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This section contains tips and tricks on a wide range of
topics such as website development, browsing, searching,
hardware, windows operating system and softwares.
Nuts and bolts
Startup
Q. How do I boost my startup speed?
The most effective way is to upgrade your PC or buy a newer,
faster machine. However not everyone can afford this option,
therefore we suggest the following alternatives:
1) Increase your
RAM.
For Windows XP we recommend a minimum of 256MB of RAM, and
128MB for Windows 98/ME users. It is suggested that your PC
have a minimum of 256MB RAM to support newer applications.
Upgrading to more memory than that will provide a minimum
performance gain in terms of startup, because each operating
system when booting occupies a certain size in the memory;
when this requirement is met, an increase does not make a
difference.
2) Use faster RAM. Memory modules measure their speed
in MHz. Using a faster module will increase daily usage
performance in opening applications or performing
I/O
operations. SDRAM comes in speeds of 100/133 MHz, while faster
DDR SDRAM
comes in speeds of 200/266/333 and 400 MHz. They are also
denoted as PC1600, PC2100, PC2700 and PC3200 respectively. The
PC number shows the maximum bandwidth in MB/s of the memory
module.
For example the latest Pentium 4 machines have a 800 MHz
Front Side Bus
(the speed at which the processor communicates with all other
devices); it is a common practice with Pakistani vendors to
pair such systems with the slower 266 MHz DDR RAM to lower
costs. You can therefore upgrade to DDR 400 and for the most
lethal combination, use them as a pair (two modules of the
same size), which is known as
Dual-DDR
support. Dual-DDR lets you read and write to both the memory
modules simultaneously in the same clock cycle. Only newer
motherboards support this feature.
For all possible RAM speed upgrades check your motherboard and
processor documentation or contact your PC vendor for more
details.
3) Disable Startup Items. In most cases some startup
items are useful but others may just be eating up system
resources. To check what loads on startup, type “msconfig” in
the Start->Run dialog box in any version of Windows. You will
see that in the General tab, the Startup selection will be set
to normal by default. Click on the Startup tab and it will
display a list of checked startup items and their paths.
Uncheck the program you do not want to load and apply the
changes. The computer will ask to restart to effect the
changes placed.
Caution: Only disable items you are sure of. You can
always come back and restore the changes. DO NOT try editing
the items in the remaining tabs. (Use
StartupMechanic
- Ed.)
4) Use tweaking tools. Microsoft developed a tool
called
BootVis
that arrange the files on your hard disk for faster startup.
The tool is no longer available on their site but can be
hunted down on the Web.
When I used BootVis, it slashed a whooping 30 seconds of boot
time on my laptop running Windows XP. There are lots of other
shareware tools on the net for such purposes and Norton System
Works has a set of optimizing tools.
5) Another way to boost your startup speed is to
periodically defragment your hard disk so that all your files
are set as contiguous blocks for faster access. Boot
performance also depends on which file system you use; FAT32
gives a faster boot time compared to NTFS but fragments easily
over time while the reverse holds true for NTFS.
Hard
Disk
Q. Which file system should I use, NTFS or FAT32? Which is
better?
NTFS
or New Technology File System was developed and used with
Windows NT 4.0 and now in Windows 2000/XP/2003 and is way
advanced. Compared to
FAT 32,
it gives slower bootup times but applications start faster
when loaded. NTFS is less prone to crashes but if your Windows
does get corrupted [which is rare], you’ll get a difficult
time repairing it. In this case you have to run the Recovery
Console from the Windows CD, as Windows startup disks are not
able to access NTFS partitions. NTFS has built-in fault
tolerance capabilities that record changes to your hard disk
so it can repair your data incase of power failure and
therefore maintains a huge log file. NTFS repairs hard disk
errors automatically. If it can’t write to a particular
section it will routinely mark it as a bad sector. With NTFS,
you can set permissions for accessibility on individual files
and folders for security reasons, you can’t with FAT32. You
can set disk quotas that let you define how much hard disk
space you want to allocate to the users. With Windows XP using
FAT32 you are limited to partition sizes up to 32GB. However
gaming performance is better in systems using FAT32 file
system than NTFS.
If you are a home user running Windows XP, you can live with
FAT32. You can create users for your whole family and maintain
privacy as long as each user saves personal documents in their
respective namesake “My Documents” folder. If you a Network
Administrator or use your computer in a work/study environment
then it must have NTFS partitions in order to take advantage
of the great security/access features supported with it.
Q. How
do I permanently erase data?
Did you know that deleting files from your recycle bin does
not mean that they are erased and they can be recovered? They
are still on your hard disk but their references have been
removed from the file system and allocated as free space. They
are overwritten as new files get saved. Advanced recovery
software scans the physical surface of the hard disk and
recovers all data, even the chat message that you deleted a
year back as recovered files.
Panic! So how can I totally destruct my unwanted data?
Eraser,
which is freeware developed by Heidi Computers, uses
pseudorandom writing techniques to overwrite your free space
and totally erase data. It also lets you create a boot nuke
disc to totally wipe out the hard disk and leave no traces.
Q. How do I backup my files?
Backups can be created manually or using software to automate
the process. I prefer doing manual bi-monthly backups by
burning all my data to a data CD, since I keep all of my stuff
in one folder, with categorized sub-folders.
You can also use the backup utility built into Windows. For
Windows 95/98 users, click on Tools from a drive’s properties
and click Backup Now. For Windows XP Pro users Click Start ->
All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Backup.
Unfortunately Windows XP Home users have to install this
feature from the CD; locate “CD-ROM Drive:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP”
and click
NTbackup.msi
to install it. Windows backup utility will also copy system
files and settings to the backup file.
You can also copy all your data, music files and other stuff
to a partition other than the root (C:\) so if Windows get
corrupted you can simply format the C: drive. Or better yet,
copy your data to a partition on another hard disk (if you
have one) in case the whole hard disk seems to be failing.
This is the best, cheapest, and safest way to save all your
important data.
Q. How
do I change my drive letters?
In Windows XP, right-click My Computer and then click Manage.
In the left pane under Computer Management click Disk
Management and you will see a list of all drives in the right
pane. Right-click the drive or device whose letter you want to
change and click “Assign the following drive letter”. Assign
the drive letter and click OK.
To change removable drive letters in Windows 98/ME,
right-click My Computer and then click Properties. Click the
Device Manager Tab click on CD-ROM to display the manufacturer
and type, and click on Properties. Under the Settings tab,
choose a new drive letter and assign the same to both to
“Start drive letter” and “End drive letter”.
To change physical drive letters in Windows 95/98 requires
complex sniffing into the registry, which I don’t recommend
for newbies. Instead, use a neat little piece of freeware
called
Letter Assigner,
which brings the features in XP—for changing drive letters—to
Windows 95/98/ME.
Q. How
do I recover my deleted files?
Files can be recovered from your hard disk as long as they
have not been overwritten. The professional version of
Norton AntiVirus
has advanced tools, such as Norton Protected Recycled Bin,
which let you undo accidental file deletes, even after you
have emptied the Recycle Bin; simply right-click the bin and
run the UnErase wizard. You can also try
PC Inspector File Recovery,
which is freeware, for restoring deleted files.
Q. How
do I make partitions?
There are two major ways to partition hard drives. Either
running “fdisk”
from a bootable floppy, or use third-party Windows software.
One of the world’s most popular partitioning programs is
Partition Magic Pro 8.0.
It allows you to create, resize, merge, change file systems
and has other advanced partitioning features.
Q. How do I delete temporary redundant files, so that I can
free up disk space and system resources?
Download
DustBuster 2.8.
The program checks for over 1,500 useless temporary file and
folder types, and deletes uninstall files. Or, try
Space Odyssey 2.0;
it is pretty simple to use and runs on all Microsoft OSs.
Graphics cards
Q. My graphics card is not working properly. How can I fix
it?
There could be various reasons for this, but the most likely
is that your drivers are not digitally signed by
Windows Hardware Quality Lab
(WHQL). Download current drivers from the card manufacturer’s
site. For an unbranded card you can determine its GPU
(Graphical Processing Unit) type through Windows Device
Manager (Control Panel à System à Hardware).
Both NVIDIA and ATI use the
Unified Driver Architecture
(UDA), which means that they develop a single driver package
for a particular operating system; this driver is the same for
all the graphic cards of that series. Hence, these drivers
guarantee forward and backward compatibility within cards of
the same generation.
For the latest ATI Catalyst drivers go to
http://www.ati.com/support/driver.html.
For the latest NVIDIA Detonator drivers go to:
www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp
For other vendors such as Matrox, and 3D-Labs, check their
respective sites.
Q. My
card is working properly should I update my drivers?
Yes definitely! Newer versions may fix unknown bugs, have
support for more features, support the latest (all) operating
systems and most importantly, squeeze out more performance
from your current card.
Q. Hey I have integrated graphics? What can I do to upgrade
my drivers?
Even if you integrated graphics from SIS, Intel or VIA, you
can download their respective drivers from the companies’
websites. To check which display adapter you have, open Device
Manger from System properties; click to expand Display
adapters and see what it says.
For Intel, go to:
http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/
For VIA, check for the Integrated Graphics/Display Drivers at:
www.viaarena.com/?PageID=2
For SIS go to and choose Graphics under Categories in “What
kind of driver you need?”:
download.sis.com/
Q. I
run a game and it says “DirectX 9.0 Compatible Card not
found”, what should I do?
The latest games take advantage of the new features found with
DirectX 9.0 to make for a visually stunning experience.
Installing DirectX 9.0 software does not mean that your older
graphics card will be able to play the game. This is because
the new features that DirectX 9.0 provides have to be built
into the card, such as advanced
Pixel
and
Vertex Shaders
for 3D rendering functions. Only the combination of both
compatible card and software will ensure the running of such
games. However you can install DirectX 9.0 software available
from Microsoft on older DirectX 8.1 compatible cards without
glitches and in some cases have a performance gain with older
games.
To check which version of DirectX you have, run the command “dxdiag”.
Visit
www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/default.aspx
for more information and to download the DX 9.0 software. Also
check out the major graphic card vendors’ sites to see their
DX 9.0 card offerings and read the minimum system requirements
before buying any new game.
Internet and Security
Q. How do I block popups?
Download the freeware
Smart Popup Blocker 1.0.1.
It blocks all the annoying browser popups as well as those
software pop-ups when using ads in supported freeware and
messenger clients. It supports IE 5.0.1 and higher only and
supports all versions of Windows except Win 95.
Q. How do I remove spyware/adware?
Use
Spybot Search & Destroy 1.2
that searches and removes spyware/adware along with key
loggers, Trojans and dialers. You can also try
Lavasoft Ad-aware v6.181
as mentioned in the Q&A section of our May issue.
Q.
Whenever I browse the Internet, a window pops up warning that
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) has terminated unexpectedly and
shuts down at the end of the count down, what’s wrong?
Your computer is most likely infected with MSBlast. Please
refer to the Q&A section in our May issue for a comprehensive
walk through. You can remove MSBlast (W32.Blaster) or all its
variants of it by downloading this special tool from
www.f-secure.com/v-descs/lovsane.shtml
Run the scanning tool to disinfect and apply the DCOM RPC
patch by searching
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-026.
This will ensure that you do not get re-infected by this or
such exploits again in the future. This vulnerability only
affects Win NT/2000/XP/2003 users.
If all else fails, try running a free online scan from:
www.trendmicro.com,
www.mcafee.com
or
www.pandasoftware.com/activescan
Q. How
do I always safeguard myself from the Internet?
The best way is to use commercial anti-virus software and
download the latest virus definitions to safe guard against
new threats. You must certainly not live without AV software
on your system. Second use a good firewall (Norton/Zone
Labs/Black
Ice)
or enable the built-in firewall with Windows XP, which gives
standard protection. Last but not least keep your system up to
date with
Microsoft patches
such as the Cumulative IE patch released periodically.
Registry
Q. How do I clean up the registry?
All the installing and uninstalling of software leaves
irrelevant entries that increase the registry size,
unnecessarily compromising performance. You need to use a good
registry cleaner, which will and scan and remove those
redundant entries. I would recommend the no-longer-supported
Macecraft Software’s
RegCleaner 4.3,
which you’ll have to search for through Google to download. It
has been upgraded to a newer improved version called
RegSupreme
that is no longer free. Apart from extensive cleaning it lets
you remove startup items professionally without resorting to “msconfig”.
Also recommended is
RegSeeker 1.35,
which is freeware. It has a simple-to-use interface and throws
in lots of other handy options.
There are software packages that address most of the above
issues. Programs such as
Norton SystemWorks 2004
contain Norton AV, Utilities (backup, registry cleaning, and
tweaking tools), Web Tools and more features all in one
package to offer an optimized performance solution.
Norton Internet Security 2004
bundles the popular Norton AV and a comprehensive firewall
together with anti-spam software, a spyware/adware checker and
a popup blocker.
General
tips
Always install the service packs for your operating system.
Service packs contain all the patches, fixes, and bug resolves
found in an operating system after its release and also add
general improvements. The Service Pack 2 for Windows XP has a
pop-up blocker built into the IE browser, and enables Windows
Firewall by default along with other major improvements
addressing vital security concerns. Microsoft has now dropped
support for all its previous versions of Windows.
You can subscribe to the
Microsoft Security Bulletin
to e-mail you regarding any new vulnerabilities and patches.
Not all patches are necessary but check for their severity
such as critical, important, moderate or low. I recommend
installing most of them, as not all concern security but fix
other minor issues with your copy Windows. The best way to get
around all these individual patches is to install a Service
Pack.
Browsing
Do you wait forever for your pages to load up when surfing?
Are you confused about why you’re not getting a good browsing
and downloading speed even though you’re using one of the best
ISPs around? Have you ever wondered why your V.90 dial up
modem doesn’t operate at the 56k speed it boosts of? Ever even
thought of what V.90 or 56k means? Do you just wish you had a
smooth and secure browsing experience without all the annoying
pop ups and spyware? If your answer to most of these questions
is in the affirmative then the following links could just
prove to be the remedy of your worries.
Cnet's Internet Speed Tweaks:
At the Cnet website, you’ll find 14 steps to faster surfing
which I must say are extremely effective. It doesn’t matter
what type of connection you have as most of the steps
mentioned apply to all types of Internet connections - be it
cable, DSL, dial-up, etc. There’s also a download section from
where you can download software to enhance the speed of your
Internet connection and monitor it. Plus, you’ll also find a
speed tweaks discussion board and a free newsletter to
subscribe to.
Inboost.com:
This website provides complete computer and Internet boost
solutions. Besides loads of information and tips on browsing
you’ll also find here computer tips for a better PC. The
reviews on Net speed boosting software are also given in
detail here.
Cyberwizardpit-Xpert Tips:
Here you’ll find some useful guides and tips to help you
optimize your system and internet connection. The details are
pretty technical so new bees won’t find this site very useful.
Learnthenet.com:
This site is about Internet for beginners. Check out the top
ten browsing tips featured here.
How to Speed Up
Excellent speed tips. A must for everyone who wants to enhance
his dial up speed.
Search
SearchEngineWatch.Com:
An entire website dedicated to search engines. There’s
everything about search engines in here from web searching
tips to search engine listings. Get tips on search engine
submissions and learn about search engine maths. Also featured
on the site are reviews, ratings and tests of search engines.
One really doesn’t need to visit any other site after visiting
this one if you’re on the look out for information on search
engines.
Related Links:
Web builder
Websitetips.com:
This website is an educational resource providing CSS, HTML,
and XHTML tutorials, graphics tutorials, besides articles,
tips, information and resources to build or improve websites.
Needless to say, it’s the best online resource if you’re
looking for tips on website development online. Also featured
at the website are discussion lists and newsletters. You’ll
also find fonts in here besides excellent links to other
resources on the web.
Website Marketing tips and tricks:
Having trouble marketing and getting hits on your site? Look
no further because at this website you’ll find fabulous tips
on how to make your website pay and web traffic boosting tips.
The Internet Magazine’s Web Design Help:
This fantastic UK based magazine also has an online presence
from where you can get information on the latest web design
techniques. Here you can find an archive search section where
you can find the tips you are looking for.
.Net Magazine’s web development tips and
tricks page:
Another UK-based Internet magazine which has uploaded
fantastic web site building resources online.
Related Links:
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