How to fix a computer

[spystyle]

Hello from Maine,

I have been fixing computers for many years, how unfortunate! But I have discovered, through research and hands on, what works best.

Recently I had to organize and simplify my "notes" for a friend of mine. I thought I would post them here thinking maybe you'd find them useful.

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How to fix a computer without reinstalling Windows by C Conway
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Here are some tips to tune up an existing operating system.

Though it is my usual routine to "start from scratch" and reinstall the operating system and software - Recently I had to fix a couple computers that had a good operating system, but were running very poorly because there was so much crappy software on it. Here is what I did.

Note : to uninstall programs click "start" "settings" and "add/remove programs"

Note 2 : all software linked to is free software or open source software

0. Diskeeper Lite, defragment your hard drive for an immediate increase in performance.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=1207

Make sure to defrag your hard drive at least twice monthly.

1. Install Avast antivirus, activate it for free so you can update it. Uninstall any existing antivirus. Once Avast is updated run a full system scan to remove any viruses.

http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html

Many of the computers I've fixed were loaded with McAfee - what a crappy program! It hogs massive amounts of system resources and slows things down considerably. It also expires then nags for money. Worse - after I removed it and scanned with Avast I found many viruses that it had missed! Dell is paid to install crappy software like that on their PCs, what a drag.

Switching from McAfee to Avast will immediately increase system performance and security.

2. Install Spybot, update it, run it - verify it is updated, immunize the system, then scan for malware. If malware is found scan again. You can uninstall any other spyware related programs. Make sure to run spybot a few times per week.

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

3. Run MSconfig - this is done by clicking "start" "run" and typing "msconfig" (without quotes) then press enter. Within MSconfig go to the "startup tab" and UNcheck any things that are not essential. Leave "video card", "soundcard", and "antivirus" related checked and UNcheck any programs like video players, chat programs and other non-essentials.

These programs start with Windows and eat up allot of resources. Instead of starting them with windows you can launch them manually, by double clicking their icon (or executable file)

If the system can not find msconfig you can download it here:

http://www.perfectdrivers.com/howto/msconfig.html

4. Use FireFox to browse the internet instead of Internet Explorer. It is easy to configure to your liking and more resistant to malware and viruses than Internet Explorer. It also has popup blockers and a slew of plugins you can ad, One plugin I like is "adblock" - you can block internet ads so your favorite sites have no advertisements!

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10

5. TCP Optimizer. This program can optimize your internet connection and speed things up for you.

http://www.speedguide.net/downloads.php

6. CCleaner. This program can fix the Windows registry (most important) and also free up hard drive space by removing temporary and junk files:

http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/

7. If using Windows XP, (which I do not recommend) there is a handy optimizing program called TweakXP. Recently TweakXP has an option added to automatically tweak your Windows! How convenient.

http://www.tweakxp.com/tweakutility/

Well that ought to right a lot of wrongs with your computer. Give the above a try, all the software is free and will speed up that computer of yours for sure. There is so much crappy software out there that most computers run painfully slow, but this is easy to correct.

Cheers,
Craig

[spystyle]

Software I recommend. 

Windows 2000 (OS) (or Win98se on old computers)
Avast home edition (Antivirus)
Diskeeper light (hard drive defragmentor)
ACDSee classic (image viewer)
FireFox (web browser)
Thunderbird (pop3 email client)
SpyBot (immunizes against and scans for spyware)
Nero (CD/DVD burning)
Audiograbber (CD to MP3 ripper)
Adobe Reader (PDF reader)
DirectX 9 (for video games)
Paint Shop Pro (to open obscure image file types)
WinRAR (unzipper)
VLC media player (to play video files)
Winamp (to play MP3s)
uTorrent (torrent client)
damn NFO viewer (for reading NFO text files)
TCP/IP optimizer (speeds up internet)
Shoot the messenger (disables Windows messaging service, a vulnerability)
Gaim (ad-free instant messenger compatible with yahoo, ICQ, MSN, and many others)

If DVD drive exists:
PowerDVD 5.0 (to play DVDs)

If DVD burner exists:
anydvd + clonedvd (to copy DVD movies)

[spystyle]

How to test computer hardware:

1. "Memtest 86" (free) to test RAM. Boot CD is available.

2. "Scandisk" (free) to test hard drive(s). Is availabe on Win98 CD
Or "HDtune" is a free Windows version for 2K/XP

3. "ATX power supply tester" - a device to test the power supply

The hardware must be tested to ensure it is working properly. The RAM must be tested becuase if it is faulty the computer will crash frequently. The hard drive must be tested for the same reason. A power supply tester is especially important because a malfunctioning power supply can kill the computer by supplying bad voltages to the devices.

Always be sure to plug a computer into a good surge protector - read the back of the "power strip" the computer  plugs into to make sure it is a "surge protector" and not a "temporary power tap". Better yet - buy a good surge protector at your local department store. They are typically only $20 USD.

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1. MemTest is a great free program for testing the RAM

http://www.memtest86.com/download.html

Download the ISO image above and burn it as a CD

If you don't know how to burn an ISO as a CD see "How to burn the ISO" below

Simply boot the computer using the memtest86 CD and it willr un automatically - simply let it rus until it reads "pass 1" in the middle of the screen. If it has any errors the screen will turn red and there will be a number under "errors"

If pass 1 = computer's RAM is most likely good

If errors 1 or more = computer's RAM is likely bad. Try the test again with only 1 RAM stick (if there is more than 1 RAM stick) and retest. Replace any RAM stick that errors. You can test the "error" RAM stick in a different computer.
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2.

"HDtune", to test hard drive in Windows 2K / XP
http://www.hdtune.com/

"Scandisk", to test hard drive in Windows 9X

Boot from Windows 98 CD.

select "start computer with CD rom support", it will boot to A:> (called A prompt)

Type:
D:\win98\scandisk /ALL /Autofix /NoSave /Surface

The above is not case sensitive, note the spaces:

D:\win98\scandisk_/ALL_/Autofix_/NoSave_/Surface

Do not type "_" those symbols are in place to show the spaces
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3. Test the PSU to make sure it is giving good voltages to the computer. A bad PSU can kill a computer.

I personally use 2 different testers, one by PowMax and one by Antec. If both PSU testers show error I throw the PSU away. Do not open a PSU - it contains capacitors that can shock you.

http://tinyurl.com/33m78h
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"How to burn the ISO"

Download burn4free*, it's free. Install it, then go to add/remove programs and uninstall it's toolbar. The program remains

start burn4free, click: drive > burn iso

use it to burn the ISO "as" a disk

some users accidentally burn it "to" a disk using other programs, that is why I recommend burn4free

Cheers,
Craig

*
http://tinyurl.com/b8mco

[spystyle]

"How to use an old computer as a desktop computer"

In other words - how to revive an old computer so you don't need to buy a new one.

Test rig was "Pentium 2, 300mhz, with 96 mb RAM"

I was recently charged with the task of reviving an old lady's old computer for free, while I would have loved to buy her a new rig - I was broke! So I set out to discover what software could be used to make this old rig into a good home computer for general use - like browsing the web, printing, and writing reports.

Here is what I came up with, see numbered notes below.

1. "Windows 98se" as an operating system
2. "AVG free" (free) as an antivuirus
3. "SpyBot" (free) to immunize against malware, also for weekly scans to remove spyware
4. "Diskeeper lite" (free) to defragment the hard drive weekly.

optional:

5. "Winamp" (free) (use an old version) to play MP3 files

for testing hardware:

6. "Memtest 86" (free) to test RAM. Boot CD is available.
7. "Scandisk" (free) to test hard drive(s). Is availabe on Win98 CD
8. "ATX power supply tester" - a device to test the power supply

The hardware must be tested to ensure it is working properly. The RAM must be tested becuase if it is faulty the computer will crash frequently. The hard drive must be tested for the same reason. A power supply tester is especially important because a malfunctioning power supply can kill the computer by supplying bad voltages to the devices.

Always be sure to plug a computer into a good surge protector - read the back of the "power strip" the computer  plugs into to make sure it is a "surge protector" and not a "temporary power tap". Better yet - buy a good surge protector at your local department store. They are typically only $20 USD.

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1. Windows 98se as an operating system, must be optimized. Uses about 30 MB RAM (can be made to use less)

One might assume '95 uses less resources, it is untrue. An optimized 98 will run more stably and use less resources than '95. Not to mention driver availability.

To optimize Windows 98se:

open Windows/system.ini

Look for the line "vcache"

Add these lines directly under it: (not case sensitive) (no spaces) (Google "vcache" for more info)
MinFileCache= 4096
MaxFileCache=4096

Also, after all drivers and software are installed, restart the computer and:

click: start, run, and type into the run box "msconfig" (without quotes)

Within "MSconfig" select "startup" tab, uncheck all - except "antivirus" related (items starting with "AVG"). Might need to also leave "soundcard" related.

That's all, restart and now "Windows 98se is optimized" easy huh?

*advanced*

For further optmization (to free up 10 more MB RAM) go to "add/remove programs", "windows setup" and remove as many components as you functionally can ("dial up networking" is required for dial up internet, "system monitor" is required to check free RAM, and who can live without "calculator" and "wordpad" ?)

Also, delete the Windows folder "media" to free up 5 more MB RAM (c:\windows\media)
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2. AVG free antivirus, uses 35.4 MB RAM
http://tinyurl.com/yorfct

Any computer that goes on the internet must have antivirus. If the computer in question is not going to connect to the internet skip this program and save 35 MB RAM
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3. "SpyBot"

Purpose - To immunize against malware, also for weekly scans to remove spyware. If the computer in question is not going to connect to the internet skip this program.

Instructions - Install Spybot (Do not install the Teatimer), select "Update", "Search For Updates", check the box next to each update and then select "Download Updates" Then select "Search and Destroy", "Check for problems" and after scanning is complete "Fix selected problems".

*advanced*

Tough to remove Spyware requires a more thorough scan. Reboot your computer into safe mode by pressing the F8 key down during boot up and selecting "Safe Mode" from the Windows Advanced Options menu. In safe mode do another Spybot scan and remove the remaining Spyware infections.

Update - Spybot by default now ignores certain products such as New.Net and Sidestep for no good reason. New.Net compromises the WinSock stack by routing all your DNS queries through the NewDotNet.DLL. To enable detection go to "Settings", "Ignore products", "All products" Tab, right click on "Product", left-click on "Deselect all". Then run another scan.
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4. Diskeeper light
http://tinyurl.com/3d3y4

Pupose - to defragment hard drive.

Explanation - Hard drive data is often "scattered" on the hard drive. The hard drive itself is like a record player: if the needle on a record player has to jump from sport to spot on the record to collect each part of a song, it would take longer to play the song. Instead the record stores it's songs very tidy and sequentially along the record's grooves. Defragmenting your hard drive organises the data similarly and speeds up the computer.
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5. Winamp is a good free MP3 player!

http://www.winamp.com
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6. MemTest is a great free program for testing the RAM

http://www.memtest86.com/download.html

Download the ISO image above and burn it as a CD

If you don't know how to burn an ISO as a CD see "note CD" below

Simply boot the computer using the memtest86 CD and it willr un automatically - simply let it rus until it reads "pass 1" in the middle of the screen. If it has any errors the screen will turn red and there will be a number under "errors"

If pass 1 = computer's RAM is most likely good

If errors 1 or more = computer's RAM is likely bad. Try the test again with only 1 RAM stick (if there is more than 1 RAM stick) and retest. Replace any RAM stick that errors. You can test the "error" RAM stick in a different computer.
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7. Scandisk, to test hard drive.

Boot from Windows 98 CD.

select "start computer with CD rom support", it will boot to A:> (called A prompt)

Type:
D:\win98\scandisk /ALL /Autofix /NoSave /Surface

The above is not case sensitive, note the spaces:

D:\win98\scandisk_/ALL_/Autofix_/NoSave_/Surface

Do not type "_" those symbols are in place to show the spaces
-------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Test the PSU to make sure it is giving good voltages to the computer. A bad PSU can kill a computer.

I personally use 2 differnt testers, one by PowMax and one by Antec. If both PSU testers show error I throw the PSU away. Do not open a PSU - it contains capacitors that can shock you.

http://tinyurl.com/33m78h
------------------------------------------------------------------
"Note CD"

How to burn the ISO:

Download burn4free*, it's free. Install it, then go to add/remove programs and uninstall it's toolbar. The program remains

start burn4free, click: drive > burn iso

use it to burn the ISO "as" a disk

some users accidentally burn it "to" a disk using other programs, that is why I recommend burn4free

Cheers,
Craig

*
http://tinyurl.com/b8mco

[spystyle]

How to turn an old junk PC into a nice workstation

Forward:

"Windows CE" is evidence that very low spec computers can be handy devices to check your e-mail, chat online, do simple word prosessing, and surf the web. Some of the Windows CE devices have processors that clock well below 100mhz. Yet desktop PCs of the same caliber are destined for the scrapyard - why? Because Microsoft and Intel would go out of business if people who wanted to perform these simple taks could do it on an old "junk" PC - therefore Microsoft does not release Windows CE as a "simple to install OS" that gives life to these old PCs. But someone else does - Linux.

"Linux" is a fear inspiring word to Windows users (myself included), thoughts of spending frustrating hours trying to learn a new and complicated OS are unpleasant. But recent versions of Linux are just as user friendly as Windows - and some work on very old computers (DSL runs on any Pentium class PC with 16 MB of RAM) Turning "junk" PCs into nice devices to check your e-mail, surf the web, chat, and more. Especially "Damn Small Linux", named that because it's default install uses only 50 MB of hard drive space, and in my testing uses only 10 MB of RAM.

Testing:

I found a "junk" PC with the follwing specs :

200mhz Pentium, 32 MB RAM, 500 MB hard drive, and CD-Rom (note : DSL Linux can be installed without a CD-rom drive, like a USB pen drive, see the forums : http://tinyurl.com/7lb33) 

This PC is not very capable, it can't run a Miscrosoft OS made less than 10 years ago well. I could install an old Microsoft OS but it would be much nicer to use today's software and turn it into a nice modern workstation, so I install DSL Linux.

Below are the steps I used to install it. The result is a nice workstation that runs solid and fast, with an intuitive desktop similar to Windows (see attached pic)

Hopefull these instructions will save a few old PCs from the landfill. I would rather see old PCs go to the poor then to the city dump.

Cheers,
Craig

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Download the DSL Linux CD image:

http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/download.html

(I used "dsl-3.0.1.iso")

Preparing the hard drive:

I booted the DSL CD with boot option dsl 2. 
From the command line I typed:
fdisk /dev/hda
(This brings up the Linux version of "Fdisk") I made two partitions hda1 type 82 100Meg for swap and hda2 type 83 for the rest. 
Then I typed mkswap /dev/hda1, mkfs.ext2 /dev/hda2, and swapon /dev/hda1

Installing DSL linux to the hard drive:

1. Boot the computer from DSL Linux CD, at the prompt press enter
2. Once DSL linux has started and you see the desktop - right click the desktop, choose Apps > Tools > Install to hard drive
3. When asked what partition type hda2, answer yes to start install
4. after install is done it asks if you want to install the boot installer > yes
5. When asked what boot loader press "L" and enter
5. after that it asks if you want to reboot > yes. Remove the DSL Linux CD from the CD-ROM drive

Once booted from hard drive I right clicked the desktop and chose "window manager > switch to JWM"

It changed the desktop to JWM and shows the RAM usage as 9.4 MB (out of 32 MB)

Done

-----------------------------

Here are some advanced instructions to turn the PC into an even better workstation :

When it reboots, you have a very simple machine. A few web clients, VI (a crippled Vim), several other apps. Enough for simple computer usage, but not what you'd call a real desktop machine.

The installation does not have a functional apt-get or dpkg. You need those if you want to do anything more than browse the net and get email. To enable them, be sure your Internet connection is working and connected, then right click the desktop, then Apps->Tools->Enable Apt. The computer will take quite a bit of time downloading more stuff.
 
Installing IceWM
The Fluxbox window manager is nice, but if you're like me you prefer a taskbar and start button. The IceWM window manager is almost as efficient as Fluxbox, and it has a start button, task bar, and network and CPU monitors on the taskbar. Install IceWM as follows:

apt-get install icewm

The computer will download and install IceWM. To enable IceWM, edit the /home/dsl/.xinitrc file. Comment out the line that runs fluxbox, and substitute the following:

# set mouse speed
xset m 5 2

# start xterm by default
xterm &

icewmtray &

# silently check if icewm is in your $PATH and start icewm when found
# or a red colored xterm when not found or execution of icewm fails
which icewm >/dev/null 2>&1 && exec icewm || exec xterm -bg red


The result is a rather hard to see black version of IceWM. You need to change the theme. Do so by creating a .icewm directory under the home directory, and creating a preferences file containing the following:

ShowThemesMenu=1 # 0 / 1
Theme="Nice/default.theme"