Keeping Windows Stable and Clean By Jesse Smith http://slicer69.tripod.com/ Windows crashes. It's the cry of almost every computer user around the world. If you have a PC and you're running MS-Windows, you probably wish it were more stable. Well, I have good news and bad news for you. The bad news is: All systems will crash sometimes. Windows is no exception. No system is perfect because it is created by imperfect people. The good news: You can fix Windows yourself to keep it from crashing more than once every few months. This document focuses on Windows 98 (both first and second edition). However, some of the tips here will apply to other Windows versions, including Windows 95/ME/2000/XP. On a personal note, I have been shown enough evidence that Windows 98 second edition is the most stable version of Windows. It is also relatively small, fast and compatible. I recommend using Windows 98 where ever possible. This is just my personal recommendation and should not be taken as fact or an absolute. Now, let's get started. First, let me try to explain something. One of the top reasons any system crashes is because it has too much to do. Imagine that you are juggling balls. The more balls you are juggling, the harder it is, right? After three or four, you will probably start dropping things. Now, a computer system is like a juggler. Programs, like Word, Internet Explorer and ICQ are the balls. The more programs you have running, the harder it is for Windows to keep them all going. All system will drop a ball eventually, but fewer balls means that it can juggle longer. My point is that the fewer programs you are running, the less often your computer will crash. So, how many programs are you running right now? Count all the programs on your task bar and you system tray. (The system tray is the small area in the bottom right of your screen.) If there are more than nine, you probably have too much. You should probably have the system clock in the system try, along with three or four other icons. On your task bar, you should have about three or less. Closing programs on the task bar is easy enough, just exit out of the programs you are running now. The ones in the system tray are harder to get at. Usually, the fastest way to get at them is to right-click on the icon. Most programs will pop up a menu with "Exit", "Quit" or "Shut Down" at the bottom. Left-click on the "Exit"/"Quit" option. Another way to get rid of programs is to press CTRL-ALT-DEL at the same time. This brings up a list of all the programs running on your system. You can use the "End Task" button to close the high-lighted program. Be very careful here. Some programs are used by the system and should NOT be shut down. Programs like Explorer, SysTray, RunDll and FindFast should be left alone. To make sure programs don't run at start up, click on your Start menu. Go up to Programs. Select StartUp. In this folder are some of the programs that will run every time you start your computer. Right-click on any of the programs you don't want to run anymore and left-click on the delete option. Don't worry, this doesn't delete the file. Just the short cut to the file. It's still on your computer. Next, we will clean up temporary files from your computer. Click on your Start menu and go up to Programs. From Programs, select Accessories and then System Tools. Under System tools should be Disk Cleanup. Select your C: drive (it should be the default) and click OK. You should be presented with a list of file types. "Temporary Internet File", "Recycle Bin" and "Temporary Files". Make sure that all of the boxes are checked. Then click OK. This should be done about once a week. It simply frees up space that isn't really used anymore. Windows keeps these files around for your convenience. However, after a week most people won't need them anymore. Next we will check your drive for errors that could cause problems. Before we go any further, we need to shut down your screen saver for a little while. The screen saver is a program in itself that slows down other programs. Click on the Start menu and select Settings. Then select Control Panel and then Display. Click on the tab labelled Screen Saver. Under the picture of a monitor, there should be a box on the left side. Make sure this box has "(none)" selected as the current screen saver. Click on Apply and then OK. Note: It is very important that your computer does not lose power during this next phase. If there is a storm outside or your system is otherwise threatened by power outage, do NOT proceed. With that done, click on your My Computer icon. Right-click on your C: drive and select Properties. A new window should open. Now select the "Tools" tab at the top of the window. Click on the Error-checking "Check Now..." button. Make sure that your C: drive is selected. Under the type of test, select "Standard". Then click on the Advanced button. Under Log file, select "No log". Under lost file fragments, select "Free". Then under Check for. select "Invalid names" and "Invalid dates". Click OK. When the windows disappears, make sure that Automatically Fix Errors is checked, then click "Start". Note: Once the scan has been run, your settings will be saved. So you won't have to set all of the Advanced options again. The disk check will take a few minutes. After the scan is complete, click on the Close button. Then click on the De-fragment Now... button. This will clean up any extra space on your drive. It will also make programs run a little faster and smoother. The defragement process takes anywhere from five minutes (rarely) to an hour or two (usually). Once it is done, click on Exit and you're done. Note: The Scan Disk and De-fragment process should be run about once a month. You should also be saving copies of all your important files on a floppy disk once every week. This keeps your system clean and safe. You should now re-set your screen saver to its original state. There are other things you can do to make your computer more stable. However, most of them involve treading in more dangerous territory. I don't recommend it. However, if you have experience with computers and are daring, you can edit your startup files. This is done quickly by clicking on your Start menu and selecting "Run...". Type "msconfig" without the quotes and press ENTER. This gives you access to your startup files. You can cut and trim here. However, as I mentioned, I don't recommend changing this. Please contact your local computer dealer for more information about your startup files. Note: This is a good way to find out if he/she really knows what they're talking about. If a dealer can't talk about startup files and how to edit them, go some place else. For more information, contact Jesse Smith at or go to http://slicer69.tripod.com/