Hardware Optimization Tips

There are ways to tweak software that can improve the performance of your network connections, especially your Internet connection. Because most of these adjustments are operating system- and vendor-specific, I can't review them all here. However, there are a few things that you can do that continually improve the performance of your hardware.

The most important step you can take is to download driver and firmware updates. In fact, that's one of the first things that you should do after you set up your hardware. Visit the manufacturer's Web site and see if there are any updates available. Because your device has probably been in a warehouse or on a shelf for a while before you purchased it, chances are that there are updated drivers or firmware patches available that will improve the performance of your hardware.

Insider insight:It's not hard, it's not soft its firmware. Firmware is software contained in sight programmable chips (EPROM, ROM, PROM) on a hardware device. These chips hold their software code even when there is no electrical current supplied to the device. An example of a firmware chip is the BIOS chip on your PC

Chips that contain firmware are programmable and can be flashed or programmed by users. Manufacturers can supply firmware upgrades as downloadable executable programs that improve the performance of their hardware. Firmware upgrades can extend the life cycle of hardware by adding new features or supporting new standards.

An example of a future firmware enhancement to some Wi-Fi hardware is the new WPA encryption standard. Some existing hardware is upgradeable to the new standard through firmware upgrades.

You also should update your operating system. Microsoft makes regular updates to its operating systems and offers service packs or patches for users to download. Other vendors, including Apple Computer, do the same. These patches include updated drivers, system improvements, and security enhancements.

Depending on your Internet service and your hardware, there are changes you can make to settings that will speed up your Internet connection. Often this requires changing your computer's registry settings or your hardware's configuration. There are Web sites that offer utilities and instructions for improving performance, but unless you are very familiar with your operating system, I suggest that you don't mess with these settings.

Caution: If you decide to alter your registry settings, make sure that you back up your registry before you make any changes. This way, in the event the changes cause, you can restore your old registry settings.