Q&A: How do I get my PC back in
shape?
Yearly Maintenance
Excellent question
I think I have to start by saying that there is a fine line between a computer
needing a little spring cleaning and actually being in need of repair. A
computer that is starting to boot and run slowly could be a result of something
as simple as some unsolicited spyware
floating around, a virus infection or even a misbehaving program or driver. But
it could also be an indication of something more serious such as a failing hard
drive, especially if your computer is 4 or more years old. You indicated that
your computer is about 2 years old, so I am going to assume, for now, that your
hardware is in good working order.
If your computer has experience a major slowdown suddenly and there is nothing
physically wrong like a bad hard drive, here is a quick list of the common,
recent problems that I have run into. You may want to check a few of these
before performing all of the steps listed below.
• Infected – Your computer is infected with Viruses, Spyware or other malware and needs to be scanned and cleaned. (See
Below)
• Norton Antivirus Misbehaving – Norton can get out of sorts and cause all
kinds of problems. I suggest uninstalling it to see if it is the cause of your
problem. You can always reinstall it afterwards or install some other antivirus
software.
• Google Desktop – Some computers experience a major slowdown when Google
Desktop Search is installed. This program constantly indexes all of your files
on your computer and can really slow thing down. Simply Uninstall.
• Internet Explorer 7 – Microsoft’s new Internet Explorer 7 can cause major
problems on some computer. If your problems started after this was installed,
try going back to IE 6 by uninstalling IE 7 through ADD and REMOVE PROGRAMS.
• Kodak Updater – Some versions of Kodak software has been known to cause a
real slowdown. Uninstall or update from the Kodak website.
• Windows Update – Occasionally a Windows update can cause a problem. If the
slow down started just after a Windows Update, remove the update.
Before I get going on actual maintenance procedures, BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP… I
know, we all hear this all the time but it is especially important to backup
prior to performing any service. So I will say it again. Backup everything that
is important to you.
With that out of the way, let’s get started with what I would call “Yearly
Maintenance”. I am basing this on Windows XP but is similar for other operating
systems:
1. BACKUP - Backup up all your data. (Enough said)
2. SET RESTORE POINT – Before you start any maintenance, I always suggest
setting a Windows Restore Point. This will give you a possible way back from a
problem. No guarantees, but could help. Click on START > ALL PROGRAMS >
ACCESSORIES > SYSTEM TOOLS > SYSTEM RESTORE > Select Create a Restore
Point > Enter a Description like “Before Maintenance” > Click on CREATE
> When complete, Click on CLOSE.
3. TAKE INVENTORY – Now is a good time to take an inventory of what you have
and to write down some of your system parameters so that you have some data to
compare next year or when something goes wrong. Check the following and Write
it down. If you are handy with Excel, you can start a spreadsheet to track this
information.
a. GENERAL INFO – Write Down your computer Make, model, serial number, when you
purchased it and any upgrades or repairs you have made to it over the years. I
would also make a list of all the programs that you use on a regular basis.
This will help you later on when you are trying to decide what junk to remove.
b. DISK DRIVE – Take note of the total size of your hard drive as well as how
much space you have used and have left. If your drive is almost full, this can
account for a major slow down in system performance. Double Click on MY
COMPUTER > Right Click on your C: Drive > Select PROPERTIES > Click on
the GENERAL tab. You can also use this information over time to track the
amount of data that you are creating to help plan for backups as well as to aid
you in possible new computer decisions.
c. MEMORY – You had mentioned that you thought you might have 200mb of memory, this is probably incorrect
because memory is usually installed in multiples of 128mb and on a 2 year old
computer usually in multiples of 256mb. So you would typically have 256, 512,
768 or 1024 (1gig) and so on. Check the amount of installed memory by Right
Clicking on MY COMPUTER > Select PROPERTIES. The type of processor and the
amount of memory will be listed near the bottom of the GENERAL tab window. You
may have to wait a moment for the information to appear. Note: The amount of
memory listed can be off from what I mentioned above depending on the type of
graphics adapter you have. Some video systems share the main memory thus showing
less memory than expected. In any case, if you are running Windows XP and have
less than 512mb of memory, I would strongly suggest upgrading your memory. It
is fairly common for XP computers that are 2 or more years old to have only
256mb of memory. This might have been Ok at the time, but add Service Pack 2,
80+ Windows updates and resource draining Security software such as Norton and
256mb just does not cut it. In any case, write down the memory listed and
compare this to what your original invoice stated. I have seen situations where
a module can go bad and you are suddenly working with only half the memory.
d. PROCESSES – I like to take note of the total number of processes running on
my computer. This gives me a benchmark to work with for future comparisons.
Processes are all the little programs and services that are running in the
background. To view Processes: Right Click a blank section of your task bar and
select TASK MANAGER > Now Click on the PROCESSES tab. This will display a
list of all the processes running on your computer at this time. Depending on
your Computer and what you have installed, this number can range from about 22
to 75. Your ultimate goal is to reduce this number as much as possible, leaving
only necessary processes running. But for now you are going to just write down
the total number of processes running. NOTE: It is best to initially check
processes after rebooting your computer and waiting about 10 minutes. This
number can vary up and down depending on what the computer may be doing at that
exact moment. Some programs could be requesting updates from the internet or
maybe running a virus or spyware
scan. If you are interested in learning more about some of these, simply enter
the name of the process into a Google search.
e. TASK BAR – Being aware of
the items on your task bar can help you stay on top of what is going on. Other
than the standard notifications about the status of your network connection or
letting you know that there are updates available for Windows, keeping an eye
on the task bar may allow you to catch potential problems before they become a
major issue. I can’t tell you how often I run across someone who has ignored a
big red X through a Norton Antivirus Icon only to end up with a virus infected
computer and later find out that Norton had expired or stopped working the
previous year.
4. INSTALL OR UPDATE TOOLS – Now that you have taken some notes about your
system we need to either download some tools that we will need or update the
tools that you already have. You want to have all your tools installed and
updated before starting the cleaning process. This is what you will need:
a. ANTIVIRUS – You will need one good Antivirus program. If you already have
one installed then you will need to run its updater to make sure it has the
most current virus definitions. If it has expired or is not working correctly,
you can download a free program from Grisoft
called AVG Free http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/. If you prefer
to purchase one, I would recommend Nod32, Kaspersky, PC-Cillin,
AVG, E-Trust or McAfee. Make sure you uninstall your old antivirus software
before installing a new version.
b. FILE CLEANER – Cleaning out temporary junk files can be performed manually,
but I prefer a little program call ATF and best of all it is free. http://www.majorgeeks.com/ATF_Cleaner_d4949.html
c. ANTISPYWARE – You are going to want to have 3 or 4 Antispyware type programs installed. You can
purchase one such as Webroots
Sp Sweeper which is good or you can download some free versions. I would
suggest Grisoft AVG Antispyware (formerly Ewedo), Spybot, AdAware,
Microsoft Defender. Many of these can be downloaded from www.download.com.
Defender is at www.microsoft.com.
d. REGISTRY CLEANER – This is optional, if you happen to already have one installed, that is fine.
5. SCAN DISK FOR ERRORS – Click on START > MY COMPUTER > Right Click on
your C: drive and select PROPERTIES > Select the TOOLS Tab > In the Error
Checking window click on CHECK NOW > Check off both boxes > Restart your
computer and the your drive
will be checked for errors when the computer restarts. This can take a several
hours.
6. RUN VIRUS SCAN – Now that you have all your tools installed and updated, I
recommend disconnecting or turning off your internet connection before starting
the process. Run a full virus scan using whatever software you have chosen to
install.
7. UNINSTALL PROGRAMS – Go through your list of programs (START > ALL
PROGRAMS) and look for any programs that you no longer use or have never used.
It is best to leave any that you have questions about. When you find one that
you no longer need, use the uninstaller listed for that program, if uninstall
is not listed, write down the name of the program to remove later. Some
programs will ask you to restart the computer after uninstalling. Go ahead and
do this. It is a good idea to restart your computer even if you are not asked
to do so.
8. ADD OR REMOVE PROGRAMS - Now you want to remove the programs that did not
have an uninstaller listed. Click on START > CONTROL PANEL > ADD OR
REMOVE PROGRAMS. Start going down through the list of installed programs and
remove any that you no longer need or want. Again it is best to leave any that
you are unsure of. Restart your computer after you uninstall each program, even
if you are not asked to do so.
9. DELETE OTHER JUNK – Now is a good time to go through all your data in MY
DOCUMENTS and delete any that you no longer need. You could also use this time
to reorganize your files by moving individual files into meaningful folders.
The same is true for email. If you are using Outlook or Outlook Express for
email, then you might want to go through your emails and delete and reorganize.
10. DELETE TEMP FILES – You can delete all your temporary files manually by
running DICKCLEAN and then going into Internet Explorer and deleting Internet
Temp files, History and cookies. But I prefer to use ATF and let it do most of
the work for you. NOTE: If you delete Cookies (Which I suggest at least once
per year), you will loose some of your saved login names for some websites.
11. ANTISPYWARE SCANS – Next you want to run full scans with EACH of your Antispyware type programs and
remove any problems that they find. You may have to restart your computer and
scan again to remove some of the more stubborn problems. If you have multiple
user accounts on your computer and depending on what software you are running
you may need to run each scan while logged into each users account.
12. STARTUP PROGRAMS – There are a bunch of programs and services that are set
to run whenever your computer starts. Some of them are necessary such as
antivirus programs and Firewalls and then there are others that do not really
need to be started like Quicktime
and Realplayer. You can
access some of the startup list by clicking on START > RUN > type msconfig in the run box >
Click on the STARTUP tab > you will be presented with a list of startup
items. You can uncheck the box for any item that you do not want to have start.
If you want to lean more about each entry, simply enter the name into a Google
search. Again if you are unsure of any entry leave it checked. You can always
go back and recheck any items. Reboot your computer.
13. WINDOWS AND OFFICE UPDATES – Now that your computer should be nice and
clean and running well, your should
run Windows update and if you are using Microsoft Office, install updates for
that too.
14. DEFRAG HARD DRIVE – Even though many claim that defragmenting in Windows XP is not required, I still
like to run this after I have performed all the previous steps. START > ALL
PROGRAMS > ACCESSORIES > SYSTEM TOOLS > DEFRAGMENTER.
As far as keeping you computer clean on a regular basis between yearly
maintenance procedures, the main thing is to make sure all of your Antivirus
and Antispyware software is
always up-to-date, install all Windows Security Updates and delete your
temporary files monthly. If you have any manual scanners such as AdAware or SpyBot, you need to run these monthly as well.
There are some all inclusive software packages such as Norton 360, Microsoft
One Care and McAfee Total Care that can perform many of these tasks
automatically for you, but if your computer is less than state of the Art and
has limited memory, many of these can really slow your computer down to a
crawl.
There are many other things you can do to tune and tweak your system for better
performance but this is already getting too long so I will stop here. However,
I should mention that there is nothing that compares to a complete reinstall of
Windows for cleaning out the cobwebs. I personally do this about every 2 years.
Also, during your spring cleaning, you really want to remove any dust that
could be interfering with the proper cooling of your computer. Turn off your
computer and unplug the power cord before cleaning. Remove the side cover and
Vacuum out all vents and using a can of compressed air, blow out any dust that
has accumulated on any heat sinks and fans inside. Note: You can damage the
fans by spinning them too quickly with compressed air, so it is a good idea to
stick a pencil in between the blades to keep them from spinning. Just don’t forget
to remove the pencil before you turn your computer back on.
Good Luck!
Dana
Wayland Computer
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-4_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=244923&messageID=2472924#2472924
Reply for
Sandy H:, re: system cleanup
Well, first, you do not have 200MB of memory, because memory only comes in “power
of two” chunks. I suspect that you meant that you have a 200 Gigabyte hard
drive, an entirely different thing altogether from having a 200MB memory size.
But, that statement does suggest to me that maybe you would be well off to
consider getting some professional assistance with part of your cleanup. When
someone who doesn’t know the difference between an engine and a transmission
suggests doing an engine overhaul themselves, the idea of getting some help
seems worthwhile. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything, or even
quite a bit, yourself.
And since you mentioned speed and memory, if you are running Windows XP, and if
your computer has less than 512 megabytes of memory (for example, if it has
only 256MB), one thing that should be on your list is expanding the memory in
your computer to at least 512MB. If you can go all the way to a gigabyte of
memory (that’s 1,024 megabytes), so much the better (up to a gigabyte, more
memory will make things faster, but if you are below 512MB, then you are
probably “memory starved” and increasing the memory may make a truly dramatic
difference). If you do add memory, you need to determine if your system already
has, or (even if it doesn’t) is capable of supporting “dual channel memory”,
because if you add memory incorrectly to a system which is dual channel
capable, you can cut the speed of the memory system in half (and, conversely,
if the system supports dual channel memory but it’s not currently operating in
a dual channel mode, you have an opportunity, by reconfiguring the memory, to
double the speed of the memory system). The details of this are more involved
than I can go into here (it would literally be a question unto itself), but
it’s an area that any competent professional can analyze and advise you on. It
depends on your motherboard and what memory you currently have installed.
Now, as to system cleanup and optimization:
First, it’s kind of important to know what data files you have and where they
reside. So some “poking around” -- just looking --- may be a good investment of
time. In some cases, you may want to move and/or consolidate things in a more
organized directory structure, so that all of your related data files are all
together. This is also an excellent time to make a backup of your important
data files, just on general principles, but also, to an extent, because an
error in trying to “clean up” a system sometimes inadvertently erases important
files.
Another thing to do before you start is to create a system restore point,
again, so that if something gets badly screwed up, you can revert to your
“pre-cleanup” system. Note, however, that system restore only saves your system
files ... it does not save or backup your data files, so back those up
yourself, separately.
So on to the cleanup itself .....
First, run “Windows Update” and download and install all critical updates, and
the various optional software and hardware updates as appropriate (this does
not mean to install all of the non-critical updates; you need to have some
understanding of what this stuff is to make these judgments, and in some
instances this requires more knowledge than many users have).
Similarly, update and reconfigure as necessary, your Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware software.
Now, run a complete virus and spyware
scan (this will take hours, quite often, but it’s mostly self-running and
unattended). Your problems could be caused by virus’ or “malware”, although there don’t appear to be any
specific symptoms of that in your description.
Next, find your “Temp” folder and clean it out. In general, there should be
almost nothing in that folder immediately after booting when nothing is
running. Then empty the recycle bin. [You will want to repeat both of these
steps at the end of the process, because additional cleanup will likely
re-clutter the temp folder and refill the recycle bin.]
Now the most likely cause of your “slowness” is a combination of startup
software and possibly a very bloated Windows registry.
Attacking startup software first, the general idea is to remove all software
that you don’t need and don’t use, but especially things that run some of their
components constantly in the background, loading them at startup. I’d start by
opening “Control Panel”, add/remove software, and looking through every item listed
to see whether it can be removed. DO NOT remove something if you don’t know
what it is, you can “break” your system. But there may be things that you know
that you can remove, that you are not using and will not use, and if so, remove
them. A professional will recognize things that you don’t, but at the same time
it’s your system, and there may be things there that you will recognize that a
professional won’t. Not everything in “add/remove software” runs startup tasks
or impacts performance, but enough things do that if you have software
installed that you know that you neither use nor need, it’s worth removing.
Following this, you want to use the three tools MSCONFIG (start / run /
MSCONFIG, then the “startup” tab), System Information (start / programs /
accessories / system tools / system information) and task manager
(control-alt-delete) to see exactly what is being loaded and run after you
reboot your system with no actual user programs running at all. Most Windows
systems will have 50 to 100 “things” (programs, services, etc.) running, and some people will find
that they have several hundred. In most cases, it is these things that are
slowing you down and killing your startup time. Knowing which of these you need
and which you can get rid of (and how to do it) is a complex subject and this
is another area where some more professional knowledge can come in handy. [And
even professionals often resort to “Google searches” to find out exactly what
some of these modules are and how, if it is appropriate, to either remove them
or stop them from loading.] This can be a time consuming process (if you have
100 to 300 items loading up, it’s going to take some time to just review what
they are), but it’s probably the step that will produce the greatest results.
Finally, you may want to use a “registry cleaner” to remove unused data from
your registry. Pretty much every program that you have ever run or installed
(even just once) makes entries into the registry, and usually these entries do
not all go away even when you remove the program. While these entries may do no
actual active harm, the simple fact that they make the registry larger makes
the system slower by itself, and some of the entries may also be actively
harmful. However, attempting to “clean” the registry can also do damage (you
may accidentally remove registry data that is necessary ... the system can be
so badly damaged that it won’t even boot), so, again, some level of
professional knowledge may be helpful to do this safely (and, sometimes, the best
judgment is to not do it at all).
One thing that I did not suggest that many people put near the top of their
list is disk defragmentation.
I used to defragment drives
religiously, but in today’s world of NTFS rather than FAT32 partitions, I don’t
find that it really makes that much difference (doesn’t make any difference at
all that I actually perceive in most cases), Windows does it (to some degree)
in the background, and like directory cleaning, it is a process that carries
with it some risk in and of itself. But many people (other professionals) still
recommend and do it, so it will often be “on the list”, in which case if you
are going to do it at all, do it last, since all of the other stuff will “refragment” the drive if defragmentation is not done last.
The ultimate Windows cleanup, and it is sometimes either necessary or the best
overall approach, is a total reinstallation of Windows and your application
software from scratch. However, that is a drastic step that I usually only
recommend when the system is truly broken, and from your description, that
isn’t your case at this time.
I hope that this has been helpful,
Sincerely,
Barry Watzman
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-4_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=244923&messageID=2472638#2472638
Submitted by: Watzman
In reply to: Advice
for a clean start on a brand-new computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Here are the selected submissions grouped in
one post. Read through them and place your votes in the newsletter poll.
Answers:
Just a
Little Loving Care
Congratulations for being able to last this long with Windows ME. Most users
gave up long ago trying to keep it running. I obviously don’t know the exact
type of problems you have had in the past, but I am willing to bet that most of
the responsibility lies with the operating system rather than something you
were or were not doing.
I am often accused of giving out way too much information filled with over
complicated instructions so I have decided to offer both the short and long
version. I have always felt that if someone takes the time to ask a question of
this forum and is willing to wait a week or two to get all the answers, then
they deserve as much information as possible.
THE SHORT STORY
You should be able to enjoy your computer and keep it in good working order for
many years by following these 5 simple steps:
1. PROTECTION - Install a good full featured Internet Security Software Package
that includes a minimum of Antivirus, Antispyware
and Firewall. Always keep an eye on it to make sure it is still working,
up-to-date and NEVER let it expire.
2. MAINTENANCE - Once every few months run Disk Clean to clear your computer of
unwanted temporary files, install Windows Updates and vacuum or blow out all
the dust from the back of your computer once a year.
3. CAUTION - Be very cautious about where you surf, what you download and
opening email attachments.
4. SHARING - Do not let anyone else use your computer. This includes family
members and especially children and teenagers. Just kidding… Ah, Not really.
5. BACKUP - Come up with some kind of backup strategy that meets your specific
needs for preserving your data in case something goes wrong.
THE LONG NOVEL
For those of you who don’t mind getting your hands a little
dirty and want to go that extra mile to improve your odds of achieving years of
trouble free computing at the maximum performance level.
1. INITIAL CLEANING – Depending on the exact make and model, your new computer
probably came with tons of pre-installed trial, free and junk software. All of
this stuff can slow down even the fastest computer as well as take up room on
your hard drive . Take your
time and go through every program that is listed in ALL PROGRAMS and determine
what you want and don’t want. Uninstall everything that you do not need. Leave
anything that you are not absolutely sure about. Better still, next time
consider purchasing a business class computer from someone like Dell Small
Business, Fujutsu, Lenovo (IBM) or some other dealer
that specializes in selling to the business user. True Business computers do
not come with all of the extra junk pre-installed.
2. INITIAL SETUP – The next thing you need to do is decide how and who will be
using your new computer. You may want to setup User accounts and passwords, if
needed, for everyone that will be using your computer. It is best to setup all
children with their own accounts with NON-administrative rights. This way they
will be less likely to make changes or install things that might affect the operation
of your computer. I you are a forward thinker and like to plan ahead for
potential disasters, I might even recommend repartitioning your hard drive to
keep data and operating system separated from each other (details for another
time). This is also a good time to decide how and who may need to share files
and folders as well as make any internet security or privacy settings changes
to each account. For example you may want to restrict internet access or filter
internet content for children’s accounts. I also normally recommend setting
Windows Updates so that I have a choice as to when updates get installed
instead of automatically.
3. PROTECTION – You absolutely need some form of security software installed on
your computer to protect you from viruses, spyware and other nasties that linger out in cyberspace or come
attached to your emails. At the very least you will need a good Antivirus
program, however I highly recommend having 1 antivirus, 1 firewall and 3 antispyware programs installed.
If you like you can purchase an all-in-one package that includes many levels of
protection in one package such as McAfee Total Protection, Norton 360 or even
Microsoft Windows Live OneCare.
Keep in mind that installing any of these all-in-one packages can really slow
down your computer, especially on a slightly older or entry level computers.
Chances are that your computer came packaged with some trial version of Norton
or McAfee Internet Security. These will normally expire in about 30 days or so
and must be renewed to continue protecting your computer. Before you actually
fork out any money, check out all the possibilities that may be available to
you. Many internet service providers will offer free security software to you
just for the asking. Comcast, for example, offers free McAfee to its users. AOL
has a free offering as well. Many colleges offer free protection software to
their students and many companies offer security software to their employees.
Be careful some providers like Verizon
may make it sound like they are offering it for free but will charge you a
monthly fee tacked on to your bill. If you don’t mind digging in and working a
little there are many ways to get free security software as well. You can put
together a great security net with Free Programs like Avast, AVG, SpyBot,
Microsoft Defender, ZoneAlarm
and AdAware. No matter
which way you decide to go, the most important thing is to always check to make
sure your security software is working, updated and has not expired. Beware of
security contracts that will automatically charge your credit card every year
for renewal even if you are no longer using their software.
4. MAINTENANCE – You do not need to get totally carried away but a little
maintenance can go a long way toward keeping your computer in good working
order.
a. Running Disk Cleanup once
a month or so.
b. Check Disk with Error Checking every few months.
c. Run Disk Defragmenter about every 6 months.
d. Update and Run any manual spyware
scanners each month.
e. Run Windows Update if it
is not set to Automatic.
f. Check for other updates for your computer every few months.
g. Clean the dust out of all cooling vents at least once per year.
h. If you plan to keep your computer, I will often recommend replacing the hard
drive every 3 or 4 years whether it needs it or not. A new hard drive costs
about $100 (that comes out to less than $30 per year). Being one of the few
moving parts in a modern computer, it WILL fail at some point. Replacing it
while it is still in working condition is much easier than waiting for it to
fail. You can Recycle the old
drive if you really want by purchasing a USB enclosure for about $29 and using
it as a spare backup drive.
5. CAUTION – Always exercise extreme caution when surfing the internet,
clicking on links or opening email. All of these have the potential of not only
infecting your computer with viruses and spyware
but could also result in handing over your personal information to less than
desirable people. Take note of any changes to your computer and don’t just
automatically click on allow, ok or continue when Windows or your security
software is warning you about a system change.
6. SHARING – I know we were all taught to share while growing up, but if you
want your computer to stay in tip top shape, DO NOT SHARE YOUR COMPUTER with
anyone.
7. BACKUP – I know everyone is sick of hearing about the importance of backing
up your data. I you have information on your computer that you don’t want to
lose, then back it up. There are so many ways available now to backup, there is
simply no excuse anymore for getting caught when a hard drive decides to quit.
Enough said!
In briefing through some of the other threads, I notice that I totally forgot
to mention the importance of the Surge protector. I guess since you were
upgrading from a previous computer, I assumed you already had one. Surge
Protectors can go bad over time from repeated surges and should be tested or
replaced. But better still is the UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). A UPS is
probably one of the best investments you can make for a computer. It contains a
surge protector and a battery backup that will take over in the event of a
power failure or brownout and continue to power your computer for several
minutes or even hours if you purchase a really large one. If your power does
not return within a predetermined period of time you can program it to shut
down your computer in an orderly fashion thus preventing a possible major
disaster. A single event such as loss of power or a lightning strike can cause
irreparable damage and data loss if it occurs at just the right time or I
should say at just the wrong time. Power surges can have the potential to not
only cause immediate damage but can become accumulative and cause what is know
as latent failures. This is where each surge stresses some of the components
within the computer, weakening them and eventually causing them to fail at a
later date. The price of UPS units has fallen over the years and you can get a
small one for about $50 that will power your computer and LCD monitor for 10-15
minutes. If you live in an area where power outages are more common, you might
want to go for one of the higher end models.
Enjoy your new computer!
Dana
Wayland Computer
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-10149_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=263281&messageID=2580684#2580684
Submitted by: waytron
***********************************************************************
Welcome
to the OS jump club, Maria.
I’m doing a similar transition myself but for me it’s from Win98 to
Under the Tools tab, the run defrag now button will open a window which lets
you pick run now or run on a schedule time automatically. If you hit run now
you will see a spinning ring(it
was an hour glass in Win98) and that is about it. If you look at your Hard drive’s activity light it will
be flashing quickly. It could take minutes or hours to complete the defrag
process.
In Vista ScanDisk is now
replaced by check disk (CHKDSK) which can be run by clicking its scan now
button in the error-checking menu (also found on the Tool’s tab). You will then
be asked if you want “automatically fix file system errors” and or “scan for
and attempt recovery of bad sectors”, by default the “automatically fix file
system errors” is checked. That is because this is the most common way to run
the scan. It’s used to fix minor problems an example would be after improper
shut down. Checking the other box will scan the hard drive’s surface and
recover data from bad sectors by moving them to undamaged sectors. You would
run the scan with this option if a previous scan reported bad sectors. If you
need this function your hard drive is most likely on its way out. Once you have
the correct boxes checked for the type of scan you want click the run button
where upon you will then be told to schedule the scan to happen at the next
restart. Agree to the schedule and hit restart in the usual way. The computer
will shut down and then start the scan (you get a few seconds to cancel the
scan) before
Disk cleanup is available on the General tab, the tab just before the Tools
tab. It’s very straight forward. Check the boxes beside what you want cleaned
out, deleted. This is where you can remove cookies, Internet temporary files,
clear history, clear out the temporary folder, and clear out the recycle bin
all at once. This frees up disk space and also removes some problematic files
(cookies).
What follows gets deeper into defense ware, hardware longevity, ease of use,
organization techniques, ways to stay informed, and disaster preparedness.
The computer area is often and after thought.
Sometimes a change in the way a computer sounds maybe the first clue to a
failing part. Unlike your old ME computer which most likely made a constant
steady noise from its fans, your newer Vista computer’s motherboard and power
supply may have fan speed control to help regulate temperature. Under heavy
usage, the fans may roar at you. Under light use it will sound like your old ME
computer with its fans at a steady speed. When I made my first full system
backup the computers fans were very loud due to the heat build up caused by the
DVD burner and hard drive working hard at the same time. Because I was not
familiar with the fan speed change, noise level change, it scared me until I
realized what was happening was correct and a good thing.
Having space enough in you computer area for expansion and servicing are good
things too. As you add devices more space is needed just to locate them in a
safe usable manner. Here is an example,
your new printer only has a 2 foot USB cable. That does not mean it’s a okay to set the printer on the
same surface as your new computer. The printer head movements will cause
vibrations that can increase ware on delicate devices in your new computer. In
this case it would be wise to locate the printer else where by getting a longer
USB cable and perhaps mounting an adjustable shelf system to a near by wall and
placing the printer there (if you already use a wireless LAN, then look into a
wireless printer). Just as you need enough room around the printer for
installing new ink cartridges, you will also need enough room around the
computer case to be able to open it. To do this you need to know how your new
computer’s case opens. Check the manual for this info. If you can’t find it in
the manual, try looking for instructions on the case. While you are at it, look
for warranty tamper stickers a long the case removal points. If you find one of
these stickers then you should not open the case without first checking your
warranty rights. For now, you just want to have enough space a service person
or yourself can open the case without much trouble.
The last time I tried to find my warranty and service numbers I spent more time
looking for the paperwork than making the service call. I strongly recommend
that you file the computer’s paperwork using a filing cabinet or at least one
of those big accordion folders that has compartments that are alphabetized.
This will organize the paperwork and as long as you don’t loose the folder or
file cabinet you have everything in one place. One note you should write and
put in this filing system is a list of the numbers found on the computer case.
The list should have the serail
number,
Another thing that helps when things go
wrong, the boxes that the computer came in. These boxes are
designed to protect the computer while in shipment and can come in handy on
moving day or if you have to ship it back to the manufacturer. If you are like
me and find it hard to re-pack things in their shipping boxes try taking
pictures when you first un-box a new piece of equipment. Well you get the idea.
One piece of hardware that helps with computer longevity is the UPS. That is an
un-interruptible power supply, also known as a battery backup. This device
plugs into the wall outlet and your new computer plugs into it. The device
cleans up the noise in the power lines so your new computer is not damaged by
power surges and brown outs. I use a device from APC for protection from power
surges and brown outs and it also shields my Internet connection.
You may need to re-schedule some of these defense programs. As an example,
Windows Defender by default scans your computer at 2 AM every 24 hours. If your
computer is not turned on at that time you need to re-schedule Defender to run
when the computer is on. For now, I run these programs while I’m present
because I want to see them in action. I will continue to look for tools to
block bad sites and read reviews for leads to better protection products and
methods for working security in
Disaster, damage control, and repair or replace are topics of interest In
Vista. Only some versions of
System file repairs are covered by restore points. In
Try test driving the warranty by reading it with the intent of doing it. See
what it will cost to ship your new computer to the repair center. It may cost
more to ship it than to have it fixed locally. You may find that some
components have a longer warranty than the computer. To find out you will need
to call tech support so think of this call as a test drive of tech support.
Many of the warranties I have read also indicate that only the software the
computer came with is warrantied.
So if it turns out it was software you put in that caused the problem it’s not
a warranty repair. Any part you have added by opening the case may void the
entire warranty. This is the main reason I recommend living with the out of the
box computer till the warranty period is over. Try leaving
Staying informed is one way to keep finding better ways to get around in
My approach is to plan for problems. This may seem to be a negative approach
but it’s more like being prepared by reducing the surprises and knowing what
to. I call it damage control. As more comfort is gained with the new computer
and operating system, the tendency will be to scale back the approach. That is
okay. If problems seem to be coming out of the wood work, then just scale the
approach back up. Just do what fits. View yourself as your own client. Is it
time well spent? What is it going to cost? Can I go on without this software or
device? Is repair or replace the issue? It’s your call. I leave you with some
of the links I have found helpful.
Links for General Info and Cnet online Vista
Courses.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choose.mspx?wt_svl=10033WPHa1&mg_id=10033WPHb1
http://windows-vista-basics.classes.cnet.com/
http://speed-up-vista.classes.cnet.com/
Links for Disabling Unnecessary Programs in Vista.
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-12546_102-0.html?forumID=133&threadID=238817&messageID=2465401#2465401
http://www.speedyvista.com/services.html
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-10149_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=263281&messageID=2584221#2584221
Submitted by bus
***********************************************************************
Maintaining
a healthy system
Congratulations on finally getting rid of the headache that was Windows ME.
The most important thing hardware-wise is a surge protector. A lightning storm
could fry most of the hardware inside your computer, and often you have to buy
a whole new one. How much you spend on this depends on how paranoid you are
about losing your brand new computer. I'd say you'll be perfectly fine taking
$10 into Radio Shack and getting the best one you can for that amount of money.
My computer has lasted through many a power surge with one of these simple
power strips. The only other item I can think to recommend is a can of
compressed air so you can keep your air circulation at a maximum and components
as free of dust as possible. You'll want to move the computer outside for that,
of course.
Now, there is plenty to say about software. First of all, did your Dell come
with all the pre-installed software that usually comes with new computers? Dell
has given its customers the option to not have all that trial software
installed, but if you don't specifically select that option, your computer is
probably far more bloated and slow than it needs to be. When I bought my laptop,
the first thing I did was just completely reinstall
Now lets go over specific software:
Internet browsers:
There is one thing for which Internet Explorer should be used. Just one, single thing. And that is
going to http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/.
In the latest PC Mag, there
was an interview with some infamous hacker who hacked into the Pentagon when he
was 15. Near the end of the article, he was asked what the most common security
hole he's seen. His last sentence?
"Oh - and don't use Internet Explorer." Aside from just being safer, there
are tons of add-ons that make Firefox
a better browser. Some people swear by Opera as well, so it is also worth
mentioning.
Email:
On a related note, if you are using Outlook Express...stop! Using it is even
worse than using Internet Explorer. Mozilla
Thunderbird is a good free email client, which I use to fetch my email from my
ancient AOL email account. The only reason I use it is because AOL has a
horribly slow and annoying webmail
interface. There are plenty of choices for webmail that are better in that regard and have
ample online storage. Google's Gmail
is, in my opinion, the best webmail
around. It is really good at identifying spam and notifying you exactly why
they think it is spam. I also have a Yahoo webmail account and a Windows Live Hotmail account
which are both pretty good.
Security software:
In this very newsletter a few months back there was a Q&A about free
security software, where it was shown that the old saying, "you get what
you pay for," doesn't always apply. There is little need to spend any
money, but people still do simply because it makes them feel more comfortable.
Anyway, the point is, I'm going to focus on free software, and you can find
everything I mention at www.filehippo.com or here at CNET.
Anti-virus - You mentioned that you've already got anti-virus, which is a great
first step. But for completeness, I'll still go through the options. In the
paid subscription world, I can only recommend NOD32. If you are going to spend
any money at all, then go for the best, and this is repeatedly proven to have
among the highest detection and cleansing performance around. On the free side,
the choices with real-time protection (always running, making sure you don't
download any viruses) are AVG Free Edition (my personal choice), Avast! Home Edition, and AntiVir
Personal. Avast requires
(free) registration and AntiVir
shows you an ad for its paid edition each time you use it, so I mainly use AVG,
but I've used all three before and they work well. You may even want an
additional on-demand only (NOT real-time) virus scanner, like BitDefender Free Edition, but I
found that I hardly used it, and when I did, it found nothing.
Anti-Spyware - Windows
Defender is a surprisingly good piece of software (Microsoft bought a company
that made the software and renamed it), So
that should be your first line of defense. Combine it with an on-demand scanner
like Ad-aware for best results. Ad-aware often flags things that aren't really
all that harmful, so don't be too alarmed if it finds a ton of
"infections." It catches the ones that count, so that's all that
matters.
Firewall - The default Windows Firewall in
Maintenance Utilities:
One of my favorite pieces of software to recommend to Windows users is CCleaner. It removes unused and
"temporary" files that just eat up your hard drive space. Make sure
you pay attention if you install though, because by default it includes Yahoo
Toolbar and several unnecessary options, like adding it to context menus (the
right-click menus) and running on start-up. As long as it's got a start-up menu
folder, that's all you need. But aside from just cleaning your file system, you
can use it to uninstall programs and clean up your registry as well.
Another program I usually recommend keeping handy is HijackThis. It logs all the changes to particularly
vulnerable locations on your computer. Run it whenever you think something is
wrong, and then post the log on any computer support forum so an expert can
take a look and recommend a course of action.
Office software:
I'm only going over this because it relates to the pre-installed software I
mentioned before. Did you get Microsoft Works 8 with your computer? Get rid of
it, because it's slow and featureless, and you can get much better software for
the same amount of money. OpenOffice.org
is free, open source, and very good if you need an entire suite - including
word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation software. Abiword is an excellent Microsoft Word replacement
as well. They can both save documents in Microsoft's proprietary formats if
needed. Microsoft Office should only be purchased as a last resort.
That's about all I've got software-wise. Other than that, just some general
advice - only download stuff from sources you trust, whether it be software I mentioned or a
picture in an email. FileHippo
is a great site to keep up with the latest free software; you may want to
browse it a bit and look for software you might like. The selection is much
sparser than it is here, but it's all safe; I've seen my share of problems with
some of the more obscure choices available here. And I'm sure you know, but
I'll reiterate that you should be careful with email. Aside from viruses taking
over your friend's computers and sending you emails and instant messages with
disguised copies of itself,
the spammers and scammers are getting ever more clever in their schemes. Keep a
"junk" webmail account,
where, whenever you sign up for or buy anything online, use that email address.
That way, unless you're waiting for a receipt or confirmation number from an
online order, you can delete everything in there without worrying you are
missing something.
And lastly, once you've got a setup that you like, be sure to use the backup
utilities occasionally, or whenever you about to make a major change in either
hardware or software. Especially with your
personal data. While re-installing everything from scratch can be
a daunting task, it is possible. Losing your only copy of personal data like
pictures from your digital camera, however, can be irreversible and
heart-breaking.
Worrying about security and maintenance can be a major headache, but do it right the first time and you
should be okay for a long time. I hope I helped somewhat, and I hope you enjoy
your new purchase.
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-10149_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=263281&messageID=2580895#2580895
Submitted by ucphenom82