In order to alleviate hardware issues in Windows Vista, Microsoft has added a few diagnostic utilities to aid in the detection and prevention of such failures.

To aid you in keeping your PC running smoothly without a lot of effort Vista contains several built-in diagnostics. These utilities help resolve external problems that affect the way Vista performs. These utilities provide diagnostic scenarios which include Network Diagnostics and troubleshooting—to help address the most common issues as well as other types of failure detection software.

Built-in diagnostic scenarios in Windows Vista include the following as described by Microsoft:

Disk Diagnostics. The built-in Disk Diagnostics in Windows Vista detects impending disk failures and guides you through data backup, disk replacement, and data restoration procedures. When Windows Vista detects a potential disk failure, it warns you of the problem and guides you through the backup and recovery process to minimize the likelihood of data loss.

Memory Diagnostics. Defective computer memory is difficult to diagnose. It can mimic software or operating system problems. Memory Diagnostics in Windows Vista works with Microsoft Online Crash Analysis to detect crashes that might be caused by failing memory. It provides guided support and prompts you to schedule a memory test the next time you restart the computer.

Network Diagnostics and troubleshooting. The Windows Network Diagnostics tool in Windows Vista helps you identify the top potential issues preventing network connectivity—and it automatically takes appropriate steps toward correcting them.

Resource Exhaustion Prevention. Occasionally when you are running a large number of applications, the computer will simply run out of system resources, leading to hangs, crashes, and data loss. Resource Exhaustion Prevention warns you when critical resources are low—before a hang or crash occurs. It also identifies which processes are consuming the largest amount of a given resource and helps you reclaim that resource, it logs events in the event log that include detailed data useful for subsequent analysis.

Microsoft seems to be understanding the needs of users. These utilities can aid users in resolving issues commonly faced by the end user.

I recently attempted installation of the Vista Home Premium operating system. I first attempted this operation to see how well it performed with the minimum system requirements. Of course it wasn’t as crisp and quick as I had hoped it would be.

After testing for quite some time I turned off all the fancy shadows and features of the operating system and of course it ran better. As I added my third party applications performance began to lag once again.

Ok… time to try the installation with the recommended requirements. Just to review what the recommended requirements are I have them listed here.

1 Ghz 32 or 64-bit processor
1 GB of system memory
40 GB hard drive with 15 GB available space
128 MB graphics memory card that supports directx 9.0

Even after updating the system configuration with the new hardware… performance did improve. Of course being a tech head I do desire the as fast as possible scenario.

After reviewing my options I decided to attempt using Windows Ready Boost to see if I could boost performance. I added a compatible USB 2.0 drive with 2 GB of capacity and configured ready boost to use the device.

After testing I would have to say I would recommend to anyone that uses Vista (which does seem to be a resource hog) and needs peak performance you may want to consider using the ready boost option. Even though you cannot monitor the ready boost device performance while installed it does appear to have benefits.

As well as the performance benefits it is as well much cheaper to add a USB drive than internal system memory. I guess Microsoft knew we might need some other option to boost performance of their new os. I’m glad they decided to add this option to the operating system.

Are there any other tech heads out there like me who wish deployment of better connectivity technology would move a little faster?

A month or so ago I visited a friend in Florida. While I was there his ISP was installing fiber to the house for Internet connectivity. Of course it made my mouth water thinking of the reliability and speeds he would have.

That is just totally cool that they are converting their entire network for all consumers to fiber connectivity.

After installation he purchased a connectivity package which allowed for up to 20MB download speeds and I believe 6MB upload. Now if you are an avid tech head or a system administrator you know just what that means…..no more slow uploads due to those darn limiting QOS files.

I hope this practice becomes a standard for all high speed Internet ISP’s. I dont know about you but that would enable me to be twice as productive when uploading websites or large files.

Currently I can only dream of a connection like this, but maybe…just maybe one day I will have something comparable.

An associate of mine recently signed up for so called unlimited wireless broadband access with a major provider. They installed their hardware and configured it for broadband access.

After a day of using the service they noted that they kept losing connection once every 30 minutes so they decided to contact the service provider for assistance.

After three days of troubleshooting the connection problem the service provider concluded it may be a tower problem that was at the root of this issue. They suggested waiting a couple of days for the engineers to review the information and they would contact them back.

After waiting an additional day past the set time frame my associate decided to contact the provider back. Of course they apologized for the lack of communication. They reviewed the case file and this time concluded that the issue was not a problem, but rather by design.

They explained that their towers are set by default to log users off automatically regardless of activity. Well this causes problems for users who work through wireless broadband for hours on end. Especially if accessing information remotely.

I think they should rename their “unlimited Internet access” plan to something more precisely descriptive…..such as the unlimited Internet for a brief period of time plan.

Be sure if you are looking into wireless broadband that you ask as many questions as possible about connectivity and speeds before you decide on a particular plan or you will end up where my associate is………trying to get out of their two year contract.

The other day I was approached by a friend asking if I could upgrade some hardeware on one of his computers. Of course I told him it may be possible.

My friend stated he only needed it for internet and that it would not be running any applications other than Windows which was already installed and configured.

After accepting the hardware to go over there was something I had not seen in quite a while. It was a 75mhz Cyrix chip with 72 pin memory. Wow! I couldnt believe it. It’s like a paleontologist coming across a great find.

Well after the initial shock wore off I contacted my friend again and said I can do some upgrades but I will not make any guarantees as to how or even if it would do what they were wanting it to do and he agreed that was ok.

Well the upgrades worked for what they wanted it for. Just to realize…..what they spent on upgrades (in the range of $200) could have been put torwards a new computer with better functionality.

Get rid of that old hardware.

This week I purchased a new laptop from one of the major manufacturers. Since I was using previous components such as an air card to connect wirelessly to Internet from anywhere I assumed due to the configuration of my new laptop that I would have no difficulties in upgrading.

Once my new laptop was received I notice that the air card would not fit as the pcmicia slot was not a standard slot but rather a proprietary slot designed by the manufacturer.

I contacted the manufacturer and of course I was told I could buy a new air card to use with the laptop for $199.00. You can imagine my outrage. I stated that they should note on their purchase page that it was not a standard slot so future customers would not find themselves in this same situation.

Of course it is difficult to get anywhere with someone who does not speak english very well so I doubt they will make these changes.

I metioned to the support personel that there used to be a few companies who started to employ this tactic so customers had to buy their proprietary equipment. Those being Packard Bell, Acer and the original Hewlett Packard company. We all know what happened to their market share.

Bottom line when purchasing a new laptop computer you may want to chat or speak with their sales personnel before completing your sale.

The registry contains extended information, settings and various other values for the Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows XP Operating System. Within the registry you can control a majority of the operating system as well as fix issues with Windows. However we only recommend users extensively experienced with the Windows registry edit it manually.

Before going into the Registry and changing or deleting anything I always recommend that you backup the registry.
To back up the registry Go to Start/run and type in the command field “regedit” without the quotes. Once the interface is open select file and then export. You should select the save in location as the root of c:\. You will need to provide a name for the file. Once completed select save.

The computer registry consists of two files hidden in the Windows directory, system.dat and user.dat. User-specific system information is contained in the user.dat file and computer and hardware specific information in the system.dat file.

Microsoft Windows now includes a new feature known as system restore. This great new feature enables a user to backup and restore their important registry and system files from an earlier date. By default this feature automatically creates a backup of the system each day When working properly. If you wish to create a restore point using system restore follow the steps below.

Try downloading the bug doctor software to test your pc for problems.

Creating a restore point

1.Click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore

2.Select the option to Create a restore point

3.Click next and follow the remainder steps.

Reversing to a previously created restore point

1.Click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore

2.Select the Restore my computer to an earlier time option and click next

3.Select the day and the restore point you wish to restore and click next.

Using regedit to incorrectly change data can render you system non-functional and it can cease to boot up. Please do not attempt to manually edit registry information if you are not experienced in doing so.

Keep your pc running like new with the brand new version of PC Registry Cleaner Version 2.0

With everything you have to stay on top of to maintain computer performance and security here is one more. Anytime you update system software or third party software it can impact how your hardware performs.To maintain peak performance you as well needto update your hardware drivers. This is necessary due to changes made in either system or third party software.

Microsoft and other software vendors design their software to work in specific conditions. These conditions are set by the latest hardware available and how it relates to software functionality.When you update these types of software your hardware may not work optimally or you may experience a failure of the device or software.

Just as you update Windows or any other software you should maintain the latest version of your device drivers. Here is the easiest way to keep drivers updated. If you own an OEM computer such as a Dell, Gateway, HP, Compaq or Toshiba you should visit their support pages to obtain the latest version of software and drivers for the devices installed on your computer. These updates will be listed by published date. Be sure to follow any specific installation
instructions provided by the manufacturer.

If you do not own an OEM machine or if it was built by your local computer store then review your hardware documentation. Your receipt should list the installed components. Once you have the list of devices you can search each manufacturers website for the drivers and software individually. Be sure to follow any recommendations or directions
provided by any hardware or software manufacturer when updating device drivers.

Updates to device drivers are not published as frequently as other software updates so you should check periodically for updates. Manufacturers usually publish driver updates every few months as a general schedule.

Having worked in support for sometime I am amazed at the number of old 486 an first generation Pentium class computers still being used. Most people simply upgrade to new hardware. It is beyond me why people still use this old obsolete hardware.

Considering all of this I have compiled a list of the top ten ways this old hardware can be used.

10. Stack the cpus up to be used as a coffee table.

9. The old hardware is wonderfully suitable for taking space in your garage.

8. Donate the old hardware to a museum.

7. This hardware is great for occupying your local computer shops time by asking how it can be upgraded.

6. The CPU’s are great for holding projects down on a work bench.

5. Use a baseball bat on the old hardware to take out your frustrations with your new computer.

4. If you have a dog that diggs holes they are great as filler when covering the holes.

3. They are great conversation pieces for discussing the old days of computer hardware.

2. Several of them together can make a cool fort for the kids in their room.

Finally the last one, drum roll please!

1. Use your old 486 or Pentium class as a replacement boat anchor.

Just remember this old hardware is not upgradeable to current software standards. Don’t trouble yourself with figuring out how you can maintain these older components.

The list below describes the top ten ways you can speed up your computer through either general maintenance or hardware upgrades. I tried to list some things other than just the obvious ones most places always list.  Now there are of course many more.

First Off, Install PC Power Suite and let it scan and optimize for you.  This will save you loads of time and really give your computer a boost of energy!

10. Check your initial hardware for possible memory, CPU, or hard drive upgrades.

9. Insure your paging files is set to one and a half times the size of the amount of ram installed. If you are using 2 gig or more of ram memory simply turn off the paging file. (To review your paging file right click my computer and choose properties -then choose the advanced tab – Then select the performance settings-slect the advanced tab and modify the virtual memory file size)

8. Run monthly system maintenance such as disk cleanup, disk check, or disk defrag.

7. Clean out your temporary internet files and cookies. (To do this open Internet Explorer and choose the tools menu- Select options- on the main page you can emty the temp files and delete the cookies.)

6. Empty the c:\windows\prefetch folder.

5. Scan your system weekly for spyware.

4. Delete any unused programs by using the add/remove programs utility.

3. Groom your Windows start up file by using the msconfig utility. (This can be done by going to start\Run and typing msconfig then select ok and choose the start up tab)

2. Update your device drivers. If you are using an OEM computer simply visit the manufacturers website for updated software and drivers. If using a custom built computer you will need to visit the hardware manufacturers support site one device at a time to obtain the latest software.

1. Turn off unnecessary services in the services manager.(To access this control panel go to control panel\administrative tools\services)

This little tid bit should allow you to boost your PC performance somewhat. The major improvements will come with hardware upgrades especially increases in system memory (RAM).

We have an entire free video set dedicated to speeding up your computer. You can watch these absolutely free right here.

Feel free to leave me some of your ideas below in the comments section.

I also highly recommend using PC Bug Doctor.  This software has thousands of common fixes built in and they will help you fix just about any computer problem via their helpdesk.  Simply the best support team online.

Patrick
PC911