- Joined
- Jul 21, 2002
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- NorthEast England
Beginners Guide For Tuning Up PC's
A while ago I came across a thread that mentioned that some regular Joe Sixpack had a PC that would take forever to start up, because of this he thought it was broken and was about ready for the scrap heap. It turned out that he had loads of App's installed on his comoputer and the system in general was needing some simple maintenance that is overlooked by many users and isn't emphasisded by PC distributers.
After reading about that I decided to make this guide of simple tasks that most PC users, from the hardcore pro to the total novice, should do to keep PC's running cleaner and smoother than it may be doing at the moment.
Of course the many people here possibly know these things already but you can teach an old dog new tricks.
After a few days after first posting this.. I've seen/suggested/been inspired/thought of more than 10 steps, so forget the title, read, learn and enjoy the longer life your PC will have by following these simple guidelines.
Please remember that these are based on Win 9x based operating systems, but the general rules apply to the Windows XP and Win2k and quite possibly Mac and Linux OS's.
Any links are in RED type, if any are incorrect then post here or PM me and I'll change them.
If you have anything to add/correct then please feel free.
There are loads more things that people could do to make their computers more efficient and responsive, these small tasks are just the tip of the iceberg- I'll be updating every so often when other techniques are discovered, I discover any radical changes with other Operating Systems (Like XP) and when I can host pictures.
If anyone thinks I have missed anything then speak out and let me know.
UnWishedLegacy
A while ago I came across a thread that mentioned that some regular Joe Sixpack had a PC that would take forever to start up, because of this he thought it was broken and was about ready for the scrap heap. It turned out that he had loads of App's installed on his comoputer and the system in general was needing some simple maintenance that is overlooked by many users and isn't emphasisded by PC distributers.
After reading about that I decided to make this guide of simple tasks that most PC users, from the hardcore pro to the total novice, should do to keep PC's running cleaner and smoother than it may be doing at the moment.
Of course the many people here possibly know these things already but you can teach an old dog new tricks.
After a few days after first posting this.. I've seen/suggested/been inspired/thought of more than 10 steps, so forget the title, read, learn and enjoy the longer life your PC will have by following these simple guidelines.
Please remember that these are based on Win 9x based operating systems, but the general rules apply to the Windows XP and Win2k and quite possibly Mac and Linux OS's.
Any links are in RED type, if any are incorrect then post here or PM me and I'll change them.
If you have anything to add/correct then please feel free.
The More Than 10 Step Guide For Happy PC Usage
1) Hard Drive Health
If you don't use your PC much, use ScanDisk and Defrag On a monthly basis at least, or even more regularly if you use your PC's for extended periods of time. About once a week should be the norm for a general family PC.
You can find these tool by right clicking your hard drive in 'My Computer' and look for the 'Tools' tab (in XP) or by finding the 'System Tools' list on the Start menu.
If DeFrag doesn't work properly or is taking lots of time then you should think about stopping any and all other programs- even anti-virus apps and making sure you have some free space on your hard drive- it's estimated that you need 15% of space free on your drive for a fast and through DeFrag so keep on top of your apps that you don't need anymore.
2) Game Over? Put Your Toys Away!
If you have no use for a game or utility anymore- UNINSTALL by using either the installer included with your program or via Control Panel >> Add/Remove Programs.
3) Empty You Pockets
Before you shut down your system, remove all floppy disks and CD's, this may help your computer start up quicker.
4) Leave The Scratching To The DJ's
The best place for CD's and Floppy's you are not currently using is IN THEIR BOX!! After all- a scratched CD is a lame CD, and replacements can be expensive.
5) Spring clean your system
A "Clean Install" once or twice a year will remove those resource hogging "hidden" programs you forgot/never knew you installed, virus's and other unknown problems, which can keep your system running smoother.
If you bought a PC from a store and it had Windows pre-installed then you should have a "Recovery Disk".
For those who own the original OS software, there is normally an option to re-install the OS.
This will mean you will have to replace all your files & Programs afterwards however, so backing up your files before you do this is a good idea...
6) Backing Up
If you have files your are keeping "just in case" or maybe previous pieces of work your keeping for future reference then backing up to CD, Zip Disk or other media is recommended- you can then remove these files from your hard drive freeing valuable space
You should also back-up important and/or large files on a regular basis, If you have to re-install your O.S because of a virus or some other problem you won't need to spend hours trying to replace your valuable data- especially if your on Dial Up, as even small files can take several hours to download.
7) Stop Programs From Starting!!
If you have programs that start up when you start windows, they may not be needed (prime examples are things like chat messengers, Kazaa and Real Player), try looking for a menu called “Preferences” or “Options” menu within the program (normally under the Tools heading) and see if you can disable the auto-start feature, this will leave the programs for when you need them- this is especially useful with Windows XP/XP Pro that has programs that run automatically by default.
7.a) MSConfig For Dummies
There's a much ignored utility in most current Microsoft Operating Systems called MSConfig, to open it up you just need to click on your Start Bar and select RUN, then type MSCONFIG in the little windows that pops up.
CAUTION... MESSING WITH MSCONFIG MAY DAMAGE YOUR SOFTWARE
But here's how to use it for the purpose of making sure rouge programs don't start along with Windows.
Open MSConfig and click on the 'Startup' tab, you will see a list of programs that startup at the same time as Windows, if you want to stop anything from automatically loading- simply uncheck the box. but if you uncheck the wrong thing then you may not be able to recover your system without a re-install.
For Those using Win 95/98/M.E, I find a good rule to follow is to use an App called WinTop (try using the Forum's search facility), it's similar to the familiar Task Manager that Windows uses but it shows what App's are running that Ctrl-Alt-Del refuses to show you (Win2K & Win XP users are less likely to need this however as their Task Manager is more informative).
Once you have decided which things you want to get rid of, uncheck the box and reboot. If all is well then you will get a message confirming you are running without everything included in the Startup list- just click OK and it will go away.
8) If It's Suspicious, Leave Alone!/
If you see a program or icon you don't remember installing or looks unfamiliar DO NOT RUN IT!! It may contain a virus of some description. Be sure to run a Virus-Scan or do some research on it and find out what it is before you do anything.
9) Drivers And Updates
There are a multitude of patches and updates available on the Internet- if your new program or piece of kit is running differently than expected- try looking on the manufacturers website for Patches, Updates or new Drivers.
Many drivers can be found at sites like PCChips.com and Driverguide.com.
Things like Windows and Internet Explorer are constantly making updates to help protect against possible "security problems", and Graphic's cards have several new Drivers released every year which will mean that your new game may have been running badly could be given a new lease of life.
10) Magnets Are Dangerous
Magnetic fields can disrupt all manner of items inside your PC- and as such you should keep any form of magnets AWAY from your system.
Monitors, Towers/boxes, TV's and large speakers should be at least 1 meter away from each other unless you are sure your equipment is sufficiently shielded from EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference), while most quality PC components are shielded from low level EMI, taking extra precautions won't hurt.
It's a good idea to keep pagers, mobile phones and other wireless devices away too, as these can interfere with data transfer and could corrupt vital files- which could meaning you having to do an unplanned re-install of your OS.
11) History and Recent Files
If you go online every day or visit lots of sites, you may want to consider setting your "Internet History" to about three or four days, this can be done by going to Tools in your browser window and clicking Internet Options.
You might want to consider clicking the "Delete Cookies" and "Delete Files" buttons once every few days too, this will clear more space and improve overall system performance, but you will have to re-input passwords, usernames and other information on some websites if you use the cookies function (like on this forum).
12) Turn-Off Properly
Possibly the most elementary of rules for PC's running any sort of Computer (be it Mac or P.C)... DO NOT TURN OFF WITH THE BUTTON!
By clicking Start >> Shut Down and by selecting "Shut Down" from the drop down menu and clicking "OK", your PC will save all the files and programs that are vital to its usage and power down safely. Not only will this make your Boot Up times faster- it will also make your Operating System more stable in the long run.
Most new PC’s have their buttons designated to “Shut Down” via Windows anyway, but if your doesn’t.. then spend the extra couple of seconds and add a couple of clicks to your day, it will be worth it in the long run.
13) Free Often Comes With A Price
On the Internet, many things that you would usually pay for claim to be “100% free” (Porn sites are the major criminal of this scam), they ‘only’
If you need to fill in ANY details about yourself/your Email address, read the small print first.
14) SpyWare and Solutions
Along with viruses, useless applications and the multitude of hidden dangers- "spyware" are small pieces of software that can be hidden within programs and "cookies" that report your internet activities to companies or other 3rd parties that are interested in your online activities.
These normally aren’t damaging to your computer, but it is annoying that people could be able to know your business- but there IS a way to stop these nosey parkers.
If you use programs like Ad-Aware and SpyBot Seek&Destroy, it will remove these items of Spyware and possibly other items that you didn’t even know existed on your system, including additions to your registry- A fragile and vital part of your PC.
15) Desktop Buddies And PC 'Assistants'
They maybe cute but they are NOT your friends!!
App’s that put interactive characters on your desktop, like Bonzi Buddy and Oska for example, may be free to download (remember that free has a price), look pretty and be fun to play with but they are also notorious for hogging system resources (memory, Hard Drive and CPU time) and can slowdown even the most powerful PC, it also leaves an open invitation for pop-ups, banners and even more Spyware to invade your system and send your details to the company you downloaded your “Desktop Friend” from. These companies often sell your details to other companies, meaning more Spam, pop-up adverts, viruses and other nasties.
You don't normally need "Desktop Buddies", as you can do everything they do AND better, with the right know-how. And instead of having these resources being hogged- you could use them for something useful, like Folding or SETI crunching for the O/C Teams....
16) Folding And Crunching For O/C Teams
You may have seen or heard phrases like 'Folding', 'Crunching' and SETI and wondered what they are. Here are brief introductions to these "projects" that basically use the collective power of every computer involved when it's not doing much, like surfing the web or word-processing. Click on the RED headings for links to their individual sites.
FOLDING- Folding@Home uses your available computer power to analyse information about proteins that can/could be used to develop cures to diseases that are, as yet, un-treatable.
And on the other side of the coin there is...
Crunching- the SETI (or Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence) project uses the same computing power that Folding uses to analyse Radio signals in space to determine if E.T could be phoning us.
17) Tweak User Interface
Windows is the most user friendly Operating System in the known universe but there are so many things you can change, in both looks AND performance, it's difficult to remember where the right options are or where they are to start with.
To make things better, Microsoft have made a selection of Power Toys for altering different aspects of windows- there are WAY too many options to talk about here, I suggest going to the Microsoft site and typing in 'Power Toys' in the search box for more info.
Available in NT/2000/9x and Win XP flavours.
The first thing that many users do is to disable any menu/window/mouse effects that they feel comfortable about not having, things like menu scrolling or fading just take time and resources and can be discarded without cost.
Keep in mind that these Power Toys are intended for users who know what they are doing, but most of the effects are simple to reverse (just a matter of unchecking boxes in many cases- but be careful if your new to it all).
18a) Ugly Is Faster (for Win XP)
Like I mentioned in trick 17, a pretty screen often means a slower machine- with Windows XP this is definatly the case but it can be solved with a few clicks of a mouse- when your on that pretty little desktop Right click once and select Properties, then Appearance- there will be a drop down menu called 'Windows And Buttons', there should be an option called 'Windows Classic Style'- you want to select that. this will make your pretty & slow desktop into one similar to the previous Windows versions.
Now click the 'Effects' button, you will need to make sure EVERY check-box is cleared with the exception of the last one 'Hide Underlines Letters for Keyboard Navigation', this may as well be checked as it will be useful if you use your keyboard a lot. Click 'Apply'.
18b) More Reverse Cosmetic Surgery (for Win XP)
On the same lines as changing the desktop- the Task Bar should be altered too unless you need the fancy options that Win XP has given you. Right click the Task Bar and select 'Properties'. On the first tab 'Task Bar' clear the 'Group Similar TaskBar Buttons' box. The rest is up to your personal taste, when your done- click the 'Start Menu' tab.
At the moment you will probably have the fancy Start Menu active, to stop this select the 'Classic Start Menu' feature and then go to the 'Customize' button next to it (the one above should be blanked out now). you should only have these options displayed if you want maximum performance & usability... Display Run, Display Dragging & Dropping, Scroll Programs and Use Personalised Menus- the rest just clutter up the screen and can be accessed easily if you need them.
18c) Uglyness For All Windows
Even if you don't have Win XP- you can still make Windows faster by sacrificing a bit of glamour. By Right clicking the Desktop >> Properties and going to the 'Background' tab (or DeskTop for Win XP). Select no Wallpaper, no pattern, disable the Active Desktops deactivate any Screen Savers and stop as many 'transition effects' as you can, this will clear a small amount of memory but will speed up your machine and graphics benchmark by a considierable amount when compared to the small amount of effort on your part.
If you have a black Desktop colour and lots of colourful icons then you may not need a picture in the background anyway.
Happy Computing
There are loads more things that people could do to make their computers more efficient and responsive, these small tasks are just the tip of the iceberg- I'll be updating every so often when other techniques are discovered, I discover any radical changes with other Operating Systems (Like XP) and when I can host pictures.
If anyone thinks I have missed anything then speak out and let me know.
UnWishedLegacy
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