HP Health Check is a utility that comes with every Compaq or HP branded computer which actively scans the computer and alerts the user of important updates from HP, it can also suggest fixes, performance enhancements, updates and other hardware/software issues that may affect the computer’s performance. One of the first things I did when I bought my Compaq Presario C714NR was to get rid of bloatware (unnecessary preinstalled programs/softwares) and start up services that load up when you start Windows. One of those services is the HP Health Check Service.

I disabled the HP Health Check utility because I consider it useless, its also annoying (set to start automatically), it always runs in the background (checking for updates) and uses up valuable system resources. Another thing I don’t like about it is that when it finds new updates or issues with the computer, it just pops out of nowhere and when it loads, it slows down the computer and eats up a lot of the memory. This can be a pain if you’re in a hurry or in the middle of doing something very important or using a video editing or graphics editing program like Adobe Photoshop that also uses a large amount of system resources. If your computer can’t handle the load, the programs could crash and you could lose your work.

This short and simple tutorial will show you how to disable the HP Health Check utility service and also how to start it manually.

NOTE: This tutorial was done with a computer running Windows Vista.

1. Click on START/Windows logo then type in “Services.msc” and hit ENTER.

2. Look for HP Health Check Service.

3. Right click on HP Health Check Service and select Properties.

4. Click on the Stop button and on Startup Type, select Disabled.

5. Click on Apply, then click OK.

That’s it. The HP Health Check Service should now be disabled. In case you don’t want to disable it and prefer to start it manually, in Step 4, instead of selecting Disabled on the Startup Type, select Manual.

How to start the HP Health Check Service manually

1. Click Start, then click on Help and Support.
2. Click Troubleshooting Tools
3. Under Health Check, click on Use this tool to scan your system for security, performance and maintenance issues.

HP Health Check should be up and running and you can proceed with scanning your computer for updates, issues and recommended fixes.

Hope this short simple tutorial helped you manage the HP Health Check Service. If you know of another way of disabling or managing the HP Health Check Service or if you have any questions about it, feel free to leave a comment below. You might also want to check out my other Tips & Tricks posts for other useful and related tutorials.

The study shows that 30% of the laser printers tested emit dangerous particles that can cause lasting damage in the same scale of inhaled cigarette smoke. How is this possible? It turns out that whenever you print something, not all of the printer toner attaches to the paper and the toner dust particles mix with the air we breathe. These tiny dust particles get lodged deep into our lungs and could cause lung irritation or even lead to full-on cancer.

Also, new printer cartridges emit more dust particles than the older cartridges. A document with heavy graphics produce more particles when printed compared to a plain text document. Makes sense because it uses more of the printer toner. The more toner we use, the air quality becomes worse.

Here are some ways you can minimize emission and exposure to printer toner dust particles:

• Limit the use of printers. (only print important documents)
• Isolate printers in a separate room away from the workplace.
• Make sure that your office or room is well ventilated

I was alarmed when I first read this article coz I’ve never heard of it before and never realized the danger of exposure to printer toner dust particles and the health risks it causes. Most of us use our printers on a daily basis and are continually exposed to these hazardous dust particles. I wanted to share it with you guys in case you aren’t aware of this yet.

If you’re interested to know more about the study conducted with regards to this issue, the full study is now available online.

If you have any other suggestions or tips on how to minimize the emission or exposure to printer toner dust particles at home, school or in the office or if you want to share your ideas and opinions feel free to leave a comment.

[ via Yahoo! Tech ]