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Defragment
your hard drive
It
is a good idea to defragment your hard drive on a regular basis.
Defragmenting puts all the files you use in order and consolidates
all of your free disk space in a large block. Windows provides a
“Disk Defragmenter” in system tools. You can find it by
clicking on the start button and selecting, programs, accessories,
system tools. You can also try opening “My Computer” right
click on the drive you want to defragment, click properties, and
select the tools tab. You can also run “Scandisk” in this
manor. If you are having problems with scandisk or disk defragmenter
not completing the task or having to restart a lot, try starting
windows in safe mode and then run the program. To start in safe
mode tap the F5 key after you start your computer but before the
windows screen pops up. You will see a box that explains your running
in safe mode. Click O.K. and proceed to run scandisk or defrag.
When running in safe mode your video display will change to 16 color
and you will not have sound. Do not be alarmed, everything should
be back to normal when you restart your computer.
Upgrading software
In
an ideal world, software updates would never cause problems. In
reality, while some installation routines check for existing components,
they don't always check to see which versions of those components
are left on your PC, so newer programs may inadvertently use older
versions of shared files, drivers, or DLLs and cause a variety of
problems, depending on the file. In other cases, installation routines
overwrite software modules that other programs share. For example,
if winsock.dll (a vital file that allows Internet access) is overwritten,
programs that use that file will be unable to reach the Internet.
If you plan to upgrade a software package, back up your work files
for that program, and uninstall the older version of the software
first. Then install the new version from scratch and reinstall your
work files.
Removing programs
Virtually
every Windows program registers itself with the system, or creates
a log in the Windows Uninstaller utility that records which files
you have added to the system and lists any changes you've made to
the system's configuration. Thanks to this painstaking process,
when you uninstall the program using the Add/Remove Programs icon
in your Control Panel (or the program's own uninstaller), Windows
removes all traces of the program and its system alterations. If
you decide you don't want a program anymore, don't just drag the
program's folder to the Recycle Bin. Simply trashing a program may
leave desktop icons, unnecessary drivers, or unlinked Registry entries
on the system or may destroy shared files that other applications
also use. Instead, to remove any program, click Start • Settings
• Control Panel, then double-click the Add/Remove Programs
icon. Select the Install/Uninstall tab, highlight the program you
want to remove, and click the Add/Remove button.
Temporary Internet files
It
is a good idea to clear out the Temporary Internet files and History
from time to time.
- In
Explorer click "Tools" and select "Internet Options"
- Under
"Temporary Internet Files" click "Delete"
- When
it ask for a confirmation click "O.K."
- When
it is finished click "Clear History"
- When
that is done click "O.K."
Recycle Bin and Internet Explorer's Cache
By
default, both the Recycle Bin and Internet Explorer's Cache want
to consume ridiculous amounts of your hard drive space. Right click
on the Recycle Bin, select Properties, and on the Global tab, decide
how much space you want the Recycle Bin to consume, either for all
drives in your system, or on a per-drive basis. (It's a percentage
of the total space. I adjust the slider way to the left, so I'm
using "only" a few hundred megs of space for trash.)
Similarly,
open Internet Explorer, and select Tools/Internet Options. Under
Temporary Internet Files, click the Settings button and select a
reasonable size for this cache area. Generally speaking, if you
have a fast connection, 5 Mbytes to 10 Mbytes is adequate; 25 Mbytes
or so is usually enough with a slower dial-up connection.
Contact us now and have a chat about your needs.
Email
:
tips@mikeburridge.co.uk
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