Why windows takes so long to start up.

Most of us have had a brand new computer at one time. It's a great feeling. You boot up windows and within 30 seconds you are surfing the net, checking your email, or playing your favorite game. 10 months down the road things aren't so nice anymore. You power up your computer and it seems to take forever to load. Even when you are careful about what you install it seems that each day it takes longer for it to boot. It's not your imagination - and there are a couple of good tips to keep your boot time short and sweet. As always - backup your system before you start any of this. If you make a mistake you might need to restore from backup 1. The prefetch cache The first tip I want to talk about is the windows prefetch. Windows XP has this feature that loads commonly used programs - at boot time. Here is how it works: Yesterday you used MS Word, and Duke Nukem 3D. Today you boot your system to check e-mail. It sees parts of these two programs in the prefetch folder and loads them into memory before windows completes the boot process. The benefit is faster application launch times. If you really wanted to use MS Word, it would pop up really quick when you double clicked on it. The problem is most people have been running windows for years, and the prefetch gets clogged with stuff that you almost never use. Windows takes forever to boot because it is prefetching a 1.0 copy of Napster, and you just want to check your email before you have to go to work. What can be done about it? Well there are a few things we can do to tweak the prefetch cache. One method is to disable it partially, and this can be done quite easily. Simply browse to the windows folder (Ex: C:\Windows) and under there you should see the prefetch folder. Go into the prefetch folder and delete all the files (Careful! It should look like this c:\windows\prefetch) And here is a screenshot of one if you still have questions The first thing to note is the next reboot will be slow. This is because windows needs to relearn the prefetch for system files. Subsequent boots will run much faster since the sludge of programs has been removed, and only new ones are in the cache. The trouble is that it will only help you for a while - until the prefetch gets clogged up again. We need to edit a registry key to tweak it. Open regedit and browse to this key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters Under this key you should see a value named: EnablePrefetcher It has 4 possible values: 0 - Disabled : The prefetch system is turned off. 1 - Application : The prefetch only caches applications. 2 - Boot : The prefetch only caches boot system files. 3 - All : The prefetch caches boot, and application files. We don't want to disable it entirely. This would actually make boot times *longer*. This is because this feature is also used to speed up the loading of boot files. That is why we are going to pick the number 2 option. It allows us to keep the advantage of caching system files, without continually clogging the system up with applications. Set the value to 2 and reboot. The 2nd time you boot it should boot much faster. Remember that the side effect is that launching individual applications once windows has loaded will now be slightly slower. 2. Hard drive fragmentation Over time your hard drive will become fragmented. An over simplified explanation of fragmentation is when your files and folders are not all stored in the same spot. For example lets say you had a large movie file. If it were fragmented the first 5 megabytes are at the beginning of the hard drive, and then next 5 are at the end. It takes longer for windows to read the file than it would if it were all in the same spot. The point is that if each file is stored in a linear fashion, and the drive does not have to move all over the place to read it - it will load faster. XP has a built-in defrag tool, and it is simple to run. Open "My Computer" right click on the boot drive, and go to properties. Now click on the tools tab. Click "Defragment Now" and the following window should appear: Before you click on the "Defragment" button you want to close all applications and be aware that it might take hours to complete. If you leave something running it might keep windows from completing the defragment operation. Click on the defragment button and you can walk away. Or you can watch it defrag your hard drive:3. Disconnected network drives I am using networked drives all the time. If you have ever put your machine on a network and connected to a shared drive, this can slow you down too. If you have a drive that is still mapped, but cannot be reached it will slow down windows during boot time. This is because windows will wait...wait...and wait some more for the remote server to respond. To clean these out open "My Computer" and go to the tools menu. Click on "Disconnect Network Drives" It will open a window that looks like this: 4. Spyware & Adware These can have a big impact on your start times. If your PC gets loaded with spyware, it spends a large portion of its boot time making sure those pesky programs are loaded and ready to throw popup adverts at you all day. To check and clean your system of spyware there are three free programs that I highly recommend: 1. Microsoft Windows Defender 2. Ad-Aware 3. SpyBot Search And destroy 5. File and Printer Sharing One other item that can significantly impact is the "File and Printer Sharing" feature within windows. Obviously, if you are sharing your printer, or folders you don't want to disable this - so this tip is not for you. If you never use it, then why waste your time waiting for it to load? Here is how to turn it off: Go into the control panel. Click on "Network Connections"Now right click on "Local Area Connection" and click on properties Uncheck the "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks"Click OK, and reboot. That wraps up our windows startup optimization.

How to Remove Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications

Windows genuine advantage notifications occur when your computer hasn't passed the validation test. The validation test can be failed due to being sold a pirated (non-genuine) copy of XP, or because you have changed your XP product key to a software-generated key. The failed validation installs three types of notifications on your computer: one on the log in screen, one log in timer, and one balloon. It also stops updates from Microsoft and disables your ability to install IE7 and Windows Media Player 11. This solution can get rid of all three notifications, even though you will still not be able to update. Unfortunately, you can only update if you buy a valid Microsoft product key again.

Steps

1. If you have only just installed Windows Genuine Advantage notifications, simply using the system restore function will remove the program. Then refuse to accept the GWA update next time Windows updates... otherwise, proceeed as detailed below.
2. Open System32 by either A or B of the following methods: a) Click "Start", "Run", then type-in "System32". Click "Okay" b) Find System32 manually by clicking "Start" > "My Computer" > "(X:)" (Replacing "X" with the drive letter of the host of Windows) > "Windows" > "System32".
3. In "System32", go to "Tools" > "Folder options" > click on the tab, "View" > Uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types". Now you can begin...
4. Check to make sure the window that comes up has a full screen of various files. The files are in alphabetical order, which makes it easier to locate the specific file.
5. Find "WgaLogon.dll" and rename it "WgaLogon.dll.bak".create an empty copy of WgaLogon.dll:

• Right click on a blank space in System32 and select "New" > "Text Document".
• Leave the text document empty and label it "WgaLogon.dll". Press Enter (on your keyboard).
• You may get a warning from the above step that says, "If you change a file name extension, the file may become unusable. Are you sure you want to change it?". Click "Yes" on this warning.

7. Be ready to complete the next two steps very quickly! Find "WgaTray.exe" in "System32" and delete it. You will then have 5 seconds to find "WgaTray.exe" in the Task Manager (the next step). 8. Immediately open Task Manager. You can do this by pressing the Ctrl, Shift, and Esc keys simultaneously or right clicking the Taskbar and selecting "Task Manager". Click on the process tab and end "WgaTray.exe". 9. Restart your computer once you have finished. All the notification messages should be gone.

Check out Blogmusik Before It’s Pulled off the Internet

Blogmusik.net is a site that lets users search for songs and play them (streaming) immediately via a Flash player that looks like an iPod. Use does not require registration. However, if you create an account you can also save songs and create playlists. The library is quite extensive - I was listening to Eminem, R.E.M., Metallica and Frank Sinatra earlier this evening and it seemed to have just about everything I was searching for.

I have the feeling, based on the fact that there is absolutely no information about any licensing deal or even basic company information, that this is an unauthorized use of copyrighted material. I suspect that the library is simply a very large music collection sitting on a server with a nice looking Flash UI tacked on. See the comments below for additional information. It certainly is fun, but I can’t imagine it will be making the RIAA and its worldwide counterparts very happy. Enjoy it while it lasts.

The service has an associated blog here, and Myspace page here.

my upgrade from Pentium 4 to Pentium D

After the launch of dual core 2 by intel i am planning to upgrade my machine just waiting for the right time and the right time is when i have enough money in my pocket to upgrade my P4 machine. So finally the day comes and i changed my whole machine except my old TVSE gold keyboard(becoz that is one who care of my fingers from last 3-4yrs).My new machine configuration is now with 2.66 dual core processor,865 intel main board(i want to buy the 9 series model but most of them are expensive and some dont support dual core),160GB SATA,DVD-RW,17" TFT Samsung,iball cabinet.This all cost me around Rs25,100.00 but sach kahu toh waat lag gayi i dont have a single penny in my wallet. my pc shadow on my old Hdd platter(eheh i dissect the hdd) my old dissected Hdd

Vista Beta 2 Download Available

Microsoft has decided to offer Windows Vista Beta 2 (build 5384.4) to the public for free. I can only assume this is Microsoft’s way of letting everyone know that they have an actual working product and that progress is being made regardless of the delays. This is a great strategy to let people know what to expect in the next version as well as get a sneak peek of what they will be paying so much for. Screenshots show that the beta is of the Windows Vista “Ultimate” type. Microsoft seems to have a knack for releasing betas of upcoming software. Several weeks ago, the Microsoft Office 2007 Beta was released.

Microsoft mentioned last month that Vista will be offered in more flavors than the regular home and professional. There will actually be, get this, seven different kinds of Vistas: Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, a Home Premium with MCE, Ultimate, Professional, Small Business and Enterprise Editions. You can find out about the differences between each type of Vista on Softpedia.

Life After Windows Vista

Windows Vienna is the codename for the operating system that comes after Microsoft’s Windows Vista. I’m not yet sure why Microsoft is worrying about the OS after Vista, when Vista isn’t anywhere near getting out the door. This information comes from Neowin.net where they discuss how this info was discovered from famous Microsoft blogger, Robert Scoble. Apparently Scoble replied to a thread on Channel 9, an MSDN related site, regarding a Blackcomb video with the following: since this video was shot the codename for Blackcomb has indeed changed to Vienna. I haven’t gotten the story on this yet, though. Windows Vienna used to be codename Blackcomb. Microsoft is still remaining fairly secretive about Vienna and I don’t blame them. Vienna probably won’t come out until 2010. While Windows Vista is intended to be a technologies-based release, with some UI changes (in the form of the Aero set of technologies and guidelines), Vienna is targeted directly at revolutionizing the way we interact with our home and office PCs.

10 Things Every New Mac Owner Should Know

This is a list of 10 things every first time Mac owner, particularly Mac Mini owner, should know about their new computer and operating system. This article should answer some burning questions, enlighten you about some features you did not know about OS X and just all around be helpful. 256 Won’t Cut It Upgrading to 512MB of DDR RAM is suggested and will get you off to using a Mac on the right foot while an upgrade to 1GB will really unleash some speed. More RAM means you can have more applications open at the same time and decreased boot times. I recommend 1GB for photoshop or other intensive application users. Any memory rated DDR333 or higher will suffice. If you can find one with a CAS latency of 2 or 2.5, get that over one with a CAS of 3. If you’re not sure to go Crucial’s Mac section should be just what the doctor ordered. No Need to Defrag Whenever a PC is acting sluggish the first thing you hear people ask is “Have you tried defragging the hard drive?” However, this is not the case with Macs. Based on the proven and reliable Unix architecture with a Mac OS Extended Journaled file system, you don’t have to worry about defragmenting your hard drive to boost access/reading/writing times; it is done for you automatically. (Technically, it is not being defragged but things are just put in their place with journaling) Whenever your mac detects that it is fairly idle or you attempt to use a heavily fragmented file, it will start fixing up your filesystem. This might explain some noises coming from your computer in the middle of the night (assuming you left it on). Closing Unresponsive Applications The Mac equivalent of CTRL-ALT-DEL to bring up a system tasks profiler for force quitting unresponsive tasks is CMD-OPTION-ESC (or Windows-ALT-ESC if you are using a PC keyboard). Just select the frozen application and hit Force Quit. If a program is completely frozen, it will appear in red text. Where Did That Window Go? You will quickly learn that when you minimize your applications, they go to the dock. Specifically the items to the right of the bar in the dock menu are open finder windows or applications. This is similar to the area where minimized applications go in the windows task bar. Also, if a finder window is not minimized, but behind another open window you can bring it up by clicking on the finder icon in the dock. Updates You will want to occasionally check for updates from Apple by accessing the Apple menu and clicking on Software Update. I recommend heading over to Apple > System Preferences > Software Update and setting your Mac to automatically check for software updates weekly and download important updates in the background. System Profiler The System Profiler, accessible via Apple > About This Mac > More Info, is the one stop shop for finding out anything about your Mac. Similar to Windows XP’s Administrative tasks and Device Manager, the System Profiler is easy to navigate and offers you a plethora of system information from application versions to the MAC address of your ethernet card. Expose Apple introduced Expose to OS X to make your life easier, so go ahead and use it to your heart’s content. Go to Apple > System Preferences > Dashboard & Expose and play with some of the settings to make those menial tasks more convienient to execute. My favorite Expose tip is setting an active corner to open up Dashboard. One simple mouse movement and Dashboard launches. Login Items A major annoyance with some applications is that upon installation they will automatically set themselves to run when you boot your computer. For Windows XP, you would usually run msconfig to remedy this problem. However in OS X you can access a similar menu in Apple > System Preferences > Accounts > Login Items. From here you can add, remove and hide items that launch when you login. Eject Optical Media This is probably only a problem for those that are using non-Apple keyboards, that lack a CD Eject key. Press and Hold F12 for 2 seconds to eject any CD or DVD. An alternate method is dragging the CD icon on the desktop to the trash. This will not delete it. You can also use the Command-E keystroke. Keyboard Shortcuts If saving time and being productive is the name of the game, then keyboard shortcuts are for you. The next time you are browsing around the menus of your favorite applications, take a glance at the right side of the menu to see if you find any shortcuts that can help you out. Here are a few to get you started. Command-? Mac Help Command-A Select All Command-C Copy Command-D Duplicates current item Command-E Ejects selected volume, media, or server Command-F Find Command-H Hide current application Command-I Opens Get Info dialog for selected item Command-J Toggles View Options Open & Closed Command-K Connect to server Command-L Creates Alias for selected item Command-M Minimize a Finder-folder to Dock Command-Option-M Save as above but minimizes all open Finder-folders Command-N Opens up new Finder window Command-O Opens selected item Command-Q Quits active application Command-V Paste Command-W Closes Finder-folder window Command-Option-W Same as above but closes all Finder-folders Command-X Cut Command-Z Undo Command-Del Moves selected item to Trash Command-Shift-A Opens the applications folder Command-Shift-N Creates a new folder in the selected workspace Command-Shift-Del Empty Trash Command-Tab Rotate through open applications and switch to highlighted app Command-~ Same as above but only flips through open windows in the selected application