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computer tips

Having some problems with the Computer Tip Forum - having to completely REDO it

It seems that no matter where I go, I'm always working on someone's computer.  I was at a show early Aug 2002 and overheard the photographer talking to his computer.  After returning my horse to his stall, I went back to look at the digitals that were just taken.  I spent about an hour deciding on which shots I liked the best and about half an hour working on the computer in question.  As I was explaining what I was doing, more people gathered around and started taking notes as I explained the how-tos of certain helpful tasks.  So I thought others could benefit from the tricks I use on my job.

I've found that there are basic things that everyone 'should' know about computers but seldom do.  These tidbits of information that we 'should' know aren't documented in many of the books that 'normal' people read, so I thought I would create a 'tip' page on this site.  Hint: no one has ever accused me of being 'normal'

DEFRAG your drives OFTEN - Files fragment - that's what they do.  A file is one size when you save it, so the computer will find a suitable sized cubby hole for that file.  When you edit that file, the file will grow or shrink in size - so the computer will move 'part' of the file to another cubby hole for the 'extra' portion of the file or it will leave some space within the original cubby hole for another piece of a different file.  After you perform several 'edits' or 'saves', your original file may be in 5 different places.  The next time that you open the file, the computer must run out and grab all 5 of those file fragments for you to be able to view the file.  The files end up all over your computer over time and your computer has to hunt for the complete file before it can open it, taking longer and longer to find the fragments each time.  Hopefully you are getting the picture.  I defrag my work machine daily - the easy way listed in the directions.  I defrag my home machine at least once/week.

I will explain several ways to do this task - you can choose which you prefer to do.  

Alphabetize your program list by going to START> PROGRAMS > and right-clicking > SELECT 'Sort by Name'

 

Empty your TEMP directory - these files accumulate over time to really hog up free space.  Clean these out about once/week.  

1. Right click on START > EXPLORE
2. Highlight the C drive
3. Find the C:\temp directory
4. Click on the temp directory EDIT > SELECT ALL > DELETE
next...
5. Click on the WINDOWS directory
6. Find the C:\windows\temp directory
7. Click on that temp directory EDIT > SELECT ALL > DELETE

8. Now empty the recycle bin that is on the desktop

Delete your Temporary Internet Files - every page you open on the internet, every graphic displayed on these pages is downloaded and stored in your temporary internet files; scary, huh?  
note: This method does NOT delete your Internet Cookies.

1. Right click on the IE desktop icon
2. Go to Properties
3. Middle of the display on the General Tab - Click 'Delete Temporary Internet Files' - Check 'Delete Offline Content' when prompted.
4. Now go to Settings > Under the Check for newer page versions choose 'Every time you start Internet Explorer'.  This will give you a page of fresh content every time you open the IE window.
5. Set the Slider bar on the 'Amount of disk space to use' to use ~60MB of space.  This normally defaults to a certain % of your original hard drive space and this just clutters up your drive with old website information
How to delete the Internet Cookies - BUT remember - Your passwords for websites are stored here

1. Right Click on START > EXPLORE
2. Highlight your Temporary Internet Files folder
3. On the top toolbar choose EDIT > SELECT ALL
4. Press the Delete key and Confirm the Deletion

Opening zipped or compressed files - ever download something and find that you can't open it or use it?

Files that have been zipped (compressed for downloading) need to be unzipped before you can run the executable (.exe file).  Many of these zipped files will end in .zip.  Many of these contain the needed information to unzip themselves (called self-unzipping files) but many do not.  You must have a program like WINZIP to unzip the ones that will not unzip themselves.  Many of these unzip programs are free and can be found at places like www.download.com or www.zdnet.com - just put keywords like 'winzip' or 'unzip' and you should be given a lot of choices.

1. Download these files to a known place on your hard drive.  
2. Right click START > EXPLORE and navigate to the file
3. Double click on the file and it should start WINZIP or other unzipping program should open if you have it installed.  A wizard will run asking you where you want to store the unzipped files - Choose an empty folder or create one for these files.  (I like to name that folder something that pertains to the application - so that I have a clue what the program is supposed to do).  After this is complete. Close WINZIP or the program that you used to do the unzipping.
4. Right click START > EXPLORE and navigate to the unzipped files.  Double click on the setup.exe and the application should install itself on your computer.  If you are just trying to view some files that someone has zipped and sent to you, you will be able to do so now.

When Windows starts, other programs also start automatically. Many of these are found in the Windows Startup folder. These programs use valuable system resources and only increase the opening of the program by a few seconds.  I'd rather have the system resources. 

To clear items from the Startup folder: 
Right-click the Start > Click Explore > Start Menu >  Programs > Startup. Highlight programs like FindFast, Office Startup and press Delete.  
This will not remove the programs from the computer, only stop the programs from automatically starting when you boot the computer.  This will greatly reduce the amount of time it takes to start your computer and give you more system resources.

Programs like AOL and any Instant Messenger will have to be removed by opening the program, going into preferences and finding the option that keeps the program from running or loading at startup.   I find these type programs to be the biggest hog of resources on computers.

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