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Maintaining your Machine, What makes your machine slow?
I've heard a lot of comments from the malware staffs that there are a lot of people thinking that a slow computer is caused by malware. However, a slow PC might have several causes other than malware. In this thread I will be giving you a step by step guide on how to speed up your PC. The main thing that slows your PC down, if it's not malware, is clogged up Temp files.
Here's a list of common causes of slow machines:
1. Low amounts of memory (RAM)
I have had a lot of people in my neighbourhood asking me why their PC was slow. One of the highest causes was the low amount of memory in their PCs. A lot of old PCs still have 256 MB RAM in their machine while Windows XP already has a recommended of 512 MB and Vista is even more demanding with a stunning 1024 MB (1GB). Having a low amount of memory can cause the PC to take ages in performing what we would think to be simple tasks. While this is usually true, the PC doesn't only have to run the simple task, but at the same time keep services up, your Protection software running and possibly more programs that are running in the background. Therefore it is a good idea to have at least the recommended amount of memory in your machine for the operating system that you are running. If you are going to be running a lot of programs at once, consider taking at least 512 MB above recommendation to keep everything running smoothly.
2. Multiple protection systems installed
As I'm not trained in Malware Removal and do not know a lot about how Protection Systems work I shall quote from a blog post by Miekiemoes found here. (Also worth reading!!)
QUOTE
This is a common mistake many users make. They think that having more than one Antivirus and Firewall installed will protect them in a better way. It won't.. On the contrary..
Rather than giving you extra protection, it will seriously decrease reliability and effectiveness ! The reason for this is that if both products have their automatic (Real-Time) protection switched on, your system may lock up due to both software products attempting to access the same file at the same time. Also, if more than one Antivirus and Firewall installed are not compatible with eachother, it can cause system performance problems and a serious system slowdown. It happens quite a lot that a system won't even boot properly because of more than one Antivirus and Firewall installed.
When having general computer problems and you have more than one AV/Firewall installed, this can be the main cause of your problems.
Concerning Antispywarescanners, it's ok for you to install more than one.However, it's not advised that you let them all start up with Windows, running as a Real Time scanner. Only keep one running in the background and disable the rest, because AntispywareScanners are also resource hogs. They are actually all doing the same, so it's really not needed to have more of them running in the background. After all, you do not use more than one different vacuum cleaner either to clean your carpet with.
Just let the Antispyware scanner(s) scan once in a while on demand.
3. Many programs on start-up
Having many programs in the startup will slow your computer down. Taking out programs that aren't necessary on startup will reduce the resource requirements on boot and will generally make the PC run faster. To remove programs from your startup list, follow the instructions below.
XP Users:
4. Cleaning the Temporary Folders.
As a lot of you might know, the more Windows has to load the slower a PC will be.
The temp folders can fill up quite quickly and having a temp folder of 2 Gigabyte won't do windows any good.
The steps below are easy steps using a simple program to clean out your temp folders.
Please download ATF Cleaner by Atribune.
For Technical Support, double-click the e-mail address located at the bottom of each menu.
5. Defragging your Hard Drive.
While temp folders are one way to clog the speed of your system, fragmented files are another. The more fragmented your files are the slower the hard drive will be to run programs smoothly. A defrag is recommended to keep your hard drive clean and fast. It is recommended that you do not run any programs whatsoever when you are defragging your hard drive as running applications will make them unable to be moved.
Please download JkDefrag by Jeroen Kessels
6. Keeping it clean!
Something that is highly underestimated is the simpleness of 'Keeping it clean!'. Installing a lot of programs will eventually use up your resources that you could use to keep your PC fast.Removing old programs that you never used, or those 'one-day-fly' programs that you try out but don't meet your criteria, will free up space and memory to be used elsewhere. Whenever you are done with a program, remove it from your system so the resources free up. Below are some steps to get rid of some unused programs.
7. Little tweaks for speed.
There are a few tricks that you can use to speed up your computer if need be. Below I will make a list of tweaks for either XP or Vista (watch the title) that will help you speed up your PC. Some tweaks are for both XP and Vista, others are for a specific OS.
Disabling Indexing Service (XP)
Quoting from the Windows Help and Support:
QUOTE
By default, all of the most common files on your computer are indexed. Indexed locations include all of the files in your personal folder (such as Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos), as well as e‑mail and offline files. Files that are not indexed include program files and system files. The locations that contain those files are not indexed because you rarely need to search those files, and so not including them in the index makes your searches perform faster.
Like many other people, I know where my files are located, so I never use the indexing service. Therefore, I turn it off.
The indexing service is a service that scans your personal files and folders and stores which files are there in an index (hence the name).
Then if you perform a search, the search will then first go through the index to see if it is there. This will speed up searches drastically.
Though if you never use the search function, you're better off turning it off. Below is how.
Not much different from the XP Indexing service. Here is how to disable it.
=========================
I hope this post is a good resource on how to keep your PC fast and smooth.
If you have any suggestions, please Message me on the boards.
Regards, SUPUNQW
I've heard a lot of comments from the malware staffs that there are a lot of people thinking that a slow computer is caused by malware. However, a slow PC might have several causes other than malware. In this thread I will be giving you a step by step guide on how to speed up your PC. The main thing that slows your PC down, if it's not malware, is clogged up Temp files.
Here's a list of common causes of slow machines:
- Low amount of memory (RAM)
- Multiple protection systems installed
- Many programs on startup
- Full temp folders
- Fragmented hard drive
- Forgotten programs
- Multiple of the above
1. Low amounts of memory (RAM)
I have had a lot of people in my neighbourhood asking me why their PC was slow. One of the highest causes was the low amount of memory in their PCs. A lot of old PCs still have 256 MB RAM in their machine while Windows XP already has a recommended of 512 MB and Vista is even more demanding with a stunning 1024 MB (1GB). Having a low amount of memory can cause the PC to take ages in performing what we would think to be simple tasks. While this is usually true, the PC doesn't only have to run the simple task, but at the same time keep services up, your Protection software running and possibly more programs that are running in the background. Therefore it is a good idea to have at least the recommended amount of memory in your machine for the operating system that you are running. If you are going to be running a lot of programs at once, consider taking at least 512 MB above recommendation to keep everything running smoothly.
2. Multiple protection systems installed
As I'm not trained in Malware Removal and do not know a lot about how Protection Systems work I shall quote from a blog post by Miekiemoes found here. (Also worth reading!!)
QUOTE
This is a common mistake many users make. They think that having more than one Antivirus and Firewall installed will protect them in a better way. It won't.. On the contrary..
Rather than giving you extra protection, it will seriously decrease reliability and effectiveness ! The reason for this is that if both products have their automatic (Real-Time) protection switched on, your system may lock up due to both software products attempting to access the same file at the same time. Also, if more than one Antivirus and Firewall installed are not compatible with eachother, it can cause system performance problems and a serious system slowdown. It happens quite a lot that a system won't even boot properly because of more than one Antivirus and Firewall installed.
When having general computer problems and you have more than one AV/Firewall installed, this can be the main cause of your problems.
Concerning Antispywarescanners, it's ok for you to install more than one.However, it's not advised that you let them all start up with Windows, running as a Real Time scanner. Only keep one running in the background and disable the rest, because AntispywareScanners are also resource hogs. They are actually all doing the same, so it's really not needed to have more of them running in the background. After all, you do not use more than one different vacuum cleaner either to clean your carpet with.
Just let the Antispyware scanner(s) scan once in a while on demand.
3. Many programs on start-up
Having many programs in the startup will slow your computer down. Taking out programs that aren't necessary on startup will reduce the resource requirements on boot and will generally make the PC run faster. To remove programs from your startup list, follow the instructions below.
XP Users:
- Open Start Menu and select "Run..."
- In the run box type: msconfig and press enter.
- A window will appear, go to the Startup tab.
- In the startup tab, disable tick boxes on all the programs that don't necessarily need to be started at boot.
- Open Start Menu and in the white box type: msconfig
- Click msconfig.exe that appeared in the list and confirm the UAC.
- A window will appear, go to the Startup tab.
- In the startup tab, disable tick boxes on all the programs that don't necessarily need to be started at boot.
4. Cleaning the Temporary Folders.
As a lot of you might know, the more Windows has to load the slower a PC will be.
The temp folders can fill up quite quickly and having a temp folder of 2 Gigabyte won't do windows any good.
The steps below are easy steps using a simple program to clean out your temp folders.
Please download ATF Cleaner by Atribune.
- Double-click ATF-Cleaner.exe to run the program.
Under Main choose: Select All
Click the Empty Selected button.
- Click Firefox at the top and choose: Select All
Click the Empty Selected button.
NOTE: If you would like to keep your saved passwords, please click No at the prompt.
- Click Opera at the top and choose: Select All
Click the Empty Selected button.
NOTE: If you would like to keep your saved passwords, please click No at the prompt.
For Technical Support, double-click the e-mail address located at the bottom of each menu.
5. Defragging your Hard Drive.
While temp folders are one way to clog the speed of your system, fragmented files are another. The more fragmented your files are the slower the hard drive will be to run programs smoothly. A defrag is recommended to keep your hard drive clean and fast. It is recommended that you do not run any programs whatsoever when you are defragging your hard drive as running applications will make them unable to be moved.
Please download JkDefrag by Jeroen Kessels
- Unzip the program to a folder.
- Reboot to release most of the files in use.
- Double Click JkDefrag.exe to run the program.
6. Keeping it clean!
Something that is highly underestimated is the simpleness of 'Keeping it clean!'. Installing a lot of programs will eventually use up your resources that you could use to keep your PC fast.Removing old programs that you never used, or those 'one-day-fly' programs that you try out but don't meet your criteria, will free up space and memory to be used elsewhere. Whenever you are done with a program, remove it from your system so the resources free up. Below are some steps to get rid of some unused programs.
- Open Start and select Control Panel
- Open Add/Remove Programs(XP) or Programs and Features(Vista)
- Go through the list carefully and see if there are any useless programs that you can remove.
- Remove all the programs that you don't need any more.
7. Little tweaks for speed.
There are a few tricks that you can use to speed up your computer if need be. Below I will make a list of tweaks for either XP or Vista (watch the title) that will help you speed up your PC. Some tweaks are for both XP and Vista, others are for a specific OS.
Disabling Indexing Service (XP)
Quoting from the Windows Help and Support:
QUOTE
By default, all of the most common files on your computer are indexed. Indexed locations include all of the files in your personal folder (such as Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos), as well as e‑mail and offline files. Files that are not indexed include program files and system files. The locations that contain those files are not indexed because you rarely need to search those files, and so not including them in the index makes your searches perform faster.
Like many other people, I know where my files are located, so I never use the indexing service. Therefore, I turn it off.
The indexing service is a service that scans your personal files and folders and stores which files are there in an index (hence the name).
Then if you perform a search, the search will then first go through the index to see if it is there. This will speed up searches drastically.
Though if you never use the search function, you're better off turning it off. Below is how.
- Open Start and select "Run..."
- In the run box type services.msc and press enter
- Scroll-down to Indexing Service and double-click it.
- If the service status is "Running", then stop it by pressing theStop button.
- To make sure this service doesn't run again, under Startup Type:, choose Disabled
Not much different from the XP Indexing service. Here is how to disable it.
- Open Start Menu and type: services
- Click the Services program that popped up in the list and confirm the UAC.
- Scroll down to Windows Search and double click it.
- If the service status is "Running", then stop it by pressing theStop button.
- To make sure this service doesn't run again, under Startup Type:, choose Disabled
=========================
I hope this post is a good resource on how to keep your PC fast and smooth.
If you have any suggestions, please Message me on the boards.
Regards, SUPUNQW
The Ten Most Dangerous Things Users Do Online
...The following is our list of "The Ten Most Dangerous Things Users Do Online," along with some explanation of the risks -- and solutions -- associated with each...
1. Clicking on email attachments from unknown senders
2. Installing unauthorized applications
3. Turning off or disabling automated security tools
4. Opening HTML or plain-text messages from unknown senders
5. Surfing gambling, porn, or other legally-risky Websites
6. Giving out passwords, tokens, or smart cards
7. Page 8: Random surfing of unknown, untrusted Websites
8. Attaching to an unknown, untrustworthy WiFi network
9. Filling out Web scripts, forms, or registration pages
10. Participating in chat rooms or social networking sites
SO BE CARE FUL EK GUYS
...The following is our list of "The Ten Most Dangerous Things Users Do Online," along with some explanation of the risks -- and solutions -- associated with each...
1. Clicking on email attachments from unknown senders
2. Installing unauthorized applications
3. Turning off or disabling automated security tools
4. Opening HTML or plain-text messages from unknown senders
5. Surfing gambling, porn, or other legally-risky Websites
6. Giving out passwords, tokens, or smart cards
7. Page 8: Random surfing of unknown, untrusted Websites
8. Attaching to an unknown, untrustworthy WiFi network
9. Filling out Web scripts, forms, or registration pages
10. Participating in chat rooms or social networking sites
SO BE CARE FUL EK GUYS
How to Use Keyboard Commands to Move Around in a Document
How to Use Keyboard Commands to Move Around in a Document You can move around in a document by using various keyboard commands. If you are working on a long document, keyboard commands can be much faster than scrolling. These instructions are for Windows computers only.
Steps:
1. Hold down the Control key and tap the Home key (Control+Home) to go to the beginning of a document.
2. Hold down the Control key and tap the End key (Control+End) to go to the end of a document.
3. Hit the Home key to go the beginning of a line.
4. Hit the End key to go to the end of a line.
5. Tap the right arrow key on your keyboard to move one space to the right. To move one space to the left, tap the left arrow key.
6. Tap the up arrow key on your keyboard to move up one line. To move down one line, tap the down arrow key.
7. Use Page Up to move up one screen view. Use Page Down to move down one screen view. 8. Press the Tab key to move forward one tab indent. The exact space that you move is determined by your computer setup. Press Backspace to move backward through tab settings. 9. Press the Escape key to exit special applications that may be running. Tips: Keyboards featuring a Windows key permit the use of several special keyboard shortcuts.
Warnings: Various software applications may not permit the use of these keyboard commands. If they don't work, you'll have to scroll.
How to Use Keyboard Commands to Move Around in a Document You can move around in a document by using various keyboard commands. If you are working on a long document, keyboard commands can be much faster than scrolling. These instructions are for Windows computers only.
Steps:
1. Hold down the Control key and tap the Home key (Control+Home) to go to the beginning of a document.
2. Hold down the Control key and tap the End key (Control+End) to go to the end of a document.
3. Hit the Home key to go the beginning of a line.
4. Hit the End key to go to the end of a line.
5. Tap the right arrow key on your keyboard to move one space to the right. To move one space to the left, tap the left arrow key.
6. Tap the up arrow key on your keyboard to move up one line. To move down one line, tap the down arrow key.
7. Use Page Up to move up one screen view. Use Page Down to move down one screen view. 8. Press the Tab key to move forward one tab indent. The exact space that you move is determined by your computer setup. Press Backspace to move backward through tab settings. 9. Press the Escape key to exit special applications that may be running. Tips: Keyboards featuring a Windows key permit the use of several special keyboard shortcuts.
Warnings: Various software applications may not permit the use of these keyboard commands. If they don't work, you'll have to scroll.
How to scan our Pc without any Software
1) start / run / command
2) cd.. / enter / cd.. / enter
3) cd windows / enter / cd system32 / Enter
4) Setup
Note : If you will get a message like this " Please Go To your COntrol Panel to install and configure system components " ,means that your operative system isn't infected.
If the file Setup.exe is closed. That's mean your operative system is infected .
If the file Setup.exe is opened. That's mean your operative system isn't infected (it's clear).
1) start / run / command
2) cd.. / enter / cd.. / enter
3) cd windows / enter / cd system32 / Enter
4) Setup
Note : If you will get a message like this " Please Go To your COntrol Panel to install and configure system components " ,means that your operative system isn't infected.
If the file Setup.exe is closed. That's mean your operative system is infected .
If the file Setup.exe is opened. That's mean your operative system isn't infected (it's clear).
Vista task Manager
If you’re just dumb like me and wondering why on earth Windows Vista doesn’t take you to the task manager but instead a welcome screen with several options on pressing CTRL + ALT + DELETE, try this shortcut: CTRL + SHIFT + ESC. Pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC instead of CTRL+ALT+DELETE takes you directly to the task manager in Vista.
(taken from a site)
If you’re just dumb like me and wondering why on earth Windows Vista doesn’t take you to the task manager but instead a welcome screen with several options on pressing CTRL + ALT + DELETE, try this shortcut: CTRL + SHIFT + ESC. Pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC instead of CTRL+ALT+DELETE takes you directly to the task manager in Vista.
(taken from a site)
menu bar VISTA
Make the Explorer menu bar visible temporarily
In order to see the menu bar in Windows Explorer, just hit the ALT key when you’re browsing any folder. The menu bar appears momentarily and will disappear once you release the ALT key.
Show the Explorer menu bar permanently
To make the hidden Explorer menu bar visible always, just click on the ‘Organize’ button in the top left corner of Windows Explorer. Go to the ‘Layout’ menu option and choose ‘Menu bar’. This toggles the display of the Explorer menu bar.
Make the Explorer menu bar visible temporarily
In order to see the menu bar in Windows Explorer, just hit the ALT key when you’re browsing any folder. The menu bar appears momentarily and will disappear once you release the ALT key.
Show the Explorer menu bar permanently
To make the hidden Explorer menu bar visible always, just click on the ‘Organize’ button in the top left corner of Windows Explorer. Go to the ‘Layout’ menu option and choose ‘Menu bar’. This toggles the display of the Explorer menu bar.
thax broMake your keyboard a "live disco" =D
This code when executed makes your Caps, Num, Scroll lock keys flash..
very attractive...i have tried it..trust me
Instructions:
*paste the code in notepad
*Save as disco.vbs
*Run the file
This piece of code makes your keyboard a live disco...
Quote:
Set wshShell =wscript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
do
wscript.sleep 100
wshshell.sendkeys "{CAPSLOCK}"
wshshell.sendkeys "{NUMLOCK}"
wshshell.sendkeys "{SCROLLLOCK}"
loop
TO REMOVE LIVE DISCO ON KEYBOARD WITHOUT CHANGING CODE.
OPEN TASK MANAGER THEN IN PROCESSES END PROCESS WSCRIPT.EXE FILE.
Hava Nice day!
23 Ways to Speed up XP
1.) To decrease a system’s boot time and increase system performance, use the money you save by not buying defragmentation software — the built-in Windows defragmenter works just fine — and instead equip the computer with an Ultra-133 or Serial ATA hard drive with 8-MB cache buffer.
2.) If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance.
3.) Ensure that Windows XP is utilizing the NTFS file system. If you’re not sure, here’s how to check: First, double-click the My Computer icon, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Next, examine the File System type; if it says FAT32, then back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK. At the prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and press the Enter key. This process may take a while; it’s important that the computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by the bootable drive will be either FAT32 or NTFS. I highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives.
4.) Disable file indexing. The indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a “searchable keyword index.” As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxing on any system.
The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP’s built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. It just takes longer. The OS has to open each file at the time of the request to help find what the user is looking for.
Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. But if you’re a typical system builder, most of your clients are small and medium businesses. And if your clients have no need for this search feature, I recommend disabling it.
Here’s how: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck “Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching.” Next, apply changes to “C: subfolders and files,” and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as “Access is denied”), click the Ignore All button.
5.) Update the PC’s video and motherboard chipset drivers. Also, update and configure the BIOS. For more information on how to configure your BIOS properly, see this article on my site.
6.) Empty the Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can “prefetch” portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by the user. That’s fine. But over time, the prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wasting time, and slowing system performance, by pre-loading them. Nothing critical is in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to delete.
7.) Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here’s how: Double-click the My Computer icon. Then right-click on the C: drive and select Properties. Click the Disk Cleanup button — it’s just to the right of the Capacity pie graph — and delete all temporary files.
8.) In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel. Then click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to “DMA if available” for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel.
9.) Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support “cable select,” the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear.
10.) Remove all spyware from the computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once these programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before starting your search. Anything either program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once the spyware portion has been removed; if your customer really wants the program even though it contains spyware, simply reinstall it. For more information on removing Spyware visit this Web Pro News page.
11.) Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine using the MSCONFIG utility. Here’s how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click the StartUp tab, then uncheck any items you don’t want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit the WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searching for the filenames using Google or another Web search engine.
12.) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.
13.) Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settings in this area. Here’s how to do it: First click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Next, click on the Advanced tab. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer — only its responsiveness.
14.) If your customer is an advanced user who is comfortable editing their registry, try some of the performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP.
15.) Visit Microsoft’s Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion.
16.) Update the customer’s anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily, basis. Make sure they have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability.
17.) Make sure the customer has fewer than 500 type fonts installed on their computer. The more fonts they have, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did the previous versions of Windows, too many fonts — that is, anything over 500 — will noticeably tax the system.
18.) Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP’s NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called “D drive.” You’ll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won’t be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won’t need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.
19.) Check the system’s RAM to ensure it is operating properly. I recommend using a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC’s memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, but only replaced.
20.) If the PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check the drive manufacturer’s Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you’ll be able to upgrade the recorder to a faster speed. Best of all, it’s free.
21.) Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that your customer most likely does not need. To determine which services you can disable for your client, visit the Black Viper site for Windows XP configurations.
22.) If you’re sick of a single Windows Explorer window crashing and then taking the rest of your OS down with it, then follow this tip: open My Computer, click on Tools, then Folder Options. Now click on the View tab. Scroll down to “Launch folder windows in a separate process,” and enable this option. You’ll have to reboot your machine for this option to take effect.
23.) At least once a year, open the computer’s cases and blow out all the dust and debris. While you’re in there, check that all the fans are turning properly. Also inspect the motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaks.
1.) To decrease a system’s boot time and increase system performance, use the money you save by not buying defragmentation software — the built-in Windows defragmenter works just fine — and instead equip the computer with an Ultra-133 or Serial ATA hard drive with 8-MB cache buffer.
2.) If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance.
3.) Ensure that Windows XP is utilizing the NTFS file system. If you’re not sure, here’s how to check: First, double-click the My Computer icon, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Next, examine the File System type; if it says FAT32, then back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK. At the prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and press the Enter key. This process may take a while; it’s important that the computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by the bootable drive will be either FAT32 or NTFS. I highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives.
4.) Disable file indexing. The indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a “searchable keyword index.” As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxing on any system.
The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP’s built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. It just takes longer. The OS has to open each file at the time of the request to help find what the user is looking for.
Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. But if you’re a typical system builder, most of your clients are small and medium businesses. And if your clients have no need for this search feature, I recommend disabling it.
Here’s how: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck “Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching.” Next, apply changes to “C: subfolders and files,” and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as “Access is denied”), click the Ignore All button.
5.) Update the PC’s video and motherboard chipset drivers. Also, update and configure the BIOS. For more information on how to configure your BIOS properly, see this article on my site.
6.) Empty the Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can “prefetch” portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by the user. That’s fine. But over time, the prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wasting time, and slowing system performance, by pre-loading them. Nothing critical is in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to delete.
7.) Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here’s how: Double-click the My Computer icon. Then right-click on the C: drive and select Properties. Click the Disk Cleanup button — it’s just to the right of the Capacity pie graph — and delete all temporary files.
8.) In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel. Then click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to “DMA if available” for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel.
9.) Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support “cable select,” the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear.
10.) Remove all spyware from the computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once these programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before starting your search. Anything either program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once the spyware portion has been removed; if your customer really wants the program even though it contains spyware, simply reinstall it. For more information on removing Spyware visit this Web Pro News page.
11.) Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine using the MSCONFIG utility. Here’s how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click the StartUp tab, then uncheck any items you don’t want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit the WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searching for the filenames using Google or another Web search engine.
12.) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.
13.) Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settings in this area. Here’s how to do it: First click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Next, click on the Advanced tab. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer — only its responsiveness.
14.) If your customer is an advanced user who is comfortable editing their registry, try some of the performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP.
15.) Visit Microsoft’s Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion.
16.) Update the customer’s anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily, basis. Make sure they have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability.
17.) Make sure the customer has fewer than 500 type fonts installed on their computer. The more fonts they have, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did the previous versions of Windows, too many fonts — that is, anything over 500 — will noticeably tax the system.
18.) Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP’s NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called “D drive.” You’ll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won’t be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won’t need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.
19.) Check the system’s RAM to ensure it is operating properly. I recommend using a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC’s memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, but only replaced.
20.) If the PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check the drive manufacturer’s Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you’ll be able to upgrade the recorder to a faster speed. Best of all, it’s free.
21.) Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that your customer most likely does not need. To determine which services you can disable for your client, visit the Black Viper site for Windows XP configurations.
22.) If you’re sick of a single Windows Explorer window crashing and then taking the rest of your OS down with it, then follow this tip: open My Computer, click on Tools, then Folder Options. Now click on the View tab. Scroll down to “Launch folder windows in a separate process,” and enable this option. You’ll have to reboot your machine for this option to take effect.
23.) At least once a year, open the computer’s cases and blow out all the dust and debris. While you’re in there, check that all the fans are turning properly. Also inspect the motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaks.
List of the keyboard shortcuts that are available in Windows XP
General keyboard shortcuts
Dialog box keyboard shortcuts
If you press SHIFT+F8 in extended selection list boxes, you enable extended selection mode. In this mode, you can use an arrow key to move a cursor without changing the selection. You can press CTRL+SPACEBAR or SHIFT+SPACEBAR to adjust the selection. To cancel extended selection mode, press SHIFT+F8 again. Extended selection mode cancels itself when you move the focus to another control.
Microsoft natural keyboard shortcuts
Accessibility keyboard shortcuts
Windows Explorer keyboard shortcuts
Shortcut keys for Character Map
After you double-click a character on the grid of characters, you can move through the grid by using the keyboard shortcuts:
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) main window keyboard shortcuts
MMC console window keyboard shortcuts
Remote desktop connection navigation
Microsoft Internet Explorer navigation
General keyboard shortcuts
- CTRL+C (Copy)
- CTRL+X (Cut)
- CTRL+V (Paste)
- CTRL+Z (Undo)
- DELETE (Delete)
- SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)
- CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)
- CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)
- F2 key (Rename the selected item)
- CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)
- CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)
- CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)
- CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)
- CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)
- SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)
- CTRL+A (Select all)
- F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)
- ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)
- ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)
- ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)
- ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)
- CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
- ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)
- ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)
- F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)
- F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
- SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)
- ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)
- CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)
- ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu)
- Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)
- F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)
- RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)
- LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)
- F5 key (Update the active window)
- BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
- ESC (Cancel the current task)
- SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing)
- CTRL+SHIFT+ESC (Open Task Manager)
Dialog box keyboard shortcuts
If you press SHIFT+F8 in extended selection list boxes, you enable extended selection mode. In this mode, you can use an arrow key to move a cursor without changing the selection. You can press CTRL+SPACEBAR or SHIFT+SPACEBAR to adjust the selection. To cancel extended selection mode, press SHIFT+F8 again. Extended selection mode cancels itself when you move the focus to another control.
- CTRL+TAB (Move forward through the tabs)
- CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the tabs)
- TAB (Move forward through the options)
- SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the options)
- ALT+Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option)
- ENTER (Perform the command for the active option or button)
- SPACEBAR (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box)
- Arrow keys (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons)
- F1 key (Display Help)
- F4 key (Display the items in the active list)
- BACKSPACE (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box)
Microsoft natural keyboard shortcuts
- Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)
- Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)
- Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)
- Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)
- Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)
- Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)
- Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)
- CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)
- Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)
- Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)
- Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)
- Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)
Accessibility keyboard shortcuts
- Right SHIFT for eight seconds (Switch FilterKeys either on or off)
- Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (Switch High Contrast either on or off)
- Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK (Switch the MouseKeys either on or off)
- SHIFT five times (Switch the StickyKeys either on or off)
- NUM LOCK for five seconds (Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off)
- Windows Logo +U (Open Utility Manager)
Windows Explorer keyboard shortcuts
- END (Display the bottom of the active window)
- HOME (Display the top of the active window)
- NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) (Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder)
- NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder)
- NUM LOCK+Minus sign (-) (Collapse the selected folder)
- LEFT ARROW (Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder)
- RIGHT ARROW (Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder)
Shortcut keys for Character Map
After you double-click a character on the grid of characters, you can move through the grid by using the keyboard shortcuts:
- RIGHT ARROW (Move to the right or to the beginning of the next line)
- LEFT ARROW (Move to the left or to the end of the previous line)
- UP ARROW (Move up one row)
- DOWN ARROW (Move down one row)
- PAGE UP (Move up one screen at a time)
- PAGE DOWN (Move down one screen at a time)
- HOME (Move to the beginning of the line)
- END (Move to the end of the line)
- CTRL+HOME (Move to the first character)
- CTRL+END (Move to the last character)
- SPACEBAR (Switch between Enlarged and Normal mode when a character is selected)
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) main window keyboard shortcuts
- CTRL+O (Open a saved console)
- CTRL+N (Open a new console)
- CTRL+S (Save the open console)
- CTRL+M (Add or remove a console item)
- CTRL+W (Open a new window)
- F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
- ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the MMC window menu)
- ALT+F4 (Close the console)
- ALT+A (Display the Action menu)
- ALT+V (Display the View menu)
- ALT+F (Display the File menu)
- ALT+O (Display the Favorites menu)
MMC console window keyboard shortcuts
- CTRL+P (Print the current page or active pane)
- ALT+Minus sign (-) (Display the window menu for the active console window)
- SHIFT+F10 (Display the Action shortcut menu for the selected item)
- F1 key (Open the Help topic, if any, for the selected item)
- F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
- CTRL+F10 (Maximize the active console window)
- CTRL+F5 (Restore the active console window)
- ALT+ENTER (Display the Properties dialog box, if any, for the selected item)
- F2 key (Rename the selected item)
- CTRL+F4 (Close the active console window. When a console has only one console window, this shortcut closes the console)
Remote desktop connection navigation
- CTRL+ALT+END (Open the Microsoft Windows NT Security dialog box)
- ALT+PAGE UP (Switch between programs from left to right)
- ALT+PAGE DOWN (Switch between programs from right to left)
- ALT+INSERT (Cycle through the programs in most recently used order)
- ALT+HOME (Display the Start menu)
- CTRL+ALT+BREAK (Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen)
- ALT+DELETE (Display the Windows menu)
- CTRL+ALT+Minus sign (-) (Place a snapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing ALT+PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)
- CTRL+ALT+Plus sign (+) (Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)
Microsoft Internet Explorer navigation
- CTRL+B (Open the Organize Favorites dialog box)
- CTRL+E (Open the Search bar)
- CTRL+F (Start the Find utility)
- CTRL+H (Open the History bar)
- CTRL+I (Open the Favorites bar)
- CTRL+L (Open the Open dialog box)
- CTRL+N (Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address)
- CTRL+O (Open the Open dialog box, the same as CTRL+L)
- CTRL+P (Open the Print dialog box)
- CTRL+R (Update the current Web page)
- CTRL+W (Close the current window)
Create Your Own Logon Message
You can create a message that will appear when you log on to your computer.
Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
In the Registry Editor, drill down to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Right-click LegalNoticeCaption, click Modify, type My Windows XP Machine, and then click OK.
Right-click LegalNoticeText, click Modify, and then type your message.
Close the editor and your new message will appear at every log on.
This tip applies to computers that are part of a domain. For stand-alone or peer-to-peer networks, the custom screen appears just before the Welcome screen.
You may need to have an administrator account on your computer to make changes to the registry. Incorrectly editing the registry may severely damage your system. At the very least, you should back up any valued data on the computer before making changes to the registry.
Enjoy
You can create a message that will appear when you log on to your computer.
Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
In the Registry Editor, drill down to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Right-click LegalNoticeCaption, click Modify, type My Windows XP Machine, and then click OK.
Right-click LegalNoticeText, click Modify, and then type your message.
Close the editor and your new message will appear at every log on.
This tip applies to computers that are part of a domain. For stand-alone or peer-to-peer networks, the custom screen appears just before the Welcome screen.
You may need to have an administrator account on your computer to make changes to the registry. Incorrectly editing the registry may severely damage your system. At the very least, you should back up any valued data on the computer before making changes to the registry.
Enjoy
5 ways to speed up your PC
Free up disk space
By freeing disk space, you can improve the performance of your computer. The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.
Use Disk Cleanup to:
•Remove temporary Internet files.
•Remove downloaded program files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets).
•Empty the Recycle Bin.
•Remove Windows temporary files.
•Remove optional Windows components that you don't use.
•Remove installed programs that you no longer use.
Tip: Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later.
To use Disk Cleanup
1.
Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.
2.
In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list.
Choose the files that you want to delete.
3.
Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK.
4.
When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click Yes.
After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner and performing better.
Speed up access to data
Disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk when the file is opened to piece it back together. The response time can be significantly longer.
Disk Defragmenter is a Windows utility that consolidates fragmented files and folders on your computer's hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the disk. With your files stored neatly end-to-end, without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up.
When to run Disk Defragmenter
In addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals—monthly is optimal—there are other times you should run it too, such as when:
•You add a large number of files.
•Your free disk space totals 15 percent or less.
•You install new programs or a new version of Windows.
To use Disk Defragmenter:
1.
Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
Click Analyze to start the Disk Defragmenter.
2.
In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, click the drives that you want to defragment, and then click the Analyze button. After the disk is analyzed, a dialog box appears, letting you know whether you should defragment the analyzed drives.
Tip: You should analyze a volume before defragmenting it to get an estimate of how long the defragmentation process will take.
3.
To defragment the selected drive or drives, click the Defragment button. Note: In Windows Vista, there is no graphical user interface to demonstrate the progress—but your hard drive is still being defragmented.
After the defragmentation is complete, Disk Defragmenter displays the results.
4.
To display detailed information about the defragmented disk or partition, click View Report.
5.
To close the View Report dialog box, click Close.
6.
To close the Disk Defragmenter utility, click the Close button on the title bar of the window.
Detect and repair disk errors
In addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.
As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files or folders are misplaced.
If you use your computer daily, you should run this utility once a week to help prevent data loss.
To run the Error Checking utility:
1.
Close all open files.
2.
Click Start, and then click My Computer.
3.
In the My Computer window, right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.
4.
In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.
5.
Click the Check Now button.
6.
In the Check Disk dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.
7.
If bad sectors are found, choose to fix them.
Tip: Only select the "Automatically fix file system errors" check box if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.
Protect your computer against spyware
Spyware collects personal information without letting you know and without asking for permission. From the Web sites you visit to usernames and passwords, spyware can put you and your confidential information at risk. In addition to privacy concerns, spyware can hamper your computer's performance. To combat spyware, you might want to consider using Microsoft Windows Defender, which is included in Windows Vista, and is available as a free download for Microsoft XP SP2. Alternatively, there are other free anti-spyware software programs available.
Free up disk space
By freeing disk space, you can improve the performance of your computer. The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.
Use Disk Cleanup to:
•Remove temporary Internet files.
•Remove downloaded program files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets).
•Empty the Recycle Bin.
•Remove Windows temporary files.
•Remove optional Windows components that you don't use.
•Remove installed programs that you no longer use.
Tip: Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later.
To use Disk Cleanup
1.
Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.
2.
In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list.
Choose the files that you want to delete.
3.
Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK.
4.
When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click Yes.
After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner and performing better.
Speed up access to data
Disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk when the file is opened to piece it back together. The response time can be significantly longer.
Disk Defragmenter is a Windows utility that consolidates fragmented files and folders on your computer's hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the disk. With your files stored neatly end-to-end, without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up.
When to run Disk Defragmenter
In addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals—monthly is optimal—there are other times you should run it too, such as when:
•You add a large number of files.
•Your free disk space totals 15 percent or less.
•You install new programs or a new version of Windows.
To use Disk Defragmenter:
1.
Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
Click Analyze to start the Disk Defragmenter.
2.
In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, click the drives that you want to defragment, and then click the Analyze button. After the disk is analyzed, a dialog box appears, letting you know whether you should defragment the analyzed drives.
Tip: You should analyze a volume before defragmenting it to get an estimate of how long the defragmentation process will take.
3.
To defragment the selected drive or drives, click the Defragment button. Note: In Windows Vista, there is no graphical user interface to demonstrate the progress—but your hard drive is still being defragmented.
After the defragmentation is complete, Disk Defragmenter displays the results.
4.
To display detailed information about the defragmented disk or partition, click View Report.
5.
To close the View Report dialog box, click Close.
6.
To close the Disk Defragmenter utility, click the Close button on the title bar of the window.
Detect and repair disk errors
In addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.
As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files or folders are misplaced.
If you use your computer daily, you should run this utility once a week to help prevent data loss.
To run the Error Checking utility:
1.
Close all open files.
2.
Click Start, and then click My Computer.
3.
In the My Computer window, right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.
4.
In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.
5.
Click the Check Now button.
6.
In the Check Disk dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.
7.
If bad sectors are found, choose to fix them.
Tip: Only select the "Automatically fix file system errors" check box if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.
Protect your computer against spyware
Spyware collects personal information without letting you know and without asking for permission. From the Web sites you visit to usernames and passwords, spyware can put you and your confidential information at risk. In addition to privacy concerns, spyware can hamper your computer's performance. To combat spyware, you might want to consider using Microsoft Windows Defender, which is included in Windows Vista, and is available as a free download for Microsoft XP SP2. Alternatively, there are other free anti-spyware software programs available.
How to Install, Configure, and Use Avast Antivirus
Introduction
An essential piece of software for every computer is an Anti-Virus. An Anti-Virus protects your computer from many common viruses and trojans which can be deadly for you system. Avast Anti-Virus Free Edition is very good and effective FREE Anti-Virus.
Downloading/Installation
Please visit this link:
Check Download Links Code:
http://www.avast.com/eng/down_home.html
and download the version that matches your language.
Once you have downloaded it locate the file that you just downloaded. The icon should appear like the image below:
Now double-click on the file to launch the installation of Avast! Next you'll see this screen:
Click next. You will get another window with the ReadMe File, just click Next, again.
Now you get the beloved Legal Agreement, just click I agree, and then click Next to continue. You will now see an image similar to the one below:
I would recomend using the "Typical" installation. Make sure Typical is selected then click Next.
Now if you selected "Minimal" you won't see "skins" here. After reviewing this for a second and confirming that what you have on your screen is similar to mine, click the Next button. (Note: the "Free Space" will vary from computer to computer. Since I have about 170 Gigabytes free that is why my Free Space is so large.)
After pressing Next, you will get the above message. Basically if you select Yes it will do a quick scan of your hard drive upon boot-up. This scan will start before you log-in into Windows. I recomend you select No, because even though this scan will only happen once, this scan can take quiet a while. It took almost an hour for my hard drive.
If you have Microsoft Anti-Spyware, or other similar program installed you may be prompted with a similar message. Click the Allow button to allow this change to take affect.
Now you have to restart your machine. I highly advise you to select Restart and then click Finish.
After you restart you will get a message about Avast! it will give you the general "Hello and Thank you for choicing our Product." Also after you restart you will notice 2 new icons in the bottom right corner of the screen.
The icon with the I is for the "Virus Recovery Database" (VRDB). What this does is virutally makes copies of the program you have installed and if one of them gets infected with a virus this will replace the files infected so the program function like before. The A is the On-Access Protection.
Very Important - after restarting, right click on the A in the taskbar and select Updating, the highlight Program.
You will get this popup after its done updating. If Avast! had to download anything for your computer you may get a message asking you to restart.
Configuring
Now right click on the A in taskbar and click Start Avast! AntiVirus.
Click Program Registration and you will be taken to their website. Fill out the form and then check you e-mail. Once you get an e-mail from them (usualy about 1 minute after submitting the form) copy and paste the serial they provided into the highlighted box. Then click ok.
Now you will see this screen. Click the little hard drive like icon in the top right corner, below the X. Click each icon on the right once until the options in the center read:
Now click on the A on the middle left side and adjust the Resident Protection from Standard to High.
Ok now to set-up and configure the On-Access Protection.
I recomend changing the default slide from Normal to High, depending on how fast your system is.
What makes Avast! unique is that it scans many parts of the system. It scans Instant Messenging, Internet Mail, Network Shield, Outlook/Exchange, P2P Shield, Standard Shield and Web Shield. So regardless of what you do on the computer you will be protected no matter what.
Scheduling a Scan
I don't know if there is any way to pass other parameters to the ashQuick.exe program for various options like scanning depth, what to do if a virus is encountered, etc. If anyone has any info on how to pass other parameters please feel free to add the information to this thread.
Lastly, I wouldn't suggest using the screen saver scanner in conjunction with this scheduled scan, as they may end up running at the same time and cause conflicts.
Introduction
An essential piece of software for every computer is an Anti-Virus. An Anti-Virus protects your computer from many common viruses and trojans which can be deadly for you system. Avast Anti-Virus Free Edition is very good and effective FREE Anti-Virus.
Downloading/Installation
Please visit this link:
Check Download Links Code:
http://www.avast.com/eng/down_home.html
and download the version that matches your language.
Once you have downloaded it locate the file that you just downloaded. The icon should appear like the image below:
Now double-click on the file to launch the installation of Avast!
Click next.
Now you get the beloved Legal Agreement, just click I agree, and then click Next to continue. You will now see an image similar to the one below:
I would recomend using the "Typical" installation. Make sure Typical is selected then click Next.
Now if you selected "Minimal" you won't see "skins" here. After reviewing this for a second and confirming that what you have on your screen is similar to mine, click the Next button. (Note: the "Free Space" will vary from computer to computer. Since I have about 170 Gigabytes free that is why my Free Space is so large.)
After pressing Next, you will get the above message. Basically if you select Yes it will do a quick scan of your hard drive upon boot-up. This scan will start before you log-in into Windows. I recomend you select No, because even though this scan will only happen once, this scan can take quiet a while. It took almost an hour for my hard drive.
If you have Microsoft Anti-Spyware, or other similar program installed you may be prompted with a similar message. Click the Allow button to allow this change to take affect.
Now you have to restart your machine. I highly advise you to select Restart and then click Finish.
After you restart you will get a message about Avast! it will give you the general "Hello and Thank you for choicing our Product." Also after you restart you will notice 2 new icons in the bottom right corner of the screen.
Very Important - after restarting, right click on the A in the taskbar and select Updating, the highlight Program.
You will get this popup after its done updating. If Avast! had to download anything for your computer you may get a message asking you to restart.
Configuring
Now right click on the A in taskbar and click Start Avast! AntiVirus.
Click Program Registration and you will be taken to their website. Fill out the form and then check you e-mail. Once you get an e-mail from them (usualy about 1 minute after submitting the form) copy and paste the serial they provided into the highlighted box. Then click ok.
Now you will see this screen. Click the little hard drive like icon in the top right corner, below the X.
- Scan local drives: ON
- Scan removeable media: ON
- Scan selected folders: ON
C:\
Now click on the A on the middle left side and adjust the Resident Protection from Standard to High.
Ok now to set-up and configure the On-Access Protection.
- Right click on the A on the taskbar
- Click On-Access Protection Control
I recomend changing the default slide from Normal to High, depending on how fast your system is.
What makes Avast! unique is that it scans many parts of the system. It scans Instant Messenging, Internet Mail, Network Shield, Outlook/Exchange, P2P Shield, Standard Shield and Web Shield. So regardless of what you do on the computer you will be protected no matter what.
Scheduling a Scan
- Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Scheduled Tasks
- Click (or double-click) on Add Scheduled Task
- In the wizard that appears click Next - a list of programs will appear
- Click Browse and navigate to C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4 (or whatever folder in which you installed avast!)
- Click (or double-click) on the file ashQuick.exe
- On the next screen give the task a name of your choice and choose how often you want it to run and click on Next
- On the next screen choose the appropriate scheduling options and click on Next
- On the next screen enter the user name and password for the Windows user you want the task to run as, then click on Next
- On the next screen check the box for the option "Open advanced properties for this task when I click Finish" , and then click Finish
- On the next screen, in the "Run" field you will see the path for the ashQuick.exe program. After the closing quote enter a space and type in the path(s) that
you want scanned. Multiple paths must be separated by a space and any paths that include a space in the path name must be in quotes. Here are a couple of examples:
"C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashQuick.exe" C: E: - this will scan the entire contents of the C: and E: drives
" C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashQuick.exe" "Crogram Files" E
ownloads - this will scan the contents of the Program Files folder on the C: drive and the Downloads folder on the E: drive, including all subfolders (Note the first path is in quotes due to the space in the folder name "Program Files")
- Click OK
- In the Scheduled Tasks window, from the menu, click on Advanced and choose "Start Using Task Scheduler"
- To test your newly created task, from the Scheduled Tasks window, right-click on the task's icon and choose "Run" from the popup menu. If the scan doesn't begin correctly you'll get an error message. The problem is most likely in the scan path (missing quotes or something like that.)
- Close the Scheduled Tasks window
I don't know if there is any way to pass other parameters to the ashQuick.exe program for various options like scanning depth, what to do if a virus is encountered, etc. If anyone has any info on how to pass other parameters please feel free to add the information to this thread.
Lastly, I wouldn't suggest using the screen saver scanner in conjunction with this scheduled scan, as they may end up running at the same time and cause conflicts.
Vista - Changing the Boot Screen
STEP ONE:
Navigate yourself to C:\Windows\system32\en-US for english; \NL-nl for Dutch and so on for each language available for Vista.
STEP TWO:
Find winload.exe.mui and open the Properties for this file.
Click on the 'Security' tab, now choose 'Advanced' and set the ownership of this file to 'Users'.
STEP THREE:
Now you need to copy and paste your desired background and replace it with the background from the folder 'system32\en-US folder'
STEP FOUR:
Now, goto 'Start > Run' and type 'msconfig'.
STEP FIVE:
Choose the 'Boot' tab and now enable 'No GUI Boot'
STEP SIX:
Close msconfig and reboot your computer.
Enjoy
STEP ONE:
Navigate yourself to C:\Windows\system32\en-US for english; \NL-nl for Dutch and so on for each language available for Vista.
STEP TWO:
Find winload.exe.mui and open the Properties for this file.
Click on the 'Security' tab, now choose 'Advanced' and set the ownership of this file to 'Users'.
STEP THREE:
Now you need to copy and paste your desired background and replace it with the background from the folder 'system32\en-US folder'
STEP FOUR:
Now, goto 'Start > Run' and type 'msconfig'.
STEP FIVE:
Choose the 'Boot' tab and now enable 'No GUI Boot'
STEP SIX:
Close msconfig and reboot your computer.
Enjoy
Watch Movies in Ms Paint
Hey guys, did you know that you can watch movies in paint ? But u can't do anything (Just watch it while its playing in Media Player Classic, winamp or any other movie player you use.
1.Open your favourite movie player and play the move (I played the .avi, format in Media Player Classic) (.mpg also works)(VLC Player will also do)
2.Hit "PrintScreen", keep playing the movie in the player, don't stop it.
3.Open MsPaint.
4.Select "Edit > Paste" Or Hit "CTRL+V"
You can watch movies in Paint!
But there are no Pause, Next, Previous, Stop etc. buttons
Experiment with other formats too, it doesn't play DivX , Flash movies.
lol
Hey guys, did you know that you can watch movies in paint ? But u can't do anything (Just watch it while its playing in Media Player Classic, winamp or any other movie player you use.
1.Open your favourite movie player and play the move (I played the .avi, format in Media Player Classic) (.mpg also works)(VLC Player will also do)
2.Hit "PrintScreen", keep playing the movie in the player, don't stop it.
3.Open MsPaint.
4.Select "Edit > Paste" Or Hit "CTRL+V"
You can watch movies in Paint!
But there are no Pause, Next, Previous, Stop etc. buttons
Experiment with other formats too, it doesn't play DivX , Flash movies.
lol
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