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Improving Your Computer's Performance Tips

How To Crash Your Windows Desktop.
Nov 14, 2001 09:05 AM 2192 Views

The best way to learn how not to mess up your machine is, of course, to mess it up. Or so the case is with me. In the past decade I have crashed two IBMs, three Windows machines, and several DOS workstations. I’ve even messed up old-school floppy drives, Western Digital hard drives, Web browsers, BIOS setups, and internal configurations. So, with all of that interesting stuff in mind, I’ll tell you the most common, easiest ways to crash your system and, in some cases, permanently damage it.


Don’t partition your hard drive or store files in various folders all over the drive. Think of your hard drive like a house: You’ve got different rooms. There are walls that separate them from each other. You store some things in one room, others in another, et cetera. Also, there are storage spots within the rooms - such as your closet or perhaps a file cabinet. Use the MS-DOS partition tool to section your hard drive out so that it can be more effectively used. Also, don’t put a ton of junk on your Windows desktop: Separate into various folders and sub-directories. Otherwise Windows will over-load - I’ve seen it happen. Or, rather, I’ve made it happen, but that’s a different story altogether.


Store your computer’s tower right next to the wall. Your computer needs breathing room - the fan on the back of the case has to circulate freely so that clean, cool air can run over the internal hardware such as hard drives and the motherboard. Using a tiny vacuum or hose attachment to suck the dirt off the back of the fan grille will help. So will using a can of compressed air to blow dirt and other debris out of the case. Remember, you want to blow it out, not just stir it up inside, so this requires taking the case cover off. Be sure your computer is turned off when you do this: Otherwise you’ll probably short-circuit something.


Ignore your system tools. Defrag is a great program: It runs around, collecting fragmented files that Windows drops around while it is working to gather data from the hard drive and other sources. But, it does not work if you do not run it periodically. Since my computer is used for several hours every day, I Defrag at least once a month, if not more often. This helps your computer run faster and perform better, but also causes it to work a little less when you send it after a file or program.


Play FreeCell while a lightning storm is raging outside your window. Lightning strikes often lead to power surges - this is not very good for your system. The internal components can short-circuit and malfunction should too many power surges or brownouts occur. So, when the storm’s raging outside, turn off your computer and unplug it from the wall - better safe than sorry, right?


Ignore your system’s capabilities. Hey, that 486 can play MP3s, run Paint Shop Pro, and browse the Internet all at once, right? Hahaha. Yeah, right. When your computer’s hard drive light stays on and you hear ’’booting’’ sounds more often than not, it’s time to cut back on multitasking or consider an upgrade - or even a replacement.


Smoke, eat, and drink around your computer. There’s nothing like thick, heavy cigarette smoke! It builds a residue on the internal hardware eventually, as it gets scked into the computer through the tower’s rear fan. There isn’t much that jams up a keyboard or mouse as fast as spilled food or drink, either. So, if you don’t really like scking chip crumbs out from between the numerous keys, make the computer area a No Food/Drink zone. Also, banning cigarettes from the workstation will keep the smoke from damaging internal components. Yes, it takes time for it to happen, but it does occur.


All in all, performing routine system maintenance, keeping your computer and surrounding work area clean, and following the directions given with various hardware and software will help you to enjoy a long, peaceful relationship with your computer. Remember, it’s a fairly expensive investment. Make your decision wisely, and don’t neglect the guidelines and procedures recommended by the manufacturers.


Lightening fast...and it works!
Oct 07, 2001 05:42 AM 3522 Views

Well, I just had to check out PCPITSTOP.COM after reading Rosie's review.  And everything she said was absolutely true!


I logged on in a split second, read their statements and what they offered and signed up!


This site is sponsored by PC Magazine and there is a small unobtrussive advertisement up in the right corner.


I clicked on a couple of things and as fast as lightening.PCPITSTOP was testing away for free!


While the tests were running, I checked out exactly where they would be checking.  It tests all systems in your computer.  Programs installed, all drives, caches, connections, security, bandwidth, etc.


During the lightening fast tests, it stops and asks a few questions like, where is your computer used, connection, upload and download speed and how you connect.  I answered these and a minute later I had all my results!


It gives you your results in flags, just like at the racetrack.  A checkered flag means go(No problems), yellow means caution(minor problem) and red means stop(major problem).  Unfortunately for me I got 2 red flags.  One for memory.  It said a need some major memory surgery.  (I already knew I needed more memory, so it was reassuring that they caught that too.).  Next it said I was running on low performance on my'D' drive.  This I didn't know!  It also tells you where and how to fix the problems!


I did also get one warning about an unnamed drive.  And it has a place to click on where PCPITSTOP will actually go in and repair minor things like that.  So, I clicked!


It checks your anti virus system, disk health, internet connection, active X, technical express, and lets you know if your system is XP ready.


It has a list of helpful and useful downloads, top products suited for your system and a product finder.


There is also an area for FAQ's and contact support.


I ran mine through Internet Explorer and the whole thing, including registration took about 10 minutes.


I guess Rosie hit upon a very useful, FREE service offered, and I'm glad I checked it out.  'Thanks Rosie!'


When you check it out, (and I think you should!), you'll be thanking Rosie too!


=)


Make your computer purr
Oct 05, 2001 07:02 PM 6280 Views

There are many things you can and should do to keep your computer running smoothly.


One simple thing is to keep it clean including the fan in the back of the CPU which needs to be kept free of dust and allows you to have enough space behind it to let air to flow through. If it is pushed tight up against your desk the air will not circulate and your computer can become over heated. Make sure the fan is in good operating order at all times as this is very important.


If you are removing a program you no longer want use that programs un-install feature. Do not just delete it as it will leave traces of the program behind. If the program does not have an un-install feature you can go to add/remove programs in your control panel and un-install it from there.


Remember to delete your cache, temp files and Internet temp files on a regular basis and to keep your registry clean. There is a program called systems mechanic that will aid you in doing this and there are also many other good programs that are available.


If you need more space removing fonts can free up some. There are many, many fonts on a computer and how many do you actually need?


You should scan your drives often and set it to auto fix any problems that they may have. You also need to defragment your computer on a regular basis. This should be done at least once a week.


If you are having problems with your computer go to https://pcpitstop.com and run the full test on your machine. It is free and it will tell you everything that is wrong with your computer and how to fix it. You can sign up as a member or run the tests without.


I go to this site every couple of weeks and you will be amazed at what you will find there. It costs you nothing but a bit of time. It will give you a detailed report that you can print out and just follow the directions to correct any situation that might arise.


It has a virus scan also so you can disable the one you are using for the time being and run that one. I like to test with more than one as there is no one virus detector that will catch every single virus.


Take care of your computer and it will purr for you.


TWEAK WINDOWS 98 FOR SPEED
Jun 04, 2001 01:38 PM 6175 Views

I RECENTLY CAME ACROSS A REVIEW IN CHIP MAGAZINE REGARDING SPEEDING UP WINDOWS 98. I TRIED IT AND FOUND IT REALLY HELPFUL.




  1. RIGHT-CLICK MY COMPUTER ICON CLICK PROPERTIES, GO TO PERFORMANCE AND CHOOSE FILE SYSTEM TAB.




CHANGE THE COMPUTER'S ROLE FROM A TYPICAL'DESKTOP                COMPUTER' TO'NETWORK SERVER'.




  1. OPTIMIZE YOUR VIRTUAL MEMORY BY RIGHT CLICKING




MY COMPUTER ICON ANDSELECT PROPERTIES.CLICK PERFORMANCE AND CLICK VIRTUAL MEMORY BUTTON AND SELECT'LET ME SPECIFY MY OWN VIRTUAL MEMORY SETTINGS. A 150 MB PERMANENT SWAP FILE(BOTH MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM SET TO SAME AMOUNT)WILL KEEP MOST SYSTEMS HAPPY.




  1. CLICK START, CLICK RUN AND TYPE SYSEDIT.SELECT SYSTEM.INI FILE.FIND [VCACHE] HEADER AND INSERT THE THREE LINE GIVEN BELOW.




ChunkSize=512


MinFileCache=8192


MaxFileCache=8192


FOR USERS WITH 32 MB RAM USE FILECACHE SETTING THAT IS SLIGHTLY LOWER(4096).


FOR USERS WITH 128 MB RAM USE FILECACHE


SETTING(12288).




  1. ENABLE DMA OPTION FOR BOTH HARDDISK AND CD-ROM DRIVE. FOR THIS SELECT MY COMPUTER ICON AND RIGHT CLICK AND SELECT PROPERTIES.CLICK ON DEVICE MANAGER TAB AND SELECT DISK DRIVES. DOUBLE CLICK ON THE NAME OF HARD DRIVE AND CLICK SETTINGS TAB. AND CHECK THE DMA OPTION.




USING THE ABOVE TWEAKS CAN IMPROVE YOUR SYSTEM'S PERFORMANCE  VERY MUCH.


Speed Up your Baby
Apr 30, 2001 03:11 PM 5437 Views

Man I really dig this advice section on computer. I really was getting bored with movies.


There are several ways to improve your computer's


performance. In this advice. I will cover some of the ways.


Disk Space


This is one of the first components to look at when considering how well your system is performing. You want at least an 8.4G hard drive, usually 5400rpm or higher. The bigger and faster you hard drive is, the better your system will handle under stressful situations. If you are low on cash, and want an easy way to clean up your hard drive instead of buying a new one.then check out these quick solutions


-Run Disk Cleanup! This is a free utility already in Win98 found in Programs/Accessories/System Tools. Running this once a week should do the trick, but more than once a week is perfectly normal. This will free up all the extra junk clustered in the recycle bin, download programs, and internet files no longer used.


-Run Disk Defragmenter! This is also a free utility found in the same folder as the Disk Cleanup program. This should be run once your system becomes 5% defragmented. A good habit is to run this everyone month, or every other month. This will compile the files on your system so that programs open and run faster & more efficient.


-Delete those old files & games. Your hard drive works better with more free space! If you have a bunch of old games or files, delete them! The more free space your hard drive has, the easier it will run. Wouldn't you rather run with shorts and a T-shirt, rather than a sack of flour tied to your back? This is very much the same deal.


-Clear out your Temp folders! This folder basically holds excess junk files used to install programs and games on your computer. Once that program is installed the setup files are left here, but you don't need them anymore so just delete those nasty buggers to free up space C:\WINDOWS\TEMP .


RAM-Memory


One of the major components to slow a computer down is the amount of memory as system has. Unfortunately there is no simple fix to this other than buying more memory. Most computers today need at least 128mb RAM, unless strictly use your computer to access the internet for email. There are different types of RAM(SIMM, DIMM, SDRAM, EDO) so make sure you check with your system details before making this


purchase.


CdRoms  


Now how can a CdRom possibly make any difference about performance! That is not the right state of mind, as a good Cdrom is necessary for some of today's standards. Some applications and games require a Cd to be in the drive when in use. Therefore a good CdRom is needed. We are not talking about a 100x super spinning machine here. A typical 16x-32x is enough to carry on for years and years. If you have an 8x or lower, you may want to upgrade. A faster CdRom means quicker installation times, and faster read time. So if you are copying files to your computer from the CdRom, the faster the better!


Then for the processor and the graphics card, read my other 2 reviews which are explained in detail. So enjoy!


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