Kristen Burgess asked:




A netbook is a very useful little purchase. It makes even a regular notebook computer look huge and it truly has the ability to go anywhere. Today’s netbooks are tiny little machines packed with a reasonable amount of power. You’ll most likely get one gigabyte of RAM and a hard drive anywhere from 150 gigabytes to 300 gigabytes.

This is a perfect package for being on the go. With wireless hotspots popping up everywhere you can pull your netbook out of your bag and browse the internet, type a quick email, read an ebook, or even listen to a little music. How can you get the most out of your tiny computer?

First, remember that a netbook, though powerful for the small package it comes wrapped in, is not your typical home computer. It’s meant to be portable and light weight – both in the literal sense that it weighs very little, and that it doesn’t have the capacity to run heavy duty programs.

So you’ll want to use your netbook for what it’s meant for – simple things like you’ve learned above. Most netbooks come with one gigabyte of RAM, but almost all of those can easily be upgraded to two gigabytes, which will give you a little more power.

The next thing you’re going to want to do is get your netbook even leaner. Computer manufactures are notorious for loading new computers down with a whole bunch of programs you’ll never use. These programs are affectionately called “bloatware” because they literally bloat your computer. You want to get rid of them.

Take off what you’re not going to use. Make sure you use the program’s uninstall option or use the “Add/Remove Programs” in your Windows control panel so you uninstall the program cleanly. You can also use a small utility called “PC Decrapifier” to remove these programs. It’s free for home use and once you’re done with it, you just delete its file. I’ve used it on several new computers and I’ve found it works quickly and it works well.

As you remove applications you’ll never use, consider which applications you will use. Try and select lighter-weight programs that won’t take up a lot of resources as you run them. Firefox is a good web browser. It’s very secure and it doesn’t use a lot of resources – as long as you don’t load it down with a lot of add-ins! Save the plugins and other effects for your home computer. Keep your netbook clean and efficient.

You want a web browser and you’ll probably also want an office suite. Consider a minimal install that covers the basics – word processing, a spreadsheet, and possibly an email/calendar client. The Microsoft Office suite is a good one to try. It comes with these basics as well as a nice note-taking application that can be especially useful if you’re using your netbook in classes or meetings. Open Office is an open-source application that costs nothing and can be customized to the programs you need. Microsoft Office and Open Office are completely compatible with one another, so you can move files between programs.

A final tip for your netbook is to take advantage of the full screen mode offered by most programs. Netbook screens are tiny, so maximizing your program to take up the full window can make a big difference. The F11 key puts many programs into full screen mode, so give it a try and see if it helps you get more from your netbook’s beautiful, but tiny, screen!

Arthur