Pollock Computer
Services Pollock Computer
Services Prompt Professional Home or Office Service Seven
Phone 9533 5002
Fax 9502 0050 Mobile 0412 543841
Tips & Tricks for
Computer Users
A Computer
is not capable of any functions without an Operating System installed. Windows
95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000 & XP are all modern Operating Systems from Microsoft.
Windows 2000 and NT 4 are commercial Operating Systems designed for use
in the larger environments and normally regarded as more stable BUT requiring
more attention to Hardware compatibility issues and system configuration.
Windows XP (Microsoft's latest Operating System) is also very stable
and likewise requires good Hardware compatibility to operate. There are
two versions of the Windows XP product, XP Home for SOHO users and XP
Professional for larger Corporations and users requiring more
security.
It is extremely important that users of Windows XP ensure all the Critical updates issued by Microsoft are installed as soon as they are released. (usually this is the second Wednesday of the month).. Also SP2 must be installed to ensure the enhanced features are available to try to protect the Computer from Internet security issues.
The Operating System interfaces with the Hardware and controls the installed applications such as a Word Processor or E-Mail etc. It is like a Policeman on point duty responsible for the safe and reliable operation of all functions running on the Computer.
Over time it has become very popular to criticise Microsoft for all Computer problems but this is just nonsense because many of the problems are caused either by actions of the owners of the Computers or other installed software.
There is no viable alternative to Microsoft at this time and into the foreseeable future because others like IBM failed to develop their Operating Systems to full potential and now the installed base of Microsoft Windows is too entrenched to displace.
In the beginning there was MS Windows 3.1 which acted as a GUI (Graphical User Interface) over MS DOS 6.22. DOS (Disk Operating System) is necessary to control the Hardware functions like the disk drives, memory etc. All subsequent Windows Operating Systems still have DOS components but no longer as a separate piece of software. You will find DOS normally within the Windows/Command folder. The exceptions to this rule are Windows NT 4 and Windows XP which are completely different Operating Systems without the compatibility for older DOS programs. It is this feature which inherently gives these Operating Systems their stability. They do not directly address the Hardware but rather all interaction is via the Operating System.
One of the most useful information tools is the "Device Manager" found within "Properties" of "My Computer". This screen will inform you of all the Hardware items installed on your Computer and confirm that they are operating correctly or that you need to intervene and correct a malfunction or load an updated "Driver." A Driver is a piece of Software which responds to the Operating System and controls a Hardware item. All Hardware items such as Modems, Printers, CD ROM's etc have Device Driver software normally provided by the manufacturer of the Hardware item. When you experience a problem with an item of Hardware many times an updated driver will cure it. Drivers are easy to obtain these days due to the Internet. A quick search on the Manufacturers site will most times provide you with the latest software to download.
Configuration for all Items of Hardware and Software on the Computer are stored in the "registry" (for Windows 95, 98, 98SE, ME) which consists of two files (System.dat & User.dat) These files are found within the Windows folder and are automatically "backed up" when you start the Computer. With Windows 95 there is only one backup but Windows 98 & ME have five sets of backups from the last five days. In addition with Windows 98 & ME the System.ini & the Win.ini files are backed up. In the case of a corruption of the Registry you will then be automatically directed to select a recent backup as a replacement.
Registry files are far more complicated in Windows XP and consist of fives "Hives" System, Software, Sam, Security and Default. These are backed up by the "System Restore" function within XP along with some other configuration files.
An excellent feature found within Windows ME & Windows XP is "System Restore". This allows the user to return the computer to a previous state of configuration and installed programs. Normally a "System Restore Point" is made for every day the Computer is started. The user may also create a System Restore before any software installation. Windows XP automatically creates a Restore Point if the user tries to install any "unsigned" (Microsoft Certified) Driver software. By default the user's Email and Documents are protected however as with any Computer operation backup of any important files would be advised before using a System Restore.
The most important piece of Software on your computer (excluding the Operating System & your Applications) is a modern and "Current" Virus Scanning program.
The Virus Scanner data files need to be updated every 1 to 2 days to ensure you are fully protected from infected e-mails and web pages.
Only a foolish person would claim it cannot happen to me, or, I only open e-mail from friends because many times in fact that is where the infected mail comes from. Associated with the protection the Virus Scanner provides is the need to ensure you make regular backup's of your important data. This area is often overlooked once again in the belief that "it couldn't happen to me" or "my computer is an expensive "brand name" model" etc..
Be sure to back up the data files associated with your Word Processor, Spreadsheet, Accounting program, Address book, Favourites.
A reliable Computer is one that has the minimal software (Operating System, Applications, Internet, Virus Scanner etc) installed and where the owner resists "fiddling" "to see what happens!! )
Microsoft have a special Internet Website available where you may freely download any updates to your Microsoft Operating System. This site should be checked at least every two weeks and any critical updates downloaded and installed without delay.
What about the Internet?
Connecting your Computer to "The Internet" is really "Networking"
it to another Computer somewhere else in the world. In a normal Networking
situation special cables and network cards are used to connect each Computer.
For an Internet connection however a Modem is used to perform the connection
utilising the telephone system as a substitute for the cables.
Internet users should use a "Firewall" to prevent "Hackers" from trying to take control of their Computer. Additionally they should heed the advice above about Windows Critical Updates most particularly if their Operating System is Windows XP.
The Modem is necessary to change the "Digital" information from within the Computer to "Analogue" information that the phone system can handle. This conversion is Bi-directional with Analogue information coming down the phone line from your ISP (Downloading) and being converted within the Modem to Digital information for your Computer. Modems are very sophisticated devices and susceptible to external influences such as "Call Waiting", too many phones on the same line, older touch phones and many other situations. MOST problems with Internet connection are caused by modems reacting to these influences. At the first sign of Modem problems (frequent disconnections, slow speeds, failed connections etc) ensure you have installed the latest Software drivers for your brand of Modem.
Although you get a certain indicated connection speed it is unlikely that this speed remains constant during your Internet session as the Modem at your end is constantly "Retraining" in conjunction with it's partner at your ISP. During these silent "Retraining" sessions (which maybe to increase or decrease the connection speed) many poor quality modems or incorrect software drivers cause the connection to be "Dropped" This is because the "Carrier" has been lost and the two Modems can no longer communicate with each other.
A significant development has occurred within the last 1 or 2 years with a big increase in the number of Broadband Internet users. This technology typically uses Cable (as used for Cable TV) or ADSL which uses the normal telephone line. There is some Satellite Broadband in addition to Wireless technology in some cities. Cable Internet (the best and most reliable) can only be provided by Optus or Telstra as they are the only companies who have installed cables for TV in some but not all locations throughout Australia. ADSL which uses your normal telephone line has a large range of ISP's offering different plans for download speeds and monthly data allowance. These plans are constantly changing so it is sometimes difficult to make a decision about which ISP to use.
Your ISP gives you access to the outside World for such things as Web Browsing, IRC, FTP and more. Your E-mail and Newsgroups however are held at their premises (rather like a "private post box" situation at the Post Office) so generally speaking access to e-mail is fast compared with Web Browser use. When using programs which require HTTP (Web) access some ISP's require you to set a "Proxy Server" configuration with in the software. This setting is needed to provide "external" access from your ISP to the outside World if they have a Proxy Server configuration at their end. This type of setup can save an ISP many thousands of dollars a month in Telecom charges by recycling the data requested by their subscribers.
The Web addresses we are familiar with like "The Age" web site, www.theage.com.au are just a "user friendly" alias for the real computer name (in reality a computer number), in this case 203.26.177.54. It was decided years ago that we could maybe remember names easier rather than a set of numbers so all Web access is translated by DNS servers from a Web address to a numerical machine number.
Your e-mail is send and received by Servers at your ISP. The POP Server (Post Office Protocol) is responsible for receiving your e-mail and holding it for you until you connect and subsequently download to your Computer. Your outgoing mail is sent by a SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) Server and is dispatched immediately it is received from your Computer.
Passwords are necessary to connect to your ISP and "Log In" as well as retrieve your e-mail. The same password is used for both situations. Remember that password's almost always are "case sensitive". Be sure to write them down as your ISP may not readily "reset" your password should you forget it.
Disaster Recovery
Recovery from a disaster successfully depends on what
strategies and backup procedure you have in practice.
The Computer user who fails to use a Virus Scanner and keep it's data files up to date every few days is normally the same user who feels that their data is forever safe on the Computer. They make no allowance for Hard Drive failure (This can happen with the most expensive Computers and sometimes within weeks of purchase). In addition to Hard Drive failure and Virus attack where all data is lost is the risk of theft or fire etc.
Backup's are very important! It is not necessary to backup the whole hard drive ( although you can if you have another removable Hard Drive). What is necessary is to identify the data files which are yours and make sure you back them up every few days or more frequently if the data is extra important. Some files to consider are:
All documents (Word, Excel, Access,
etc)
Accounting files (Quicken or MYOB data file)
Faxes (Outgoing
faxes)
Internet E-mail messages
Internet Favourites or Bookmarks
E-mail
Address Books
Outlook data file
Share Trading files
You may simply identify these groups of files and copy them to a USB memory stick or write them to a CD.
Should you have the need to "Format" your Hard Drive then it is a good idea to note the makes and models of Sound Card, SCSI Card (if fitted) Video Card, Modem, Network Card etc before you format. You also will need all the Software for these cards and all other programs such as MS Office plus you will need to have your Internet details handy.
The best advice for when something goes wrong is NOT TO PANIC.. Stop and think ..
What have you just done.
What did you recently change or install?
Consider carefully advice offered by friends and "Experts" , remember it's not their data they are playing with.
Get proper advice before taking any drastic steps. Just like any machine , sometimes you may even need to pay for a professional to fix it properly for you.
With simple problems such as a program failing to operate correctly sometimes all that is necessary to correct this is to un-install and re-install the program. It is VERY important that you un-install via the "Control Panel" then "Re-boot" the Computer before trying the re-installation. Usually your data is safe with this process as the un-install procedure will leave behind anything not present at the time of installation.
A good healthy Computer is one which starts up without error messages, has no strange noises from the case & all programs operate correctly. There are no errors in the Device Manager, the Virus Scanner is up to date ( within 3 days). All data files are backed up, no temporary files ( *.tmp) on the Hard Drive (usually in Windows/temp folder) Scandisk is run regularly to check for data / FAT errors. There are NO bad Sectors on Hard Drive and the Defrag program is used every month or so to improve the operation of your Hard Drive.
NOTE: Any Bad sectors are potentially a bad sign as usually once the media of the Hard Drive fails in one area it spreads further. Data written to a faulty area will probably be un-recoverable.
Safe Mode start-up (F8) during Boot-up ( after BIOS messages) may allow a Computer which fails to start (because of corrupted or faulty drivers) to start and allow you to correct errors. In this mode be aware the CD ROM drive will not be present nor will you be able to use the Internet. Safe mode however will allow you to un-install software, return items from the recycle bin, make adjustments to your files and generally look around the system.
Software Utility packages which promise to "Clean up your Computer", Fix all nature of problems, and more ... are items to be very wary of. Many times in the hands of normal relatively in-experienced users they present solutions which may not be correct and lull the user into agreeing to alter or deleting items they would never dream of. These Software packages are useful on some occasions BUT it amounts to Software trying to fix Software. With the Windows Operating System these days (due to Microsoft's Windows Update utilities and Internet Explorer updates etc) many Computers contain Operating Systems with configurations and files unheard of by the Utility packages.
When starting the Computer with the Safe Mode option Menu you may select an option for a "Bootlog" file to be created which will create a large text file with all the listings of the devices as they load and more importantly the devices which fail to load. The last listing may be useful if you cannot start your Computer as this will be the device which is corrupted or the wrong version etc.
Windows automatically creates backup copies of the Registry ( 1 for Windows 95, 5 for Windows 98 upwards). You can invoke a Windows 98 Registry backup by using the Safe Mode Menu and selecting the "Command Prompt" option. Change to the C:\Windows folder and type scanreg.exe (then use the "enter" key) Follow the prompts and you will get a list of backups, select one and see if this corrects the problems. System.1st (in the root of C: Drive) is the first copy of system.dat which in final desperation may be renamed and copied to C:\Windows.
