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BOOT CAMP 144
PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE
The PC that doesn’t go wrong hasn’t been invented -- and by
the way, that includes the holy Apple Mac. In fact modern PCs are amazingly
reliable, considering how complicated they are and what they’re used for,
component failures are thankfully quite rare. Most faults are software related
or are caused by external influences, such as clumsily installed peripherals,
the owner having a fiddle, physical shock and very occasionally high voltage
‘spikes’ on the mains power supply or telephone line frying delicate
microchips.
Hardware faults are almost impossible to prevent, you can
greatly reduce the chances of damage to your PC by power surge and thermal shock
by not switching it on and off any more than is necessary. Leave it on if you
use it throughout the day and use Power Management in Control Panel to minimise
power consumption if it’s going to be idle for long periods. Fitting a surge
protector to the mains lead, and unplugging the telephone lead during
thunderstorms is a good idea, and not messing around with the insides of your PC
– unless you know what you are doing – is highly recommended! If your PC
operates in a smoky or dusty environment you should regularly give your disc
drives a run-through with good quality floppy and CD-ROM cleaners, otherwise a
clean up every two or three months should be sufficient.
However, there is a lot you can do to avoid software-related
problems, and that’s what we’re focusing on in this week’s Boot Camp. I make no
apologies for repeating advice that has appeared in previous episodes of Boot
Camp and the F!F!F! column. The concept of preventative maintenance will be new
to a lot of new PC users and it doesn’t hurt to remind old hands about the
basics, judging by the many tales of woe we hear that could have been easily
avoided…
Without any doubt whatsoever the number one cause of PC
problems is the user not reading the instructions when installing a piece of
hardware or software. I’m as guilty as anyone but I have come up with a
solution. Take a Post-It note, write on it in very large letters ‘RTFM’ and
stick it to the front of your PC. RTFM is what service engineers mutter under
their breath when confronted with faults that wouldn’t have happened if the user
had bothered to READ THE FLIPPING MANUAL, (or words to that effect…).
Next on the list of trouble spots is detritus from
uninstalled software. Virtually all Windows programs copy files to multiple
locations on the disc drive and modify the Windows Registry during the
installation process. If you simply delete a program folder in Windows Explorer
so-called ‘orphan files’ or fragments of the program remain behind, just itching
for the chance to conflict with Windows and other applications and crash your
PC. Most programs nowadays come with their own uninstaller utilities, wherever
possible use them, or go to Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel.
However, it’s better not to take chances and as soon as
possible after you’ve bought a new PC or re-installed Windows, load a
housekeeping utility like CleanSweep or Nuts And Bolts. These programs monitor
every new program you put onto your PC, so that when the time comes they can be
cleanly removed. They will also look for orphans, clutter, duplicate files and
programs you no longer use, offer to remove them or make compressed backups,
until you are ready to delete them permanently.
Never install or remove more than one program at a time and afterwards
always re-boot the PC and watch for unexpected displays or error messages.
As you add and delete software the structure of the filing
system on your PC’s hard disc drive becomes disorganised or ‘fragmented’.
Eventually it could lead to files being more easily lost or corrupted but long
before that happens the time it takes for your PC to access information will
increase as the read-write heads in the drive search for bits of files spread
about your disc drive. This also increases the rate of wear and tear on
mechanical components. Defragging your PC on a weekly or monthly basis,
depending whether you are a moderate or light user, will keep your computer’s
filing system in good order. There are several versions of the Defrag program,
depending which Windows you are using. In Windows 98 there are two, the one in
Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools has the option to
organise files according to how often they are used, which helps speed up access
times. The other one, which is launched by right clicking on the drive icon in
My Computer and selecting Properties > Tools works well and is usually a
little quicker. You should run Scandisk before Defrag (also in System Tools and
under Tools in My Computer), every few months use the ‘Thorough’ option, but
leave yourself plenty of time as it can take several hours. If at any time
Scandisk finds any errors or bad sectors take that as a timely warning that your
disc drive could fail and it is time to get it replaced.
Finally, the obvious stuff that most of us seem to forget:
make sure your virus scanner is kept up to date, make frequent backups of any
files that cannot be replaced, backup essential system files (see Boot Camps 81
and 82 on Crash Recovery) Make sure you have an up to date emergency
startup disc (Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Program
> Startup disk tab) and keep a four-leaf clover/rabbits foot/piece of wood to
hand, just in case…
Next week – When the worst happens, where to find help
JARGON FILTER
BAD SECTORS
Parts of the hard disc drive which the test utility Scandisk
marks as being faults and incapable of reliably storing data. A sudden increase
in the number of bad sectors is often a sign that the drive is damaged or
starting to deteriorate
REGISTRY
A large, constantly changing file in Windows containing
details of how your PC is set up and configuration information for all the
programs stored on the hard disc
SURGES AND SPIKES
Potentially damaging high voltage transients carried on the
mains supply and on telephone lines
TOP TIP
There are several frequently-used multiple key shortcuts in
Windows, like Ctrl + Alt + Del (to bring up the close program menu) and Alt +
Tab (to switch between running applications) and dozens more in applications
like Word, Excel and Outlook. Windows 95/98/2000 & ME has a nifty way to
avoid two and three finger gymnastics, it’s called ‘Sticky Keys’ and it’s one of
the Accessibility Options in Control Panel. It’s aptly named because instead of
pressing and holding a sequence of keys, you simply press each one in turn, your
PC’s internal speaker bleeps at you to confirm each key press. The facility can
be easily switched on and off by pressing the shift key five times in quick
succession.
Sticky Keys is not
always installed by default, if you can’t see the Accessibility Options icon in
Control Panel click on Add/Remove in Control Panel, select the Windows tab then
Accessibility and follow the instructions. To enable Sticky Keys open
Accessibility Options and select the Keyboard tab, use the Settings button to
change the way it behaves. Whilst you’re there you might also like to switch on
the Caps Lock bleeper, which also uses the PC’s built-in speaker.
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