 Improve frame ratesTake back your home pageReduce boot timeBlast pop-upsFight spam |
Enable a firewallCall a do-overResize photos for e-mailShare files and printersRestore file associations |
We've got the answers to your most troublesome digital dilemmas.
Hijacked Web browsers, slow bootups, lost shortcuts, choppy video -- sometimes it's enough to make you want to toss your PC out the nearest window. Fortunately, help is at hand. We've gathered 10 easy, inexpensive solutions for these and other common computing problems. Before you pull the plug on your PC, check out our PC survival guide.
Improve frame rates
Doom 3 giving you troubles? Before you plunk down major cash on a new graphics card, make sure to download the latest drivers for the card you have. If that doesn't help, try lowering the game's resolution in its settings menu. Frame rates can improve if you drop from, say, 1,024x768 to 800x600, because the system needs to push around fewer pixels.
Ad-Aware SE blasts spyware.
Still hijacked? Try Webroot Spy Sweeper, which can eliminate even the most insidious infections. Another option: Switch browsers. Mozilla Firefox and Opera offer much greater resistance to hijackers and other forms of spyware than Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
Reduce boot time
The System Configuration Utility's
Startup tab lists your startup
programs.
To see a list of your startup programs, click Start > Run and type msconfig. In the resulting System Configuration Utility window, click the Startup tab to view a list of processes and programs. If any of the names sound unfamiliar to you, "Google" them to try and figure out what they are; disabling the wrong startup program could have problematic results. If any of the items are unnecessary or outdated, clear their checkboxes, then reboot your system.
Blast pop-upsNothing ruins quality surf time like a deluge of pop-up windows. Thankfully, it's now possible to banish virtually all of them. If you're using Internet Explorer, start by downloading Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP, which adds an effective pop-up blocker. (Mozilla Firefox and Opera already have built-in blockers.) Next, install a firewall to prevent further pop-ups from creeping in. Fight spam
Mailblocks intercepts messages
before they reach your in-box.
Window XP's SP2 includes a robust
firewall.
For an impenetrable defense, we recommend adding a hardware firewall such as a router. At the very least, consider installing Zone Labs' universally praised ZoneAlarm. The freeware version offers excellent protection, though you should also consider the feature-packed ZoneAlarm Security Suite.
Call a do-overSometimes, when you install a new program or driver, your PC starts behaving so badly you wish you could turn back the clock. You can. Windows XP includes a lifesaving, often overlooked feature called System Restore. It's like a time machine for your PC, letting you revert to a previous working state. The utility is located in the System Tools section of your Accessories folder.
By default, System Restore automatically creates a "restore point" when you install or uninstall certain programs, but it's impossible to know what those programs are. If you're about to make a change to your PC and want to make sure you're covered, just launch System Restore and select "Create a restore point." Now you can install a driver or program knowing if problems arise, you can run System Restore to undo the damage.
Resize photos for e-mailEven a single 3-megapixel photo can range up to 1.5MB in size, and that's just too big to send via e-mail. Imagine trying to send a dozen such shots! You need to reduce these images to a more manageable size. Fortunately, Windows XP makes this extremely easy. Just open Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder containing your photos. Right-click a photo you want to send and choose Send To > Mail Recipient. In the resulting dialog box, select "Make all my pictures smaller." Windows will copy and shrink the photos, then add them to an outgoing e-mail as attachments Share files and printers
Sharing files and printers with other PCs on your network is a great feature -- if you can get it to work. Although many factors can result in uncommunicative computers, the leading culprits these days are firewalls. The same technology that keeps outside systems from breaking in also tends to prevent inside systems from talking to one another. The solution lies in tweaking your firewall's settings: Enable LAN PCs to "see" one another, or manually add their IP addresses to the "trusted addresses" list.
It's even easier if you rely solely on Windows XP SP2's firewall. Open the applet in Control Panel, click the Exceptions tab, and check the File and Printer Sharing box. In the General tab, make sure Don't Allow Exceptions is not checked.
Restore file associationsYou've downloaded a new program, and, all of a sudden, your music files are opening in a different application. Programs steal file associations all the time. Fortunately, it's easy to change the association for any given file type. Start by opening Windows Explorer and navigating to a folder containing one of the improperly associated files -- say, an MP3. Right-click the icon for that file, select Open With > Choose Program or just Open With, and select a program from the list. Then check the box marked "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file."
