CompMod Ways to improve your computer’s performance CompMod Easy ways to improve your computer’s performance
Find out how to: • Defragment your drives • Check your data for errors • Free up disk space • Update Windows • Scan for viruses • Protect your computer against spyware • Enhance your color quality • Improve your monitor’s refresh rate • Change your screen resolution • Use Windows Safe Mode to fix errors • Use a DOS boot disk to fix errors • Re-format your hard drive and re-install Windows
© 2006 Matthew Elton
Written by Matthew Elton
Table of Contents: • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Defragmenting – Page 1 Error Checking – Page 3 Disk Cleanup – Page 4 Updating Windows – Page 9 Virus Scanning – Page 10 Spyware Scanning – Page 10 Improving Color Quality – Page 12 Adjusting Screen Resolution – Page 15 Improving Monitor Refresh Rate – Page 17 Task Manager and Safe Mode – Page 19 DOS Boot Disks – Page 24 Refirmatting and Reinstalling Windows – Page 29 Adding New Hardware – Page 31
Defragmenting Difficulty - Beginner How to defragment your hard drive: When running Windows, click on "Start" go to "Programs" (or in Windows XP "All Programs") then click on "Accessories." Then click "System Tools" and click "Disk Defragementer." Another way to access the Defragmenter is to go to "My Computer," right click on your harddrive (usually called c:\) click "Properties" click "Tools" and click "Defragement Now" What is Defragementing and Why Should I Do It? You defenently should defragment your hard drive if you haven't before. Anytime files are added to your hard drive, when you save a document, install a program, download files, etc. the files added to your drive aren't necassarily put in order on your hard drive. One part of a file might be on one part of your hard drive and another part of the file might be on a different part of the hard drive. When the files are at different places like this, your drive is fragmented. Your computer can still run fine on a fragmented drive, but it might be slower than normal because the device that reads the hard drive disk has to go back and forth to all different locations on the disk to read all the data of a fragmented file instead of just getting all the data from one spot on the drive. Defragmenting the drive won't free up space on your hard drive, but it will help your computer run faster because it will put related files and parts of files in order on your hard drive. You can defragment your hard drive anytime, I defragment mine all the time. You can use your computer and run other programs while defragmenting, but your computer will be slower while degfragmenting, because it's busy moving files around. Don't worry, once the defragmentation is complete, your computer will be faster. If it gets too slow and you want to do something, you can pause or stop the defragmentation at any time. Depending on how large your hard drive is, and how fragmented it is, a full defragmentation could take anywhere from ten minutes to ten hours Page 1
You can defragment your hard drive anytime, I do mine all the time. You can use your computer and run other programs while defragmenting, but your computer will be slower while degfragmenting, because it's busy moving files around. Don't worry, once the defragmentation is complete, your computer will be faster. If it gets too slow and you want to do something, you can pause or stop the defragmentation at any time. Depending on how large your hard drive is, and how fragmented it is, a full defragmentation could take anywhere from ten minutes to ten hours. Like I said, you don't have to do the whole defragmentation at once. You can run the defragmenter for a while, stop it, and start it up again later. The percentages and status bar will be back at 0%, but it go faster because it will start up where it left off. Your computer needs 15% of the hard drive empty to run a full defragmentation. You can still run the defragmenter with less free space, it won't harm anything. But with less than 15% free space, some large files may not be able to be defragmented so a full defragmentation may not be possible, but you can still do a partial defragmentation. I run the defragmenter anytime I'm not using my computer or am just doing somehing simple like typing a document. You can try accessing the internet or playing a game while the defragmenter is running, but it would probably be really slow, because the computer is busy moving files. Some slower computers might freeze if you try running a game or other intensive process while defragmenting. So go ahead and run the defragmenter. Once you've completed a full defragmentation, you hard drive will remain defragmented until you add a lot of data to it, like installing a program or downloading a lot of files or a large file. You can run defragmenter as often or as little as you want. Your computer doesn't have to be defragmented, but it will boost your computers performace. So for best performance, I'd reccommend defragmenting after you install a program or download a large file or group of files.
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Error Checking Difficulty: Beginner How to Run an Error Check: In Windows, go to “My Computer” then right click on the drive you wish to error check (Error checking your hard drive is most important, although removable disks such as Floppy Disks and USB Pen Drives can also be Error Checked). Then click on “Properties.” Click “Tools.” And under “Error Checking” click “Check Now” What is Error Checking And Why Should I do it? Errors on a drive usually occur when an application is adding something onto the drive and the computer shuts down suddenly (such as from a power outage or an improper shutdown – this is why you should always shut down from Start-ShutDown when you have programs running.) This leaves half a file on the drive, since the computer didn’t finish adding the whole file onto the drive. Disk error can also happen when a shortcut is left and the program It goes to is deleted, and other things can cause disk errors. Disk error usually don’t cause any major problems. However, it is possible for a disk error to spread and corrupt the drive. This is rare but can be major problem. If the corruption gets bad enough the drive cannot even be reformatted, meaning it’s totally broken. So it’s good to error check your drives every so often. Windows automatically runs an error check after an improper shutdown, however, it’s still a good idea to run an error check every so often. The Windows error checking program isn’t that great at finding errors. It only searches for major errors and ignores minor errors like missing shortcuts. There are much better error checking software available like PC SpeedScan Pro. Check out their website and download the trial version at: http://www.ascentive.com/run/click/tracksupport/global/pcspeeds can_2995buy_1yr?c1=supportdll_spdscn_buy With the trial version you can scan your computer to find out how many errors you have. Page 3
Unfortunently, you have to pay for the full version of PC SpeedScan Pro to fix these errors. Most computers have hundreds of minor errors, each error is usually a very tiny minor error that is no big deal. However, if you have enough of these errors they can add up and really sow your computer down or cause major problems. If you have over 1000 errors, you should probably purchase the full version of PC SpeedScan Prop and fix them. If you have less than 1000, it’s probably not worth the money. Just run Windows Error Checking to fix some of these errors for free. Disk Cleanup Difficulty: Beginner How to run a disk cleanup: Windows 98, 2000, ME, and XP come with a Disk Cleanup utility. To run a disk cleanup, go to "Start"then click "Programs" (or in Windows Xp, "All Programs") then click "Accessories" then click on "System Tools." Then click "Disk Cleanup." Another way to access disk cleanup is to go to My Computer, right click on the drive you want to cleanup (Disk cleanup is uaully done on a hard drive such as c:\) then click "Properties" and click on "Disk Cleanup" (note: in older versions of windows you might have to click on "Tools" after you click on "Properties" and then click "Disk Cleanup") What is Disk Cleanup and Why Should I Run it? Over time, unneccassary files accumulate on your hard-drive, taking up unneccassary space. The Disk Cleanup utility will find these files and delete them. This will free up space on your hard drive. You should run disk cleanup every so often, especially if your hard drive is low on free space. After running disk cleanup, the unneccassary files will be listed. These files will be catagorized in these groups: Temporary Internet Files, downloaded program files, offline webpages, files in the recycle bin, temporary files, and "compress old files." To the right of each catagory it will show how much disk space, in kilobytes (1,000 kilobytes = 1 megabyte). Page 4
Temporary internet files are pictures, text, sound and music files, and even videos that are downloaded to your computer every time you access a webpage to make that page work properly. After a few weeks, these files are automatically deleted. However, it's not a bad idea to delete them ahead of time. Deleting them will free up space on your hard drive and if your computer ever needs them again it can simply download them again. Click the little box to the left of the words "Temporary Internet Files" to put a check in the box if there is not check in the box and to take the check out of the box if there is a check in the box. If the box is checked when you click "Okay" the files will be deleted. If the box is not checked when you click "Okay" the files will not be deleted.
If you don't, make sure there is a check in the little box to the left of the words "Offline Webpages." If there is no check in the bix, click on the box to put a check the box to the left of "Offline Webpages." If you do want to keep the Offline Webpages, make sure there is no check in the little box to the left of the words "Offline Webpages." If there is a check there, click on it to clear the box.
Offline webpages are webpages you've saved to your computer, or "synchronized" so you;ll be able to view them when you're not connected to the internet. To save a webpage to your computer, just go to that page in Internet Explorer, click on "File" and click "Save As." If you have any offline webpages taking up space you should probably click right on "Offline Webpages" so it is highlited in blue, then click on "View Files." Take a look at the offline webpages and decide if you want to keep them or not.
Files in the Recycle Bin are files you've deleted. When you delete a file, it is not totally erased from your computer. It is just moved to the "Recycle Bin." The files stay in the Recycle Bin until you decide to permementally delete them. (If you decide you don't want to delete the files, and you want to move them out of the Recycle Bin, open up the Recycle Bin, it's usually on your desktop, then right click on the files you want to move out of the Recycle Bin and click "Restore" to move them back to where they were when you deleted them, or click "Cut" or "Move" to move them somewhere else. Go to where you want them in Windows Explorer and then go to "Edit" and click on "Paste.") Anyway, when deciding if you should delete the files in the Recycle Bin from the Disk Cleanup utility or not, click right on the words "Recycle Bin" so they are highlighted in blue. Then click "View Files." Take a look at the files and decide if you want to keep them or not. If you decide you don't really need them and you should delete them to free up space, make sure there's a checkmark in the little box to the left of the words "Recycle Bin" in theDisk Cleanup utility. If there's not, click on the box to put a checkmark there. If you decide you don't want to delete the files in the Recycle Bin, make sure there is no checkmark in the little box to the left of the words "Recycle Bin" in the Disk Cleanup utility. If there is a check in the box, click on it to clear the box.
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Downloaded program files are similar to Temporary Internet Files. They are active-x controls, java applets, and other computer code that is downloaded to your computer to make certain webpages work properly. Like Temporary Internet Files, they can be safely deleted to free up space on your hard drive. If your computer ever needs them again to access a webpage, it can just download them again. Click the little box to the left of the words "Downloaded Program Files" to put a check in the box if there is not check in the box and to take the check out of the box if there is a check in the box. If the box is checked when you click "Okay" the files will be deleted. If the box is not checked when you click "Okay" the files will not be deleted.
Files in the Recycle Bin are files you've deleted. When you delete a file, it is not totally erased from your computer. It is just moved to the "Recycle Bin." The files stay in the Recycle Bin until you decide to permementally delete them. (If you decide you don't want to delete the files, and you want to move them out of the Recycle Bin, open up the Recycle Bin, it's usually on your desktop, then right click on the files you want to move out of the Recycle Bin and click "Restore" to move them back to where they were when you deleted them, or click "Cut" or "Move" to move them somewhere else. Go to where you want them in Windows Explorer and then go to "Edit" and click on "Paste.") Anyway, when deciding if you should delete the files in the Recycle Bin from the Disk Cleanup utility or not, click right on the words "Recycle Bin" so they are highlighted in blue. Then click "View Files." Take a look at the files and decide if you want to keep them or not. If you decide you don't really need them and you should delete them to free up space, make sure there's a checkmark in the little box to the left of the words "Recycle Bin" in theDisk Cleanup utility. If there's not, click on the box to put a checkmark there. If you decide you don't want to delete the files in the Recycle Bin, make sure there is no checkmark in the little box to the left of the words "Recycle Bin" in the Disk Cleanup utility. If there is a check in the box, click on it to clear the box. Temporary files are files generated by Windows applications to make the application run properly. Large ammounts of these files are generated when installing large programs. The installer will use these files once, and then leave them there, never to use them again. The files are usually deleted automatically after a couple weeks, however, during that time they can take up a lot of space. Deleting Temporary files will not harm your computer. If your computer ever needs the files again, it can generate them again. Page 7
I would recommend deleting any temporary files taking up space on your hard drive, especially if they are taking up more than fifty megabytes (50,000 killobytes). Click the little box to the left of the words "Temporary Files" to put a check in the box if there is not check in the box and to take the check out of the box if there is a check in the box. If the box is checked when you click "Okay" the files will be deleted. If the box is not checked when you click "Okay" the files will not be deleted. "Compress Old Files" are files that you haven't used in the last fifty days. Since these files could be important, the Disk Cleanup utility will not delete them. Instead, it will compress them. Compressing them means it will "shrink" the files, so they won't take up much space. The contents of the files will not be changed at all. When the files are used again, they will be decompressed. This may make accessing the file a little slower then normal since the file must be decompressed before opening it. However, old files are ones you probably don't access that much anyway, so I would defenently recommend compresing any old files, especially if they take up more than fifty megabytres, (50,000 killobytes). Click the little box to the left of the words "Compress Old Files" to put a check in the box if there is not check in the box and to take the check out of the box if there is a check in the box. If the box is checked when you click "Okay" the old files will be compressed. If the box is not checked when you click "Okay" the old files will not be compressed. To the left of each catagory is a small box. If you click an empty box, a checkmark apepars in it. If you click on a box with a checkmark in it, it becomes an empty box. Make sure there are checkmarks in all the boxes next to the catagories of files you want to delete/compress, and that the catagories of files you don't want to delete/compress have empty boxes next to them. Then click okay. The files for each catagory of unneccassary files that has a checked box next to it will be deleted, except for the compress old files catagory, if there is a Page 8
check in the box for that catagory the files will be compressed, not deleted. The files in the catagories with empty boxes will be kept the same, they will not be deleted or compressed. Disk cleanup might sound a bit confusing when reading this long set of instructions I gave for it. However, once you run the program you'll see it's actually pretty simple. I reccommend running Disk Cleanup any time you're low on free space. Updating Windows Difficulty: Beginner To make sure your Windows operating system is working at its best, you should keep Windows up to date. Every so often, Microsoft makes new updates for Windows. These updates fix minor windows problems, add new special features to Windows, and strengthen Windows security. Often times, lots of little updates are combined into one big group called a "service pack." Go to the official Microsoft Windows Update site here: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ to update your Windows Operation system. The site will scan your computer and list the updates that are available for it. Then you can select the updates you want (I would recommend getting all of them, even the optional ones) and download and install them. The Windows Update site will guide you through this procedure.
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Virus Scanning Difficulty: Beginner Serious viruses are rare, but it takes just one to destroy your computer. It's best to have the proper protection against viruses. Unfortunately, I don't know of any free anti-virus software. The most popular anti-virus software is Norton Antivirus and McCaffee Antivirus, both of cost money. However, in my opinion, if you find a good deal, it's worth spending a few bucks and buying an Antivirus program. So, if you have an Antivirus program, I recommend doing a full system at least once a month. Also, be sure to keep your virus definitions up to date. Update them at least once every three months. Spyware Scanning Level: Beginner Spyware has been driving everyone crazy lately, but with the right software, you can prevent it from infecting your computer. Spyware is a type of virus that can slow down your computer, invade your computer with pop-up advertisements, and find out what your email address, and mailing address is so tons of advertisements can be sent to you. Whenever you type in your personal information into Internet Explorer, such as your credit card number, make sure the site is secure, so any spyware you have won't be able to steal the information you type in. To tell if you are at a secure site, look in the bottom right hand corner of internet explorer. There should be a small yellow lock symbol, locked shut, anytime you are at a secure site. Page 10
Whenever you are buying something online or typing in your personal information such as your credit card number, make sure this lock symbol is present. If it isn't there, the site you're at is not secure and spyware can steal your info, because spyware has the ability to record information you type in and send it to advertising companies. So, make sure you have a Spyware Removal program to scan your computer for spyware and delete any spyware you have, if you have any. According to PC World, the best spyware removal program is "CounterSpy." Not only does it have the latest spyware definitions, it also has an "active protection" feature that can stop spyware from leaking into your computer through the internet. You can download a fifteen day trial of CounterSpy here: http://www.download.com/3000-8022_4-10337358.html I recommend that everyone should definitely download Counterspy, install it, and sun a full system scan. If you have Counterspy installed, make sure you have active protection enabled, to protect your computer against incoming spyware. Counterspy if great for removing spyware. Unfortunately, if you want to keep it after your fifteen day free trial has expired; you have to pay for it. There is totally free spyware removal software available. The best of these free programs is called Adaware. Check out this site where you can download Adaware for free here: http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_download.asp?fid= 7423&fileidx=1 Install Adaware and run a full system scan after downloading. Page 11
Adaware doesn’t offer “active protection” like CounterSpy, and it’s not quite as good at finding spyware as CounterSpy is, but it’s totally free, unlike CounterSpy, which is only free for fifteen days and then you can chose to pay for it, or uninstall it. Improving Color Quality Difficulty: Intermediate Color Quality is how many different colors your screen displays. Many computers can support a higher color quality then they are set at. To improve your color quality, go to Display Properties by right clicking on your desktop and clicking “properties” or by going to the Control Panel and opening “Display.” In the Display Properties window, click on “Settings.” You’ll see your current color quality listed and a bar showing all the colors your screen can display underneath it. Click on you color quality to change it. A drop-down menu will appear, and will list the color qualities you can select from. But before you change your color quality, click on “Advanced.” A new window will appear. Under the “general” tab, make sure it is set to “apply new changes without restarting.” If it is set to this, when you apply a new color quality, your screen will immediately change to that color quality and a box will ask you if you want to keep the color quality or not. If you don’t click anything for fifteen seconds, the box will disappear and the screen will change back to the old color quality. This is because not all video cards and monitors can support certain color qualities. Page 12
If you change to a color quality your monitor can’t support, colors will appear distorted, or your screen will get all messed up (don’t worry, it won’ damage your screen), but if you have it set to “apply new changes without restarting,” then your screen will go back to normal after fifteen seconds, (unless you click “yes” in the box that asks if you want to keep the new display settings, but you probably won’t be able to even see the box anyway if your screen is messed up) If you have it set to “restart the computer before applying new display settings,” then your computer will restart and if you have it set to a color quality your screen can’t support, then the screen will be messed up, and in some versions of windows, it won’t change back after fifteen seconds. And if your screen is messed up bad enough, you might not be able to set the color quality back. This means you’d have to totally reinstall Windows to get your old color quality back (unless you Windows 3.11 or 95, then you can use a DOS boot disk to load C:\windows\setup.exe and change your color quality back, I think). So when changing color quality, make sure you have “apply new changes without restarting” selected. Select “apply new changes without restarting” and click “OK.” Click on the white space where you current color quality is listed (such as “High Color: 16-bit). A drop down menu will appear that will list your other color quality choices. Here are all the different types of color qualities: (Note that not all monitors or video cards will be able to support every color quality) • Monochrome: Blake and white with no color. The lowest color quality setting. • Two Colors: A very low color quality setting. Only two colors are displayed. • Sixteen Colors: A low color quality – so low that many pictures and images will appear distorted or with incorrect coloring. Page 13
256 Colors: A pretty low color quality – some games and applications require at least 256 colors to run. With 256 colors, pictures look more real than sixteen colors, but still not very realistic. • Medium Color 16-Bit: A medium color quality that displays 1600 different colors. Pictures look pretty realistic. Many games and applications require at least 16-Bit color to run. 16-Bit Color is sometimes called “Medium Color” and sometimes called “High Color.” • High Color 24-Bit: A high color quality that displays 2400 different colors. Pictures look realistic. If your computer meets the other system requirements, you’ll probably be able to run any game or application with this color quality. • True Color 32-Bit: The highest color quality. Displays 3200 different colors. Pictures and images look extremely realistic. If your computer meets the other system requirements, you’ll be able to run any game or application with this color quality. Set your color quality as high as possible. Make sure you have it set to “apply new changes without restarting.” And click “Apply.” Your screen will go blank for a second, and then appear with the new color quality. If your monitor and video card can support the color quality you chose, you should clearly see a box saying “would you like to keep the new settings,” or something like that. Colors should not be distorted, for instance, if everything appears green or everything looks blue then your monitor or video card cannot support the color quality. If this is the case, then click “no” and your screen will go back to your old color quality. If everything looks fine, click “yes” to keep your new and improved color quality. If you don’t click “yes” or “no” then your computer will automatically chose “no” after fifteen seconds and your screen will go back to the old color quality. •
If, when changing color quality, your screen gets messed up, don’t panic. This just means your monitor or video card can’t support the new color quality. Page 14
Don’t click on anything. If you had “apply new changes without restarting” selected, then just wait fifteen seconds and your screen should return to normal. Adjusting Screen Resolution Difficulty: Intermediate Your computer screen is made up of millions of tiny dots called pixels. Each pixel changes color, and together the pixels make up an image. Resolutions is how many pixels, across and up and down, are on your monitor. For instance, the resolution “800 by 600” has 800 pixels across, and 600 up and down. You can make your display more detailed by improving your resolution. To change your resolution, go to Display Properties by right clicking on your desktop and clicking “properties” or by going to the Control Panel and opening “Display.” In the Display Properties window, click on “Settings.” You’ll see a little bar you can slide back and forth to change your display resolution. But before you change your resolution, click on “Advanced.” A new window will appear. Under the “general” tab, make sure it is set to “apply new changes without restarting.” If it is set to this, when you apply a new resolution, your screen will immediately change to that resolution and a box will ask you if you want to keep the resolution or not. If you don’t click anything for fifteen seconds, the box will disappear and the screen will change back to the old resolution. is because not all monitors can support certain resolutions. If you change to a resolution your monitor can’t support, your screen will get all messed up, but if you have it set to “apply new changes without restarting,” then your screen will go back to normal after fifteen seconds, unless you Page 15
click “yes” in the box that asks if you want to keep the new display settings. If you have it set to “restart the computer before applying new display settings,” then your computer will restart and if you have it set to a resolution your screen can’t support, then the screen will be messed up, and in some versions of windows, it won’t change back after fifteen seconds. And if your screen is messed up bad enough, you might not be able to set the resolution back. This means you’d have to totally reinstall Windows to get your old resolution back (unless you Windows 3.11 or 95, then you can use a DOS boot disk to load C:\windows\setup.exe and change your resolution back, I think). So when changing resolution, make sure you have “apply new changes without restarting” selected. Select “apply new changes without restarting” and click “OK.” In the “Display Properties” window, under the “Settings” tab, you’ll see a little slider bar you can click on and slide back and forth. You’ll also see a picture of a computer monitor displaying a start bar and some windows. If you slide the bar to the right to higher resolution, the windows get smaller, if you slide it to the left to lower resolution, the windows get bigger. If your screen is set to a higher resolution, it is more detailed; and more can be displayed on the page, however, everything will be smaller. Try out some different resolutions by sliding the bar to the desired resolution and clicking “Apply” (just make sure you have it set to “apply new changes without restarting”). Your screen will go blank for a second, then appear again with the new resolution. If your screen is all messed up, then your monitor can’t support the resolution you chose. Don’t panic, it won’t cause any harm to your monitor. In fifteen seconds, your screen will go back to normal. If your monitor can support that resolution, you should clearly see a box saying “Would you like to keep these changes” or something like that. Click “yes” to keep the new resolution (you can always change it back later), or, if you don’t like it because everything is too small or too Page 16
big, or because the screen is a little messed up, click “no.” If you don’t click anything for fifteen seconds, your computer will automatically chose “no” and your screen will go back to the old resolution. For laptops and small monitors, I recommend 800 by 600 resolution, or for very small monitors, the 640 by 480 resolution, although 1024 by 768 resolution is “optimum” for fitting the most stuff on the screen and displaying the most detailed picture. However, 1024 by 768 can make everything very small, and everything might be too small for smaller monitors. For larger monitors, I recommend the 1024 by 768 resolutions. Everything is smaller, but if you have a large monitor it’s not too small and it fits more stuff on the screen. Improving Monitor Refresh Rate Difficulty: Intermediate Your monitor’s refresh rate is how many images it displays each second. For instance, when you move the mouse to the right, your monitor displays an image of the mouse in one spot, then an image of the mouse a tiny bit to the right, then another image of the mouse a little bit further to the right, and so on. Most monitors display about 100 hertz, that’s 100 images a second (it’s actually 100 images a process cycle but that’s around a second for most computers.) If your monitor refresh rate is 75 hertz or lower your monitor might flicker, which can make your eyes tired after prolonged use. So, higher refresh rates are better. To change your refresh-rate, go to Display Properties by right clicking on your desktop and clicking “properties” or by going to the Control Panel and opening “Display.”
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In the Display Properties window, click on “Settings.” Click on “Advanced.” A new window will appear. Under the “general” tab, make sure it is set to “apply new changes without restarting.” If it is set to this, when you apply a new refresh-rate, your screen will immediately change to that refresh-rate and a box will ask you if you want to keep the refresh-rate or not. If you don’t click anything for fifteen seconds, the box will disappear and the screen will change back to the old refresh-rate. This is because not all monitors can support certain refresh-rates. If you change to a refresh-rate your monitor can’t support, your screen will get all messed up, but if you have it set to “apply new changes without restarting,” then your screen will go back to normal after fifteen seconds, unless you click “yes” in the box that asks if you want to keep the new display settings. If you have it set to “restart the computer before applying new display settings,” then your computer will restart and if you have it set to a refresh-rate your screen can’t support, then the screen will be messed up, and in some versions of windows, it won’t change back after fifteen seconds. And if your screen is messed up bad enough, you might not be able to set the refresh-rate back. This means you’d have to totally reinstall Windows to get your old refresh-rate back (unless you Windows 3.11 or 95, then you can use a DOS boot disk to load C:\windows\setup.exe and change your refresh-rate back, I think). So when changing refresh-rate, make sure you have “apply new changes without restarting” selected. Once you’ve selected “apply new changes without restarting” click “Apply.” Then click “Monitor” (in some versions of Windows click “Adapter”). You’ll see a white box with your refresh rate listed in it (such as “60 Hertz). Click on the box, and a drop down menu will appear with other refresh rates. Select the highest one and click “Apply” If you have “apply new changes without restarting” enabled then your screen will go blank for a second, then appear again with the new refresh-rate. If your screen is all messed up, then your monitor can’t support the refresh-rate you chose. Don’t panic, it won’t cause any harm to your monitor. In fifteen seconds, your screen will go back to normal. If your monitor can support that refresh-rate, you should clearly see a box saying “Would you like to keep these changes” or something like that. Page 18
Click “yes” to keep the new refresh-rate (you can always change it back later), or, if you don’t like it because the screen is flickering or distorted, click “no.” If you don’t click anything for fifteen seconds, your computer will automatically chose “no” and your screen will go back to the old refresh-rate. If the highest refresh rate didn’t work, chose the next lowest one. If that one doesn’t work, chose the next lower one after that. This way, you can find the highest refresh rate your monitor can support. Running Safe Mode and Ending Unnecessary System Processes Difficulty: Advanced So, what so you do if you run a spyware or virus scan and the antispyware/antivirus program cannot remove the spyware or virus? Often, viruses disguise themselves as system files, important files that Windows needs to run. The antivirus software cannot delete these system files while Windows is running, because Windows will not let it. But there’s still a way you can get rid of that virus: by deleting it manually. Usually, your antivirus software will tell you what the name of the file that’s a virus is, and where it is located (for example: c:\windows\system\virus.exe) Write down the file name and where it’s located on your computer. If you got to the folder where the virus is (make sure you have “show hidden files” or “show all files” including “show system files” enabled so you’ll be able to see the virus – go to “tools” then “Folder Options” to enable showing all files, or in older versions of Windows it’s “View” then “Folder Options”), and try to Page 19
delete it (right click it and click “delete” or left click it and hit the delete key, then click “yes” when it asks you if you’re sure you want to delete it) you’ll get an error message saying that the file cannot be deleted because it is in use. (if the file does get deleted, make sure it’s the right file. If the filename and location is exactly what the antivirus software says it was, then congratulations, you’ve deleted the virus, just be sure to delete it from the Recycle Bin.) Windows thinks it’s a system file, and uses it like a system file. And you can’t delete files that are being used. So, how do you delete the virus? Well, there’s two ways to do it. The easiest way is loading Windows “Safe Mode,” which I’ll explain now. Another way is booting up DOS from a boot disk, which I’ll explain later. When running Windows in normal mode, dozens of processes are running. To see a list of the processes running, just press Control-Alt-Delete to load the task-manager, then, in older versions of Windows, it’ll list the processes right away, but in newer versions of windows, you’ll have to click on the “Processes” tab. Some of the processes are important system processes that control the mouse, the start bar, when the screensaver comes on, etc. But others are not system processes, they’re programs you have running, like iexplorer.exe which is Internet Explorer. In Windows 2000, ME, and XP, the task-manager shows not only a list of the processes running, but also how much memory (RAM) they’re taking up, and whether it’s a system process or not. If your computer is ever running really slow, or you get a virus alert that the antivirus software can’t delete the virus, go to the task-manager processes tab and see if there’s a process running that’s taking up more than 40,000 kilobytes (40 megabytes). It might be a virus that’s running. Check and see if the process name is one of these names: iexplorer.exe (Internet Explorer) Winword.exe (Microsoft Word) explorer.exe (The Start Bar and Desktop.) These programs rarely take up more than 40 megabytes, but sometimes they do. Don’t end these processes unless the programs they represent are not responding. Page 20
Also, never end the System Idle Process, that’s an important process and Windows could become unstable and shutdown if you end it. If you do accidentally end it, don’t worry, just shut your computer down if it doesn’t automatically shut down (use the power button if necessary) then restart your computer. When Windows restarts, the process will start up again and everything will be fine. Anyway, if your computer is slow and there’s a process taking up more than 40,000 kilobytes (40 megabytes), and it’s not a program you have running or the System Idle Process, then save anything important that you have running, and go ahead and end the process, by left clicking on it so it’s highlighted in blue and then clicking the “End Process” button, or by right clicking on it and clicking “End Process.” If it turns out the process wasn’t a virus, it was just a program, then that program will close. If the process turns out to be a system process that Windows really needs to run, don’t worry. Windows will automatically shut itself down. If Windows doesn’t shut itself down, and acts really weird, then shut your computer down (using the power button if necessary) and restart it. Windows will start back up any processes you ended when Windows restarts. So, if you ended up stopping a running virus by ending its process, you might be able to delete the virus, since it’s no longer running (most viruses cannot be deleted when they are running). Go to the folder which your antivirus software told you the virus was located in. Make sure you have “show hidden files” or “show all files” including “show system files” enabled so you’ll be able to see the virus – go to “tools” then “Folder Options” to enable showing all files, or in older versions of Windows it’s “View” then “Folder Options.” Find the file which your Antivirus software told you was a virus, and delete it. Page 21
Right click it and click “delete” or left click it and hit the delete key, then click “yes” when it asks you if you’re sure you want to delete it. If it does get deleted, congratulations, you’ve deleted the virus! Just be sure to delete it from the Recycle Bin. If you’re sure it’s the fight file, but you still get an error saying it’s a system file or it’s in use, or it’s right-protected, you’ll have to delete it from Safe Mode. Safe Mode is a special Windows mode made for solving system problems and deleting viruses. In Safe Mode, only the few processes that are absolutely needed to run Windows are run, so any viruses won’t be running, allowing you to delete them. Also, everything –resolution, color quality, etc. – runs at its bare minimum. One way to load safe mode is to press the F8 key when Windows is loading, and then select “Safe Mode.” However, this only works on some computers. So, if that doesn’t work, you’ll have to restart in Safe Mode. With older versions of Windows, loading Safe Mode is easy – just click on “Start” then click “Shut Down” and select “Restart in Safe Mode.” However, in newer versions of Windows, to restart in Safe Mode, click on “Start,” the click “Run.” Then type in “msconfig.” This brings up the System Configuration Utility. On the “general” tab, you’ll see three startup options: Normal Startup, Diagnostive Startup (also known as Safe Mode), and Custom Startup (You can also create a custom startup by going to the “Startup” tab. Normal Startup should be selected. Select “Diagnostive Startup” (also known as “Safe Mode”) and click “okay.” The restart your computer. Your computer should restart in Safe Mode You’ll notice that Safe Mode probably looks a lot different from normal mode. The background is plain, everything is really big (because of the low resolution) and Windows XP users will find their normal blue and green startbar Page 22
transformed into the classic grey startbar. Don’t panic, this is normal for Safe Mode. Now that you’re in Safe Mode, it’s time to get rid of that virus. Go to the folder which your antivirus software told you the virus was located in. Again, make sure you have “show hidden files” or “show all files” including “show system files” enabled so you’ll be able to see the virus – go to “tools” then “Folder Options” to enable showing all files, or in older versions of Windows it’s “View” then “Folder Options.” Find the file your antivirus software told you was a virus, and delete it. Right click it and click “delete” or left click it and hit the delete key, then click “yes” when it asks you if you’re sure you want to delete it. If the file gets deleted, then congratulations, you’ve deleted the virus! Got to the Recycle Bin and delete it from the Recycle Bin. Then, if you got to Safe Mode using msconfig, the System Configuration Utility, click on “Start” then “Run” and type in “msconfig” to load the utility again. Under the “general” tab, select “Normal Startup” and click “okay.” Then restart your computer. Windows should start normally and be back to normal. If you got to Safe Mode another way, such as pressing F8 when windows was loading or selecting Safe Mode from the Shut-Down menu, just restart your computer, you don’t have to run msconfig. After deleting a virus, I would recommend running a full system scan to make sure it’s really gone. If your antivirus software detects it again, Windows may have regenerated it, thinking it was a missing system file. If that’s the case, you could try deleting it from DOS, but I think Windows would still regenerate it. So, you’ll have to either keep the virus on your computer, or totally format your hard drive and reinstall Windows. Safe Mode is useful not only for deleting viruses and spyware, but for fixing other system problems. For instance, if you changed your display resolution and chose “Apply the changes when I restart your computer,” and your screen is all messed up when you restart your computer because your monitor or video card didn’t Page 23
support the new display settings, and you’ve waited fifteen seconds and it still won’t go away, don’t panic. Obviously, you wouldn’t be able to use Msconfig with a messed up screen, but you could still press F8 while loading Windows, or unplug your computer when Windows is loading and select “Safe Mode” when it says “Windows was improperly shut-down, what would you like to do?” When you get to safe mode, you might be able to change your resolution in Display Properties, by selecting the default resolution and selecting “apply changes when I restart my computer.” However, I’ve never used Safe mode to fix display problems before, so I’m not positive if it would work. I do know in older versions of Windows there’s a handy DOS program called “setup.exe” in the Windows folder and you can load DOS from boot-disk (I’ll explain how to do that later) and use setup.exe to fix display problems. Booting up DOS from a Boot Disk Difficulty: Advanced DOS is a text-based operating system that’s very handy for fixing problems and deleting viruses that your anti-virus software can’t delete because they’re running or disguised as system files. So, what so you do if you run a spyware or virus scan and the antispyware/antivirus program cannot remove the spyware or virus? Often, viruses disguise themselves as system files, important files that Windows needs to run. The antivirus software cannot delete these system files while Windows is running, because Windows will not let it. But there’s still a way you can get rid of that virus: by deleting it manually. Usually, your antivirus software will tell you what the name of the file that’s a virus is, and where it is located (for example: C:\Windows\System\virus.exe) Write down the name of the virus and where it is located on your computer. If you got to the folder where the virus is (make sure you have “show hidden files” or “show all files” including “show system files” enabled so you’ll be Page 24
able to see the virus – go to “tools” then “Folder Options” to enable showing all files, or in older versions of Windows it’s “View” then “Folder Options”), and try to delete it (right click it and click “delete” or left click it and hit the delete key, then click “yes” when it asks you if you’re sure you want to delete it) you’ll get an error message saying that the file cannot be deleted because it is in use. (If the file does get deleted, make sure it’s the right file. If the filename and location is exactly what the antivirus software says it was, then congratulations, you’ve deleted the virus, just be sure to delete it from the Recycle Bin.) Windows thinks it’s a system file, and uses it like a system file. And you can’t delete files that are being used. So, how do you delete the virus? Well, there’s two ways to do it. One way is booting up DOS from a boot disk. To make a floppy boot disk, take a blank floppy disk, insert it in your floppy drive, go to “My Computer” right click on your floppy drive, and click “Format.” The disk formatter window comes up. Select “Create an MS-DOS Startup Disk” and click “Okay.” The disk will be formatted (cleared of all data) and then the MS-DOS startup files will be copied onto it. This might take a few minutes. When the formatting is complete, you’re ready to load DOS! DOS stands for Disk Operating System. DOS is also short for MS-DOS, which stands for “MicroSoft Disk Operating System.” To load DOS from a boot disk, insert the disk and restart your computer. Instead of Windows, DOS should load. If it doesn’t, then you don’t have Floppy Disk Booting enabled. To enable it, press your computer’s setup key on your computers default screen, the screen which comes upright after you turn on your computer, and usually displays the brand name. In small print, it’ll usually say “Press F10 for setup, or “Cntrl-S for Setup” or “F1 = Setup” or “Press F8 if you want to run setup.” Anyway, press whatever key it says to press to Page 25
load setup. It’s usually an F key, (F1, F2, F3, etc.) but sometimes it’s Cntrl-S. You may have to hit the key several times. A screen will come up, usually blue. This is CMOS setup. Use the arrow keys to move around and use enter or space to change settings. Go to “Boot options” and select Floppy Drive first, CD-ROM drive second, Hard Drive third. Then Exit Saving Changes. Your computer will restart. Make sure you have your DOS boot disk in your Floppy Drive. DOS should load. If Windows still loads, even though the DOS boot disk is in the drive, then you didn’t configure the CMOS setup correctly. If it says “Non-System Disk or Disk Error” then the DOS boot disk didn’t work. Take the disk out and press a key. Windows should load. If nothing happens, restart your computer, and then Windows will load. When you get to Windows, try formatting a different floppy disk as a DOS boot disk, or try doing a Google search for DOS boot disks, and download a free Boot Disk creator, that’ll make better boot disks than the default ones Windows makes. Once you get CMOS configured correctly and get a good, working DOS boot-disk, then DOS will load. The screen should be all black with white text that says “c:\” or ‘C:\windows.” There is not mouse. All commands are typed in DOS language. Here are some commands you’ll need to know to navigate DOS: • DIR = Shows a list of all the files and folders in the folder you’re in. • CD… = move one folder back (for instance, if it says “C:\Windows” and you want to get to “C:\” type in cd… • CD___ = Moves to another folder. Fill in the blank with the name of the folder you want to go to. For instance if it says “C:\Windows” and you want to get to the “C:\Windows\System32” folder, just type in “Cd System32” Remember that all folder and file names are abbreviated in DOS, with just the first eight letters shown. • DEL ___ = Fill in the blank with the file you want to delete. Remember that all file names in DOS are abbreviated with just the first eight letters shown. Also remember to type in the type of file after the file name. For instance, if you want to delete an application called “monkey” don’t just type in Page 26
“DEL monkey” – you’ll probably have to type in “DEL monkey.exe” • MOVE ___ ___= Fill in the first blank with the file you want to move. Fill in the second blank with the place you want to move it to (for instance C:\Windows\System) Remember that all file names in DOS are abbreviated with just the first eight letters shown. Also remember to type in the type of file after the file name. For instance, if you want to move a system file called “monkey” don’t just type in “MOVE monkey” – you’ll probably have to type in “MOVE monkey.sys” • COPY ___ ___= Fill in the blank with the file you want to copy. Fill in the second blank with the place you want to copy it to (for instance C:\Windows\System32) Remember that all file names in DOS are abbreviated with just the first eight letters shown. Also remember to type in the type of file after the file name. For instance, if you want to copy a document file called “monkey” don’t just type in “COPY monkey” – you’ll probably have to type in “COPY monkey.doc” • WIN = Exits DOS and loads windows. If the WIN command doesn’t work, just use your computers power button or plug to restart your computer. Remember to press “Enter” after typing in a command. So to delete a virus from DOS that you can’t delete from windows, use the CD command to go to the folder which your antivirus software told you the virus was located in. Then use the DIR command to view all the files in that folder. The files are listed in alphabetical order. If the list is so long that the file that your antivirus software told you was a virus is at the top of the list and gets pushed off the page when the bottom of the list scrolls up, the type in DIR again and press enter, and press the “Pause” key right after you press enter, if you do it with perfect timing, the screen should pause so that Page 27
the top of the list can be seen but the bottom hasn’t appeared or scrolled up yet. Find the file you’re looking for on the list. If it’s filename in windows is more than eight letters, in DOS the filename will be abbreviated with a tilda (~ symbol) For instance, monkeymoose.exe will become monkeym~.exe If the filename is abbreviated, write it down so you remember how it’s abbreviated. Sometimes there is a number after the tilda, like monkeym~1.exe Press Enter or Pause again to release the pause. The rest of the list will scroll up. Type in DEL then the filename (make sure you include after the filename the .sys .exe .doc .com or whatever goes after the filename). Also, make sure there is a space between DEL and the filename. Then press “Enter.” It may ask you if you are sure you want to delete the file. Press “y” for yes or “n” for no. If you’re sure this file is the virus, go ahead and press “y” The file will be permanently deleted. There is no recycle bin in DOS. After deleting the virus, use the WIN command to exit DOS and load Windows. If the WIN command doesn’t work, just use your computers power button to restart or shutdown and startup your computer. You may have to hold the button down for a few second. You can always just “pull the plug” if you can’t find out any other way to shut down your computer. If you shut your computer down, turn it back on again. When your computer is starting up, make sure you take the DOS boot disk out, so your computer loads Windows, not DOS. After deleting a virus, I would recommend running a full system scan to make sure it’s really gone. If your antivirus software detects it again, Windows may have regenerated it, thinking it was a missing system file. If that’s the case you’ll have to either keep the virus on your computer, or totally format your hard drive and reinstall Windows (I’ll explain how to do that later.) DOS can be used for other things besides deleting viruses. For instance, if you changed your display settings and Page 28
chose “Apply the changes when I restart your computer,” and your screen is all messed up when you restart your computer because your monitor or video card doesn’t support that resolution, and you’ve waited fifteen seconds and it still won’t go away, don’t panic. You could try booting in Safe Mode to fix the problem, loading Safe Mode by pressing F8 when Windows is loading, or by unplugging your computer when Windows is loading and selecting “Safe Mode” when it says “Windows has been improperly shut-down, what would you like to do?” However, I’ve never used Safe mode to fix display problems before, so I’m not positive if it would work. I do know in older versions of Windows there’s a handy DOS program called “setup.exe” in the Windows folder and you can load DOS from boot-disk and use setup.exe to fix display problems. Unfortunately, newer versions of Windows don’t have that program. So, with newer versions of Windows, if Safe Mode doesn’t work, you may have to totally reinstall Windows. I’ve explained how to do that in a different chapter of this book. Windows has a version of DOS called the “Command-Prompt” that you can run while Windows is running. Obviously, you can’t delete viruses with it if Windows is running and using the viruses, but the Command-Prompt can still be used for practice at using DOS. Reformatting your hard-drive/Reinstalling Windows Difficulty: Advanced Written by CompNerds member Matt Elton, also known as "InterMatt" If Windows gets totally messed up, or a virus or spyware you can't get rid of is destroying your computer, or your computer is running incredibly slow and you want it running like new again, and you've tried everything I've listed above and it didn't work, you can always reformat and reinstall. Page 29
Well, when all else fails, you can always format your hard drive and reinstall windows. This will erase your hard-drive of everything, including your spyware. Just make sure you back up all your important data on floppies, CD-Rs, DVDRs, or something, before you do this. Simply insert your Windows Installation Disk and restart your computer. Then, boot from CD. If it says "Press any key to boot from CD," press a key. If your computer won't boot form CD, you might have to go to the BIOS setup by pressing F10, or F8, or CtrlS when you fist turn you computer on (in BIOS., use the arrow keys to move around, select "Boot Options," or "Boot Order" and use Space or Enter to change it to Floppy first, CDROM second, and Hard Drive third. Then "Exit Saving Changes, pressing the y key when it asks you if you're sure you want to save changes. Your computer will restart. Make sure you have no floppy disks in the dloppy disk drive, and your Windows Installation CD is in the CDROM drive. Your computer should boot from CD) Anyway, once you've booted from CD, if you're installing Windows 2000 or XP after you press Enter to install Windows, it will ask you which partition you want to install it on. Most computers just have one partition that takes up the whole hard drive. Make sure you've got all your important data backed up and then Delete your windows partition. Then create a new partition. Then format it. You can choose the FAT or NTFS file system. NTFS is better, that's the one I would recommend. Then follow the instructions on the screen and complete your windows installation. When you're done installing windows, install your programs, and if you want, copy your backed up data back onto your hard drive. Your computer will work like new because the hard drive will have been completely cleared of everything that slows it down as your computer gets older, viruses, spware, fragmentation, disk and registry error, etc. Page 30
Some computers can't boot from CD, and some older versions of Windows aren't bootable. In this case, you;ll have to make a DOS Boot Disk and load DOS. (see instructions of how to do this above). Then use DOS to access your CDROM drive and run "setup.exe" or with Windows 2000 "SetupNT" Default DOS Boot Disks that Windows makes don't support accessing CDROM drives, so you'll either have to download a better DOS Boot Disk from a Boot Disk site (Just do a Google Search for "DOS Boot Disk") or you can try reinstalling by accessing setup.exe from Windows, but I'm not sure if you;ll be able to format your hard drive then because setup will copy itself onto it, and Setup cannot delete itself. You can still reinstall Windows without formatting this way, but this will only fix any problems with Windows itself, probably not viruses, disk errors, or spyware.