computerwriter.com

May 2000 Mailbag

Copyright ©, Myles White, 2000

Once again, dear readers, it=s time to answer some of your letters...

Our first comes from David Garnett, somewhere in the wilds of cyberspace: 

@I am preparing to upgrade my 1997 Pentium and started to read your series from last year on upgrading a PC. I'm planning to increase RAM from 32MB to 64MB and then upgrade my 2MB EDO ATI PCI Expression card to an ATI with 4 or 8 MB.

I have an MMX Intel Pentium P200 on an ASUS TX-97E motherboard with 32 MB ram (2 of 72 pin 16 MB SIMM 8-no parity memory).

Your article on adding memory very reasonably says add more of what you have, but I was wondering, due to cost, about adding 168 pin DIMM. My ASUS booklet says that the motherboard can take 2 strips of DIMM .

Question, is DIMM faster or "better" than SIMM ? Mostly, I use my PC for writing, playing Baldur's Gate and Internet stuff, no data crunching or drawing.@ 

My answer:

You don=t mention whether your existing memory is EDO RAM (extended data out random access memory) or SDRAM (synchronous dynamic random access memory), so let=s discuss that first. SDRAM is faster than EDO RAM by about 7 to 15 per cent, depending on who did the measuring and when. Newer computers use faster SDRAM than when it first appeared on the scene.

According to most analysts, it=s hard for you to detect any difference in performance subjectively when it=s below 20 per cent (although you can certainly detect the difference using benchmark testing software). However, the rationale is that you=re getting a slight edge in performance that over time, even if you can=t feel it, adds up to a more efficient system. So, if your system can use SDRAM (and particularly if it already uses it), that=s desirable.

However, we want to stay with the "get more of what you already have@ scenario if you=re keeping your existing RAM and it=s of the EDO variety. Mixing SDRAM and EDO RAM on the same system is unlikely to work. The same is true of mixing speeds B if it works at all, it works at the speed of the slowest memory you have. And, of course, mixing gold-plated contacts (either on the memory module or in the memory slot) with lead-tin contacts (ditto) may not be in your best long-term interests, either. You solve the question of whether or not this is a real problem by simply getting more of what you've already got.

Having said that, now we turn to 72-pin SIMMs (single inline memory modules) v/s 168-pin DIMMs (dual inline memory modules). You don=t mention which Asus motherboard you have, but read the documentation carefully. Some motherboards (few, actually) that were built during the transition period from EDO to SDRAM, allowed you to use both SIMMs and DIMMs at the same time.

Most of them made you choose one or the other.

The primary advantage to DIMMs is that they can pack more memory on one module. So, for example, while it wasn't possible to get 64 MB SIMMs (and you had to add them two at a time), it is possible to get 64 MB DIMMs and have only one present. This usually provides some cost savings.

You also need to carefully check your motherboard manual to find out what kind of DIMMs you need. Pay careful attention to speed, whether the DIMMs are buffered or unbuffered, whether they use 2-clock or 4-clock, and any other factors. Then tell the retailer from whom you buy the modules specifically which brand <italic>and model<italic> of motherboard you=re using. Otherwise, in the language of some of my computer tech friends, Aunexpected results@ are likely to occur.

Last, but not least, if for no other reason than that your wallet is probably as chronically empty as mine, SDRAM in DIMM format, because it=s far more widely available, is less expensive than 72-pin SIMMs of any kind, and EDO RAM modules in particular (there isn't as much demand, it=s in shorter supply, and the cost is nearly double). That=s a different definition of "performance,@ but one that=s well worth considering.

What was that masked program?

Our second letter comes from Dawson Crawford. 

"Can you tell me where in my computer I go to edit the list of items which appear under the Startup Tab of System Configuration Utility? I want to remove some duplicate entries, as well as entries left behind by programs which have long since been deleted. I have searched high and low but cannot find the file where these entries can be worked on. Is it in the Registry?

"Also, maybe some time you could cover subjects such as: How do these entries get onto the list and why are they there? When they are all clicked, the percentage of System Resources which are free can be very low, like below 40%, even on a reboot. What is the ideal range for the system performance and how is this affected by the items in the Startup Group? Which are okay to disable? If the system runs fine with several disabled, why are they there in the first place? How and why do duplicate entries appear? Some entries are self-explanatory, but most are impossible for folks like me to figure out what they do. For example - AtiCwd.32 - AtiKey - Machine Debug Manager - TCASUTIEXE - etc.@

Reply:

I've found answers to most of your questions, and we=ll get to some of the details below. First, in general terms, it=s becoming increasingly common for applications to want to reside on your desktop, in various toolbars on your Start bar, and/or in your System tray. Sometimes it=s a pre-load that makes loading the main application faster, but often it=s just so they'll be visible. While you can disable some of these from MSCONFIG (just type this into the Run command from the Start menu to see it in Windows 98 or above), sometimes they=ll come back until you start the offending application, find its preferences dialogue, and tell it explicitly to stop (Real Networks= Jukebox and G2, both do this, for example, and I hate 'em for it).

Some of your queries are about ATI Technologies products and some are Microsoft=s (see below), but B again in Windows 98 B if you call up System Information (Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools), you can get a list of all programs that will automatically start, as well as their location (start up folder or Registry and under which key), by choosing this option from the Software Environment list on SysInfo's main menu.

If you also check the 16-bit and 32-bit applications, as well as running tasks sections, you'll be able to tell which company supplied the module B and by contacting them, find out whether you can safely disable it or not.

And, while we=re here: a tool such as Symantec=s Norton Clean Sweep, will take a lot of grief out of removing files from your system safely. If you leave its "caution" settings intact, you get three levels of permission: Green says it=s okay to delete a file; Yellow says you=d better not unless you=re really certain, and; Red says don=t you dare remove this file. Clean Sweep also makes backups of the files you remove so you can restore them if you make a mistake.

Now for the specific files you mentioned, plus one or two I've found. According to ATI Technologies (the company that makes the graphics controller in your and many others= systems), "ATIKEY32 is run each time Windows 95/98 starts up and stays running during the entire session. It watches for ATI scheme hotkeys and switches between schemes. When it starts up, this DLL also runs ATIICON.EXE and the Installation wizard when appropriate.@

If you don=t use ATI=s Ahotkeys@ you can turn it off B mw

"ATIPITA or ATIPTAXX or ...(the names may change) is the thunking layer DLL that handles the 16 bit portion of 32 bit code to 16 bit code thunks."

No, I have no idea what this means.

"ATICWD32 or ATICWDXX or ... This component provides a layer that the property sheets use to call CWDDE functions in the display driver.@

Ditto.

Now for Microsoft=s part in this. I asked the company about two files, the Machine Debug Manager that Dawson mentioned, and another that has appeared in my system: Still Picture Monitor. Here=s that answer

@Win 98 supports still image devices (STI) in the WDM<italic> Windows Driver Model - mw<italic> architecture, these are devices that require a mini driver of the WDM STI class be written. Some examples are, flatbed scanners, sheet-fed scanners, hand held scanners and STI Digital cameras.

"There are other qualifiers but these are general devices. The STI architecture reduces the work needed to be done by the hardware vendors that provide these devices it enables IHV's to focus on device features rather than system related features. One of the pieces of the architecture provided by MS is the Still Image Event Monitor. This component supports push model behavior, detecting events coming in from STI devices and dispatching a set of those events to the STI control center.

"So if the user does not have these devices installed removing will not have effect, this architecture is in place to provide a foundation Still Image devices and enabling them seamlessly work with the sytem.This component does not rely on a lot of system resources as it is piece of the STI architecture.@

Translation: If you have a newish scanner and you turn STIMON off, the scanner stops functioning. Ask me how I know...

"Machine Debug Manager actually does not ship as part of Windows 98 it is added to the system directory by many different apps like Office 2000, Visual Studio.. and so on."

And I've disabled this one in my system without apparent problems.

The question of optimal system resources upon boot up is something else. Here=s Microsoft=s answer to this one...

"As for system resources, the optimal amount is really defined by what the user is comfortable with. There are system components that are started up and are idle in the background until used these do not truly effect system resources. More often are the true applications loading in the tray if there are OEM addons, app addons etc. The other resource issues come from misbehaving apps B apps that do not let go of resources once the application is shut down, or if apps are improperly shutdown they do not free the resources. But deleting system components or turning them off truly will not dramatically impact your system resources."

Oh, and about those "misbehaving" apps? Here's an experiment you can do at home. Check your system resources (right-click My Computer, chose Properties, then click on the Performance tab, note the figure, then close the dialogue). Start Microsoft Word. Shut it down. Check your system resources again (giggle).

Back to top