Useful information for you and your computer!

Please take the time to read this. It may be useful to you and your computer.

Well, I just defragged my computer, and now it runs pretty fast! Opening IE is much faster than normal, as well as opening programs.

Now I know that no one really has time to defrag there computer for the 2+ hours it takes, because that would just take away precious computer time! You may wonder why I defragged my computer, well, I like a fast computer and defrag puts all the little pieces back together.

Like a little kid playing with his blocks and messing them all up and then mommy comes in and yells at the kid and helps clean it up.

What does mommy do? She organizes and puts all the blocks into the place they were before the kid played with them so that they are nice and neat and ready to be messed up with again.

Getting back to when you have time to do this. Well, leaving your computer on will not hurt it. So when you go to work, you should defrag (this will take 2+ hours depending on your hard drive's size), as I did.

Make sure you turn off your screen saver and also, make sure the power off monitor is off as well. You can turn off you monitor manually to save energy that way (by pressing the button on it). Also, close (ctrl+alt+del) any programs that are open (Systray/Explorer/etc./any important programs should stay open). The reason for this is because programs tend to write/read information which will notify the defragger that the computer has information moving so it restarts itself and does this until information stops moving. So make sure ALL programs are closed or your going to be defragging forever.

And when you get home from work/school, this will all be done, so all you do is restart your computer and you can use it and notice the excellent results with a bit more of a faster computer. This should be done every two weeks or so.

I hope this helps everyone understand defragging a bit more. Just me giving some information that you may have known already. But defragging is always a good thing! It's like a checkup at the doctor's office where he/she will make sure your doing well and if anything's wrong, fix you. Another reason I am telling you this is because sometimes people don't even defrag their computers because they simply don't have the time to waste. The computer must have a checkup (defragment) once in a while, so you should defrag it to prevent errors, slowness, or freezing. So, if you defrag your computer before you go to work, while your at work, it will be defragging and when you come home, have a nice fixed/fast computer. A nice way to not waste useful computer time when at home and leave good results for you.


Enjoy,
Dr. Gates


(Edited for spelling mistakes)

[Edited by Matthew Gates on 10-15-2000 at 10:54 PM]

[PRIVATE1]

use the task manager to run defrag in the middle of the nite or whenever your not using it . You can also check out
msconfig 's startup tag for uneeded apps running . I also remember something about "aligning your .exe's to speed them up but I can't remember where I had found that information .

[]P

[S@NSIS]

Hi,
I suggest using Norton utilities disk defragmenter. It does a better job and in about 1/10th of the time.

[mlewis]

Want another miracle speed tip? Go to IE, and clean your history and temp internet files. This speeds the entire machine by up to 30x in some cases.

I use this trick for the endless "My computer gets slow a lot and I can't fix it help" questions. It works wonders, especially if one defrags right after.

Also, Win98 seems to have a bug where it leaves strange files beginning with "{FF..." in the Windows folder that are 0 bytes long. Killing these can speed things up a lot, too, esp. if you find several 1,000 of them.

[S@NSIS]

Go to Microsofts site and download RegClean 4.1. It does an excellent job of tidying your registry which helps speed up your system that little bit more. (Especially when booting up).

[PRIVATE1]

[QUOTE
Also, Win98 seems to have a bug where it leaves strange files beginning with "{FF..." in the Windows folder that are 0 bytes long. Killing these can speed things up a lot, too, esp. if you find several 1,000 of them. [/QUOTE]

I get tons of these in my windows dir . What the heck are they . I know for a fact that weren't always there . I think it was an OCX I Downloaded that started the issue .

[PRIVATE1]

[QUOTE
Also, Win98 seems to have a bug where it leaves strange files beginning with "{FF..." in the Windows folder that are 0 bytes long. Killing these can speed things up a lot, too, esp. if you find several 1,000 of them. [/QUOTE]

I get tons of these in my windows dir . What the heck are they . I know for a fact that weren't always there . I think it was an OCX I Downloaded that started the issue .

[Mark Sreeves]

before you all follow S@NSIS's suggestion and rush off to download RegClean 4.1

this page:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/sp/vs97/readme.asp

has this line in it!
[quote]
Do Not Use the Microsoft Utility RegClean 4.1 with Visual Studio or Any Visual Studio Applications

[quote]

[S@NSIS]

Hi Mark,
That's a good point.However,the environment that we run includes Visual Studio 6.0 Enterprise and all of it's components (VB,C++,Interdev etc.....) and we have had absolutely no problems whatsoever.
True, there was an issue some time ago, but this has subsequently been fixed. Perhaps Microsoft haven't updated that page yet!

I'm not suggesting that you should all rush out and download it, just that if you do ever need something like it, then that's your answer. It's up to you whether you use it or not. (can I sign a disclaimer now )

[Shark]

Thanks for the tip Matthrew.

I do a check disk on my drive every week. Is that the same as defrag?

Shark, on the Desktop, click My Computer and right click the (C:) and click Properties > Tools > Defragment Now... and it will start defragging your computer. Just make sure no programs are running in the background. Turn off screen saver, virus scanners, winamp, etc. They all rearrange data around which warns the defragger that data is being moved and it restarts the defragging (goes back to 0).

You should also check your disk for errors (located in the same place as where the defragger is, but on the very top).

[flint]

Dr. Gates's suggestions are wonderful!

I use Norton Disk Utilities (Norton ScanDisk) that allow me to put the swap file at the begining of the hard drive, therefore it create a faster RAM Access for your apps. The app also determines the most frequently used programs and defrags them and places them near the front of the Hard Drive as Well.

Try searching here for some free disk utilities
http://www.freewarehome.com

Norton SystemWorks also have a utility that scans your C:\Windows\ & C:\Windows\System or any other specified folders to identify unused drivers and .dll files. (By using the default uninstall program sometimes files and registry entries are not deleted when you uninstall a program) This can gradually slow down your computer, eat up precious resources and eventually cause it to crash.

Another method that I use to speed up font type apps (Like Word Processor apps) is to create a C:\Windows\Fonts2 folder and place the less common fonts in there. This doesn't eat near the virtual memory

NortonSystemWorks will also allow me to monitor the apps that have been installed and completely uninstall everything that was changed (replacing the system back into it's allocation state before the program was installed. It monitors the registry changes, where the files are written too, and uninstalls all of the above.


I would recommend to the employees at my company to run scandisk and then defrag....this usually does the trick on keeping systems running efficiently.

Hope this helps!

Flint Puckett, District Computer Specialist, M.B.A., C.M.S.
Johnson & Johnson
VB 6.0 Profesional Edition SP4


[Edited by flint on 10-16-2000 at 05:58 PM]

[HeSaidJoe]

my 2 cents worth...

I use Norton because I have it and I agree, it is much faster.


bcx7...if you are taking ages to defrag you need to go to the task list and kill all task that are running before you start the defrag. Also, make sure you have no screen saver running.

Matthew is right..you should defrag bi-weekly or so and someone asked if scan disk is the same..no it isn't. You should run scandisk first and then follow it with defrag.

Please read it bcx7, I tell you to close all programs, etc. and it will work, that may be the reason why. I don't exactly know how long mine took. I had to work for 3 hours. So about 20 minutes before I left, I started to defrag and then when I got home, it was all done. So I restarted and things seemed to be faster.

Now, just because I defragged once doesn't mean I don't have to any more. This must be done about every 2 weeks, since I work with my computer a lot and things get unorganized when I move, delete, create files.

Scan Disk is the program that checks for errors and fixes them. After you have done that, than you should defrag. You probably won't have to do anything except be patient. Everything should fix itself all on it's own.

It's very easy. As I said, I just wanted to help everyone out, because I know there are people that just don't get around to defragging because it wastes to much time. But conserving time, like when you are at work, this can be done. Just shut off your monitor manually to save energy and the computer, being left on, will not take much. They can survive.

And sometimes, if a person has never defragged, the computer starts to freeze and everything just takes so long. A explanation of this would be that when you move/delete/create/etc. files, it will make things go out of place. Like when you used to play with your toys, I'm sure you never put them back, so they got lost somewhere. With the computer, this makes it so that it has to go looking for information from the beginning to the end of drive because the data is all over the place. But what happens when you defrag is that it puts everything back in order which can repair and make your computer go fast so it can find everything much faster than it normally could.

Once again, hope that helps.

[mlewis]

I have no clue what these are, I just know that killing them can be a big plus. Maybe something related to the internet?

[flint]

mlewis, I assume that you are talking about the ff# files that are found in the Windows directory from time to time.

When you run a scandisk utility (or FDISK in DOS), one function is to identify lost chains of data on your computer. These are usually created by installing & uninstalling numerous programs on your computer. Sometimes the uninstall process will leave "lingering" application data chains behind. When scandisk finds the lost chains it will optionally ask if you want to save the lost chains to disk. Saving the chains will write the files into the Windows Directory.

Of Course, you could be talking about some other kind of .ff files as well.

Flint

[Mad Compie]

Norton Utilities' defragmenter is a lot more powerful than Microsoft's!

Originally posted by Matthew Gates
Shark, on the Desktop, click My Computer and right click the (C and click Properties > Tools > Defragment Now...

Or go to Accessories > System Tools and it's right there.

[PRIVATE1]

Originally posted by bcx7
i know a program that come with win98. in the run dialog, type WALIGN and this sorts your programs to run faster.

i'm not sure if it's for win95

with defrag, my computer takes absolutely ages to do the first 5 pages. (it does one cluster at a time). any way of speeding this up?

[Edited by bcx7 on 10-16-2000 at 07:57 PM]

Win98 hangs at 10% Call it a feature .
Walign is great , I couldn't remember the name . Thanks .
[]P

[Doc Scheinder]

Which ever program you use, you will allways get better results if you check for errors first. The defrag will organize your computer better after you check for errors. McAffee Guard Dog is a good utility to run to do a thourough cleaning, however it does a little too much if you ask me. The Window washer program is a little less bothersome, it only runs upon command. Just my little suggestion on the subject.

[EatenByGators]

Those {FF23-346134-134613... blah blah blah 0 byte files show up IF you have errors in your registry. It means an EXE or DLL was missing or a network setting is incorrect. Whateer the problem is, it turns it into a 0 Byte file to let you know - "HEY I HAVE A PROBLEM!" Now, I myself have tried Regclean, but it doesn't fix the problems. I have been able to use Norton windows disk doctor and reg cleaner. That for has worked so far. I use the latest version however because the older versions were for 95 or DOS. The newest one has all it's bugs fixed and it's a TRUE 32 bit cleaner where as the older versions only were for 16 bit.

Hope this tip helps..

ETG

[jcouture100]

I haven't looked at Norton Utilities for quite a while so I don't know if they have a utility for defragging an NTFS partition, but you can download a Freeware version of DiskKeeper Lite at:

http://www.executive.com/freeware/freeware.asp

I don't think it's as nice as Norton, but it gets the job done for NTFS.

[Devion]

About those files you get in your windows dir (0 bytes) they are residue from the Windows debugger (check your taskmanager for something like MDM).

You can safely delete 'm but it will come back in time

Hi.

It seems that I have created my self a big problem and could need some help. In the good old DOS-days I used to run "Compress.exe" once in a while. But I totally forgot to do something like that, whith my new pc.

So now I have not done any defrag for more than 2 years and when I now try to start Scandisk or Defrag the program freeze. Nothing happens and I must disconnect and connect the power supply to get it back to live.

I read in this correspondance, that the screen saver must be closed. How do I do that. Do you have any other ideas how to get Scandisk or Defrag to run om my computer. Im using Win98.

I have tried to install Scandisk from an other computer, with the same result.

T.i.a.

Jorgen

[Devion]

Scandisk hangs?

Try via Dosmode.
--

In DOS mode Scandisk works and reports everything OK. Trying to run Defrag from DOS-mode gives the message, that the program must be started from Windows.

Jorgen

[Devion]

Go into windows;
Run Defrag (uncheck error checking)

en let it run... it can really take some time! from 10 minutes to a few days if you got one of those whoppin' 60GB Disks

I know that it can take a while, but I'm convinsed (almost :-) that the program freeze. No matter if I run Scandisk or Defrag.

When running Defrag the small defrag elements does not move at all, even if I let the program run for the whole night. It just report 0% done.

Jorgen

[Devion]

press CTRL + ALT + DEL; End any program that is not necessary to run during the night.

Then run Defrag!

Dev.

Sorry, but that's exactly what I'm doing. It still don't work.

I have 2 computers. I'm doing the same on both. The one defrags correctly, the other one dies.

Jorgen

[Devion]

Tried a surface scan in scandisk ?

Just tried surface scan from dos-scandisk. No problem.

To isolate the problem; As soon as I press Run on Scandisk - opened from Windows - it freeze, even if I'm trying to scan a disk in the a:drive. I then can't press any button (Cancell or what so ever). Not even Ctrl-Alt-Del works. Only disconnecting power.

Need new ideas!

Jorgen

hi there:
I tried to use the refra before... got some problems here:
(1) i try to delete/unistall/remove some crazy program from internet, or some i did in vb and some which i don't know where i got and why i install...... i went to control panel and try to "unistall/remove" them.... but it has error messge about "can't be remobve", "path not found" something like that.... i try to find hose file,or so-called program, but they are not found in my PC.... wonder if it is because i uninstalled them before by using their own install program, if so, why i can still read their name from contal panel -- the list?? help please
(2) Since i can't get rid of those crazt program/file.. i drank a coke.. and decided to go defra... i skipped all teh classes ..( i wouldn't go to class either if i was not going to do the defra, so don't people above don't fell guilty..:-) ) i sat down, having 2nd coke and watch how it would go, i knew it will take time, so i was dranking the 2nd coke when i start defra.... after 2 hours and the 4th coke... the defra was still on the second row... i was not patient, i thought that too... so, i waited... and drank , coke again..... then i finished the last 8 cokes, 2 hours later, i dried out.... but the defra still on 2nd row........ HELP please, do i need to buy more coke or should i drink pepsi this time
Thanks

Originally posted by Jorgen
Hi.

It seems that I have created my self a big problem and could need some help. In the good old DOS-days I used to run "Compress.exe" once in a while. But I totally forgot to do something like that, whith my new pc.

So now I have not done any defrag for more than 2 years and when I now try to start Scandisk or Defrag the program freeze. Nothing happens and I must disconnect and connect the power supply to get it back to live.

I read in this correspondance, that the screen saver must be closed. How do I do that. Do you have any other ideas how to get Scandisk or Defrag to run om my computer. Im using Win98.

I have tried to install Scandisk from an other computer, with the same result.

T.i.a.

Jorgen

See? Computer can freeze and can freeze programs. So I have made my point. Check for errors, defrag, maybe run scandisk! Take care of your computer! Love it like you would your parents (or whomever you love most). Be good to it! Give it hugs and kisses and tell it it's doing a good job, hehe. My computer loves to be praised, sometimes it crashes and can be mean to me, that's why I have to be real nice to it and I can't curse or hit it because it gets mad and tries to commit suicide .

And Jorgen, if the problem continues, you may have to reinstall Windows.

Thanks for the wise words Matthew. The problems are still there. Guess I have to reinstall Windows.

Good night

Jorgen

I have compress.exe, but it's for compressing files. What does your compress.exe do?

[bcx7]

does anyone have windows ME? is it worth installing? (because i heard it is more stable than win98)

i got two computers here and one is a AMD k6-2 500mhz and the other one is a ibm 6x86 MMX 200mhz. will windows ME run on both of these or only my AMD comp?

thanks

[vbzero]

Hey - Back to the defragging part: Maybe this would be
usefull too...

If you delete a file it only will be deleted for the
system but it's still on your harddisk.
The file won't be deleted completely until you overwrite
its used clusters.

So write a program that overwrites the positions where
the file was located with 0. :-)

[Devion]

Windows millenium is for the AMD easily installed. For the Cyrix.. Don't try } (It's slow I can tell u)
--

Reinstalling windows is not the option I think you are looking for.

Got any decent checking programs like a program from Norton? or any other?

[dsy5]

My suggestion is to run Defrag in Safe Mode. No having to shut down anything in Task Manager
and no worry about any disk access restarting the defrag process. IMHO