Leave It Run, Or Not?

This is one of those topics that always seems to make digital sparks fly.

I guess I'll give you the thoughts from both camps and let you decide.

Leave it on: The electronic components within the computer tend to last longer if they aren't constantly cooling off and warming back up. Additionally, you don't get any kind of initial "spike" in power when your machine is first turned on (not a big problem if you have an ATX type motherboard - most newer computers do). Finally, it's much more convenient to just plop down in front of your computer and start working than to sit through a lengthy boot-up.

Turn it off: Your hard drive may last longer, especially if your computer doesn't put the drive on "standby" after a certain amount of idle time. The constant spinning of your hard drive motor can wear out the internal bearings. I personally don't think this a big deal. Newer hard drives will probably be in good service longer than the computer they live in. Another "turn it off" argument is that you'll save on your electric bill. Depending on your machine, it uses the same power as one or more 100 watt light bulbs. Finally, you're going to pull more dust into your computer if it's running all the time. More dust = more heat. More heat = short lived computers, unless you clean it out regularly.

Those are the main reasons both ways. My opinion? I let it run during the day when I'm using it and shut it off at night.

I don't think it's good for the computer to have someone poking at the power switch constantly. If you're going to use it in the morning and then again in the afternoon, leave it run till you're finished for the day.

I used to leave mine run 24/7, but a few things have changed my mind.

For one, any chip faster than 133Mhz needs a cooling fan to keep it from burning itself into a silicon cinder. These fans are not totally reliable.

If I'm using the computer and am getting signs that I have a CPU that's overheating (your computer will act *really* strange, some will play a little tune through the internal speaker), I can shut things down and get it fixed. If it happens in the middle of the night, I'll have a roasted CPU in the morning.

Another reason is that I've seen power supplies go bad and try to catch themselves (and anything nearby) on fire. Again, not something I want to have happen at 2:00 AM when I'm asleep dreaming about program code.

Finally, anyone who uses Windows knows that it should be re-booted on a daily basis. So, by shutting it off at night and turning it back on it the morning, I automatically get my re-boot (that's not to say I don't have to do the occasional re-boot during the day though with win 9.x type machines).

So, my advice is to run it when you need it, and when you're done for the day, shut it down.

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Posted in: System Management

But Mom, I Don't Wanna Logon!

Do you get an annoying network logon screen every time you boot Windows? Well, here's a way that *should* get rid of it for you.

Please note that if you have your computer set up for multiple users, this tip isn't for you. Additionally, if you are on a network and a password is required to get onto your network, this little trick probably won't work (if no password is required, then you *should* be OK, but check with your network administrator first).

Everyone else should be fine.

If you're still with me, here's how to rid yourself of that annoying logon screen:

1. Click Start, Settings, Control Panel

2. Next, open the Network Icon.

3. Finally, change the item in the Primary Network Logon drop down box to "Windows Logon". It's probably a good idea to write down whatever was in the "Primary Network Login" box before you change it. Just in case...

That's it. You should no longer have a logon screen pop up when you start Windows.

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Posted in: System Management

Don't Start!

Don't you just hate it when you've installed a program that insists on starting itself when you boot the computer? You know the drill. You install something and it places an icon in your system tray.

Now, all those little icons you see in your system tray represent programs that are RUNNING. If a bunch of stuff loads when you start your computer, you may be maxing out your system before you launch your first regular program. So, if you find your computer getting progressively slower as you add more software, it could be that these system tray icons are, at least partially, at fault.

In addition, program running in your system tray can cause any (or all) of the following problems:

- Sluggish system speed
- Frequent lockups / illegal operations
- Software install problems
- Difficulty in running some programs

The more of these programs you have running, the more likely it is that you're going to see one or more of the problems mentioned above. Granted, System Tray programs are not the only cause for the conditions mentioned above, but they are the first place to look.

So, how do you keep all these unwanted programs at bay?

1. Click the Start button and select Run...

2. Next, type in:

msconfig

Then hit OK.

3. The System Configuration Utility should run (please note that not all computers have it installed -see note below).

4. Click the Startup tab.

5. You'll see a listing of all the stuff that starts itself when your computer does. Just uncheck the programs you don't want to load and leave the rest alone.

Note - If you don't have msconfig on your system (win 95 / 2000 doesn't) then check out Startup Control Panel at:

http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml

It does basically the same thing.

Once you get msconfig or the program above running, you'll probably see more stuff than you bargained for. I would advise exercising caution while unchecking, especially if you're not sure about what program(s) you're suppressing. Stuff like "Scan Registry" and "System tray" are probably best left alone. If you see stuff that you recognize as being non-essential software, than uncheck it. This is one of those do at your own risk things - for sure.

If you're not sure which program is being referred to, look at the path. Sometimes the folder just before the ".exe" file can give you a clue as to what program you're dealing with.

For example, if I see something like:

"C:\program files\real\realplayer.exe"

I can guess the program in question is the ever annoying Real Player.

In general, don't disable stuff that starts like this:

"C:\Windows\"

Or stuff like this:

SysTray.exe

These are more likely to be important system files and programs. You may find that your computer won't run without them and you'll have to go into Safe mode to get things working again.

Finally, note that unchecking this stuff doesn't remove it. The idea behind having these programs start when the computer does is to give you fast, easy access to them. However, having too many of these programs running at the same time can hit you hard in the system resources department. I personally make sure anything I don't need isn't running. If I need it, I'll click on it's shortcut.

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Posted in: System Management

A Fast System Properties Box

Need to get to your system properties? Well, you *could* click the Start button, Settings, Control Panel, then open the System icon.

Want a faster way?

Hold down the ALT key and double click the My Computer icon on your desktop.

And you get this:

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Posted in: System Management

Full Path

Have you ever gotten a little lost while using "My Computer"? Before you get buried in another deep directory, tell Windows to show the full path in the title bar. I know, it doesn't sound all that profound, but it really comes in helpful. Here' how:

Open My Computer (or any folder) and click the Tools menu, Folder options.

Click the View tab and check the "Display full path in title bar" checkbox.

That's it, you're only a glance away from knowing where you're at in any directory structure. Here's a sample of what your title bar (now new and improved) should look like when your hunting around in your computer:

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Posted in: System Management

Control Your Control Panel

(NOTE - This tip is probably best suited for our intermediate to advanced users.)

Do you ever get "extra" little icons on your control panel from other programs (especially utilities)? You may have noticed that they don't delete all that easily. Well, there's a way around that. Windows gets these icons from CPL files that live in its System directory. Here's how to remove those pesky icons by re-naming CPL files:

First, you'll need to have your computer set to view file extensions. If it's not, right-click your Start button, hit Explore. When Windows Explorer opens, hit the View menu, Folder options. From the View tab, uncheck the "Hide file extensions for known file types" box. Hit OK and exit Explorer.

OK, the Control Panel item I want to get rid of is FindFast (it's an Office 97 utility). Here's a shot of my control panel with it:

1. Click the Start button and select Find, Files or Folders (In WinME, it's Search, For Files or Folders)

2. In the Named field ( "Search for Files or Folders Named" in Win ME) type:
*.cpl

3. From the "look in" drop down box, select drive C: or whatever drive your copy of Windows lives on.

4. Hit the "Find now" ("Search Now in WinME) button. You should get a list of CPL files. Now, you'll have to try to figure out which one is which, but they usually correspond to the name of the utility in question.

5. Once you find the one(s) you want to remove, right-click it and re-name the extension:
.cpx (you may want to write down the file name in case it not the right one)

Here's the FindFast file re-named:

Here's my Control Panel, now rid of FindFast:

Why not just delete them? Well, you can, but if you delete the wrong one, you may have to re-install Windows to get it back (or at the very least dig through your recycle bin). Re-naming is much safer since you can always undo your re-naming.

That's it. The icon should be gone. If it's not, you probably re-named the wrong CPL file.

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Posted in: System Management

Deleting Unwanted Programs

It seems like I get questions all the time asking how to remove / uninstall programs. So, here's the step by step procedure:

1. The first thing to do is click the Start menu, Programs. Then hunt for the program you want to delete. Oftentimes, you'll find an Uninstall program under it's program group.

2. Another way would be to click the Start button, Settings, Control Panel. Then open the Add/Remove programs icon. You'll see a list of programs that Windows can remove from your system. Just click the one you would like to remove and hit the OK button.

3. If neither of the above work, you can always go to the program's folder and delete it. However, there is no guarantee that the program was confined to that folder. It could have other files distributed throughout your computer.

4. Finally, you might consider a program like QuickClean. Once installed, it watches which program files go where and can remove unneeded files for you.

Keep in mind that some of the files that get placed on your hard drive when you install a program are basically updates to some of your existing files. So if you are uninstalling something and get a message saying not all the files from a program could be removed, it may be due to the fact that other programs also use these files.

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Posted in: System Management

MUST... Have... CONTROL!

Picture note - I keep my taskbar at the top of my screen, so that's why the screen shots look like they are coming from the wrong direction.

Do you use your control panel a lot? Are you the kind of person who is constantly "adjusting" things? Well, if you are, then you and I have a lot in common. Here's a tip that will save us both some time.

Rather than clicking Start, Settings, Control Panel then hunting for the appropriate icon in the control panel folder, why not put a cascading control panel right on your Start menu? Then, you just click Start, Control Panel, and select the appropriate utility from a menu. Much faster and much neater. Here's how for win 95/98/2000 (XP / ME are below):

1. Right-click the Start button and select Explore from the resulting menu.

2. By default, you'll end up in the Windows/Start menu folder. Right click on any blank area in the right pane and select New, Folder from the resulting menu.

3. A new folder will be created with it's name (new folder) highlighted. Paste the line below in for the name and hit Enter:

Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}

Note that if you don't get it pasted properly and you end up with a folder named "new folder" you can re-name the folder with a right-click. That gives you another shot at pasting the above line in.

That's it. You should now have a Control Panel item available when you click your Start button. It should look like this:

If it doesn't work, make sure that you copied the line above exactly as shown. Your best bet is to do a copy & paste and not to type it.

XP/ME

If you're using Win ME or XP you have it even easier.

First, win ME:

To enable this, just click the Start button, Settings, Taskbar & Start Menu. From the resulting screen, hit the Advanced tab.

Now, look for the option called "Expand Control Panel". Check that, hit OK, and you have your cascading control panel.

Now, XP:

1. Right-click the Start button, Properties.

2. On the resulting screen, click the Customize button. On the next screen, click the Advanced tab.

3. The first item in the Start menu item box should be Control Panel. Select the little "Display as menu" item and poof! Ya have an XP version of our cascading control panel.

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Posted in: System Management

Shut Down that Computer

You have a computer but are curious if not shutting down every program individually will hurt the computer or not. The answer is simple, not really.

Windows will shut things down for you, which can be a real time saver if you have a dozen open programs. However, note that if you have stuff pending (like unsaved documents) the program will (or should) ask if you want to save this stuff before it shuts down. Probably best to make sure everything is saved first though...

Also note that if you have an open folder, you'll find that it gets re-opened when Windows starts the next time.

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Posted in: System Management

Empty The Documents Menu

Have you ever wished you could empty the Documents menu? (To see what's
in there now, click Start, and highlight Documents). Here's How:

1. Click the Start button, Settings, Taskbar & Start Menu.

2. Click the second tab ("Start Menu Programs" for win 95/98 -- "Advanced" if you use ME) and press the "Clear" button.

It shows a recycle bin next to the clear button but don't worry. The contents of the menu are only removed from the menu. They aren't deleted from the computer.

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Posted in: System Management

Check for Corrupt System Files

Did you ever have the suspicion that one of your Windows system files was corrupt? Normally, this problem causes lots of frustration while you try to hunt down the impaired file or do a complete re-install of Windows. Well, hold your Install Disks! There's another way.

Prior to Windows 2000 the operating system might overwrite shared system files (for example .dll and .exe files) when you install software. Overwritten system files cause unpredictable system performance, strange program behavior, and operating system failure.

If you're using Windows 98 you have a way to repair these files with the System File Checker. Here's how:

1. Click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Information.
2. Once the System Info utility is running, click the Tools menu, System File Checker.
3. You will be presented with a screen that allows you to "scan all" to hunt for any altered files or to specify the problem file. Since you probably don't know which file is giving you the headaches, scan for altered files.

That's it. If there's something wrong, you'll be given instructions for repair.

One more thing, if the System Information program is not there, you'll need to insert your Win98 install disk, select Add/Remove, and select System Information from the System Tools section.

Windows 2000 & XP users: You will not find System File Checker in your system tools, but if you search for it you will find it as "sfc.exe". No need to run it though, because Windows File Protection prevents the replacement of protected system files such as .sys, .dll, and .exe files. If you do run SFC, you will probably see a DOS window flash on your screen for 1.5 seconds.

Windows File Protection runs in the background to protect all files installed by the Setup program. Any attempts by other programs to replace or move a protected system file are detected, then the file's digital signature gets checked to see if the new file is the correct Microsoft version.

If not, the file gets replaced from the backup stored in the Dllcache folder or from the Windows CD. If Windows File Protection cannot locate the correct file, it prompts you for the location.

By default, Windows File Protection is always enabled and allows Windows digitally signed files to replace existing files.

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Posted in: System Management

Compress NTFS Files

If you are using Windows XP, chances are (as mentioned above) your hard drive uses the NTFS filing system. If you are in NTFS you can save space on your hard drive by using File Compression.

Note: If you compress a file using NTFS it cannot be encrypted or opened on a non-NTFS computer (Windows 95, 98, or ME) without first being uncompressed.

First, open My Computer and double-click a drive or folder.

Right-click the file or folder you want to compress, then choose "Properties". (You could also just right-click a folder or file and choose "Properties" or ALT+double -click)

On the General tab, click "Advanced".

Check the box marked "Compress contents to save disk space" then click OK.

Click OK in the "Properties dialog" box.

Choose the option you want when the "Confirm Attribute Changes" window pops up.

BONUS TIP: Want an easy way to distinguish your compressed folders from the regular ones? Why not have them appear in a different color.

Open Folder Options in the Control Panel, then Start / Control Panel / Folder Options.

On the "View" tab, select the "Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color" check box

This may already be checked by default, in which case the compressed files you just created will already be a different color (probably blue).

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Posted in: System Management