As the busiest online shopping day of the year approaches, consumers will soon be taking to the web, beginning on Cyber Monday, in a mad rush to seize numerous online deals, one-day  discounts, and early-bird promotions being offered by online retailers. In the wake of a National Retail Federation survey projecting an increase in the number of U.S. consumers that will be shopping online this holiday season, the memory experts at Crucial.com urge consumers to make sure their computer is ready to handle the rigors of shopping online this holiday season.

"More and more consumers are choosing to skip the long lines and crowded malls for  the convenience of online shopping during the holiday season, but shopping in  cyberspace can quickly lead to increased frustration and stress when a computer  is not performing as needed," said Roddy  McLean, marketing director, Crucial.com. "Let's face it, the holidays are  stressful enough, and no one wants to be hindered in their quest for the next great deal  by a computer that slows to a crawl, freezes up, or crashes as they are about  to click the 'checkout' button after hours spent finding the perfect gifts."

So, before Cyber Monday is upon us, the experts at Crucial.com suggest that  consumers take a little time to get their computers ready for the post-Thanksgiving annual online shopping spree with a few tune-up tips.

Upgrade The Holiday Memories.
  Just like the mall stores need more employees  to handle the influx of holiday shoppers, computers also need an extra hand  when it comes to navigating the online holiday rush.  In fact, if you have never upgraded the  internal memory (RAM) of your computer then chances are, any performance issues  such as slow loading webpages or programs, system crashes or errors, can be  resolved with a do-it-yourself memory upgrade.

Installing computer memory is a  very simple and inexpensive process that requires no special tools or  skills.  Crucial.com makes finding and  installing the correct memory upgrade simple with free, easy-to-use online  tools such as the Crucial® System  Scanner that  automatically scans the computer to determine the current memory and recommends  the right upgrade for your computer.  With an average price of around $50, a memory  upgrade will go along way toward making this holiday  season a jolly one for all.

Surf in  Safety.
Since online  shopping usually requires credit card information, it is important to check the  security settings of the web browser being used in order to protect credit card  numbers and transaction details.  Make sure the web browser is up-to-date and that all security setting updates are  installed. Review the browser's security settings to confirm they are set to  medium security levels at minimum.

Healthy Holiday.
Just like humans, when a computer has a virus or is infected with  spyware, it becomes sluggish and performance suffers. Keep your anti-virus  program up-to-date, run a full system scan every three to six months, and install  an anti-spyware program.

Defrag Your Disk.
Computer hard drives get fragmented when programs are installed  and uninstalled and files are added or removed. The files end up scattered  around the hard drive making it difficult for the computer to find items in a  timely manner. Utilize the system's built-in disk defragment tool to keep a computer  running efficiently.

Dump The Junk.
Whenever you install software updates, download images, save  music files, edit documents, or browse the web, your computer accumulates unnecessary  files and programs. Use the built-in uninstaller to remove unneeded files.

Visit Crucial.com for more tips and information on improving  computer performance and do-it-yourself memory upgrades this holiday season.

As a  pioneer of do-it-yourself memory upgrades, Crucial.com bolsters its online  memory upgrade tools with a full team of memory upgrade experts to help choose  the right memory upgrade for over 50,000 desktops, laptops, servers, printers,  routers, and other electronic devices.

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