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Tips and Tricks Page 1

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Republished with permission from eHelp free.com (thanks Klara and Robert)

Possible Registry Fixes/Repairs

1. Boot to command prompt and type: scanreg /restore . Then roll back to the date before this problem.
2. Try scanreg /fix
3. Edit the scanreg.ini to increase the number of MaxBackupCopies anywhere from 0-99. Do this before you have a problem.
scanreg /? Displays usage
scanreg /backup Backup the registry and related system configurations files.
scanreg /fix Repairs the registry.
scanreg /comment Adds the specified comment to the cab file while backing up.
Keep in mind these may not always work. It all depends on whether any of these files are corrupted or damaged too.

Windows 95/98 Extensions for Setup

You can use these when installing 95/98, i.e. setup.exe /im

/im Skips the memory check.
/id Ignores the disk-space check.
/is Skips the routine system check.
/iq Skips the check for cross-linked files.
/ie Does not create an Emergency Boot Disk.
/ih Skips the registry check.
/iv Skips the display of billboards during setup.

Is Running Defrag Really That Important?

Next time you do a fresh install of an operating system, run defrag right after it's done. You will notice how fragmented it is. Then reboot the machine and run defrag again. You will notice how it's not fully optimized. Then install some of your software and defrag it again. Then go and set your swap file to permanent at say 100 MB, min & max, for this demo. After it reboots, run defrag one more time. Here is what I notice about the results;

1. When you install a program or the operating system, it doesn't mean the hard drive is OK as far as fragmentation goes.

2. Why the fragmentation after the first reboot? One because there are "unmovable" files that move to the end of the data on the drive. Another is the swap file parts have moved to areas that are empty.

3. Theory states that you don't want the hard drive or swap file fragmented to get the best performance, right? If you let windows control the swap file, it can fragment. If it's set to permanent minimum and maximum, it won't fragment.

4. Windows has a habit of just throwing the files back on the hard drive. After a while they are thrown everywhere and windows loses track of what they are, henceforth, lost clusters. Defragging corrects this.

5. By defragging more often, it takes less time to reorganize your hard drive. You defrag in minutes rather than hours.

6. New operating systems has only a few "unmovable" files. Henceforth, you don't need to defrag as often in the beginning.

7. You should run defrag at least once a week, depending on how often you use your computer of course. But before running it, delete the temporary internet files, history files, and temp files.

Utilities

The following utilities can be run by going to Start/run and type in the underlined words below.

Run CleanMGR to clean up temp files.
Run RegClean to cleanup the Windows Registry. It will not correct a corrupt registry.
Run SFC (System File Checker) to have Windows check out system files.
Run MSCONFIG to view and clean up boot apps.
CleanMGR, SFC, and MSCONFIG come with Windows '98. REGCLEAN can be downloaded from Microsoft.

Entering CMOS For Different Motherboards

Press del during boot= (AMI, Award).
Press Esc during boot= Toshiba.
Press F1 during boot= (Toshiba; Phoenix; Late model PS/1 Value Point and 330s).
Press F2 during boot = (NEC).
Press F10 when square in top RH corner of screen= (Compaq).
Press Ins during boot=IBM PS/2 with reference partition.
Shift Ctrl Alt + Num Pad del= - Olivetti PC Pro.
Ctrl Alt ? =some PS/2s, such as 75 and 90.
Ctrl-Esc = Misc Puters
Ctrl Ins= some PS/2s when pointer at top right of screen.
Press reset twice= some Dells.
Ctrl Alt Enter= Dell.
Ctrl Alt Esc=AST Advantage, Award, Tandon.
Ctrl Alt + =Misc Puters
Ctrl Alt S= Phoenix.
Ctrl Alt Ins= (Zenith, Phoenix)
Ctrl S =(Phoenix).
Ctrl Shift Esc= Tandon 386.

Stacks Explained

The command STACKS=9,256 don't mean that you have 9,256 stacks. You actually have 9 stacks, each capable of holding 256 bytes of data. This is the default setting configured by the Windows 3.1x installation program.

A stack is an area of RAM that the CPU uses for temporary storage. It's extremely fast because it uses the simplest instructions possible. The CPU receives many hardware interrupts from the keyboard, mouse, disk drive, or other devices. When this happens, it must stop what it's doing and handle the interrupt. To do so as efficiently as possible, the CPU uses one of the stacks to store information about what it's currently doing. This is referred to as pushing data onto the stack. Then, when the interrupt is finished, the CPU gets the information back from the stack and continues where it left off. This is called popping from the stack. Unfortunately, it's possible to interrupt an interrupt, so one stack could fill up quickly. Therefore, there must be enough stacks, sufficient in size, to handle all possible conditions. For a 386 or later CPU running Windows 3.1x, Microsoft suggests that 9 stacks of 256 bytes provides ample room for most conditions. If there aren't enough stacks, you can get what's called a Stack Overflow. Although this could cause your system to lock up, it may or may not trigger an error message

Think Your Modem Is Slow, go down the list of things to check:

Check the following;

Did you set the maximum connect speed to 57600 on your ports? If you don't, the ports won't connect at anything higher than it is set at.

Does your ISP even support 56K connection. If so, what standards? V90? 56KFlex, X2? If their protocol is incompatible with yours, then it won't work.

How is your phone line condition? Is there any line noise? Have you complained and the phone company checked it out?

Did the drivers install ok? Did you install a 56K-modem driver instead of a 28.8 driver?

Lastly, sometimes window doesn't report the correct speed that you actually connect at.

Windows Keystrokes

Windows Key+e = open windows explorer
Windows Key+r = open "run..." window
Windows Key+f = "find..."
Windows Key+m = minimize all windows
Windows Key+tab = (seems to be similar to alt+tab)
Windows Key+Pause = Open "System Properties"
Windows Key+F1 = Help
Windows Key+Ctrl+f = Special "Find..." window
Others:
F2 when a file is selected = rename file
F10 in a window = similar to alt
F1 = Help
F3 = Find
Shift (when inserting a CD) = bypass autoplay
Shift+F10 = similar to right-clicking
Shift+Del = Delete, not put in Recycle bin
Alt+Enter = Alt+double click = View properties
Ctrl when dragging = copy file
Ctrl+Shift when dragging = make shortcut
Alt+Esc = similar to Alt+Tab
Well-known ones:
Alt+F4 = Quit program
Ctrl+Alt+Del = Bring up "close program" window
Ctrl+Alt+Del twice = restart
Ctrl+Esc = Goto Start Menu
Alt+Enter = Shrink/enlarge DOS window
Ctrl+Alt+(letter or number) = run program. To set this, go to a shortcut, right-click it, go to "properties," "shortcut," and click in the "shortcut key" box. Then press Ctrl+Alt+(the number or letter you want to use).
Alt+(number) = Special characters like ™šœŸ¿½µ¶®¬Á¢£æ÷ÿß«. Use the character map to find the right numbers. Goto Start/programs/accesories/character map.
ALt+Tab = Toggle between programs.
as well as Ctrl+C, V, X, etc.

Files in Ctl+ALT+DEL and Their Links To Applications

Sage is a program that works in the background in conjunction with your Task Scheduler. So if you have the Scheduler active in the taskbar, then this file will appear.
PTSNOOP is a token program that waits for some program to request the COM port to be opened. Then it makes sure that the drivers get loaded. This program works in conjunction with your modem.
Explorer is the program that enables your GUI interface. This MUST be always open.
Systray is the program that enables your taskbar to be active and have those cute little icons on it.

Basic Troubleshooting Tips To Use

There are some basic troubleshooting tips that can help your system to stay in good shape. Many people wait to do these simple maintenance items when they start having trouble with their system. If you wait that long, it may be too late. If you follow the below mentioned tips, you can increase the length of time your system will be functioning properly.

Run Disk Defragmenter at least once a week. To start it, go to Start, Programs, Accessories, and System Tools. If your computer has heavy usage and/or you re on the Internet a lot, then do it more often. Defragmenter is important because it organizes files optimally on your hard drive for faster and more efficient file(s) access.
Run Scandisk about once a month. To start it, go to Start, Programs, Accessories, and Systems Tools. Many people believe that you should run Scandisk first before running Disk Defragmenter. I never do. If you wish, you may do so. Make sure you use the thorough option. This will check many things including the hard drive for physical errors.
Windows 3.1 was terrible for leaving temp files, short for temporary files. What happens is some programs create two files when you start a new document or open an already existing file. So many times the operating system or program did not delete these files. As they accumulated on your hard drive, they took up space and many times memory too. And can effect your printer not printing too. Now Windows 95/98 and the programs have done a better job in removing these bothersome files. But some still get left behind. So you need to make sure they get removed on a regular basis. In 3.1, they were usually saved in the DOS directory, unless it was specified in the autoexec.bat file. In 95/98, there are usually placed in the temp directory, which is a sub-directory in C:\windows. After removing your temp files, always run Disk Defragmenter.
In order to see the images on your screen of the website you re visiting, they need to be placed on your hard drive. The files are usually placed in directories. They are called Internet cache files and they need to be deleted. If you have Internet Explorer, you can delete those files in Start, Settings, Control Panel, Internet. The exact location would depend on the version of the browser you re using. Your internet history files, keeps a record where you have been on the internet. They can also be deleted from the same area as the internet cache files.

Preparing To Post On Different Internet Forums

Many different forums are available to the average user. These forums can be very useful if you post on them correctly. Here are some guidelines to follow that will be helpful to you in getting your questions answered quickly and clearly.

Clearly state what your problem is. If you are getting a general protection faults, illegal operation message, fatal exception errors, etc then state so, give the address, and whatever else is given to you in the message.
Enter what kind of system you have (clone or brand name. If it s a brand name, then include the name). Also include the following;
Amount of ram you have
Speed of the system
Operating system with version # if available
If you have a clone, the type of motherboard you have.
What devices, and the brand & model # of each, you have in the system;
- Sound card
- Modem
- Video card
- Network card
- Etc.

Answer all questions that are asked of you. If you don t understand the question, then state so. If you re new, then tell them that also. Most people want to help others that include "newbies", so to speak. So keep in mind all of us started out from the beginning. Not knowing what was what. But, we learned and so can you.

Always keep in mind, all systems are not the same, even though they have the same operating system. They can t see your system. So they have to see it through your eyes.

Abbreviations on the Internet
1.        LOL                laugh out loud
2.        BTW                by the way
3.        FYI                for your information

Important Facts About Picking Video Cards

I m not going to pick which video card is best for you here. However, I can show you some basic things to look for when trying to decide what video card to buy. There are many types between ISA, PCI, AGP, with daughtercards, etc. Then it can be very confusing when terms like 2D/3D graphics, rendering, fogging, etc. And to make matters worse, some of the high end games will work well with only one type of video card. What this all about? It can be very complicated experience to endure. However, few decisions are more important than the video card itself. Here is what to basically look at when buying your card.

Refresh Rates.
What is the highest refresh rate the card can deliver? The refresh rate is the number of times the images on your screen are refreshed. The higher the number is the better. You want to get to or pass the 85 HZ rate. Some of the basic rates are 60, 72, 75, 85, 100, etc. Make sure those are non-interlaced rates too.

Colors.
How many colors do you want to run in, 256, 16 bit (65,536), 24 bit (16,777,216)? Basically there is little change for the average user to see between the 16 bit and 24 bit colors. There ll be some change between the 256 color and 16 bit. So unless you are into graphics big time, go to the 16 bit and increase the refresh rate that s if you can. That will make it easier on your eyes.

Resolution.
What resolution do you want your screen at? It could be 640 x 480, 600 x 800, 1024 x 768, 1152 x 864, 1280 x 1024, 1600 x 1200. The higher the sets of numbers, the smaller the screen will be.

Dot Pitch.
You want to get to at least .28 dot pitch. Some models have pitches as low as 25. The lower the number the better.

Ram Amount
.The difference between the 8 MB, 12 Mb or even 16 Mb video cards are basically for gaming. While they will give you higher refresh rates at a higher resolution, you really don't have a need for it unless are gaming or into high-end graphics. The more ram and the fastest the video card is, the more heat that will be generated. You can shorten the life of your devices, motherboard, cpu, etc. if you have excessive heat in the case or tower.

Now let s tie this all together. What's important to watch for is to get the refresh rate as close to 85 HZ or higher as possible at the resolution and colors you use. That will give you a basically flicker free screen, which won't give you hardly any eyestrain. It's one reason why many have headaches when they are starring at a computer screen all day.

One thing to note is make sure your monitor will give you the refresh rates that the card will deliver. It does no good to buy a video card that will deliver 120 HZ refresh rate when the monitor you're using will only handle 72 or 75 HZ. I m not saying 75 HZ is bad, but what I m saying is if you re buying new, then get the better quality monitor with that great video card! Remember, you have only one set of eyes, PROTECT THEM!!!!!! The cheap monitors will not deliver those higher refresh rates that you need to protect your eyes. Do your homework with it. It takes time to compare.

Common IRQ configurations

An interrupt is used when a peripheral communicates with the computer. Device interrupt conflicts occur when two or more devices attempt to use the same interrupt simultaneously.

The following are Industry Standard Port Configurations and common device configurations

IRQ Device Industry Standard Configuration
1 System Timer Yes
2 Programmable Interrupt Controller Yes
3 Serial Port (COM2 / COM4) Yes
4 Serial Port (COM1 / COM3) Yes
5 Sound cards No
6 Floppy Disk Controller Yes
7 Parallel / Printer Port (LPT1) Yes
8 System / CMOS clock Yes
9 Parallel / Printer Port (LPT2) No
10 Network Interface Cards No
11 Available Yes
12 Available Yes
13 Math Coprocessor Yes
14 Primary IDE controller Yes
15 Secondary IDE Controller No

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Tips and Tricks Page 1

Get skype it's free

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