Should I upgrade the CPU using an
Overdrive processor?
Upgrading your
computer's CPU with an Overdrive (or similar) processor can be a
cost-effective way to increase the performance of your computer.
An Overdrive processor is simply an add-on CPU that replaces your
original CPU, allowing your computer to process data at a higher level
of performance.
While this if often
a good idea, it's more important to consider the overall system before
investing in an Overdrive processor. If you've determined that
processing is the only subsystem that is creating a bottleneck in your
system, then opt for the Overdrive. You might decide to upgrade
the processor if your computer is aging and your work focuses on
computer-aided design (CAD), image manipulation, animation, or video
production. You could also upgrade the processor if you noticed
that your machine was taking a long time to recalculate spreadsheets or
create tables in your word processor.
If, instead, you
know that your video interface, RAM, and cache RAM are also contributing
to the slowdown, you may be better served by upgrading those components
first. These are the components that tend to most affect the
performance of computers used by business professionals, teachers and
gamers. You may also find that, once all your needs have been
categorized and the costs have been added up, you're better off
upgrading the entire motherboard (which might include a faster
processor, more cache RAM, and better video circuitry) or buying a new
computer.
Top
Do I have enough RAM?
Most computers that
are even six months or a year old have less RAM than is optimum for good
performance using Microsoft Windows.
RAM usage depends
on the operating system you use and the way you work. Up to a
point, RAM can actually speed up the performance of your operating
system and applications. After that minimum is reached, additional
RAM allows you to work with larger documents and with more applications
at one time. Although the official requirements from Microsoft may
vary, you should generally abide by the following RAM recommendations,
in megabytes (MB), for optimum performance:
- DOS only
If you only use Microsoft DOS and DOS-based applications, then 4MB
of RAM will suffice, while 8MB will allow you to run more advanced
games. 16-32 is required for some very advanced games.
- Windows 3.1
At least
8MB is necessary for satisfactory performance, with 16MB being
recommended for multitasking, gaming and multimedia applications.
- Windows 95 and
98 Even
though Microsoft recommends 16MB, we find that 32MB is the minimum
for decent performance with Windows 95, while you might want to
upgrade to 48MB (especially for Windows 98). 64MB or more is
recommended for Web designers, graphics professionals and anyone
dealing with multimedia (audio/video) creation.
- Windows NT and
OS/2 The
minimum for decent performance using advanced operating systems like
NT and OS/2 is 32MB with 64MB of RAM, so you should consider that to
be a minimum requirement for professional-level use of Windows
NT.
Top
I've got something I'd like to
upgrade or add to my system. Should I upgrade internally or
externally?
While many PC
upgrades are interface cards that must be installed internally, other
types of upgrades offer options. For instance, both internal and
external modems are available; external modems simply plug into a serial
port on the back of your PC. Similarly, removable media drives,
CD-ROM drives, image scanners and other peripherals can be added through
the ports on the back of your computer, or by way of internal interface
cards.
Each type of
upgrade has its advantages:
- Internal
upgrades often perform better because they're designed to interact
directly with the motherboard, instead of through an external port.
- Internal
components are often cheaper, because they don't require a specially
designed case, power connector and other parts.
- Internal
components generally don't keep you from using the external ports
for other upgrades, allowing you to add more components to your
system.
- External
upgrades are usually easier to perform and require less expertise to
install.
- External
components can offer more feedback in the way of digital displays,
lights and sounds that you how well they're functioning.
- External
components don't require (in the case of hard drives, CD-ROM drives,
and removable media drives) an open drive "bay" or room in
the computer case.
- External
components are more easily portable and can be used with other
desktop or notebook computers.
Top
Should I reformat my hard drive or
reinstall Windows after a problem?
No! Most
problems can be solved through much less destructive means. You'll
find that there's rarely a reason to reformat your hard disk, and doing
so may not have the result you intend. If you have a virus, for
instance, it may survive a hard disk format. That means you're
putting your data at risk and not necessarily killing the root
problem. Likewise, a Windows problem may not be solved by
reinstalling Windows over itself - Windows doesn’t overwrite every
file, and you may find you've lost your personalized settings and
special drivers, but not solved the root problem. Instead, you'll
see that there are less destructive alternatives throughout this
book. Bottom line? Reformatting or reinstalling Windows
should be the very last option you consider.
Top
How best do I upgrade to Windows 95 or
Windows 98?
Stepping up to
Windows 95 and Windows 98 isn't the nightmare that many people make it
out to be. In reality, it's a painless few hours for the vast
majority of Windows 3.x users. To make the transition as smooth as
possible, make sure you take these preliminary measures:
- Back up your
data. Don't use the Windows 3.1 backup utility, because
it isn't compatible with the backup program provided in Windows
95. Instead, use a third-party utility that you can install in
Windows 95 or 98 in the event that you need to recover lost
data. It's also a good idea to copy truly essential data to
floppies, so you can have instant access to them.
Note:
By "data" I mean the documents and files that comprise
your unique work. If you still own the original diskettes or
CD-ROMs for your applications, you can reinstall them if you have any
trouble. You should still back up any patches or upgrades to that
software that you may not have saved to floppy diskette or removable
disk.
- Find updated
drivers for all of your expansion devices, like video cards, modems
and scanners. That way you'll have them handy when Windows
asks you for them. (Check the box your peripherals came in for
Windows 95/98-compatible diskettes, or surf over to the
manufacturer's Web site to check for updated drivers.)
- See if your
existing hardware is supported under Window 95 or 98. Check
the setup.txt file on the Windows CD-ROM for a list of supported
hardware. If your hardware is particularly old or obscure, you
may need to use generic drivers that don't take advantage of special
features in your hardware.
- Disable
everything in the autoexec.bat and config.sys files that isn't
essential. Leave your CD-ROM drivers intact, for instance, but
kill virus checkers, sleep-mode timers, and other terminate and stay
resident (TSR) programs that might interfere with the
installation.
Tip:
Your first and best source for new drivers is always the hardware
manufacturer's Web page.
Top
Can I recover deleted or lost files?
Yes. In
Windows, you can recover most files that you've deleted by checking the
Recycle Bin, a storage facility that temporarily holds files you've
deleted. The Recycle Bin has no jurisdiction in DOS,
however. If you want protection there, you should purchase a
utility program like Norton Utilities. Norton's Recycle Bin
captures deleted programs in DOS as well as Windows, so you can recover
any accidentally deleted files.
There are some
other DOS utilities you can use to recover deleted files, but they're
less reliable. Since DOS has not native protection built in for
recovering deleted files, anything you do to the hard disk before
attempting recovery - saving new files, optimising the hard disk, and so
on - can potentially wipe the file away forever. As soon as you
realize you accidentally deleted something, you should stop everything
and try to get it back. If you're using a pre-Windows 95 version
of DOS, you can try Microsoft's Undelete command. Otherwise, use a
third-party program like Norton Utilities.
Top
How do I get Windows to load for troubleshooting?
Windows doesn't
always load properly - sometimes it'll freeze halfway, and sometimes
you'll have a conflict with a certain file (like a video driver) that
prevents Windows from starting at all. Windows 95 has a special
mode - called Safe Mode - designed to get you into Windows in just such
a situation. Safe Mode launches without starting any driver that
might cause problems, like the CD-ROM, advanced video drivers, or
network connections. Freed from possible conflicts, you can
troubleshoot Windows safely.
To get into Safe
Mode, press F8 when the "Starting Windows 95" message
appears. Choose "Start Windows in Safe Mode" from the
menu. To check for errors in your computer's startup sequence, you
can also choose Step-by-Step Confirmation, which allows you to see the
effect of every command in the autoexec.bat file and config.sys file as
they're executed.
Top
What do I do when Windows doesn't shut down
properly?
Any number of
problems can cause your PC to never make it all the way to the screen
that announces "It is now safe to shut down your PC".
Instead, it'll hang on for all eternity - or until you just shut it off
- on the screen that says "Please wait while your computer shuts
down". If this problem plagues you, there's some
good news and some bad news. The good news is that it is
fixable. The bad news is that any number of problems can cause
this annoying quirk, so you may need to try a number of things to get it
working.
Start by checking
the bootlog.txt file in your C:\Windows folder or your C:\root
folder. It will end with a line that says "terminate="
or "EndTerminate=". The last item should lead you to the
source of the problem. If it says "KERNEL", that
indicates things proceeded normally.
Any other item is a
warning flag. Also look to see that every item has a
"terminate=" and "EndTerminate=" entry - if a driver
(such as Unload Network, for instance) is missing "EndTerminate=",
then that driver is probably the culprit.
Note:
While the file should end with either "terminate=" or
"EndTerminate", all the intermediate entries in the field need
both "terminate=" and "EndTerminate=".
- One or more of
your applications may not be shutting down properly. To test this,
remove applications from the Window's Startup folder or start
Windows with the SHIFT key held down. Also, disable any
programs listed in the "LOAD=" and "RUN=" lines
of the win.ini.file. Do this by inserting a semicolon at the
start of each affected line. With all autostarting programs
disabled, start and shut down Windows. If the problem goes
away, you can experiment by adding programs back one at a time until
you find the culprit.
- A virtual device
may be corrupted or causing a conflict. Use the semicolon
method mentioned in the previous point to disable every line in the
system.ini file that starts with "DEVICE=" and ends with
"386". If that solves the problem, remove the
semicolons one at a time and test the configuration until you find
the driver that causes problems.
- It may be
something in the autoexec.bat or config.sys file. Press F8
when the "Starting Windows 95" message appears and choose
Step-by-Step Confirmation. Say yes to the following options:
- Process the
System Registry
- Himem.sys
- Ifshlp.sys
- Start the
Graphical User Interface
Say no to
everything else. If Windows shuts down properly this time, you
know what to do: experiment by enabling drivers and files one at a time.
- It's possible
that a corrupt sound file set to play on exit is causing the
hang-up. Choose Start/Settings/Control Panel and choose
Sounds. Click Exit Windows and change the sound to None.
If that fixes the problem, delete the sound from your hard disk
and/or choose, another for Windows Exit.
- Windows itself
may have a corrupted file. Reinstall Windows, or, if you have
enough hard disk space, try installing a new copy of Windows to a
new directory.
If none of those
solutions work, you probably have defective hardware that is impeding
"Windows" ability to shut down.
Top
Data Loss
Losing Your
Critical Data
At some
point, everyone who works on a computer will experience data loss. It
could be caused by mechanical failure, software glitches, data
corruption, fire or other natural disasters, virus invasion or even
something as simple as operator error. In many cases it is caused by a
number of factors. What ever the cause might be, the problem is the same
you can't access your valuable data.
Storing Data On Your Hard
DriveKnowing how
your computer stores data makes it easier to understand the causes of
data loss. Hard disk drives store data on one or more metal oxide
platters, which spin at a rate of 3,000-10,000 revolutions per minute,
holding magnetic charges. A read/write head attached to an actuator arm
hovers 1-2 microinches (one millionth of an inch) above the surface of
the platters. Data flows to and from these heads via electrical
connections. Any force that alters this process may cause data loss to
occur.
Despite
technological advances in the reliability of magnetic storage media,
data loss continues to rise, making data recovery more important than
ever. Ontrack engineers have identified three trends that are leading to
this increase in lost data.
1. More data is being stored in
smaller spaces. Today's
hard drives store 500 times the data stored on the drives of a decade
ago. Increasing storage capacities amplify the impact of data loss,
making mechanical precision more critical.
2. Data has become more
mission-critical.
Hospital
patient records. A graduate disertation. Personal finance and tax
information. Payroll records. Users today are storing more information
electronically than ever. The loss of mission critical data can have
staggering financial, legal and productivity ramifications on businesses
and home users alike.
3. Backup tools and techniques are
not 100% reliable. Most
computer users rely on backups as their safety net in the event of data
loss (a recommended practice). Ontrack research indicates that 80
percent of its data loss customers regularly back up their data, only to
find them less than adequate at the critical moment they need to restore
them. Backups assume that hardware and storage media are in working
order; that the data is not corrupted, and that your backup is recent
enough to provide full recovery. In reality, hardware and software do
fail and backups don't always contain current enough data.
Leading Causes of
Data Loss
Here's a list of
the most common causes of data loss. Click on the cause of data loss to
see a listing of possible symptoms, examples and ways you can protect
your data.
Hardware or System
Malfunctions (44 percent of all data loss)
Possible Symptoms
Error message
stating the device is not recognized
Previously
accessible data suddenly gone
Scraping or
rattling sound
Hard drive not
spinning
Computer hard drive
doesn't function
Examples
Electrical failure
Head/media crash
Controller failure
Preventive
Measures
Protect electrical
components by using computers in a dry, shaded, dust-free area
Protect against
power surges with an uninterruptable power supply (UPS)
Do not shake or
remove the covers on hard drives or tapes.
Human Error (32
percent of all data loss)
Possible Symptoms
Previously
accessible data suddenly gone
Message similar to
"File Not Found"
Examples
Accidental
deletion or drive format
Trauma caused by
drop or fall
Preventive
Measures
Never attempt any
operation, like installations or repairs, with which you don't have
experience
Avoid moving your
computer, especially when it's in operation
Software Corruption
(14 percent of all data loss)
Possible symptoms
System messages
relating to memory errors
Software
application won't load
Error message
stating data is corrupted or inaccessible
Examples
Corruption caused
by diagnostic or repair tools
Failed backups
Configuration
complexity
Preventive
Measures
Back up data
regularly
Use diagnostic
utilities with caution
Computer Viruses (7
percent of all data loss)
Possible Symptoms
Blank screen
Strange and
unpredictable behavior
Error message
stating "File Not Found"
Message announcing
virus appears on screen
Examples
Boot
sector viruses
File infecting
viruses
Polymorphic viruses
Preventive
Measures
Use a good
anti-virus package
Obtain software
from reputable sources
Scan all incoming
data, including packaged software, for viruses
Natural Disasters
(3 percent of all data loss)
Possible Symptoms
While floods and
earthquakes have obvious symptoms, brownouts and lightning strikes often
leave no clues
Examples
Fires
Floods
Brownouts
Preventive
Measures
Store tested
backups in an off-site location
Install a UPS
Don't store
critical data in a flood plain
Top
|
