Computer Info – March 21, 2001
This Week’s Program         Looks like a good week for questions, answers and discussions. So please bring your questions and discussion topics along and share your problems or solutions with the group. System Resources      What is a system resource? These are regions of memory that have been set aside for keeping track of internal tasks such as
            * number and location of windows that are currently open
            * certain controls such as buttons and checkboxes on those windows
            * graphical objects like fonts and cursors
            * active COM or LPT ports
            * continually polling any timers that might be active
            * list-boxes and their contents
To conserve system resources, try to avoid situations that tend to use them up too quickly. A decline in system resources is usually due to some combination of
            * multiple applications open at one time
            * you are running a Windows 3.x program under Windows 95 or higher
            * there is very little free hard drive space
            * hidden applications or utilities are running
            * one or more of your applications is eating up and not relinquishing memory
Shortage of hard drive space can cause problems with system resources. Why – since system resources are regions in memory? When you are running low on system resources (those regions in memory) then the operating system starts to use a swapfile (a portion of your hard drive) as virtual memory. Therefore, if there is not enough room on your hard drive, it cannot use it as virtual memory. Make sure that you are letting Windows manage your swapfile for you: Click the START button, SETTINGS, and CONTROL PANEL and double-click the SYSTEM icon. In the dialog box, click PERFORMANCE and VIRTUAL MEMORY. Click the LET WINDOWS MANAGE MY VIRTUAL MEMORY radio button.
        Adding more memory is generally fairly inexpensive and will solve a host of system resource problems.
        If there are any hidden programs (they are usually launched through the STARTUP folder under START-PROGRAMS) – you can tell by the numbers of icons you will have next to the clock on the taskbar – you should delete the ones that you do not use. To delete the ones that are launched by the STARTUP folder – follow these steps – Click the START button, SETTINGS, TASKBAR AND START MENU. Click the START MENU PROGRAMS tab. Click REMOVE. In the REMOVE SHORTCUTS/FOLDERS list, click the plus sign next to STARTUP. Select each item and click REMOVE. You don’t really need many of the mini-applications that run at startup; most often they are inserted by well-meaning applications when you install the main application and it is perfectly safe to close them.
        Poorly written applications may not free up all of the resources it was allocated. This is known as a memory leak and is not at all uncommon. Installing the latest version of (or the latest patch for) the application will often take care of this. Windows 95 itself had a fairly severe memory leak, especially noticeable when accessing the Internet. If you are running Windows 95, consider going to Microsoft’s web site and downloading the Windows 95 Kernell 32 Update to correct this. A Viewpoint of Windows ME that I read         One of the biggest disappointments in computing in the year 2000 is Windows Me, which is just the Windows 98 jalopy with a new paint job. And Microsoft made an almost unthinkable blunder when it designed Windows Me: It created a "System Restore" feature that, tragically, restores computer viruses to full health after your antivirus software deletes them.
        We thought we would add this because of the implication about restoring viruses. It definitely gives us something to think about. The same thing could be true of any backup method.. BSOD – the Blue Screen of Death         The BSOD – Blue Screen of Death. How many times we have seen this. It says to Press Any Key To Return To Windows – this almost never works. And when it does, the system may remain unstable. Just reboot the machine. If it’s really locked up, pressing CTRL-ALT-DELETE may not work and you may have to actually turn off the computer and restart it. Although rare, it’s possible to lock up a machine so completely that the Power button no longer works, and you have to unplug the computer. The BSOD can’t really hurt you, and it almost never means that there is anything permanently wrong with your computer. Just reboot and you will usually be fine. Preventing Data Loss 1. Organize your data
        This is something that we mention time and time again. Organize your data. Create folders to keep your data is one place for easy backup. A good place today, is to create your folders under the MY DOCUMENTS folder.
2. Equipment Failure
        Hardware malfunctions and failures as a result of electrical shorts, static electricity, and hard drive crashes cause 44% of all user data loss.
        To help prevent this, move your computer carefully when necessary to avoid jarring delicate components. Keep your computer away from static electricity, humidity and drastic temperature changes.
3. Accidental Deletions
        Check your recycle bin. If your file is listed there, you can right-click on it and choose RESTORE.
4. Viruses
        The best protection you can have against viruses destroying your data files is to have an up-to-date antivirus program. But you should also be aware of the content you download and what types of e-mail attachments you open. Don’t download files from newsgroups and be wary of e-mail attachments with .EXE and .VBS extensions that could launch malicious programs.
5. Power Surges
        Less common than accidental deletions, power surges can result in data loss. To avoid this type of data loss, plug your system into surge suppressers or protectors. No protector or suppressor can protect your equipment from a surge caused by a nearby or direct lightning strike, so it’s a good idea to unplug your computer when severe weather is on the way. Beginner’s Section Create a Folder on Your Desktop
        To create a folder on your desktop, right click on your desktop (but NOT on an icon) and choose NEW from the menu choices – then FOLDER. This will place a folder (an icon that looks like a file folder) on your desktop and the name of the folder (NEW FOLDER) will be highlighted and the cursor will already be in the box. DO NOT MOVE YOUR MOUSE OF CLICK ANYWHERE – all you have to do in order to give the folder a name that you would like, is to place your fingers on the keyboard and start typing. This will automatically erase the current name of the folder (which is NEW FOLDER) and replace it with whatever you type. Press ENTER on the keyboard when you are finished typing the new name.
        Why create a folder on your desktop? To help with the cluster of icons you have on your desktop and put some organization to the desktop. You can now right-click and drag your icons from the desktop and place them on top of the folder (which will place it in the folder without opening the folder). When you release the mouse button, you will be ask if you wish to COPY HERE – MOVE HERE – CREATE A SHORTCUT HERE. The choice is yours – but the whole object was to clean up the desktop, so I would assume that you would want to choose MOVE HERE.