Computer Info – November 6, 2002

This Week’s Meeting

Take a look at items in the past handouts – watch a computer instruction course for Windows 98 – questions and answers.

Watch Those Pop-Up Stoppers

Many of the large ISP’s or computer manufacturers are now offering technical help online – their chat feature is usually in a separate window that opens when you contact them. Pop-up stopper programs do not know the different between whether the window is opening to show you an advertisement or if it is opening to allow you to chat with a technician.

I am not saying that you should stop using these types of programs – just learn to understand them. If you are trying to contact a tech and nothing seems to happen – try turning your pop-up stopper program off.

Where to look for software that could be slowing your computer

Startup Folder

The first place to look for programs that load automatically is the STARTUP folder (click Start, Programs, Startup). Everything you see in this folder loads automatically when Windows starts. Scan through the list and get rid of anything you know you don’t want, deleting each one by right-clicking the icon and selecting DELETE.

A good example of a program to delete is Microsoft Office Startup, which waits in memory for you to load one of the Office applications. All it does is speed up the loading of those applications, but you can get rid of it and notice very little or absolutely no difference.

System Tray

Now look at the System Tray, located at the far right of the Taskbar. Any number of small icons may appear in this tray, each one indicating a program that is loaded into memory when Windows starts – and the more you can get rid of, the faster Windows will load.

Roxio’s DirectCD is usually loaded into the System Tray waiting for you to insert a CD-RW, at which point it activates the wizard that lets you decide what to do with the disc. So unless you write to CD-RW’s frequently, there is no reason to have it load when Windows starts.

There are two ways of removing these icons from the System Tray. The first is to double-click on an icon – which will open the program. Then it consists of searching for options – preferences – or settings to find a way to stop it from loading automatically. There is no standard to find where this is – each program is different.

The other way is to run MSCONFIG (START – RUN – type in MSCONFIG – and click OK). When the program opens, click on the STARTUP tab. Look for the programs that you know you don’t want to run and remove the checkmark from it. One good feature of this is the fact that you can come back and replace the checkmark if you find that you would like it to run.

BIOS

BIOS – Basic Input/Output System. Most people never know that it exists – except for a brief instruction on the screen for entering Setup when you first turn your computer on. But the BIOS is essential. BIOS is software and its job is to make your hardware work so your PC will work. The BIOS code controls the keyboard, monitor, hard and floppy drives, and serial ports. It begins its work without an OS (operating system like Windows) and with no other software loaded. When BIOS is loaded, then it allows Windows to load into memory.

You can change settings in the BIOS Setup program, a small, battery-retained chunk of memory that resides on a chip. Technically, the name of the BIOS setup program is the CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor). The name comes from the way the chip is created – using layers of metal-oxide semiconductors.

To access the CMOS -- when you start your computer, the BIOS checks the hardware with POST (power on self test) – near the end of that test, you will see a message on the screen, telling you to press a certain key to enter Setup. Different computer manufacturers use different keys. Press the key indicated and you will go to the CMOS opening page, which is a table of contents. Your mouse will not work in this program, so you must use your keyboard (TAB key or UP and DOWN arrows keys, spacebar, left and right arrow keys and the ENTER key).

Be careful if you make a change – ONLY MAKE ONE CHANGE AT A TIME. The reason for this is if you have problems, you can re-enter CMOS and return the setting to its previous one. So, if you make a change, record what the setting is before you make the change.

Look for automatic restore functions. Newer computers may have three: Load Old Values, Load Optimal Settings, and Load Best Performance Settings. If your computer was working before you made changes in the CMOS, any one of those options should make it work again. Load Old Values means to return the CMOS to the settings that existed before you last booted. Load Optimal Settings means to restore the CMOS to the default settings recommended by the BIOS manufacturer. Load Best Performance Settings is almost the same, but the default values are those suggested by the computer manufacturer.

Video Cards

Circuit City had an ad in Sunday’s flyer for two different ATI Radeon video cards. One cost $399 and the another was $39. Which one do you buy????

The Radeon 9700 Pro 128MB DDR AGP 8X Video Card says it has 128MB DDR memory that will accelerates the latest 3D games . It has 256-bit memory interface that removes hardware performance bottleneck and provides end users with faster 3D graphics. It is the industry's first 8-pixel pipeline architecture, providing twice the rendering power of any currently competing product. It supports the new AGP 8X standard, providing a high-speed link between the graphics board and the rest of the PC (2.0 GB/sec). And it is the first to fully support DirectX 9.0 and the latest OpenGL functionality.

The Radeon 7000 64MB DDR AGP Video Card says it has a powerful double data rate memory and delivers enhanced 3D and 2D performance. It supports DirectX and OpenGL allowing for superior graphics and 3D textures that add a more natural look to game environments. It will process full-frame rate, full-screen DVD or MPEG-2 video. It uses award-winning technology from ATI’s successful graphics accelerators for consistent, stable performance.

Okay – so what? Somehow that doesn’t tell me which one to buy.

The high end graphics cards are for gamers – Flight Simulator – race cars – simulation games and others. They need the highest performance cards you can buy. We have installed and experimented with Flight Simulator 2002 on numerous computers. And, by doing this, you can see the vast difference there is in the scenery – much more complexity and stability when you have a high-end graphics card.

Most other programs are completely satisfactory with a middle of the road graphics card. BUT, when you purchase a computer, please keep in mind the fact that some time in the future you may become interested in doing more with your computer.