A computer components & hardware forum. HardwareBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » HardwareBanter forum » General Hardware & Peripherals » General
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Upgrade Report [Step-By-Step: Tune Up Your Windows XP PC - 05/25/2004]



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old June 30th 04, 03:08 AM
Ablang
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Upgrade Report [Step-By-Step: Tune Up Your Windows XP PC - 05/25/2004]

May 25th, 2004



Step-By-Step: Tune Up Your Windows XP PC


by Contributing Editor Stan Miastkowski


Windows reminds me all too often of those finicky foreign sports cars

of decades past. If you don't spend time tweaking, maintaining, and

tuning it, it tends to run a little rough. A lot goes on under the

hood to keep your XP-based PC running smoothly; but as you add,

update, and delete software and data files, things can get sluggish.

XP's built-in tweaking tools can boost your PC's performance.


Windows XP has fewer built-in tools than earlier versions of Windows,

though the tools available are more full-featured. Other

more-sophisticated and automatic tune-up tools can be found in various

suites and stand-alone utilities, as discussed in "The Trouble-Free

PC":

http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/95333/15377828/364363/0/


But if you're frugal, their cost (up to $90) may give you pause. XP's

built-in tools, along with a few free add-ons, should be sufficient

for most users and most situations.


If you're using an earlier version of Windows, consult "Get a Free

Tune-Up for Your Windows PC":

http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/95333/15377828/364364/0/


And if you're up for a more extensive overhaul, check out "Optimize

Your PC for Faster Start-Up Times" first:

http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/95333/15377828/364365/0/


1. Back up your PC. It's essential to perform regular backups of your

PC, particularly if you'll be using utilities and tools that make

software changes. Unfortunately, Windows XP Home Edition doesn't come

with a backup utility. See "Utilities To Back Up Your Data" for

downloads that will do the job:

http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/95333/15377828/364366/0/


The built-in backup utility in Windows XP Pro is more robust than

earlier versions, but it won't back up to a CD-R. It does work with

CD-RWs, hard drives, and removable storage.


Log in to XP Pro with Administrator privileges, select Start, All

Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Backup. Step through the various

dialog boxes and follow all directions. In the "What to Back Up"

dialog box, choose the All information on this computer option if you

haven't done a backup before. This will create a floppy that you can

use to boot your PC and to restore the backup after a crash.


2. Check hard drives for errors. It's wise to do a thorough check on

the status of your hard drives occasionally. Go to Start, My Computer,

right-click the icon for your C: drive, and choose Properties. Then

choose the Tools tab and click the Check Now button. Repeat this step

for your other hard drives.


Applications and files must be closed in order for error checking to

fix the problems it finds, so XP will often report that the disk check

will run the next time you restart your system if you've checked

"Automatically fix file system errors" on the next screen.


Note: Finding and recovering bad sectors can take hours if you have a

large drive.


3. Defragment hard drives. The more you use your PC, the more some

files become broken into disparate parts scattered around your hard

drive. Defragmenting rearranges each file's pieces into a single

continuous block for faster access.


You'll need to be logged in as the Administrator to run XP's Disk

Defragmenter. First select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System

Tools, Disk Defragmenter. Highlight the drive that you want to check,

and press the Analyze button. XP will tell you whether the drive needs

to be defragmented. If XP does recommend defragging, click the

Defragment button.


4. Sack any spyware. A free program like Spybot Search and Destroy or

Ad-aware can get rid of any freeloading spyware that makes its way

onto your system.


You can download Spybot Search and Destroy he

http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/95333/15377828/364367/0/


Ad-aware is he

http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/95333/15377828/364368/0/


5. Clean out unneeded files. Go to Start, All Programs, Accessories,

System Tools, Disk Cleanup, and select the drive you want to clean. XP

will analyze your files and show a list of which ones can be removed.

Check the boxes next to the categories you want to discard.


The More Options tab offers you several more cleanup choices. The

System Restore cleanup option, in particular, can clear lots of disk

space by erasing old restore points.


6. Back up again. Once you've finished tweaking your system and you're

sure that everything is running well, it's a good idea to back up

everything once again. That way, you'll always have a clean, fully

optimized starting point that you can return to in case a disaster

befalls your system.


Read Stan Miastkowski's regularly published "Step-By-Step" columns:

http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/95333/15377828/364369/0/



==
"Any idiot can survive a crisis; day-to-day living is what kills you." --
Unknown

"If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased." --
Katharine Hepburn
 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Will Windows Power the Living Room? Ablang General 31 July 8th 04 05:34 AM
Freedom: Coming to a Windows Box Near You Ablang General 0 June 30th 04 03:04 AM
Upgrade Report [Hardware Tips: Get the Right Hard Drive - 05/11/2004] Ablang General 0 May 16th 04 03:17 AM
Valid Points 101: 2x P4 Xeons + Hyperthreading + Windows XP Professional / W2K / NT4 / *Nix (long post!) Duncan, Eric A. General 7 February 3rd 04 06:06 PM
Does Windows kill the "bootability" other secondary hard drives it finds with the same OS on? Kb General 3 September 5th 03 12:33 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 02:04 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 HardwareBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.