Computer
Tune-up
Tips
What is a
computer tune-up?
A computer
tune-up helps your Windows based computer
run better, eliminate lockups, and error
messages. Many Windows problems can be
attributed to running too many programs and
background applications that load when your
start Windows. Some applications use a
lot of Random Access Memory (RAM) and
constantly access your Central processing
Unit (CPU) causing your computer to run
slow. By tuning up your computer, you
will make your computer to boot faster, run
faster, and reduce the number of system
generated error messages.
In summary, many if not the majority of
common Windows problems and error messages
can be solved by simply tuning up your PC.
In any case you really have to follow the
basic strategies here before you get down
and troubleshoot a more serious problem or
intermittent error message.
Who can do a
computer tune-up?
You can do a
computer tune-up yourself. Before you
proceed, I recommend learn about and
minimize the number of unneeded
applications.
If you are not comfortable
doing a computer tune-up yourself, Nash
Networks can do it for your. The cost
of a computer tune up from Nash Networks is
$99.99. In addition to a tune-up, Nash
Networks will clean the internal computer
components and conduct a security check to
ensure you are protected from the latest
virus, adware, and spyware.
UPDATE VIDEO DRIVERS
Make sure your video drivers are up to
date. Go to the companies website for
your computer manufacturer or the video card maker
to check if newer video drivers are
available.
If your
computer is locking up without any error
messages or if there are "ghosts" of open
windows when you move them around, updating
your video drivers may very well fix that
problem.
Check the
make, model, and drivers in Microsoft
Windows XP by running "DXDIAG" from the Run
Window. Next click on the "Display"
tab. If Dxdiag does not show the
information for your video card, you can
check the Device Manager or you may have to
open you computer and look for the
manufacture and model number on the video
card. Some video cards are built onto
the motherboard.
Once you have
the information on your video card, you can
now go to the manufactures website to check
for updated drivers.
RUN A
"FULL SCAN" IN YOUR ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAM
If you do not
have anti-virus software running on your
computer, check out our free
software section and download anti-virus
software now. Running a "Full Scan" in
your anti-virus programs ensures all files
are checked, including zipped files.
If possible, it is best to run the "Full
Scan" in "Safe Mode." Safe Mode starts
your computer with minimal resources.
You will not be able to certain things such
as surfing the internet. Running your
anti-virus program in Safe Mode allows for
effective removal of most viruses.
BACKUP
Be sure to
backup you computer before you make any
changes. Backup your Registry, system.ini, win.ini,
autoexec.bat, and config.sys before you
start tuning up your computer. Be sure
you know how to restore these files in the
event your computer does not start up when
you reboot.
From a DOS
Prompt and from the C:\, type the below
commands:
copy autoexec.bat *.bak
copy config.sys *.bak,
cd c:\windows
copy system.ini *.bak
copy win.ini *.bak
To make a manual backup of your Registry,
while still in C:\Windows, type attrib -h -r
-s system.dat and attrib -h -r -s user.dat
and then type copy system.dat system.bac and
copy user.dat user.bac. Now reset the
attributes by typing attrib +h +r +s
system.dat and attrib +h +r +s user.dat.
DISABLE UNNEEDED BACKGROUND APPS
Some common places background
applications initiate are:
autoexec.bat and config.sys in the root
directory C:\
load= and run= in Win.ini in the
C:\Windows folder
[386Enh] section of System.ini also in
C:\Windows
[boot] section of System.ini, look for
lines with an .exe and path at the bottom of
the section.
Background apps that often cause problems
include the "toys" that come with your
video, sound, and/or modem card. Do a
minimum install. Often you have to choose
Custom to choose "drivers only".
Background applications may also run from
the following:
C:\Windows\Winstart.bat
C:\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp
Registry keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Run, RunServices, or
RunOnce
and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Also, open up system.ini and check under
the [boot] section. Look for a line that
reads
shell=Explorer.exe
If it doesn't say shell=Explorer.exe
change it to such.
To disable a line in autoexec.bat or
config.sys use the edit command in DOS or
sysedit in Start | Run and put a rem with a
space after it in front of the line. To
disable a line in win.ini or system.ini put
a ;;; in front of the line.
To remove a key from the registry launch
regedit, navigate to Run, RunServices, or
RunOnce and right click on the key and
choose delete. Be sure to export the
section fo the registry before you delete
anything. Improperly deleting
something from your registry can prevent
your computer from operating.
To TEMPORARILY DISABLE Background
Processes from starting up in Windows98
there is a System Configuration Utility
which is run by typing msconfig in the Start
| Run line and hitting OK. Choose the
StartUp tab and from there you can uncheck
individual programs. {Startup Cop} and {StartUp
Control Panel} are also startup managers
that work in both Win 95 and 98.
HOWEVER, it's always best to first try to
disable any background app that you _do_ use
by using its own configuration and/or
preferences utility and untick lines that
say "launch on startup", "run in taskbar",
or similar jargon. Check out Add/Remove and
UNINSTALL any program you are not using or
need.
Many new high end sound and video cards
add by default lots of drivers and
background apps you may not use or even
want. Check Add/Remove Programs and
uninstall any special sound or video
application you are not using. This may
remove hundreds of registry entries and .dll
files from running on bootup. Be sure you
own the drivers disk or know how to get the
programs back in the future if so required.
Unneeded network protocols and services
very often add 20 to 60 seconds to bootup
time as the software is trying to connect to
a network that doesn't exist or use a
protocol that isn't required by the host or
guest. Use Control Panel | Networks to
remove any protocol or service you don't
need.
Run Adware Removal Program
Adware is a program that finds and
allows you to remove Spyware from your PC.
Spyware often doesn't load up in the
standard areas but is often hidden in other
parts of the registry. Keep in mind that
some programs require the spyware components
to run or the program will not work, KaZaa
is a good example. Before you use a program such as
Ad-Aware however, use Control Panel |
Add/Remove to uninstall any instances of spyware you see there. In fact, you might
want to first run a spyware detector just to
see what it detects first, then use
Add/Remove, then use the spyware detector to
finish the job.
You can
download Lavastsoft's Adware for free.
Check out our free software links here.
Remove Unused
Printers
It's also a good idea to go to Control
Panel | Printers and remove any printers you
no longer use.
SAFE MODE
Boot to safe mode and remove all
duplicate devices and hardware items in
Device Manager. Double click on each device
and than click on each dupe and select
remove. Have your drivers CDs and/or
floppies handy in case you need them
afterwards.
Run Scandisk and Defrag in Safe Mode
_only_ if you are having problems running
them normally. These utilities are very
important and should be run regularly. Scandisk should be run at least once/month
and Defrag at least twice/year.
If your system is always finding the same
device over and over again, use Safe Mode to
delete _all_ references to the device in
Device Manager than when you reboot it will
find the device and load the drivers
automatically most of the time. If not,
repeat the process but have your drivers
disk handy.
TEMP AND CACHE FILES
The most important folder(s) to keep
clean are C:\Windows\Temp and/or C:\Temp or
C:\Tmp. Some computers also save .tmp files
in C:\Dos. It's OK to delete all *.tmp files
in any of these folders. It's OK to remove
everything from C:\Windows\Temp even the
temp directories.
Cache files are either kept in a
subfolder in your browsers' location, AOL
subfolder, or in one of the
C:\Windows\Temporary Internet Files folders.
Netscape keeps cache files in the user
folders in Program Files\Netscape\Users is a
cache folder. All netscape.hst files should
be located and deleted from time to time
also.
AOL also keeps a global.org file which if
AOL is "sticking" or acting bad then that
should be deleted as well as it keeps your
history there. Warning, AOL may also keep
other things in that file like your modem
and dial up numbers so only delete it if AOL
is running real bad so save you from setting
those up again. You wont lose any personal
stuff though.
Internet cache files may also be hiding
in C:\Windows\Local Settings. Delete all
cache files on a regular basis for best
results.
Delete all *.chk files in the root
directory. Empty your Recycle Bin. Clear out
Recent Documents. Clear out the
C:\Windows\Recent folder.
Window 98 comes with a somewhat
limited cleaner called Disk Cleanup. You can
find it in Accessories, System Tools.
Remember, once again, to also clean out
the recycle bin. To keep files from going
there press Shift when you hit Del if you
are using Explorer.
Also, if you are having a sticky windows
problem it can't hurt to delete the swap
file which is win386.swp but remember you
have to do this from DOS. It's located in
the C:\Windows folder by default.
SCREENS AVER AND POWER MANAGEMENT
Disable your screen savers or set them to
1 hour. If you use power management set the
time offs to 2 hours for your hard drive and
monitor. Standby doesn't work correctly on
many desktops I suggest not to use it at
all.
Also note that a screen saver or power
management kicking in during a CD burn, file
download, or software install can kill or
corrupt that process as you are launching a
program during that operation.
REMOVE UNNEEDED APPS-REGISTRY KEYS
Disable FindFast.
Disable any third party program that "claims
to" keep your system from crashing. Disable
any "Fix Windows Automatically" programs.
Disable one anti-virus scanner if you have 2
running in the background. Disable any third
party Windows Memory Management programs.
Many bootup and shutdown delays are
caused by network services and protocols you
don't need. Look in Control Panel | Networks
and remove the ones you don't use.
MOST IMPORTANT: go to Control Panel |
Add/Remove programs and uninstall any apps
you are not using. Often, the latter while
freeing up hard drive space will also remove
hundreds of useless registry keys. Also use
a program like {EasyCleaner} to remove Dead
Keys.
Pay special attention to previous
versions of AOL. Use Add/Remove programs to
select AOL, then let it remove any previous
versions. This often results in tremendous
benefits to AOL users.
HARDWARE
Take the cover off, get a can of
compressed "air" and blow out all your fans
and power supply. Make sure all the fans are
working. There is usually one in back on the
power supply, one on the CPU, and one in the
lower front of your case. Check for
dust built up on the fins of the CPU heat
sink. A quick blow out may not get it
all. Do a careful inspection.
Check that all cables are in snug,
especially power supply cables to the hard
drive(s) and CDROM. If loose, try a
different one or get a Y connector.
Remember to always destatic yourself by
touching the metal case each and every time
you touch any component. Reseat the cards
and memory if you are having rebooting
problems or random shutting down problems.
STORAGE SPACE AND MEMORY
Make sure you that have at a minimum of
1.5xs the amount of RAM in your computer free on your C: drive at all times.
If your computer has 1GB of RAM be sure you
have at least 1.5GBs of hard drive space
free. Microsoft recommends at least
2GBs of free hard drive space for Windows
NT/2000/XP/2003. Go to Add/Remove Programs and uninstall any
software you are not using. If space is
still tight put the swap file on another
hard drive or partition. Make sure there are
less than 225 files [including folders] in
your root directory C:.
An inadequate amount of RAM [Memory]
causes slow performance due to heavy use of
your swap file and very often contributes to
system crashes and errors.
The minimum amount of RAM you should have
for Windows 95 is 32 MB, 128 for Win98 and
Me, 256 for NT, 512MB for2000, and XP.