Updating Drivers

Note - updating your drivers is normally a good idea, but in rare cases it can cause problems. So, as always, do this at your own risk.

How do you update your drivers? Well, depends on the manufacturer.

The most common (and easiest) driver update is simply an ".exe" type file that runs a little setup program. You download it, double-click it, the setup program runs, and it's a done deal. The most you'll have to do is re-start your computer.

Another way is through the use of an "inf" file. Some of these, when right-clicked, will give a menu option to install the driver. Others (most) inf files don't. You have to update the driver manually. Here's how:

1. Right-click My Computer, Properties.

2. Next, go to the device manager tab and select the hardware item you would like to update (Win 2000 users, head to the Hardware tab and hit the Device Manager button). You'll probably need to click the plus sign next to each category in order to actually get to a specific piece of hardware.

3. Right-click the item you want to update and select Properties from the resulting menu.

4. Click the Update driver button on that tab. A wizard will start and help you install your new driver. Click the Next button.

5. Click the "Search for a better driver..." radio button. Click Next.

6. Finally, tell the computer where the new driver file is using the "Specify a Location" drop box and the Browse button. If you're using Win ME, it will automatically start looking for the new driver at this point. If it doesn't find it, you'll have to tell it where to look.

That's about it. Once the driver is located, you'll be able to finish up with the wizard. You'll probably need to re-start your computer, but that's about it. Not too terribly hard.

That's about it. Once the driver is located, you'll be able to finish up with the wizard. You'll probably need to re-start your computer, but that's about it. Not too terribly hard.

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Posted in: System Maintenance

Instant Properties

Here's a quick little trick you'll like. If you need to get the properties for something (like an icon, for instance), just hold down your ALT key and double-click it. Instant properties!

Try it with "My Computer" or one of your regular desktop icons below.

And yes, I know that you can also right-click an item and select Properties from the resulting menu. I just thought this was cooler.

Desktop -

The Desktop, basically, is where all your icons live (stuff like the Recycle Bin sit on the Desktop). It's the "background" area you see when your computer first boots up before you run any programs. Here's a snap shot of my messy desktop (PS - The polar bear can be found in our wallpaper area):

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Posted in: System Maintenance

Reformat & Re-install Part 3

(Click here for part 1) (Click here for part 2)

CD ROM INSTALL

OK, at this point we've looked at making a boot disk, setting up partitions, and formatting your hard drive. You're almost ready to re-install Windows, but first you'll need to get your CD ROM drive working.

As I had mentioned earlier this week, some computers (especially newer ones) have a CD ROM driver built into their BIOS. All you do is take your "recovery disk" (as they're usually called) and place it into your CD ROM drive. Turn the computer back off, wait 10 seconds, then turn it back on. The recovery disk will run and help you restore your system back to the way it was when you first purchased your computer.

If you're not lucky enough to be in the above group, you may still have an easy way out. If your computer came with a full version Win 98 (and possibly ME) disk, you should have a 3.5 inch floppy boot disk called something like "Setup Disk 1". I'm not 100% sure on the name since I can't locate mine :-)

Anyway, if you have that disk, stick that puppy into your A: drive and restart your computer (make sure your Windows CD is in your CD ROM drive).

The disk comes with a "universal" CD ROM driver that will load, then it will start the Windows Setup program. Really cool, really easy.

OK, if you weren't able to do the recovery CD thing and have no clue what 3.5 setup disk I'm talking about, you'll need to install a CD ROM driver.

Most CD ROM installs are fairly easy, but at the same time they are all slightly different. So, I'm going to give you a very general outline for CD ROM installation:

1. Boot the computer. It should be at a C: prompt. Stick your CD ROM driver disk into the A: drive and type:

A:

Press ENTER.

2. You should now be looking at an A: prompt. You probably need to type INSTALL in order to start the install program. You may need to type something else, depending on the driver. To get a list of the files on the drive, type:

dir/ w Then hit ENTER.

Look for an ".exe" program. Again, it's usually called INSTALL, but it may be called SETUP or any other name the manufacture sees fit to call it.

Anyway, type the name of the setup program at the A: prompt and hit ENTER. With any luck, the setup program will run and you'll be all set.

If you get an error saying that the setup program can't find the Autoexec.bat or Config.sys files, then you probably need to create them.

Stick in the boot disk that we made the other day and type EDIT at the A: prompt.

You'll get a nifty little program that lets you edit files. Right now, we're just gonna use it to make your autoexec.bat and config.sys files.

Hit the file menu (no mouse, so use your ALT key, arrows, and Enter key) and select Save. Make sure you're saving to your C: drive and name the first blank file autoexec.bat and the next one config.sys.

Try the install again, it will probably work this time.

The last problem you may come across is a missing MSCDEX file. That's the file the computer uses to run the CD ROM. Some setups come with it, some don't. If your CD ROM isn't working after a setup, it's probably because this file is missing (or your setup program may ask its location).

Copy the file to the root directory of your C: drive by doing the following:

If you're not at the C: prompt, type:

C:

Hit Enter.

Now, (with that little boot disk we made the other day in your A: drive) type:

copy A:\mscdex.exe

That will copy the MSCDEX file to your hard drive. Try re-starting the computer and see if the CD ROM is now working. If not, you may need to modify the autoexec.bat and config.sys files. They are probably trying to find MSCDEX in a different directory.

To do this, copy the EDIT.COM file to your hard drive the same way you copied the MSCDEX file. Then at the C: prompt, type:

edit autoexec.bat

Hit enter.

The editor will run. Make sure the path to MSCDEX points to the C: drive only and save the file. Do the same with the config.sys file.

That should do it.

WINDOWS SETUP

OK, all that's left is to get the Windows setup running. Place the Windows CD into your CD ROM and switch to your CD ROM drive by typing:

D:

Hit Enter (This assumes that your CD ROM is drive D. If it's not, use the appropriate letter)

Now, type:

setup

Hit Enter.

That's it. Your Windows setup program will run and all you need to do is follow the prompts. If you've come this far, I don't think you need me to walk you through the setup process :-)

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Posted in: Reformat and Re-install Part 3

Reformat & Re-install Part 2

(Click here for part 1)

Reformat and Reinstall - Part 2 (FDISK and Formatting)

OK, in poart one, we looked at making a boot disk and backing up your computer. Next, I want to cover the actual formatting of the hard drive plus some info on partitions.

FDISK

First, let's look at using FDISK (you added it to the boot disk in step one) to set up any partitions that may be necessary. If you're perfectly happy with your drive partitions, then skip this part and head down to "Hard Drive Formatting". If you're not an "advanced" computer user, this part probably isn't for you either.

If you're still with me, here's the scoop. We're about to make all the information on your disk completely inaccessible. Make sure you have a backup of anything important before you do this. Once you run FDISK all the information on your hard drive WILL BE LOST. You've been warned - do this at your own risk!!

Before we start, you may have another option. If you purchased a hard drive, it probably came with a bootable disk that can help you set up your hard drive partitions. Those are usually easier to use than FDISK (they still erase your hard drive though).

Alright, you have all your info backed up and you're ready to FDISK. Here's what you do:

1. Shut the computer down, stick the boot disk you made yesterday into the A: drive and turn the computer back on. The computer should boot from your 3.5 disk to an A: prompt. Type FDISK and hit enter.

2. You'll get an intro screen, probably asking you if you want to use support for large disks. The default is "Y" so hit enter and continue.

3. You'll be presented with a menu that lets you create partitions, set active partitions, delete partitions, or view partition info. Press the number you want and hit enter. Here's a brief overview of what each menu does:

1. Create DOS Partition or logical DOS drive- Use this menu to add a new partition.

2. Set active partition - Use this to set the drive that the computer should try to boot from. Probably best to just leave it at the C: drive.

3. Delete partitions - Use this to get rid of extra partitions. You would use this if you had a drive that was partitioned into two separate drives and wanted it as one large drive.

4. View partition info - Use this to see the current partition info.

Extra Notes - Use the ESCAPE key to back out of a screen.

If you're trying to make a multiple partitioned drive into a single partitioned drive, you need to delete all the partitions on that drive first.

One of our readers had a good suggestion for advanced users. You may want to consider partitioning your drive off into several parts. One part could be for Windows, one for data (documents, spread sheets, pictures, etc) and another for a CD-R / RW data drive. Just a thought.

Finally, this was only an overview. I could write a book (or at least a chapter) on using FDISK, but the above is all our space and time permits. FDISK should only be used by those of you who are fairly advanced with a computer. If you want to mess with disk partitions and are not comfortable with FDISK, have a computer guru friend come over and help.

Remember, if you use FDISK improperly, it's not the end of the world.
Most FDISK problems can be solved by a trip to your local computer store and a few hundred bucks :-)

HARD DRIVE FORMATTING

OK, all your partitions are set, you're ready to format your drive. Fortunately, this is fairly easy.

REMEMBER - this will erase everything on your C: drive!!!! Backup anything important before doing this! Of course, do this at your own risk. (I feel all disclaimered out now)

1. Shut your system down, place your boot disk into the computer's A: drive, and turn the machine on. It will boot to an A: prompt.

2. If you're 100% sure all your info is safely backed up, type the line below at the A: prompt:

format C: /s That's the word "format", a space, "C:", a space, and "/s"

That tells the computer to format the C: drive as a bootable drive.

3. You will be asked to confirm, do so, and you're all set.

(At the prompt in the picture you would type "y" then hit Enter to start formatting)

Tomorrow we'll finish this up with CD ROM install instructions and basic Windows setup.

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Posted in: Reformat and Re-install Part 2

Re-format & Re-install

This series covers the basic steps of reformatting your hard drive and re-installing Windows. Now, this is not for the digitally squeamish and it's defiantly one of those do-at-your-own-risk deals. It's not intended for novices and should not be attempted unless you are fairly comfortable with DOS (if you have to ask what DOS is, than skip this tip).

A final warning - This is a general procedure so you may run into unforeseen problems. You may be able to get answers to problems at the message board, but don't come cryin' to me - You've been warned!!

OK, before we start any kind of disk formatting, we need to back up all the important info on your computer. I usually copy everything to my CD-R or a few zip disks. I generally only back up stuff that I created. I don't backup programs I have on disk, I re-install those. Make sure you get everything that's important to you backed up (maybe twice) because after we're done formatting the disk it will be COMPLETELY GONE!

Next, you'll want a boot disk. Even if you don't think you'll need it you should still have it, just in case.

To make a boot disk for win 95/98, (not a Windows recovery disk) follow these steps:

1. Open My Computer, insert a 3.5 floppy into your Drive A: and right-click the icon for your A: drive. Select Format from the resulting menu.

2. Select Full format and check the "Copy system files box". Then hit Start to format the disk.

> Note that if you are using Win ME that the above little trick won't work. You'll need to go to your Start button, Settings, Control Panel. Open up the Add/Remove programs icon. From there, click the Startup Disk tab and create a new startup disk.<<

You should now have a bootable disk. You'll probably want to copy the following files to it:

EDIT.COM (you may need this to create or edit DOS files- this should be there if you made a Win ME recovery disk)

FORMAT.COM (for disk formatting)

FDISK.EXE (you'll lean about FDISK tomorrow- this should be there if you made a Win ME recovery disk)

MSCDEX.EXE (you may need this for your CD ROM)

All the above files should be under your C:\Windows\Command\ directory.

If not, use the Find feature to locate them (Start button, "Find" or "Search", depending on what version of Windows you have) . Once you find the files, right-click them and select Send to, 3 1/2 Floppy (A).

Here's some other stuff you'll want handy:

- Your CD ROM driver

- Your Windows CD

- Your Windows Setup Disk 1 (it's a floppy that you may have if you have a full version of Win 98. It's not 100% necessary, but it does have a CD ROM driver built into it if you don't have one).

Please note - You need to be 100% sure you can get your CD ROM to

work after you format your drive. Windows has built in CD ROM divers, DOS doesn't. If you can't get your CD ROM to work, you aren't going to be installing Windows until you do!!

Speaking of Windows, make sure that you have the Full Version of Windows on CD. If you only have an upgrade version, you'll need to find an older version before you can install.

Some versions of Windows will let you use an upgrade CD to install the full version, so long as you have an older version (either upgrade or full) on CD to prove you are upgrading. Some versions will force you to install an older version first, then upgrade it from there. Why? Cuz that's how Microsoft is.

Also, some computers have a built in BIOS CD ROM driver that checks for a "Recovery Disk" when you boot up. If your computer has this feature, you should be all set. More on that later.

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Posted in: Re-format and Re-install,System Maintenance

Disk Reformatting

You can re-format any disk from Windows, as long as Windows isn't on the disk you're trying to reformat. We'll use a 3.5 floppy (A: drive) for the example below, but it would work with a zip disk or hard drive just as easily.

Remember, if you format a disk all the information on the disk will be lost, so be careful!

1. Insert the 3.5 inch disk you wish to format into your A: drive.

2. Open "My Computer" and right-click your A: drive. Select "Format..." from the resulting menu.

3. A screen will pop up that gives you a choice of formatting options.

-"Quick" format just erases what's on the disk. It's like a quick delete, but it not a "real" format.

-"Full" formats the disk properly (probably your best choice).

-"Copy system files only" makes the disk bootable but it DOES NOT erase the contents of the disk (it's not a "real" format). Note that this option does not show up on win ME or in Win 2000.

4. As if that wasn't enough, you have a few more choices to make under the Other Options section.

-If you would like a label on the disk (a name that is displayed when you view the disk's properties) then enter it in the box.

-If you would like a summary once the format is complete, make sure that box is checked.

-Finally, if you would like to make the disk bootable, make sure that the "Copy system files" box is checked.

5. To finish the job, hit the little Start button next to the Capacity drop down box.

That's it. You've just formatted a disk.

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Posted in: System Maintenance

Scan Disk & Defrag

When was the last time you ran Scandisk or did a Defrag? Don't know huh?
Well, there's an easy way to find out!

Open the My computer icon and right-click your hard drive. Select
Properties from the resulting menu. You'll be presented with a tabbed
screen.

If you click the Tools tab, you'll get some options that not only tell you
when the last time you did the maintenance tasks described above, but allow
you to do them now.

Note that the "error checking status" button shown below activates Scan Disk.

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Posted in: System Maintenance