If you've got questions, I might have answers

[da Big Guy]

Welcome to "Computer Talk" - the place to come to ask questions about your computer.

I know that some computer users are what many people call "computer challenged". These
are owners of computers who simply wish for them to do what they want them to do - without
caring how they work. And then there are other users who are concerned about the "innards"
of their computers - such as people like myself.

This forum is being setup to allow those of you who have questions about your computer. I
cannot guarantee that I will be able to answer your questions, but feel free to post here. I do
have some suggestions however that may help your computer to run better and more efficiently.
Heck, I might even be able to save you a buck or two on computer repairs in the future.

So you are asking "what type of computer and operating system do you (I) support?" Primarily
PC's (both software and hardware). Although I have worked with MacIntosh systems in the past
years, it was a looooong time ago and I doubt that I'd even be able to help you with Mac's now.

My primary computer is a Pentium III running at 1 GHz (1000 Mhz). It has 512 MB of RAM (Random
Access Memory), 80 GB (GigaByte) Hard drive, 52X24X52 CDR / RW CD-ROM / Burner (Compact
Disc Read only) / (ReWritable) (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) and Broadband (Highspeed)
RoadRunner Cable Modem Internet access. I also have a small home network setup to allow my
wife and computer(s) in my home-shop access to the Internet. Setting up this LAN (Local Area
Network) was pretty easy and fairly low cost. I am running Microsoft Windows XP Professional.

Here are some other sites that you may wish to visit. Sometimes it comes in handy to have more
than just one location to go to get questions answered and to see other points of view covering a
given subject.

The Computer Lady - asktcl.com/

PC Hell - www.pchell.com/

* FREEWARE and SHAREWARE Software Utilities I use...

Some software that I use to help keep my computer free of "bugs" and "spyware" are:

FREE AVG Anti-Virus software - free.grisoft.com/doc/1

- An Excellent FREE Anti-Virus program - it has done an excellent of keeping my system and some
of my clients computers free of infection(s).

Spybot Search & Destroy - www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

-Another Excellent FREE (although you can donate) Anti-Spyware program that will help to keep
your computer free of SPYWARE and Keyloggers. The current version as of 7/2/05 is version 1.4.

Zone Alarm Firewall - www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp

-For a FREE firewall, it is a good one. Of course you can upgrade to the latest "full-feature" version
if you so desire in the future. Be sure to read all help files to learn how to "train" your firewall.

These programs will do a good job of helping to keep your computer clean of the "junk" that can
attach itself to PC's. But none of them will do you any good if you don't keep them updated - as in
updating the database(s) and anti-virus signature database(s). So don't just install them and the
forget about them, get to know the programs. Take the time to read the help files and the readme
files that come with them so that you the user, can get the most out of them!

Dealing with "slowdowns"...

Another thing that you the user can do is to keep your computer's hard drive DEFRAGMENTED.

Why should I defrag?

When Windows creates a new file on your hard drive, it will find some empty space, and save the
file to the empty space. When a file is deleted, you will get a hole at that location which is later filled
by a new file and so on. The problem is, not all files are of the same size. The solution is to split the
files into smaller equally sized parts. This way, when you delete one file and save another one, the
parts of the new file will fit into the holes of free space.

After a while your files will be scattered all over your hard drive. When you try to read a particular file,
your computer will have to search your hard drive for all the small parts. The searching for the small
parts of the program can take a lot of time and sometimes lots of processing power.

When you run Defrag, all the small pieces on your hard drive will be reorganized so that each file
from each particular program is stored sequentially. This will increase the speed of your computer
system dramatically.

When you run the DEFRAG program (START | PROGRAMS | ACCESSORIES | SYSTEM TOOLS | DISK
DEFRAGMENTER), be sure that there are no other programs running in the background. Otherwise,
the Defrag program may never be able to complete it's operation. I make sure to have my screen
savers disabled and all of my background programs (IM software, WeatherBug and other non-essential
programs) shut down. I keep both my Anti-Virus and Firewall software programs loaded and shut down
nearly everthing else. You can move your mouse over the icon(s) in the TASK BAR and either right or
left-click the icon to bring up it's menu.

DO NOT use the computer while the Disk Defragmenter is running. I STRONGLY suggest that you start the program before you go to bed and just let it run until it is done. Once the DEFRAG operation is finished then consider restarting the computer - to reload all things that you may have disabled.

DISCLAIMER: I do not do technical support for any of the above listed programs. If you have a problem that cannot be resolved by reading up on the program (help files, etc.) then you should contact the software's website for more help.

OK, this should do it for now.

[MrBen]

Now that is an awesome idea.... I do see myself utilizing this board in the future....

[da Big Guy]

Those of you who have computers that are 3 to 5 years old but still wish to keep them or have plans
to keep them will want to pay attention to these points.

You need to "take inventory" of your computer and it's hardware. Most newer programs (esp. games)
require so much more computing power than programs from prior years. So it is a good idea to know
how much ram (memory) and hard drive space (total and free) as well as type of cpu (processor) that
are installed into your computer.

To get memory total, go to the Control Panel (START | SETTINGS | CONTROL PANEL) and double-click
on the "System" icon. The very first thing you will see in the "System Properties" screen is the window
that shows "System", "Registered To" and "Computer" information. What you are primarily concerned
with is the "System:" and the "Computer:" information.

In my case it reads:

Microsoft Windows XP
Professional
Version 2002
Service Pack 1

You also need the "Computer: info.

My scenario:

Intel Pentium III processor
995 MHz
512 MB of RAM

A good rule of thumb to follow for Total Installed Memory (RAM) is as follows:

Windows 98 / ME 256 MB Memory (minimum)
Windows 2000 and XP 512 MB Memory (minimum) - more for XP if gaming or video editing

To get the hard drive information in Windows 98 / ME or 2000, double-click (left button) the "My Computer"
icon on your desktop to open "My Computer" properties. Locate the "Local Disk (C:)" icon, right-click it
then move down the drop-down menu and select "Properties". On the "General" tab you should see a
graphic representation of the drive (pie-shaped / color-coded graphic). You should also see three (3)
seperate listings for "Used space:" and "Free space:" as well as "Capacity:". Yes, the numbers can be
quite confusing - bytes versus GB (Gigabyte) but it is still important to have a fairly good idea of the
Capacity (total combined storage space) and the amount of Free space left - especially if you are having
problems with installing a new program.

To get the same information in Windows XP, first find "Windows Explorer" (START | PROGRAMS |
ACCESSORIES | Windows Explorer) and open the program. Locate and open the My Computer icon to
reveal the Hard Drive which you wish to find the information about. As above, right-click on the icon
and move down to and select the Properties for this drive. The rest of the info gathering is pretty much
the same as above.

Some of you will have an option to "Compress drive to save space." Personally, with the amount of
inexpensive hard drives on the market I recomment that you don't waste time with disk compression
AND I feel that using this feature will really cause your computer to slow down as it is working with
compressed files. So find someone that can replace that small drive (if feasible) with a larger capacity
hard drive!

It is also a good idea to know what type of Video Adapter (output to the monitor) your computer has.
Most of the lower-priced computers have what is called "Shared Video" - where the video memory is
actually part of the system memory. For most applications this is ok. But for many of the newer games
and video-related applications (programs) your computer should have the ability to allow for an
updated Video Adapter to be installed into a free expansion slot (inside the computer). I'm not going
to cover installation of any parts - that I would suggest to you, the user, to find a trained computer
technician to do for you.

Find an OPEN area on the Desktop, right-click your mouse and move down to the "Properties" selection.
Next look for the "Settings" tab at the top of the screen and find the "Advanced" button on that screen
and click on it to open it. Next find the "Adapter" tab and click on it. Here is where you should be able
to find more detailed information on your installed video adapter.

In my case it is:

RADEON 7000 SERIES

(Adapter Information)
Chip Type: RADEON 7000 AGP (0x5159)
DAC Type: Internal DAC(350MHz)
Memory Size: 64 MB
Adapter String: RADEON 7000 SERIES
Bios Information: BK-AMI VER0008.004.008.000

What you are interested in is the "Chip Type" and the "Memory Size". Users of Windows 98, ME and
2000 may have slightly different information on their screen, but you will still want to have this info as
part of the "Computer Inventory Information".

What is the reason for gathering this information, you ask? Have you ever purchased or downloaded a
program only to find that it wouldn't work with your computer? Then you aren't reading the fine print or
"Program / System Requirements" which are usually found on the CD or Box (retail packaging) or
looking closely enough (researching the website) for the requirements to run the software package that
you are interested in. Yep, happens to me all the time and I'm working my way up the ladder to a much
"higher-end" system that will do what I want to do. But for now, I'm sticking with what I've got.

You will notice that I have NOT touched on Windows 95 Operating System. This version is NO LONGER
supported by Microsoft and I don't recommend that anyone consider buying a computer (would be a
used one) that has Windows 95 installed on it.