High-performance PC hardware doesn't always deliver the speed users expect. But you probably shouldn't blame the hardware. The slowdown may be due to a software conflict.

A reader named Abe Ibrahim contacted me last week to ask about the cause of his slow Windows 7 PC: My system: Asus Rampage III Extreme MB, Intel i7 980x CPU, 12GB Tri-Bus Memory, 128GB SSD (OS), and 9TB RAID-5 storage. One would think no matter what you ran, the system would scream through it. That is not the case with my system: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit boots in 51 seconds... [When] I use it to zip and unzip files, video or photo editing, the system crawls.... Low system performance while in low CPU and memory usage! Why? One of the greatest challenges PC users face is figuring out why the machines run so slowly. You can easily spend more time trying to fix the problem than the problem causes you to lose in the first place.

Windows 7's built-in diagnostic tools can help you find the source of startup and other performance woes. I've had mixed results with the OS's troubleshooting utilities, which I described in a post from last June, "Handy Windows 7 utilities you may not know about."

Tech Republic's Greg Schultz explains ... [Read more]

Shortly after posting about how to create a Facebook cover photo on the iPhone, I found an Android app that allows you to create and upload a cover photo straight from an Android device.

The app, Facebook Timeline Covers: D33P, is free. Once you upload your cover photo creation, however, it will be stamped with a watermark promoting the app. Let's take a look at how the app works.

The app has a straightforward approach; after launching and allowing the app to access your Facebook account, you cap tap on either the blank cover photo or profile picture to choose which section you would like to edit.

You can browse some user-generated cover photos, or take a photo from your Facebook News Feed, a photo from either your or your friends' Facebook photos, or a photo from your Android device.

Once you've chosen your cover photo and/or a profile picture, you're allowed to preview what it will look like as a finished product on Facebook (minus the watermark, which is conveniently not shown unti... [Read more]

Have 350,000 digital textbooks been downloaded already?

Since digital textbooks are still in their infancy, it might be tough to determine success in that market just yet. But so far, it appears Apple is doing quite well.

The iPhone maker reportedly sold 350,000 digital textbooks through its iBookstore in just its first three days of availability, Global Equities Research has revealed, according to All Things Digital, which obtained the data from the analyst firm. Global Equities Research monitors textbook downloads through its own "proprietary tracking system," All Things Digital said today. The firm doesn't disclose how that system works.

Last week, Apple unveiled digital textbooks for its iPad. The books, which are coming through major textbook publishers McGraw-Hill and Pearson, among others, allow for far more interactivity than physical editions. The textbooks come with video, 3D images, instant glossaries, and the ability to highlight and add notes. In addition, Apple is charging $14.99 or less for the high school textbooks available so far, making them more affordable than their traditional counterparts.

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