If you have programs like iTunes or a torrent program running in the background, they could be eating up precious system resources. Check your system tray for programs that may be running in the background. Your graphics card drivers are the software that controls your graphics card and allows it to interface with games. Running outdated drivers can have a big impact on your performance, as drivers are often tweaked in later releases for specific games. Try to make sure you're always running the latest version of your drivers. You can download the latest drivers from the Nvidia, AMD, or Intel website (depending on who manufactured your graphics adapter). See Update Your Video Card Drivers on Windows 7 for detailed instructions. The best way to get a big performance boost from your games is by lowering the graphical settings. This may make the game look a little worse, but can lead to massive gains in frames per second (FPS), which will provide a much smoother experience. Look for some of the following settings in your game's Graphic Options menu for a big impact: Resolution - Games will look best when they're running at your monitor's native resolution, but you can make a big FPS improvement by dropping the resolution down. The game will look blockier, but should instantly feel smoother. Changing your resolution can give you one of the biggest performance boosts you can get. For example, switching from 19201080 to 1600900 will often give you about a 20% boost in FPS. Anti-aliasing (AA) - This is the technique that smooths out the pixelated edges on objects, making edges look more natural. There are lots of different AA options (MSAA, FSAA, etc.), but for now you just need to know that most of them have a big performance cost. Try turning AA off completely and see how your game plays. If you're getting super-smooth performance and want to try some AA, try FXAA if available first, as this is the cheapest AA solution. Also, stick to 2X or 4X solutions. Texture Quality - If you're getting intermittent stuttering while playing (as opposed to a low frame rate), you may want to lower your texture quality. This is especially important when playing newer video games with older video cards. Shadow Quality - Detailed shadows can take a whole lot of processing power, so try dropping your shadow quality to get a major performance boost. V-Sync - This locks the vertical sync to your monitor's refresh rate which may force the game to run at a lower frame rate. You can disable this setting for a potential speed boost, however it may introduce screen tearing. A game may come with an alternative version of the game that is optimized for 32-bit or 64-bit CPU processors or may come with a version that is optimized for your graphics driver such as DirectX 11 or above. Run the different executables and note which one provides better performance. There are two major graphics card manufacturers on the market, Nvidia and AMD. You may run into a game that was designed around one particular graphics card. The developer may provide a patch that resolves issues with a graphics card brand that is known to cause performance issues. Check discussion forums and developer websites for more information. Certain computer configurations such as laptops that feature both an integrated graphics card and a high-end graphics card may cause programs to run on the integrated graphics card that features lower specifications. Nvidia graphics card drivers come with the Nvidia Control Panel software that allows you to change programs from using the Integrated Graphics card to your dedicated Nvidia graphics card. To open the Control panel, right click on an empty space on your desktop and click on "NVIDIA Control Panel." On the left hand side click on "Manage 3D Settings." In the main window pane click on the "Global Settings" tab and set the drop down labeled "Preferred graphics processor" to "High-performance NVIDIA processor" then close the window. This will change the graphics card settings for all programs. Check under the game's settings to see which video card is being used as the primary display driver. If you have more than one video card installed, changing this setting to your video card that features high performance may resolve the issue. You can set your BIOS to disable the integrated graphics card. Check with your computer's user manual or manufacturer's website for more details on how to disable the integrated graphics card. You may run across a game that is not optimized for your hardware or is known to have poor performance. Search online for unofficial mods or enhancements that provide higher performance. Read reviews and discussion forums before downloading to ensure how to properly install the mod. Social hubs such as a developer or publisher's game discussion hubs, gaming websites, and game download services such as Steam or GOG provide an outlet for those who face issues with a particular game they are running. Asking for help while providing your system specifications can help you identify issues that you may be facing. There are also other discussion threads to look out for when browsing forums. Other users may be facing the same issue as you and can sometimes provide a similar solution. If you have a virus infection, the virus may be taking up a lot of your system resources. Removing infections will not only increase your game performance, but they will also improve your computer's security. Most virus infections can be removed using a combination of your antivirus program, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, and AdwCleaner, both of which are free. See Remove Malware for more detailed instructions.
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One-sentence summary -- Make sure no other programs are running while you're playing. Update your graphics card drivers. Lower your in-game settings. Run a version optimized for your hardware or drivers. Disable integrated graphics card settings. Search online for mods that increase performance. Read discussion forums. Perform virus and malware scans.

No matter how confident you are in your baby's ability to self-feed, it's still important to supervise them during feedings. Stay in the same room as your baby and ensure that you can see and hear them. This way you will notice if your baby begins to choke or if they need your help. Don't allow your baby to feed flat on their back. Milk can get into their Eustachian tubes if they feed in this position and this may lead to an ear infection. Always hold or position your baby so they are sitting upright or leaning back at a 45 degree angle. For example, you could hold your baby in your arms and keep them angled so that their head is above their stomach. Or, you could place your baby into a high chair or their stroller with the seat in the upright or inclined position. Breast milk or formula can pool around your baby's teeth and lead to cavities at a very young age if your baby feeds until they fall asleep. To prevent this, switch to a pacifier before you baby has drifted off completely. Your baby can suck on the pacifier as they're falling asleep and continue to suck on it while they sleep as well. As an added bonus, giving your baby a pacifier at bedtime reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
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One-sentence summary -- Supervise your baby's feedings even if they can self-feed. Keep your baby sitting upright or at a slight incline while they feed. Switch to a pacifier at bedtime to prevent tooth decay.

Extending from any knot are two "arms." Grab one of these arms and start turning it. You can turn it clockwise or counterclockwise. The number of times you'll need to turn it depends on the tightness of the knot. The arms of very tight knots will need to be turned more than knots that are merely tight. Once you've turned one arm of the knot several times, push it through the heart of the knot using your hands. Start as close as you can to the knot itself, since the further from the knot you begin, the less leverage you will have. If you find that you cannot push the turned end through, twist it in the same direction several more times, then try to push it through. Once you've pushed a bit of the knotted material through the tight loop, pull it apart from the other side. If the knot is still tight, wiggle the bit you pushed through from side to side. This should enable you to bring it through the rest of the way. As you pull, the whole knot should loosen up even more.
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One-sentence summary --
Twist one end of the knot. Push the turned end through the knot. Pull the knot apart.