you just saved yourself a butt-load of time and hassle.

Click one of these buttons if you wanna give FileCure a try.

Requirements: Windows® 7 (32-bit & 64-bit), Vista (32-bit & 64-bit), or XP (32-bit).

You’ve hammered the search engines.

And you’ve scoured every driver download site…

… and still can’t find the drivers you need.

What now?

Well, one option is to use driver update software. In particular Driver Detective.

Why Driver Detective?

First, because you get instant access to the biggest device driver database on the planet.

We’re talking a mammoth 27 million drivers.

And second, because it does all the hard work for you.

How?

Well, it scans your computer for missing, outdated or damaged drivers.

And all you have to do is click a button to download and install your new drivers.

Easy as that.

And best of all — the whole shebang takes less than 15 minutes.

Here’s my Driver Detective review if you wanna check it out.

As if you’re the butt of some cosmic joke?

Of course you have.

What a stoopid question.

Today was one of those days for me.

I needed the receipt reference number from a webcam I bought last week.

Only problem was, something was out of whack with Outlook, so I couldn’t access the email.

Bad Outlook!

Then, after panicking like a madman for 5 minutes, I remembered I have a copy of Stellar Outlook PST Repair on my hard-drive.

I’d been meaning to put it through its paces for a while now so I could review it.

So I fired it up and let it do its magic…

… and a few minutes later, everything was tickety-boo.

It totally saved my bacon.

Needless to say, Stellar Outlook PST Repair gets a big ol’ thumbs up from me.

So if you’re up doo-doo creek (like I was), then you can get Stellar Outlook PST Repair by clicking either of these buttons.

Requirements: Windows® Vista, 2003, XP, 2000, NT, ME, 98, 98SE, or 95.

It stars Robert Redford as a computer hacker.

And he’s blackmailed into stealing a top secret black box from a company called “Setec Astronomy”.

With a little help from his friends, he learns that the black box can break any encryption code.

And while playing Scrabble, he realises “Setec Astronomy” is an anagram of…

… you guessed it: too many secrets.

That’s when he realises how valuable the black box is.

It’s a cool film.

But talking of secrets…

How many secrets could your computer reveal?

The reason I ask, is because your computer keeps a record of all your activities.

• Every website you’ve visited…
• Every video you’ve watched…
• Every picture you’ve ogled…
• Every file you’ve downloaded or shared…
• Every minute you’ve spent goofing off on Facebook…

Every damn thing.

It’s a scary thought, isn’t it?

And it’s storing this mountain of evidence in dozens of files and folders — including index.dat files, temp files, and protected system folders.

Erasing your browser history won’t do jack to protect you from prying eyes.

And you can’t just delete these files because your computer won’t work without them.

You need to “cleanse” the files with specialist software.

So — if your computer’s secrets could cost you your job, your relationship, your friendship, your reputation…

… or leave you embarrassed and humiliated, then…

You gotta check out Privacy Controls

Why?

Because with one click it cleanses your computer of sensitive information to U.S. Department of Defense standards.

It overwrites files with random data multiple times so there’s absolutely no trace of the file ever existing.

Zip. Zilch. Nada.

It also includes a secure file shredder so you can erase specific files.

And the best part — it includes a scheduler so you can set it to remove the evidence of your activities as often as you like.

So you’ll never have to squirm at the thought of people snooping around your computer.

Or wake up in a cold sweat worrying that your computer’s secrets are going to land you in deep doo-doo.

Click one of these buttons and give Privacy Controls a try.

Requirements: Windows® 7 (32-bit & 64-bit), Vista (32-bit & 64-bit), or XP (32-bit).

If you haven’t seen it, it’s about the life of the late, great Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna.

He was without doubt one of the greatest racing drivers of all time — if not the greatest.

His ability to drive on the absolute limit, lap after lap, was astonishing.

But what struck me most is the sheer speed of Formula 1 cars.

For example, around the narrow street circuit of Monaco they’re doing over 100 miles an hour…

… and they’re just inches away from perilous brick walls and steel barriers.

And thanks to the onboard cameras, you get a nerve-tingling sense of that speed.

It’s truly impressive.

And it got me thinking…

It’s kinda like when you get a new computer.

At first it feels lightening fast.

Programs launch in a flash.

Files open instantly.

Websites load in the blink of an eye.

But then — as the weeks pass…

The rot sets in

It starts to get slower.

And sloower.

And sloooower.

Until it feels like it’s on its last legs.

And you feel as if you’re back in the Dark Ages…

… wondering where the hell your speed went.

Well, it turns out there’s a simple explanation.

Because every time you use your computer, it creates a butt-load of temporary files.

And over time these files clog up your computer’s system — and cripple its performance.

But there’s good news

Because SpeedyPC Pro will find and delete your computer’s junk files.

With a couple of simple mouse clicks you can get your computer running like new again…

…if not better than new.

Because it also tweaks and optimises your system settings to get it purring like a Formula 1 engine.

Pretty sweet, eh?

Use SpeedyPC Pro once a week and you’ll never have to put up with a slow computer again.

So click one of these buttons if you wanna give SpeedyPC Pro a test-drive.

Requirements: Windows® 7 (32-bit & 64-bit), Vista (32-bit & 64-bit), XP (32-bit).

These three file recovery programs are free to try, so give ‘em a go…

Best file recovery software — Stellar Windows Data Recovery

Pros Recovers 185 different file types from dozens of storage media. Recovers emails & attachments. Recovers files from corrupted and formatted drives. Recovers deleted partitions. Shows your drive’s health. Previews files before recovery.

Cons No text search.

Verdict If you need to recover lost files, this is the best tool for the job.

Full review: Stellar Windows Data Recovery review

Requirements: Windows® Windows® 7, Vista, XP, Server 2003, 2000, or NT4.

Best for previewing files — Remo Recover Pro Edition

Pros Recovers dozens of file types from dozens of storage media. Previews files before recovery. Recovers files from cameras and mobile phones. Recovers data from corrupted drives. Recovers data from formatted drives and lost partitions.

Cons Small, fixed size window.

Verdict The next best thing to Stellar Windows Data Recovery.

Full review: Remo Recover Pro Edition review

Requirements: Windows® 7, Vista, XP, 2003 or 2008.

Best email recovery — Data Recovery Pro

Pros Guides you through recovering lost files. You can search for lost files by keyword. Recovers dozens of file types including emails and attachments. Recovers files from peripheral devices, formatted and partitioned drives. Sort and preview scan results.

Cons Didn’t uncover many lost files.

Verdict Great for recovering lost emails and MP3s.

Full review: Data Recovery Pro review

Requirements: Windows® Vista, XP or 2000 (all 32-bit).