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Speed Up The PC -
Miscellaneous Tips |
Okay, you've gotten
an absolutely huge new hard drive, installed it, and
voila! -- your PC only recognizes the first
137 GB of the beast. Where's the rest of it? It's
there, but unless you're running XP with SP1 at the
minimum, the operating system won't recognize the
rest of the drive. XP users can upgrade to SP1
through Windows Update, but the rest of us can't do
much besides gnash our teeth.
Want to create file shortcuts on a CD-ROM? Try
creating a simple HTML file containing relative
links to all the photos or files. You can place this
HTML file in the root directory of the CD, so that
all recipients can use it as an index to the entire
CD, or you can create separate index files for each
user. Assuming you have laid out the entire contents
of the CD on your hard drive before burning, you can
even test the HTML file right on the hard drive.
Useful for making photo directories.
Burning a CD in Windows XP takes a lot of room on
your hard drive because Windows Media Player 9 has
to convert the songs into a format that works on
audio CDs. If you don't have an extra 700 to 800MB
of free space on your main hard drive to accommodate
the process, here's how to get it. Click Start, My
Computer, right-click your CD-R drive, and click
Properties, Recording. The CD Drive Properties
dialog box appears. Change the drive where Windows
can store an "image." This space on the new drive is
used only temporarily. It has to be on a hard drive,
because the CD burning process can't be interrupted.
If you have to copy a bunch of files to another
computer on your network, or even compress some
files to make room for the temporary image area, go
ahead. You can always move them back later.
Here's a tip that we might all find useful. You can
"log" the installation procedure for any program
that uses Windows Installer through the Registry.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Policies
\ Microsoft \ Windows \ Installer. Add a new String
value, double-click it, and enter the following
Value data: "voicewarmup" (sans quotes). These
letters can be entered in any order: v = Verbose
output; o = Out- of-disk-space messages; i = Status
messages; c = Initial UI parameters; e = All error
messages; w = Non-fatal warnings; a = Start up of
actions; r = Action-specific records; m = Out-of-
memory or fatal exit information; u = User requests;
p = Terminal properties. If you add a plus, the
existing file will be appended. If you add an
exclamation mark, each line is flushed. Now, when
something fails, you can check in the "Temp"
directory and look for the log files. They'll vary
in name, but will always start with MSI and end with
the .LOG extension. As always, make sure to backup
your registry before making any modifications.
Another great tip from the Lockergnome!
RAM is not just the name of a truck, or the mascot
for the UNC Tarheels. It stands for "Random Access
Memory," and is an integral part of your machine's
functionality. Here's an explanation of just what
RAM is and what it does, from Vince at
5 Star Support:
"[RAM] is the most common computer memory which can
be used by programs to perform necessary tasks while
the computer is on; an integrated circuit memory
chip allows information to be stored or accessed in
any order and all storage locations are equally
accessible.
Memory chips are organized in what are called banks.
A bank is 1 to 4 memory card sockets, the minimum
number of chips that must work as a unit. An older
computer with a 386 or an early 486 chip usually has
a 4 socket bank of 30-pin SIMM (single in-line
memory module) modules. A later model 486 requires
only one socket of 72-pin modules. Pentium machines
have two socket banks of 72 pin modules, meaning you
must install RAM in pairs. 168pin DIMM (dual in-line
memory module) is the latest version of Ram Memory,
often called: PC100 and SDRam and are found with
Pentium II and III. In all of these systems, the
bank must be full for your system to operate."
.DLL files are often the source of major problems
with Windows functioning. DLL (Dynamic Link Library)
files are the "glue" that binds Windows apps to the
Windows shell; most every application, whether it be
a game or a productivity program, uses one or more
DLLs to assist it in running under the Windows
environment. You'll find plenty of them in the
\WINDOWS\ and \WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ directories, but DLLs
are strewn about your system. Since each application
vendor and creator is free to use their own version
of these library files, it's inevitable that
conflicts and problems arise. Infrequently, a DLL
will become damaged and cause problems; more often,
an app rewrites a DLL with an older or revised copy
of that DLL -- subsequently, another app reaches for
that DLL and finds it changed and/or unusable. You
may see any number of DLL-related error messages, or
your system may just decide to freeze in the middle
of normal operations. How to deal with DLL problems?
First, jot down the error message before clicking OK
in the message box (once you click OK, it will
disappear). You may be able to track down the
offending DLL through the error message info. From
here, there are several ways to go. If you know
which application has the problem DLL, often you can
solve the problem by reinstalling it. Sometimes you
can just copy the right version of the DLL over the
bad copy. If you get a DLL-related error message
while Windows is loading, you probably uninstalled
an app incorrectly (i.e. just blowing it out of
Windows Explorer and not going through the Uninstall
procedure). Win 95 users, whatever your problem,
your best bet is to reinstall the offending program.
If the problem is in Windows itself, you may need to
restart the computer in DOS mode and run Setup from
the command prompt (i.e. reinstall Windows). Win
98/ME users, you may be able to get assistance from
Windows' Version Conflict Manager and/or its System
File Checker (SFC isn't available in ME). You may be
able to replace problem files by simply finding them
in the \WINDOWS\SYSBCKUP\ folder and copying them
over the corrupted system file. VCM and SFC can both
be accessed through the
Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools menu. The
Microsoft DLL Help Database at
support.microsoft.com/servicedesks/fileversion/dllinfo.asp
can help you figure out which DLL version is the
most recent (since Microsoft periodically renumbers
version numbering, Version 4 may be older than
Version 1 -- typical Microsoft) and which one goes
with which program. Several free- and shareware
programs useful in tracking down orphaned or problem
DLLs are listed in my
Disk Utilities Shareware
page. If you need a specific version of a Windows
DLL that isn't on your Windows or programs disks,
check out the DLL Archives at solo.abac.com/dllarchive/.
Oftentimes you'll see the "hourglass" cursor on your
screen even when you aren't doing anything. There
are a lot of reasons why Windows is busy behind the
scenes, but one of them might be that you've got an
animated cursor activated without your knowledge. To
change this back to the default standard cursor,
start Control Panel and select the Mouse applet.
Choose the Pointer tab and highlight "Normal
Select." If it isn't single, click it. Look down in
the lower window and click on the "Use default"
button. Click Okay. This should clear your problem.
XP users, your system is set to sacrifice speed for
cool effects, specifically in the way menus fade in
and out. Cool, but time-consuming. To speed things
up, right-click the My Computer icon, choose
Properties, and click the Advanced tab. Click the
Settings button in the Performance area and select
Adjust For Best Performance. Click OK. The fade
effect is gone, but you're moving a bit faster now.
Win ME has a known problem with the Autorun
capability of the CD drive. It's due to erroneous
data in the Registry. Here's how to fix it:
Launch RegEdit and navigate to the key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \
CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer and look in the
right-hand pane. Double-click the value named
NoDriveTypeAutoRun -- the data probably reads FF 00
00 00. Delete those four numbers and enter 95 00 00
00. Restart Windows and your CD's Autorun feature
should be enabled.
A good general navigation tip: driving is easier if
you steer with the right mouse button. A good
example is the ability to manage multiple windows
simultaneously. Hold down the Ctrl key as you click
the taskbar buttons of the windows you want to
arrange or close, then right-click one of the
depressed buttons and choose what you want from the
menu.
Want quick access to your Windows folder? If you're
tired of going through Explorer all the time, just
go to Start, Run, and type two periods in the Open
box. Click OK and there you are.
Here's a whole range of things you can do with your
Send To menu.
You can
make shortcuts to your Start Menu (C:\WINDOWS\START
MENU) and Programs (C:\WINDOWS\START MENU\PROGRAMS)
folders, and place them in your SendTo folder
(C:\WINDOWS\SENDTO). When you come across an icon
you wish were on the Start menu or Programs menu,
right-click it and choose the appropriate Send To
destination. To make shortcuts in the SendTo folder,
click File, New, Shortcut. Click the Browse button
and find the folder in which you are interested.
Click it and click OK. Click Next and type a name
for the shortcut. Click finish. Repeat for each
folder you want to add.
In
most settings, Send To is a Move operation. When you
want to reverse that to a copy operation, select the
icon by clicking it once, press and hold the Ctrl
key, then right-click the icon and choose Send To
and the appropriate destination. Nwow take it up a
notch. When your destination folder is on a
different disk drive, Windows makes the default Send
To operation Copy instead of Move. To reverse that
and make it a Move, hold down the Shift key and
follow the same steps.
Make a
shortcut of the SendTo folder (C:\WINDOWS\SENDTO)
and place the new shortcut inside the SendTo folder.
Why do this? Because by doing so, you can customize
Send To by adding destinations to it on the fly.
Speed
up the process of moving objects to your desktop by
adding a quick desktop-destination shortcut to your
Send To menu. Open the SendTo folder (C:\WINDOWS\SENDTO).
Right-click the background and choose New, Shortcut
from the pop-up menu. When the Create Shortcut
Wizard window appears, type C:\WINDOWS\DESKTOP in
the Command line field and click the Next button.
Give the new shortcut the name Desktop and click
Finish.
Variations of most of these tips will work just fine
under Windows XP/2000 too, although there are some
additional variables (and minor behavioral changes).
But generally speaking, most things work the same
way. XP/2K users will find their SendTo folder here: :\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\\SENDTO . You'll also find
the Desktop folder sharing the same parent folder as
SendTo.
The
contents of the SendTo menu match the contents in
your SendTo folder. This folder can be found in
different places depending on your Windows operating
system. Do a search for the SendTo folder to find
it. XP users should look in C:\Documents and
Settings\User Name, and since it's hidden by
default, you guys may have to go to Tools, Folder
Options, Show Hidden Files and Folders to uncover
it. For those using Win98, the file is in the
C:\WINDOWS directory. To add contents like Zip
files, e-mail, etc., create a shortcut in that
folder. To remove an item, just delete the shortcut.
One neat trick: if you want to play an audio file in
a specific application rather than the default
application, right-click on the file and SendTo the
audio application. Before this can work, you need to
have a shortcut for the audio application in the
SendTo folder. You can even create a subfolder in
the SendTo folder to group applications such as
multimedia, word processing, and so on.
What the heck is a "scrap?" Microsoft invented the
"scrap" object as a wrapped object for OLE data.
Launching a scrap invokes any program defined in the
object's properties -- for example, a text scrap
would open in Notepad or Word, while a Web page
would open in a browser window. Windows Explorer
usually hides the .SHS file extension even when it's
configured to show all extensions. Unfortunately,
malicious types have found that it's easy to use the
scrap protocol to sneak just about any kind of virus
or damaging file onto your computer. To force scraps
to reveal themselves, you need to cruise into the
Registry, or use a program such as RegEdit+
to perform this task. Either way you do it, go into
your Registry, drill down to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \
ShellScrap, and find the value named NeverShowExt in
the right-hand pane. Delete it. Do the same for
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ DocShortcut and close the
Registry. Now, launch Windows Explorer, choose
"Folder Options" from the View menu, and click "File
Types." Select "Scrap object" from the drop-down
list. Click Edit, and click "Change Icon." Browse
through the Windows System folder until you find the
PIFMGR.DLL file, and select the last icon (a bundle
of dynamite, appropriately enough). Do the same for
the "Shortcut into a document" file type. For more
info, visit www.pc-help.org/security/scrap.htm.
You can copy a paragraph from a document and paste a
shortcut to it on the Desktop, which makes it a
"scrap" linked to your Desktop. Here's how:
Highlight the paragraph that you want to paste.
Press Ctrl+C. Right-click the Desktop and click
Paste Shortcut. The "scrap" on the Desktop is now a
piece of data or text that you can insert into
another document. If you click it, Windows invokes
the application that created it, and the scrap is
displayed in the application's window.
Windows 9x/ME sometimes prompts you to insert the
system CD for any of a number of reasons. If you
want to get those archived files directly onto your
hard disk (and you have the disk space to spare),
then do it like so: Crack open the Registry via
Regedit, copy everything sitting in the system CD's
SETUP folder over to a new location (e.g.,
C:\Windows\Options\Cabs), crack open the Registry
via Regedit, then navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \
Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \
Setup. Edit the SourcePath string and enter the new
file path (e.g., C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS). The next
time your OS needs to access any of those files,
it'll know where to find them first. This should
work fine for all 9x/ME versions of Windows, though
I'm not so sure about 2K/XP. Not comfortable in the
Registry? Ignore this tip.
The usual Undo function is controlled by the Ctrl+Z
keyboard option, but that isn't the only method for
undoing things you wish you hadn't done. Try
Alt+Backspace -- this key combo often works when
Ctrl+Z fails. If that doesn't do it, see if the Edit
menu has an Undo function of some kind.
In Win 98/ME, you might get an error message when
trying to view the contents of a CD. The fix is to
install a patch called DirectCD 2.5 (DCD25DUP.EXE)
from www.adaptec.com. The workaround is to
use the icon installed by DirectCD in the System
Tray to view the CD contents.
Some PCs run the Energy Star energy-saving
protocols, which works to make your PC less
power-hungry. If your monitor is Energy
Star-compliant, your Display Properties control
panel (choose Start, Settings, Control Panel,
Display and click the Screen Saver tab) has some
extra options. You see a check box near the bottom
for choosing how long the monitor should wait,
unused, before dropping to low-power standby mode,
and you see another check box dictating how long the
monitor waits before turning itself off entirely.
The shorter you set these times, the more energy you
can save. Find out more about Energy Star at its
home page at www.energystar.gov/.
Win 98 SE cures a bit of its "Americentrism" by
adding a tool that allows you to convert your system
clock to a time zone other than the usual 4
(Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific). In the CD's
TOOLS\RESKIT\CONFIG folder, you'll find a program
called TZEDIT. Copy the .EXE, .CNT, and .HLP files
to a designated folder, and create and edit entries
as you like.
While we're on the topic of time, if you have
several PCs connected to your network, keeping the
time synchronized between all of them is easy.
Designate one system to be the timekeeper. On the
others, create a shortcut in the \WINDOWS\STARTUP
folder with the command line C:\WINDOWS\NET.EXETIME\\MAIN/SET/YES,
in which MAIN is the network name of the system that
keeps the time.
Overseas travelers, you're usually running on a
different voltage in that London or Stockholm hotel
than you use in America: 230 volts over there to 115
here, for example. Most PCs are configured to handle
both kinds of voltage, but you'll probably need a
new, compatible power cord. Some PCs will require
you to replace the power supply, but you can get a
dual-voltage model for under $100.
The easiest way to select multiple files, folders,
icons, or whatever is this: In any folder or on the
Desktop, simply click on a blank area and drag the
mouse towards the items you want highlighted.
Windows draws a box around the items and
automatically highlights them. If you miss a few, or
want to select a few more that weren't in the box
area, just hold down Ctrl and click them. Don't
release the Ctrl button as you click, or you'll have
to do the whole process over.
Speaking of files, you can readily protect them from
unwanted changes by marking them "read-only." That
way neither you nor your stinky little brother can
save any changes to the file, nor can you delete it.
Here's how: In an Explorer window (or on the
desktop), right-click the file you want to protect
and select Properties. On the General tab of the
resulting Properties dialog box, next to Attributes,
select Read-only and click OK. To see this attribute
in action, open the file in its native application
(i.e. MS Word). The words "Read-Only" appear in
parentheses in the open window's title bar. Change
anything about the file, click the Save icon, and up
pops a message that reads This File Is Read-only.
(Click OK, then click Cancel to close the Save As
dialog box.) Now close the file and try deleting it.
Can't be done. If and when you need to make changes
to, or delete, a read-only file, simply open its
Properties dialog box, deselect the Read-only
attribute, and click OK. Of course, marking a file
read-only is not a true security measure, because
anyone who knows what he or she is doing could
easily remove this attribute from a file and then
change or delete it. It's more of a safety net to
prevent unintentional changes.
Got some files you'd like to keep hidden from that
stinky little brother, or that stinky supervisor?
Mark them hidden, and they'll magically disappear,
along with the rest of your system's hidden files.
(That is, assuming you keep your hidden files
hidden.) It's very similar to marking files
read-only. Right-click a file you'd like to hide and
select Properties. On the General tab of the
resulting Properties dialog box, select Hidden, then
click OK. Now be sure that your hidden files are
actually hidden: In any Explorer window, select
View, Options, click the View tab, select Hide Files
Of These Types, and click OK. (If you have the IE
4.0 Desktop Update installed, select View, Folder
Options, click the View tab, select Do Not Show
Hidden Files, and click OK.) Now, any files marked
hidden will disappear from Explorer windows, your
desktop, and so on. If and when you need to access a
hidden file, you have two choices. One, opt to
display hidden files using the options described
above. Or two, type the file's exact name (and
navigate your way to its exact location) in the Open
dialog box of its native application. Again, marking
a file hidden isn't a true security measure since
anyone who knows the name and location of a file can
open it.
Windows ME places downloaded graphics files, as well
as pre-loaded graphics, by default into the new My
Pictures folder, an adjunct to the older My
Documents folder. The default display of these
graphics is in a "thumbnail" display. These are NOT
actual thumbnails, just a different way of
displaying the files. Just double-click the image to
open the actual graphic.
Make sure that the TEMP variable points to a folder
that actually exists. If not, Windows will write
temporary files directly to the C: drive. The
problem here is that the root directory won't allow
over 512 files and subdirectories to exist, and
prefers the number to stay below 150; odd things
begin to happen when 150 is exceeded. Make sure that
temporary files have their own folder.
If you come across the message: "An internal stack
overflow has caused this session to be halted.
Change the stacks setting in your config.sysfile and
try again", you probably want to know what this
message means and how you can change your stacks
setting -- it isn't that hard, and can really give
your machine a boost. In simplest terms, this
message is telling you that your software needs more
space in memory to work. To change the stacks
setting in either Win 95 or 98, follow these steps:
-
Go to "Start" and "Run".
-
In the space beside "Open:", type in "SYSEDIT".
Several windows will appear. (Win ME users, type
MSCONFIG instead.) To open the "C:\CONFIG.SYS"
window, either left click on the border of the
window (to bring it to the forefront), or, in
the System Configuration Editor window, click
"Window" and select "C:\CONFIG.SYS."
-
Type in: "STACKS=9,128". (If there is already a
number beside STACKS, simply change the number
to 9,128).
-
Exit all windows and restart your computer.
Copy floppy disks quickly and easily by putting the
disk to be copied into the drive bay, opening My
Computer or Explorer, right-clicking the floppy
drive icon (probably A:), selecting "Copy Disk" and
clicking "Start." Windows will copy the disk and ask
you to insert the blank disk for data transference.
Pop the old disk out, slide the fresh blank disk in,
and click OK. Easy, huh?
Want to write a batch file to format floppy disks?
Open Notepad and type FORMAT A:/AUTOTEST (type B: if
that's the drive you'd rather use). Save it under an
appropriate title like FMT.BAT. The trick here is
that DOS will automatically format the disk without
asking you for confirmations (hence the AUTOTEST
switch). If you accidentally format a disk
containing data, it won't ask you for confirmation,
it'll just zap the disk and send the data to data
heaven. Want to go through Windows' Format dialog
box? Right-click the Start button and choose Open or
Explore. Double-click Programs, and navigate to the
folder from which you'd like to launch the formatter
(probably the root drive C;, but you decide).
Right-click an empty area and from the resulting
menu, choose New/Shortcut. In the Command Line box,
type this exactly as follows:
RUNDLL32.EXE SHELL32.DLL,SHFORMATDRIVE
Now click Next and type a name for your shortcut,
such as Floppy Formatter. Click Finish. To assign
your new goodie a keyboard shortcut, right-click the
new icon, select Properties, click the Shortcut tab,
then click in the Shortcut Key field and type a
letter or number. The system will automatically add
Ctrl-Alt to what you type, and that key combination
will be your keyboard shortcut. Now, whenever you
need to format a floppy, just insert the disk,
choose the new command from the Start menu or hit
the shortcut, and you're off.
Tired of Windows constantly trying to access an
empty floppy disk drive? It's because you once told
Windows to check for something in the A:\ drive and
never told it to stop looking. Simple to fix: just
slip in a floppy disk, double-click the icon for
drive A:\, close the window, double-click the C:\
icon, and close the window. Remove the floppy and
you're done. On rare occasions, an entry in the
"Recent Documents" list (under Start/Documents) may
be triggering the system to access the drive. Just
clear the Documents listing (right-click an empty
space on the Taskbar, choose Properties, click the
Start Menu Programs tab, click Clear in the
"Documents menu" box, and click OK). MSOffice's
FindFast utility could also be causing the problem;
go into Control Panel, double-click the FindFast
icon, and see if the A:\ drive is on the list of
indexes. If it is, highlight it and select Index,
Delete Index. Click OK twice, close the applet, and
close Control Panel. There are other, more rare
twitches in Windows' guts that cause this problem;
go to www.annoyances.org/cgi-bin/ce-showtopic/005-037/
for more info and tips.
Windows continues to annoy users with the A:\ drive.
It comes preconfigured to check the A:\ drive for a
disk before launching the system, which wastes time
(though not a lot) and causes the floppy drive to
make horrid grinding sounds. Not a good thing.
Here's how to end the annoyance: Open up the Systems
applet in Control Panel and choose Performance.
Click File System. In the Properties box, choose
Floppy Drive. Uncheck the box titled "Search for new
floppy disk drives each time your computer starts"
and OK your way out. You're good to go.
Don't forget about the Alt+Tab key combination; this
switches you between the various apps you have
running without reaching for the mouse.
You know about the Find function in the Start menu
(Win ME and XP renames it Search, either to be more
in line with our newly Web-centric user populace, or
just to be ornery). Find will also hunt through a
hard and/or CD disk for a particular text string.
Just type in the phrase you're looking for, use
whatever delimiters you care to within the
Find/Search fields, and you're off. Warning: it
takes long enough to hunt through a hard drive, but
it takes forever to search through a CD. Give it
time. Of course, there are numerous programs on the
market that do a better job of performing this
function than Windows, but you have to find,
purchase (in some cases), and install those.
If you run the same search over and over again in
Find, you can automate your search by opening the
Options menu under Find All Files and checking the
Save Results box. Run your search and select
File/Save Search. This places a small "find file"
icon on your desktop named for your search values.
Next time you want to run the search, just
double-click the icon. Want to save the search
results? Complete your find, pull down the Options
menu, and choose Save Results. Then choose File/Save
Search. Now the icon on your desktop points to your
saved search results.
If you're running specific text searches in XP,
chances are your computer is not searching through
all the file types. Once again, Microsoft thinks it
knows more than you do; in this case, the developers
decided that some file types are "irrelevant" and
don't need to be searched. Hmpf. There's a
complicated Registry workaround, but the easiest way
to handle this is to install the available Service
Packs. Another method is to use a better search
program, such as FileLocator Pro from
www.mythicsoft.com/. At $13, it's worth the
bucks for a better search system.
You can speed up your productivity by keeping all
your frequently used documents in the same folder.
Right-click on Start, click on Open, click somewhere
in the background, and choose New/Folder. Give it a
name like HOTDOCS or WORKFILE or anything you like.
You can now drag&drop documents into the new working
folder as well as build new documents directly in
your new folder. The good thing is that just by
going through your Start menu, you have instant
access to your new working folder.
"Where's the ANYKEY?" Believe it or not, this is the
single most asked question to technical support (no
wonder they're skeptical of us when we call). When
in doubt, the spacebar is a good choice and less
prone to send an unwanted command to the computer
than the ENTER key.
Don't use spaces or periods in folder names; they
sometimes make Windows choke. If a program creates
its own folder with spaces or periods, either leave
that folder name alone or have Windows use the short
name instead (i.e. instead of Program Files, it
would be Progra~1). While we're on the topic, when
installing an application, be leery of changing its
default installation (the one it will ask you if you
want it to use). Some lazy programmers hardwire the
Registry entries or the Uninstall routines to
specific folder names; have the app install itself
to a different folder and you may be giving yourself
future setup problems.
However, you can easily change the default directory
of an about-to-be-installed app. The Windows default
is C:\PROGRAM FILES for apps and C:\MY DOCUMENTS for
data, which has its advantages (it keeps all the
apps and data in one place, in a hierarchical
structure). However, this might not be what you
want, particularly if you're one of those who like
to partition their hard drives. Most apps and files
ask you if you want to change the defaults to
another directory, but that's an unnecessary chore.
You can modify Windows to use a different directory
as its default for app and data installation. Of
course, you have to monkey with the Registry, so be
warned, and make a backup copy of both SYSTEM.DAT
and USER.DAT before touching the Registry. Now. To
change the My Documents default to, let's say, D:\,
and the Program Files default to, let's say, E:\,
open Explorer, right-click the My Documents icon,
choose Properties, and change the Target to D:\.
Now, modify the Registry by going into Regedit
(Start/Run/Regedit), choose Edit, Find, enter
ProgramFilesDir in the Find What text box, then
choose Find Next. This will bring you to
ProgramFilesDir under the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \
Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion
(check the status bar at the bottom of the window).
The values for ProgramFilesDir should read
C:\PROGRAM FILES. Change it by choosing Edit, Modify
and type E:\ in the blank. Choose OK. Choose
Registry, Close. (Remember, apps that are already
installed may insist on looking in Program Files or
My Documents for needed info; you may be able to
modify them to look in the new defaults, or you may
end up needing to reinstall them.) Move your
programs and apps to the new default locations.
Speaking of My Documents, you can use it as the hub
of your filing chores by filling it with shortcuts
to the folders in which you actually store your
files. To open or save files in any of your data
folders, use the drop-down list at the top of every
common Windows dialog box (or in Office 2000's
Places bar) to return to the My Documents folder.
Then double-click a shortcut to open the folder you
really want to use. Creating a hub-and-spoke filing
system means your favorite locations are never more
than two clicks away.
Periodically you will need to update drivers for
sound cards, video cards, printers, etc. Go to
DriversHQ at www.drivershq.com/ for the
latest driver updates. Remember, if you're replacing
an old sound card with a newer one, your old sound
card drivers need to be deleted and new, compatible
ones need to be installed. Remove old drivers by
going through Device Manager, click the + sign next
to Sound, Video, and Game Controllers, select your
sound card model, and click Remove. If you have game
ports installed that reside on your sound card
(check your manual), remove those, also. If your
sound card has its own apps, such as MIDI players,
sound mixers, sound file editors, or whatever,
remove those also by going through their Uninstall
procedure, or going through Add/Remove Programs.
Install new drivers after you've installed the sound
card, restarted the PC, and had Windows recognize
and begin its own installation procedure. Your new
sound card should come with a floppy or CD
containing the correct drivers, and at some point
Windows will ask you to insert it. If it isn't
there, you got rooked. If you let someone else
install your new sound or video card, make sure they
get the drivers updated.
Speaking of sound, you may have a choice to make
concerning your sound quality. If you don't use your
PC's speakers for playing music and aren't overly
concerned about the quality of audio from your PC,
then the output jack you use to connect external
speakers doesn't really matter. If you play CD
audio, MP3 files, or other audio content and want
the best possible analog output, however, be sure
that you're not shortchanging yourself by plugging
the speakers or external amplifier into the wrong
audio card output jack. Some inexpensive sound cards
have only one jack, and in those cases, you don't
have a choice about which output to use. But many
midrange cards have both a speaker output jack and a
line-out jack. The difference between the two is
that the speaker output jack uses a small internal
amplifier to power the audio signal. This signal is
fine for unpowered, inexpensive speakers, but the
cheap amplifiers used for analog output produce a
poor audio signal. If you use an external amplifier
or external, self-powered speakers, you'll get
better sound quality if you plug into the line-out
jack, which is not amplified by the audio card. This
lets your external (presumably higher-quality) audio
components do their job with the best signal
possible from your audio card.
Having problems with a video driver? You might be
running an old driver. Check to see if you're
running a Windows 3.1, or Windows 95/98/ME video
driver: first, use any text editor (such as Notepad)
to open the SYSTEM.INI file in the Windows folder.
In the [Boot] section, search for the "Display="
line. If this line reads anything other than the
following line, the driver you are using is designed
for Windows 3.1 (or an earlier version of Windows):
"DISPLAY.DRV=PNPDRVR.DRV".
Here's a real "miscellaneous" addition: want to make
CD-recordable sound files from those old vinyl LPs?
Yes, you'll need a turntable, so if you're lacking
one, check out Audio Advisor (www.audioadvisor.com/)
or Audio Review (www.audioreview.com/) for
advice on picking up a good basic
turntable/cartridge combination. Connect the
turntable's output jacks to your amplifier's
dedicated input ports as usual (don't forget to
connect the ground wire) and hook the amp's output
jacks into your PC's sound card. Your computer may
have dedicated jacks, or simply a line-in or
microphone port; these work fine if you use a
Y-cable with a stereo miniplug on one end and two
larger RCA plugs at the other end to make the
connection. Get your machine ready; defrag your
drive and make sure you've got lots of drive
space free; five LPs will consume about 2GB of hard
drive space. If you don't have that kind of hard
drive space, hell, buy a second hard drive -- you
can get a 10GB hard drive for less than $100. After
hooking all of this up, you'll need the proper
software. There's two basic options: one is to use
the $99 Easy CD Creator 5 Platinum and its
accompanying Spin Doctor software to do all of the
music file transference -- LP to computer, computer
to CD-R. The drawback with this is that Spin Doctor
doesn't give you a lot of filters for getting rid of
the crackles, pops, and hiss that you so often get
from old LPs. The second option is to use the $99
Diamond Cut Audio Restoraton Tool (www.enhancedaudio.com/)
to copy and filter LP tracks to your computer, and
the free MusicMatch program (www.musicmatch.com/)
to burn the recorded tracks onto CD. Diamond Cut
specializes in tweaking and filtering noisy LP
tracks, but since it won't burn tracks onto CD, you
need MusicMatch for that task. Even better, Diamond
Cut gives you 30 days to try a fully functional
version of its software, while Easy CD requires that
you buy it first. This whole process will take time,
but once it's done, you'll have all that old music
once trapped on LP available on CD forever and ever.
(Do you need to be reminded to clean those LPs
before you record them? I prefer the LAST line of
products, but that's probably overkill for a
one-and-done project like this one. You might try
something like Kern's Record Cleaner Concentrate,
which makes a gallon of the stuff for $15, or for
smaller numbers of LPs, a good old Discwasher
cleaning system. And don't forget stylus cleaner,
also. And a stylus brush. And cleaning cloths. And
antistatic treatment. Yes, this is an involved
little project if you do it right; an online guide
to record cleaning -- and CD and tape cleaning -- is
at www.loc.gov/preserv/care/record.html, and
a very comprehensive guide to caring for LPs (with
some nice inexpensive alternatives to the
high-priced cleaning fluids) is at
www.artsandmedia.com/lpclean.html.) Find out
more about this whole process from the article at
http://www.pcworld.com/features/article/0,aid,44144,00.asp.
Something similar can be done with your old cassette
tapes. As above, you'll need to hook everything
through your PC's line-in or mic-in jack. You'll
also need the proper cable -- your PC probably
requires a 1/8 stereo plug, while your cassette
player probably needs either single or double RCA
jacks. You can find the proper cabling (and adapters
if necessary) at Radio Shack. You can use either
MusicMatch 6.0 or RealPlayer 2.0, among others, to
record the cassette data onto your hard disk. If you
use Musicmatch Jukebox, click the Options menu and
choose Recorder, Source, Line In. If you use
RealJukebox, click the Tools menu and choose Record
from Mic/Line in. Hit Play on your cassette deck
(you'll want to fast-forward the tape to the
beginning of the song, otherwise you'll get minutes
of annoying tape hiss). This procedure records the
music in .MP3 format. To transfer the music to
playable CDs, simply convert the .MP3 files into
.WAV (audio) files.
Having problems sharing CDs that you burn, either
data or audio? It could be a number of things.
First, try a different CD recording utility to see
if your usual utility is behaving. Next, try a
different brand of recordable CD. For example,
people have reported problems with Verbatim Super
Azo, but not with Verbatim DataLife. Hmmmm. Or you
might be "leaving the session open" after burning.
You can leave the CD open, but you must close the
session. It's also possible that your utility burns
in the "image recorder" instead of the CDR. Make
sure your physical burner instead of the image
recorder is selected. Next, query the disk to see if
the tracks are there and the mode field says (?MB).
If this is the case, this could be a buffer underrun.
The Table of Contents (TOC) was properly burned, and
then the burning crashed. This could be a bad media,
bad reader, scratched CD problem. No fun there. One
more thing you can check is to see if it's using the
UDF packet-writing format. (In some programs like
Roxio, this would be using DirectCD.) UDF has been
known to cause data problems, especially if you try
to install the UDF reader on an OS that already has
a built-in reader (like in Windows 2k/XP). Most CD
creation software packages have an update patch to
fix many of these compatibilities.
Both NAI/McAfee and Symantec/Norton offer fee-based,
Web-based update facilities on their Web sites.
Norton Web Services and McAfee Clinic charge from
$30 to $50 a year for membership, and in return send
out regular file updates for your particular model
of PC and its software. McAfee's service also
includes a periodic virus scan, hard drive cleaner,
performance optimizer, and technical support yellow
pages, and doesn't ask a lot of hard disk space in
return. Is it worth it? That's your call. To be
absolutely sure you're up to date, though, you
probably want to deal with updates manually. You'll
find the component listings at www.drivershq.com
very useful. If the driver you download isn't
self-installing, just download the driver in
question, open Device Manager by right-clicking My
Computer and choosing "Properties," find the
hardware component in question on the device tree,
double-click it, click the "Driver" tab and then the
"Update Driver" button at the bottom of the dialog
box. A wizard will whoosh you through the
installation process. When you see the "Have Disk"
button, click it, and when the wizard prompts you,
point it to the downloaded driver file. Easy.
Those of you who visit your video card
manufacturer's Web site for driver info might see
two versions of your card's driver. One will be
labeled "WHQL certified driver" and the other may be
called a "performance driver." WHQL stands for
Windows Hardware Quality Labs, and is a division of
Microsoft that certifies drivers for use with
Windows. A WHQL certification doesn't ensure speed
but does indicate a better chance of reliability. A
newer, non-qualified driver is more likely to be
optimized for speed rather than reliability. Chances
are your driver isn't either one, so download both
and try the non-WQHL version to see how well it
works. If it causes your video card to grumble,
switch to the WQHL version.
Speaking of updates, doesn't it irritate you when
your spiffy new program comes out with an update 5
minutes after you get it installed? Commercial
programs such as Norton's LiveUpdate Pro (www.symantec.com),
CyberMedia's Oil Change (www.cybermedia.com/comp1)
and freeware programs such as CatchUp (many
shareware sites) scope the Internet for you,
sniffing out new updates and giving you the
opportunity to download new versions, patches for
older programs, driver updates, hardware updates,
etc. etc. You can also go to a Windows 95 site at
www.windows95.com/apps/patches.html and poke
around for any listings that pertain to your
software. Other sites to look into are at
www.manageable.com, and www.wopr.com/wwinfo/update.html.
PCTuneUp is a Web-based update utility that
recently became available on store shelves. (Note:
The usefulness and effectiveness of these types of
programs is currently being debated in the computer
press. Opinion is definitely mixed, with some gurus
swearing by one or another of these programs and
others advising to keep your money in your wallet.
It's your call.)
Plug and Play technology was supposed to eliminate
IRQ conflicts, DMA allocations, etc. Ha. Just one
older program or device that doesn't support Plug
and Play, or a Plug and Play card that doesn't work
quite right, and hardware installation becomes a
nightmare. Commercial software is, of course,
available to smooth over the problems. While
Windows's Device Manager is enough to deal with most
problems, it isn't always enough. Avoid
Quarterdeck's RealHelp Extra Strength
troubleshooter; it just copies information straight
from Device Manager. Nuts&Bolts works better,
but sometimes misidentifies the cards using the
troublesome resources. TouchStone's CheckIt
does its job as it should. The most advanced tool
for troubleshooting Plug and Play problems is a $299
DOS utility/hardware kit called AMIDiag.
Slobs like myself aren't likely to get full use out
of it, however.
Get organized: Keep your collection of drivers,
patches, and upgrades in one place. The optimum
storage area is a second hard drive, but many of us
don't have that luxury; just keep them in a folder
(mine is called...drum roll...Storage). While you're
being tidy and organized, if you have the room on
your hard drive, copy the Windows distribution (CAB)
files from the CD to your hard drive. If your system
requires any kind of special attention at setup
time, create a README file in Notepad and make a
note. Does Setup need a serial number or other code?
Save it in a Notepad text file in the new folder and
call it something like KEYCODE.TXT. Move each update
into its own folder, decompressed if necessary.
Store its accompanying Readme files alongside. Back
the whole collection to tape or storage disk
periodically. (How do you tell which updates have
been installed on your machine? The only sure way is
to use a little Microsoft free utility, QFECHECK.EXE,
that is at the Microsoft support site at
support.microsoft.com/support/downloads/
LNP195asp?PR=ALL&FR=0&M=F& . This utility takes
a while to complete its search through the Registry
and the Windows and System folders, but the results
are impressive. If it only would print its
results....)
If you're interested in trying Microsoft's free
Internet Connection Sharing, or ICS, feature
(letting you share one Internet connection among
multiple PCs if youre running 98SE, ME, XP, or 2K),
you should check out the Microsoft Knowledge Base
article, "Description of Internet Connection
Sharing," at support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q234/8/15.asp.
It describes ICS and links to other popular
Knowledge Base articles about ICS. Also check
Practically Networked's ICS How-To Center for
explanations, tips, tricks, tools, and walk-throughs,
at www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/ics/ics.htm.
Note that one reliable source describes ICS as
"difficult to configure and manage," and advises not
to bother with it.
On the other hand, a recent PC World article
walks us through a simple process to enable ICS to
connect two or more XP PCs. Why not share it? Here
goes. First, you need to set up your computers
together in a network (see the article at
www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0%2Caid%2C68763%2C00.asp
if you don't know how to do this). If you're
connecting two or three computers, a dial-up
connection will suffice; four or more require a
broadband connection to function well, and in this
case you'll need a router. Now, activate the XP
Network Wizard by going through Start, My Network
Places, and in the Network Tasks selection box,
click "Set up a home or small office network." Click
Next in the Network Setup Wizard box. Now, make sure
your network is ready by going through the "Before
you continue" dialog box. Select the current PC for
Internet Connection Sharing: on the "Select a
connection method" screen, ensure that the "This
computer connects directly to the Internet" box is
checked. Click Next. Specify the Internet connection
that you'll use; while this is obvious for most of
us, if you have two network cards in your PC, you've
got a poser on your hands. Use the "How to determine
your Internet connection" link to get past this one.
Construct the network bridge in "Your computer has
multiple connections" by choosing either the first
choice (good for us clueless types) or the second
choice (for the geekerati). The first choice allows
XP to set the connections automatically. Now, name
the ICS computer and the network; some ISPs require
that the computer be given a specific name, which
shows on the screen. If it shows, don't change it;
if not, name it anything you like. You'll now need
to name your network; since all computers must use
the same one, a good neutral choice is something
like WORKGROUP. The next screen summarizes your
settings; choose Next and prepare to wait.
Everything done so far? Good, now you need to create
a network setup disk that automatically sets up the
other computers on the network. You've got several
options; a floppy disk is the simplest. Just follow
the directions. Now, set up your other networked
computers by using your setup disk in each machine,
opening My Computer, double-clicking 3_Floppy (A:),
and double-clicking NETSETUP. Follow the directions.
If you run into problems, try working the whole
process over again.
Microsoft has the Windows 95 Resource Kit available
for download, but you already have it. It's on your
Windows CD as WIN95RK.HLP and WIN95RK.CNT, and it
resides in the ADMIN\RESKIT\HELPFILE\ folder. (Those
of you with Win 95 on floppy will have to download
it -- free -- from
www.microsoft.com/windows95/info/w95reskitdl.htm
and Win 98/ME users don't have to worry about this
at all.)
You've probably downloaded some programs from the
Internet that you use regularly, such as WinZip,
Internet Explorer, ACDSee, games, screensavers,
whatever. After you install them, you've got the
original downloaded file hanging around doing
nothing on your hard disk (usually a .ZIP or .EXE
file). Save those original downloads; in case you
have to reload the computer from scratch, you won't
have to spend time finding and downloading them
again. For files too large for a single floppy, use
a file-splitter program. Got a CD-RW or Zip drive?
You've got a better option handy.
Windows Millennium has its own file compression
utility, called Compressed Folders. It's found on
the New menu and works more or less like WinZip. Win
98 users who have the Plus! package installed (all
three of you) also have this feature.
Speaking of CD-RW drives, one of these drives' most
appealing functions is the ability to write data in
multiple sessions. Unfortunately, this is the same
function that causes so many users to break down and
weep. The ZDNet/PC Magazine article at
www.zdnet.com/pcmag/stories/solutions/
0,8224,2615601,00.html explains how to make
CD-RW drives sit up and beg using Easy CD Creator,
the software most often bundled with CD-RW drives.
Want to know whether a CD-R has been used or not?
Ideally, a CD-R that already has info burned onto it
should be labeled, but we all know that isn't always
the case. The recording surface of a blank CD-R will
be all one color -- other than a thin ring near the
center and another near the edge. When a CD-R is
completely filled, it shows a single color over the
entire recording surface. A CD-R that's only partly
filled (which is usually the case when one has been
written to) will show distinct, concentric rings.
Just be aware that for some types of CD-R media, the
concentric rings will be virtually invisible.
CD-Rs and their RW cousins aren't exactly as durable
as you might think. Besides the usual scratching,
bending, and warping-in-sunlight problems that we
all know about, they can fall prey to other
degradations as well. A researcher traveling in
Belize realized that some of his CDs were riddled
with a fungus that rendered them useless (go to
www.nature.com/nsu/010628/010628-11.html for the
lowdown on this little honey of a story), while
different manufacturing techniques can drastically
affect the lifespan of a CD. Rule of thumb: the most
cheaply manufactured discs are the bright blue or
blue-green ones dyed with cyanine; the cyanine
breaks down within a number of years (10? more?
less?). The ones manufactured with phthalocyanine
are recognizable due to the almost transparent,
light aqua coloration of the dye which lets the
silver or gold foil shine through; these discs
probably last the longest. CDs made with Formosan
are either light green or green-gold, depending on
the foil color, and as a hybrid of cyanine and
phthalocyanine, splits the difference between the
two. CDs that are extremely dark blue are likely to
be made with metallized AZO, which has almost the
same life span as phthalocyanine. (Is this too much
information or what?) Of course, we also have to
realize that a CD with a 100-year lifespan may be
overkill -- we don't even know whether technology
will be able to handle the CD by that time. Rule of
thumb part two: the cheapies are perfectly good for
standard backups and daily tasks, but if you really
want to store information for the long term (we're
talking family photos, sensitive documents, critical
records, etc.), use one of the higher-quality CD-Rs.
Note to the above "fungus" item: in extremely hot
and humid environments, floppy disks and video tapes
are also vulnerable to damage.
Somehow this item and the one above seem to go
together.... According to a recent LangaList reader,
the PC tech shop he works with actually washes
some damaged PC components in the dishwasher -- and
in many cases, this "fixes" them. Believe it or
don't. They started doing it when they found
themselves deluged with an overrun of dysfunctional
floppy drives, and found that in many cases the
drives resumed functioning. It seems to work
particularly well with the aforementioned floppy
drives, ink jet printers, CD-ROM drives, and various
printer parts. Some tips: use granulated, not liquid
dishwashing liquid; dry them for three hours in an
oven set exactly at 200º; don't use any kind
of no-rinse or spotting agents. If you want to see
this for yourself, scope it out in the Feb 24, 2002
issue of the Langa List, archived at
www.langa.com/.
Want to keep a particular app on top at all times,
no matter how many you have open? Download the
freeware utility Nailit from www.common.net/~cv/nailit/nail.zip,
run the program, double-click its icon in the system
tray, watch the cursor turn into a thumbtack, move
the cursor onto whichever app's window you want on
top, and click. Turn it off by right-clicking the
Nailit icon, selecting UnNail, and clicking the
window again. (When I checked the Nailit home page,
I found the site gone. You might have more success
downloading this one from a third-party shareware
site.)
Want to make your own icons in Windows? You can
download any number of graphics programs or
icon-making utilities, or you can just use MS Paint
and make one yourself. Here's how: Launch Paintbrush
(Start/Windows/Accessories/Paint). On Paint's menu,
select Image/Attributes. Set the height for a new
image as 32 pixels and click Apply or OK. That
should set your new image to the standard size icon
that Windows requires. You should set ZOOM under the
VIEW menu and set it to 800%. Create your artwork.
When you're satisfied, it's time to save the image.
The default image format is *.BMP but to use it as a
new icon, the extension ICO is required. Name your
file with the ICO extension. Though it is a bitmap
image file, when you go to change the icon in your
shortcut, Windows will recognize the ICO for use as
an icon. Simple!
You can add to Windows's sometimes tenuous Help
files by choosing, in a Help window,
Options/Annotate. Type in your own notes, presumably
about the particular Help function you're visiting,
though there's no rule against adding personal abuse
or sneaky notes to other users. Click Save. A tiny
paper clip indicates that there are annotations;
click the clip to read the notes. Note: XP's Help
files are far, far better than any of its
predecessors.
Simple but useful: label each cable with those
numbered masking-tape labels to identify each cable
and its corresponding connector.
If you're feeling charitable, you could offer your
PC's unused resources and downtime to a worthy
cause. Any number of worthy causes, in fact.
"Distributed computing" is, quite simply, spreading
around a large task among a number of computers. In
this case, yours could be one of the computers: when
you're not working on your own tasks, you leave your
computer online, and a designated firm "borrows"
your computer to help out in its own work. The first
I heard of this was with SETI, the Search for
Extraterrestrial Intelligence; they decided to
battle budget limitations by asking their supporters
to "volunteer" their machines' downtime (find out
more at setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/). It was
quite successful (well, successful if you ignore the
fact that SETI hasn't found any celestial neighbors
yet), and the idea has now been borrowed by a number
of other outfits that provide anything from medical
and biotechnical research to modeling financial
simulations. Three firms, Data Synapse, Entropia,
and United Devices, are offering free downloads that
lets your PC hook into the networks, as well as
letting you decide where your PC's efforts are going
towards. DataSynapse (www.datasynapse.com/)
has the strongest for-profit bent, focusing on
providing number-crunching for a variety of
financial and brokerage firms. Entropia 2000 (www.entropia.com/)
splits the difference between for-profit and
non-profit concerns, and encourages users to compete
among themselves for donated CPU time. United
Devices' Agent 1.0 (www.ud.com/) is the most
determinedly non-profit, using the groundbreaking
SETI@Home technology that originated the "donated PC
time" concept. All three are unobtrusive and quickly
get out of your way when you want to get back to
work. Google is joining the pack with a beta version
of a system that allows volunteers to donate unused
CPUs to cancer research, and perhaps to Google
itself somewhere down the line. Find out more at
www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,288866,00.asp.
Win 9x doesn't include the Games group as part of a
typical install. If you're missing out on Solitaire,
Minesweeper, and the other goodies, follow these
directions: Open the Control Panel, double-click
Add/Remove Programs, and click the Windows Setup
tab. In the list of Components, double-click
Accessories. Click the check box next to Games,
click OK twice, and insert your Windows installation
disk when asked. You can now access Solitaire,
Hearts, Minesweeper, and FreeCell by selecting
Start, Programs, Accessories, Games. (Win 98 has a
few other games along with the more familiar Win 95
games listed above.) If you are the administrator of
an office full of knuckleheads who won't stop
playing Windows games, go here to learn how to
remove the Games options from Windows Setup:
support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q203/4/92.ASP.
Some Windows XP computers that have Microsoft Plus!
installed experience problems with "access
violation" errors whenever you right-click an MP3
file or group of files that contain an MP3 file. If
you have this problem, then just visit
support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q311828
and download the patch for your specific language.
The patch replaces the ACSHELL.DLL file with a newer
version. Note: while the original XP Plus! release
was a bore, the Plus! edition for Windows Media
Player 9 is not. This Plus! package updates WMP 9 to
compete with the multimedia offerings from Apple,
and includes updates for Windows Movie Maker 2, an
Analog Recorder for digitally recording audio from
LPs and tapes, and more.
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