Windows does a pretty good job of keeping files
organized on a hard drive. However, after some time,
things do get a bit unruly. A PCs performance
depends a lot on the hard disc, so it is well worth
looking after it.
The hard disc comprises millions of tiny areas of
storage called clusters. Any one of these can become
faulty, resulting in incorrect program operation or
a system crash. Scan Disk examines the disk for such
faults. If a fault is found, it can reorganize disk
usage to avoid the problem.
There are a few ways to run Scan Disk:
* from Windows Explorer, right click on the c:
drive, select Properties, then Tools, click the Scan
Disk button.
* click the Start button, Programs, Accessories,
System Tools, Scan Disk
* set up the Maintenance Wizard to run Scan Disk for
you. Click the Start button, Programs, Accessories,
System Tools, Maintenance Wizard. Select the option
to program the wizard. (Remember the wizard can only
do its thing if the PC is running when its
programmed time comes up.)
There are 2 options with Scan Disk; standard scan
and thorough. Use the standard scan for routine
scans. Use the thorough scan if you think there
might be a problem with the hard disc (this takes
much longer).
You can run scan disk about every month or so, if
you still have a fat32 file system.
When a file is stored on the hard disc, it can be in
several pieces, depending on what space is
available. To start with, files are stored as whole
blocks. As files are added and deleted, the space
available is the space left by deleted files. To
store a file, Windows may now have to spread it over
several available plots. This is called
fragmentation. Reading and writing a file to several
pieces is slower than if it is in one piece, and so
can noticeably affect the PC's performance.
The defragmentation program shuffles the files
around on the hard disc, so the files are each in
one piece. It also sorts some files to the front of
the disc, and others to the end, to optimize
performance.
There are a few ways to run defrag:
* from Windows Explorer, right click on the c:
drive, select Properties, then Tools, click the
Defrag button.
* click the Start button, Programs, Accessories,
System Tools, Defrag
* set up the Maintenance Wizard to run Defrag for
you. Click the Start button, Programs, Accessories,
System Tools, Maintenance Wizard. Select the option
to program the wizard. (Remember the wizard can only
do its thing if the PC is running when its
programmed time comes up.)
Run defrag about every month or so if you still have
a fat32 file system.
Before running Scan Disk or Defrag, shut down all
programs you have running, and switch the screen
saver to none, or blank screen. You may also have to
shut down your virus protection and firewall
programs. A further option is to restart in safe
mode.
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Clean Up Unused Files
* Temp folder - This is usually c:\Temp or
c:\Windows\Temp, and it is where programs are
supposed to leave temporary files. Any files left in
here should be able to be deleted without affecting
anything else. Delete files with names like ~*.tmp
or *.tmp. Don't delete anything with today's date -
it might be still in use.
* Internet Explorer temporary files - IE stores
copies of all the pages you browse, to speed up
surfing. In IE, go Tools / Options / General click
the button to Delete Files. Here you can also set a
limit to how much stuff is stored.
* Check disc Files - The scan disk program puts file
fragments that it finds in the root directory, with
names like *.chk.
* Newsgroups - The newsgroup reader (eg Outlook
Express) keeps a copy of all the messages you
download. This can build up. In Outlook Express, go
to Tools, Options select the Maintenance tab and
click the "Clean Up Now" button. Select from the 4
options. Alternatively, you can do the newsgroups
individually by right clicking on one, select
Properties then the Local File tab.
* Deleted Email - Emails that you delete in Outlook
Express go to the Deleted Items folder. Clear this
out every week or so. Better still, set OE to clean
out the deleted items every time you exit OE. Go to
Tools, Options select the Maintenance tab and make
sure the item "Empty messages from the Deleted Items
folder on exit" is checked.
* Other Unused Files - There can be lots of other
files sitting around in the backwaters of your hard
disc. Files like old WORD documents, saved games,
downloads, etc. Search these out and delete the ones
you no longer need.
* Recycle Bin - Files you delete go to the Recycle
Bin. This is handy because you get a chance to
recover accidental deletions. However, the Recycle
Bin still takes up disc space, so it is a good idea
to empty it every few days. Double click on the
Recycle Bin icon, and go to File / Empty Recycle
Bin.
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Backup Your Data
Data is all the files you work with, such as Word
documents, Excel spreadsheets, database files,
pictures, etc. The ones you have made yourself are
probably more valuable than files you have copied
from someone else.
How - Copy the data files to a separate storage
medium, like floppy disc or CD.
A floppy disc holds only 1.4MB, so you will need
many to store the data. File compression, such as
zip, would be a good idea for this.
A CD holds about 650MB, which would probably carry
all the data on a typical PC. Unless you need to,
don't use compression, just copy the data across.
A DVD can hold up to 9GB. This is what you want to
you if you have big media files like movies or
podcasts.
What - If you have all your data files organized
into 1 or 2 folders, simply back these folders up.
Also think about backing up mail folders (probably
under c:\windows\profiles\...).
Frequency - as soon as you have data that you can't
afford to lose.
I copy critical files to floppy each day I work on
them, and make a complete backup of all data to CD
about twice a month.
Software is all the executable programs you have on
your PC. This probably includes the operating system
(eg Windows98), applications (eg Works), games and
other programs.
You should have most of these on CD, so you don't
need to regularly back them up. Make sure you have
copies of any valuable software you have downloaded.
Also, you should make rescue disks so you can
recover from hard disc failure. Update your rescue
discs whenever you make significant changes to the
operating system.
There will be lots of other information you have
relating to your PC. This includes serial numbers
for hardware and software, passwords, etc. Be sure
to keep these, some software won't reload without
the key number.
Don't keep these on your computer. If they are there
somewhere, there is a chance a hostile program can
access them without your permission. Also, don't
allow the PC to remember your password for logging
on to the internet.
Instead, keep these numbers written down on paper,
and kept it handy near your PC.
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Virus Protection
Install Virus Protection software Install Virus
Protection software
No that was not a typo.
Make sure you have virus protection on your PC.
There are plenty of options available. CUSTOM-PC
uses AVG security software.
If you don't use Microsoft products (like Windows
and Outlook Express), don't connect to the internet
and don't exchange floppy disks or CDs with anyone,
then perhaps you don't need virus protection.
Otherwise, you will need it.
Most virus protection systems use a set of
definitions to spot a virus. This means they only
spot viruses they know about. You need to keep the
definition up to date so your PC is protected
against the latest viruses. I update my definitions
every week.
Well, there is only one type of virus - bad. But
they do have some differences that are worth noting.
Virus - a program that inserts itself in other
program files. When the infected program runs, it
activates the virus. The virus spreads when an
infected file is copied to another PC.
Trojan - a program that runs on your PC and performs
functions for someone else, such as copy files,
steal passwords or provide an entry point for a
hacker. The trojan may do something, such as a
screen saver, or it may be almost invisible to a
user. A trojan does not replicate itself.
Worm - a self replicating program A worm can copy
itself using email or a network, and can carry a
destructive payload. More commonly, the damage done
is through simply overloading computer networks as
the worm replicates exponentially.
If your PC is infected, you will need some clean
software to repair it. This is called a recovery
disk, and is made by the virus protection software.
Update the recovery disks every 6 months or so.
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Firewall
Why?
Your PC can have over 60,000 ports open, and a
cracker just needs to find one to get in. If a
cracker does get in, they can cause trouble for you
in many different ways.
One approach is to get your log on name and
password, which the cracker can use to gain internet
access at your expense and under your name. Another
route is for the cracker to get credit card details
from your PC, which they use to make purchases. You
might not know until they show up on your next bill.
Read more about PC security here and here. (Some
more notes)
A firewall is a program that watches all traffic
between your PC and the internet. It uses a table
showing which traffic is allowable, and stops the
rest.
CUSTOM-PC USES AVG for their firewall program..
There is a free version available for home use, or
you can purchase an upgraded version. There are
various other firewall products available.
When you have installed your firewall, check it is
working ok with the Shields Up port tester at Gibson
Research.
If you don't have a firewall, you should definitely
go there to learn how exposed your PC is!
What's the WinKey used for on the Windows keyboards?
WinKey = Displays taskbar and Start Menu
WinKey + E = Opens Explorer
WinKey + F = Opens Find
WinKey + R = Opens Run
WinKey + D = Maximize/Minimize all windows
WinKey + M = Minimize all windows
WinKey + Pause = Opens System Resources
WinKey + Tab = Flip between open application in the
taskbar
WinKey + CTRL + F = Finds a computer
WinKey + Shift + M = Maximize all "WinKey + E"
minimized windows
WinKey + Break = Displays the System Properties
sheet
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Restricting Logon Access
If you work in a multiuser computing environment,
and you have full (administrator level) access to
your computer, you might want to restrict
unauthorized access to your "sensitive" files under
Windows 95/98.
One way is to disable the Cancel button in the Logon
dialog box.
Just run Regedit and go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Network/Logon
Create the "Logon" subkey if it is not present on
your machine: highlight the Network key ->
right-click in the left hand Regedit pane -> select
New -> Key -> name it "Logon" (no quotes) -> press
Enter. Then add/modify a DWORD value and call it "MustBeValidated"
(don't type the quotes). Double-click it, check the
Decimal box and type 1 for value.
Now click the Start button -> Shut Down (Log off
UserName) -> Log on as a different user, and you'll
notice that the Logon Cancel button has been
disabled.
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NTFS vs. FAT
To NTFS or not to NTFS—that is the question. But
unlike the deeper questions of life, this one isn't
really all that hard to answer. For most users
running Windows XP, NTFS is the obvious choice. It's
more powerful and offers security advantages not
found in the other file systems. But let's go over
the differences among the files systems so we're all
clear about the choice. There are essentially three
different file systems available in Windows XP:
FAT16, short for File Allocation Table, FAT32, and
NTFS, short for NT File System.
FAT16
The FAT16 file system was introduced way back with
MS–DOS in 1981, and it's showing its age. It was
designed originally to handle files on a floppy
drive, and has had minor modifications over the
years so it can handle hard disks, and even file
names longer than the original limitation of 8.3
characters, but it's still the lowest common
denominator. The biggest advantage of FAT16 is that
it is compatible across a wide variety of operating
systems, including Windows 95/98/Me, OS/2, Linux,
and some versions of UNIX. The biggest problem of
FAT16 is that it has a fixed maximum number of
clusters per partition, so as hard disks get bigger
and bigger, the size of each cluster has to get
larger. In a 2–GB partition, each cluster is 32
kilobytes, meaning that even the smallest file on
the partition will take up 32 KB of space. FAT16
also doesn't support compression, encryption, or
advanced security using access control lists.
FAT32
The FAT32 file system, originally introduced in
Windows 95 Service Pack 2, is really just an
extension of the original FAT16 file system that
provides for a much larger number of clusters per
partition. As such, it greatly improves the overall
disk utilization when compared to a FAT16 file
system. However, FAT32 shares all of the other
limitations of FAT16, and adds an important
additional limitation—many operating systems that
can recognize FAT16 will not work with FAT32—most
notably Windows NT, but also Linux and UNIX as well.
Now this isn't a problem if you're running FAT32 on
a Windows XP computer and sharing your drive out to
other computers on your network—they don't need to
know (and generally don't really care) what your
underlying file system is.
The Advantages of NTFS
The NTFS file system, introduced with first version
of Windows NT, is a completely different file system
from FAT. It provides for greatly increased
security, file–by–file compression, quotas, and even
encryption. It is the default file system for new
installations of Windows XP, and if you're doing an
upgrade from a previous version of Windows, you'll
be asked if you want to convert your existing file
systems to NTFS. Don't worry. If you've already
upgraded to Windows XP and didn't do the conversion
then, it's not a problem. You can convert FAT16 or
FAT32 volumes to NTFS at any point. Just remember
that you can't easily go back to FAT or FAT32
(without reformatting the drive or partition), not
that I think you'll want to.
The NTFS file system is generally not compatible
with other operating systems installed on the same
computer, nor is it available when you've booted a
computer from a floppy disk. For this reason, many
system administrators, myself included, used to
recommend that users format at least a small
partition at the beginning of their main hard disk
as FAT. This partition provided a place to store
emergency recovery tools or special drivers needed
for reinstallation, and was a mechanism for digging
yourself out of the hole you'd just dug into. But
with the enhanced recovery abilities built into
Windows XP (more on that in a future column), I
don't think it's necessary or desirable to create
that initial FAT partition.
When to Use FAT or FAT32
If you're running more than one operating system on
a single computer (see Dual booting in Guides), you
will definitely need to format some of your volumes
as FAT. Any programs or data that need to be
accessed by more than one operating system on that
computer should be stored on a FAT16 or possibly
FAT32 volume. But keep in mind that you have no
security for data on a FAT16 or FAT32 volume—any one
with access to the computer can read, change, or
even delete any file that is stored on a FAT16 or
FAT32 partition. In many cases, this is even
possible over a network. So do not store sensitive
files on drives or partitions formatted with FAT
file systems.
The Start Menu can be leisurely when it decides to
appear, but you can speed things along by changing
the registry entry HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control
Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay from the default 400 to
something a little snappier. Like 0.
