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Spring Tuneup

Toronto Star Fast Forward section front for April 8/99

© Copyright, Myles White, 1999

• Hardware maintenance and basic trouble-shooting
• Hardware tweaks and upgrades
• Software it's nice to have

Even if you didn't just get your computer last Christmas, it's time to have a look at it to see what you can tweak, improve, fix, and adjust...

By now you'll have used your system numerous times and have begun to detect some of its strengths - and its weaknesses. If you've done nothing to it - i.e., you haven't added any software applications or hardware devices and you haven't performed any basic maintenance - you may have detected that it's slowed down a wee bit. If you have added any applications, you may have discovered that it is starting to strain its existing resources such as hard drive space or memory. If you've heard of some of the new viruses (such as the much-ballyhooed Melissa or its follow-up, Papa) or if you've decided that some of that new software just has to go, you'll be in the market for utility software. And so it goes...

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Hardware maintenance and basic trouble-shooting

Let's tackle a basic issue, first. If you bought your new system relatively recently, and particularly if you haven't added anything to it (software or hardware), it should work properly with the software that came with it. If you're encountering random freeze-ups, blue screens announcing fatal exception errors, or other things that vex and annoy you, contact the vendor for warranty service. Accept no excuses. I repeat, the system should work properly with the software and hardware that came with it when you purchased it and if it doesn't, it's not your fault.

Assuming that the system is working properly, our next task is to keep it doing so. If, at the very least, you haven't plugged it into a power conditioner - usually a multi-outlet power bar that explicitly states it protects computer equipment from power surges, power spikes, radio frequency interference, and also provides a grounded phone outlet to protect your modem - then run right out and get one. This is a basic piece of preventive equipment that will protect the important components in your system (processor, memory, and so on) from any surprises coming through the wall plug.

Even if spikes and surges weren't likely to happen at random courtesy of your local Hydro company, we're coming up to rainy (thunderstorm) season and lightning strikes near your system can cause havoc. You try to get the phone line ground because these spikes can travel over those lines, too. A decent power conditioner is likely to run you around $20 to $40, depending on how robust it is, how many outlets it provides, and how many other services it offers. It is unlikely that an ordinary power bar costing less than $10 will protect anything.

Virtually everything else you may want to tackle involves opening the computer's case. If you don't have the manuals for the whole system and all the discrete components inside it (motherboard, graphics controller, sound controller and so on), stop right here. This is the most valuable "device" you can have for your computer. Take whatever steps are necessary to get the full documentation before going under the hood to make changes.

Computer components like to be cool and the individual chips attached to them like to be firmly seated in their sockets. Over time, room dust (lots of it if you also smoke) and random bits of grunge will collect at any fan openings and on the motherboard and its components. The expansion and contraction caused by heating (when it's on) and cooling (when it's off), plus the small vibrations caused when you walk near the system, will eventually cause components to work loose. Dealing with these issues is a simple, but effective way to protect your system.

First, a message about static electricity. I've noted above that spikes and surges coming down the power line can damage your computer. But you can damage components through static discharge as well. It may be fun to run up behind loved ones and provide them with a surprise (see the spark, hear the snap followed by the shriek, run around and belt each other with pillows - great fun). However, if you touch your computer's motherboard or any of the components on it without grounding yourself first, you could turn a nice, expensive memory module into something suitable for use only as highly curious personal jewellery (they make nice, if somewhat large, earings).

You can purchase an anti-static wrist strap at most component suppliers for under $20, but so long as you remember to do it often, it's just as easy to touch the metal base of a lamp, a metal desk, or (so long as you leave it plugged in), the outside of the computer's power supply. Yes, ignore the manual's instructions to unplug the computer. Turn it off, but leave it plugged in to carry that static zap down its ground plug. In my years of doing this, I've now seen only two manuals that actually got it right. (And don't bother writing to tell me it's dangerous; it isn't.)

Use the computer's manual to learn how to get the case cover off to expose the motherboard. Get your vacuum. Again, you can purchase special small vacuums for use in computers, but so long as you're gentle, the brush attachment for most home vacuums will do the trick. Clear any fan grilles of grunge. You'll find one at the back of the system where the fan is part of the power supply. You may find another inside near the front and/or one attached directly to the computer's processor. Check both sides of the fan housing (except in the case of the processor fan) and both sides of the power supply. Don't bother trying to reach any parts of the system's motherboard that is obscured by the drive bays or power supply, but do suck clean anything you can see.

This next procedure isn't required, but it's a good place to start if you've been having some random errors that don't appear to be software-related. You'll find that many of the small chips on the surface of the motherboard and on the components that may be mounted in any expansion slots, will be soldered in solidly - but there are also some that are merely fitted into their sockets by pressure. Gently press down on the chips. If you feel one or more of them move, they've begun to work loose - and even if you haven't been having any problems, you may prevent them in future. Scared to take components out of their slots? Fair enough. Leave them alone unless there's a problem you're trying to fix (just keep this in mind for later).

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Hardware upgrades and tweaks

The whole point of upgrading computers is to stretch their useful life past the point where resource or technology restrictions might make it necessary to your mental health to get a new one. It's a successful strategy primarily because it allows you stretch the cash flow out over a period of time. However, if you wait until virtually everything in the system needs replacement before it becomes satisfying again, you'll wind up paying more than if you started all over with a new system (the markup on individual parts is higher than the markup on components).

Some of the smaller hardware upgrades you can make include adding more memory. If your system is running Windows 9x (i.e., 95 or 98), and particularly if it feels too slow or you get a lot of "illegal operation" errors, then adding memory up to 64 MB is a good and relatively inexpensive option. The hint to avoid problems is to get more of what you've already got, matching type (EDO RAM, SDRAM), size (30-pin, 72-pin or 168-pin), speed (both refresh speed expressed in nanoseconds and base speed measured in MHz), and contact type (gold or lead/tin).

If your system's manual doesn't give you enough clues or if you have no manual, you have three choices: Examine or have a more knowledgeable friend examine your existing memory; remove one of the memory modules and take it with you to the store, or; take the whole system unit with you to the store to get the vendor to help you. There is of course another option - buy what you think will work and keep going back to the store until you get it right (tedious).

Running low on hard drive space? If you only have one hard drive in your system now, then adding another isn't difficult or that expensive. In today's market, you'll find 5 GB and under drives selling for ridiculously low prices. Simply keep in mind that the age of your system may dictate whether you can use modern (Ultra DMA/33) drives or whether you have to search for older parts. Again, the manual for the system or your local vendor's help will be useful here.

Other relatively small tweaks include replacing your existing CD-ROM drive with a faster model, with a CD-RW (ReWritable) drive, or going all the way to a DVD (digital video disc) drive. Prices and the hoops you'll have to jump through are best discussed with your vendor.

If your system is too old to have a Universal Serial Bus port, consider adding a USB upgrade board. You'll need an open PCI (peripheral component interconnect) slot and Windows 98 to make it work properly, but at least one model sold in Canada, by Entrega (contact Keating Technologies in Markham for a list of retailers), is working quite happily in my system.

Internet experience making you grumpy? There are a number of solutions depending on where you live and your budget. If you are using less than a 56 Kbps modem, upgrade. It's the speed of your modem that's slowing things down, not the speed of your computer. Additional upgrade options include (if available where you live): Sympatico's "1 MB ADSL" service (about $40 to install, then $40 per month - prices may vary -- about twice as fast as a 56 K modem) or cable (the Wave, from Shaw or Rogers, about 100 times faster than a 56K modem unless all of your neighbours are using it, too, in which case the speed may fall off significantly). Yes, there are also other options such as ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) and satellite, but for most consumers, they're either too expensive or more of a headache than the service warrants.

Have you noticed a slight slow-down in your system? The chances are that it's because the files on your hard drive(s) have become fragmented. This is a normal consequence of using your computer which allows the operating system to use all of the hard drive more efficiently for storing files (it breaks them up into small bits to fit any empty space instead of requiring a space big enough to fit a whole file). This is a good thing, but it makes your hard drive work harder to find things and reduces the efficiency of other processes. If you have Windows 98, check under Programs/Accessories/System Tools/ and look for the disk defragmenter. When you're done, go back and look for Programs/Accessories/System Tools/ for the Maintenance Wizard so you can schedule this to be done regularly while you're asleep. You'll find that your system runs much more efficiently after defragmentation.

If you have Windows 95, see the software section, next.

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Software help

While the software applications that normally come with a new computer are usually sufficient to get you up and running with something to do, they seldom include a full line of utility applications you'll need to keep your system well-tuned. Here are some of the more recent packages, together with a quick assessment of them based on my own testing. They are presented in no particular order and, because prices fluctuate almost daily with changes in the value of the Canadian dollar, I suggest contacting your favourite local retailer for details (all of them should be under $150 Cdn, except for the Windows 98 upgrade).

Norton System Works 2.0: Symantec Canada, a collection of tools including Norton Utilities 4.0 (includes disk defragmenter for Win95 users), Norton Anti-virus 5.0, Norton CleanSweep 4.5 (recently acquired when Symantec bought Quarterdeck), Norton CrashGuard 4.0, Norton Web Services and One-button LiveUpdate. Well integrated and all the parts work when installed together. CrashGuard may cause more system freezes than it prevents. The strength of <italic>any<italic> anti-virus program depends on the user keeping its files up to date. Syamantec offers 6 months of free updates, after which there is a fee-based update scheme.

McAfee Office: Network Associates, another suite of tools including Nuts and Bolts, First Aid, 2000 Toolbox, Hurricane, OilChange, Personal PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), GuardDog (another privacy tool), VirusScan, McAfee Virtual Office, and Uninstaller. Although it's a lot of small applications, reports on the suite generally decry its lack of integration and complain that some of its parts don't work well together.

Windows 98: Microsoft, if you're still running Win95 with all its patches, fixes and glitches, it's about time to migrate. Is it bug-free? No. Is it better than Win95? Yes.

Internet Explorer 5.0, Microsoft - full upgrade to Internet Explorer 4, can be installed over the Web from Microsoft or downloaded to your hard drive from Internet Direct (www.idirect.com/IE5) for later install. A smaller footprint than IE4, with better implementation of many of its features. Free, except for any line charges for downloading. So far (after a month of running the beta test version and a week of running the final code), it's been crash- and other trouble-free on my system.

Partition Magic 3.0: PowerQuest Corp., a nifty utility that allows you create disk partitions without destroying their contents. Includes multi-boot loader and support for Linux partitions. While not for novices, this semi-advanced utility will offer some benefits to moderately experienced users. Includes support for Windows NT and 32-bit file allocation tables.

Still haven't tested your system for Year 2000 readiness or compliance? You can download the National Software Testing Laboratory's YMARK2000

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