PC Memoirs

Is your computer unbelievably slow? Does it take several minutes to load Windows and start programs? Is it using up all the RAM (physical memory)?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, it’s time to do something about it.

There are many reasons why a computer slows down. Maybe it is simply old and the processor can’t do all the work any more, and/or there is not enough RAM to handle several applications at the same time. Or it is related to software problems, such as virus and spyware infections.

Fortunately, you can improve the speed of your computer with some simple tweaks and installations. Except for an old computer that cannot handle today’s application speeds, there are always solutions to slow processing times. Here are my 5 choices:

1. First, you should clean your History and delete Temporary Internet Files and Cookies from your browser. In Internet Explorer, you can find this in Tools, Internet Options and Browsing History. Then use a program such as CCleaner to remove all unnecessary files from your PC and clean your registry. Finally, defragment you hard drive (Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter).

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Let’s say you click on a zip file and a media player tries to open it. Or you select a video file, but you don’t want this file to be played in Windows Media Player. You want to choose your own player.

This problem can be solved by configuring the file extension associations. To select which program should open the file, right click on the file and choose Properties. In the General tab, under Opens with, click on Change and select the correct program from the list. If you want to open a zip file, choose Winzip or Winrar, or if it is a video or audio file, choose your preferred media player. For documents you will probably look for Adobe Reader, Microsoft Word or Works. If the required program is not in the list, click on Browse and look for the right program in C:\Program files. Then click on Apply and OK. Close all windows and that’s it. Next time you double click the same file, it will open with the program you just selected.

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Have you ever experienced this problem: When you plug in a new USB device such as mouse, external hard drive or digital camera, the new hardware is detected but automatic driver installation fails every time with a ‘data invalid’ error message? Don’t worry, there are several possible solutions that you can test.

Solution 1: Use the advanced installation option and manually select the Windows folder which holds the drivers. The location is C:\Windows\inf (keep in mind that this folder may be hidden. To unhide the folder, open Windows Explorer, click on Tools, Folder Options, View and select the ’show hidden files and folders‘ option). If you have the CD with the drivers, try to find and select the folder that contains the driver files.

Solution 2: Go to C:\Windows\Driver Cache\i386 and find SP2.cab. Right click on this file and select explore. Next, find usbstor.sys, right click on it and extract to desktop. Insert the USB device and try to install again (use automatic installation option).

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If you have a Windows XP Service Pack 2 that displays the message ‘for testing purposes only’ in the bottom right corner, you can follow these simple steps to remove the message.

Go to Start, Run and type regedit. The registry window will open. To remove the message you have to find two keys and delete them. Navigate to this location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\ ROOT\Certificates and delete the Key: 2BD63D28D7BCD0E251195AEB519243C13142EBC3

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\ CA\Certificates and delete the Key: FEE449EE0E3965A5246F000E87FDE2A065FD89D4

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You may have come across the following error message:

“The system is shutting down. Please save all work in progress and log off. Any unsaved changes will be lost. This shutdown was initiated by NT Authority\System

Time before shutdown: 59,58,57,….

Windows must now restart because the RPC service terminated unexpectedly.”

Unfortunately, this is a sign that there is a virus or a bug in the system file. There has been an access violation in svchost.exe, which caused the error message to appear.

To fix this, install the latest service pack (Start, All Programs, Windows Update) and see this Microsoft support page. There is a hotfix at the top of the Microsoft article that you can install. This should take care of the problem. You should also scan your hard drive for virus and spyware threats and remove them if you find any.

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