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Click on the links below:
Windows XP Tips
Windows ME Tips
Linux
Installing/Reinstalling Operating Systems
Why Empty the Recycle Bin?
Web Style
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Installing/Reinstalling Operating Systems
When doing an Install or Reinstall make things as easy as possible for the software and for yourself:
Use a PS/2 mouse and a PS/2 keyboard (little round plugs). You might get away with using USB versions, but if the installation stops and asks for input just when it seems to have forgotten how to support USB then you are stuck! PS/2 devices are always supported by the BIOS, USB devices may not be.
Disconnect as many external peripherals as possible. When the installation is complete you can reconnect them one at a time at your leisure and can spend time searching for drivers (instead of the OS installer trying to find them in the middle of the installation).
The same goes for internal items - why leave that modem that you never use inside - the OS may stop installing and ask for the drivers, and you may not have them.
And make sure that the CD/DVD drive that you are installing from is working well and that the CD/DVD is a good disk (preferably not a copy). If the drive can’t read the whole of the disk then the job will fail.
I SPEAK FROM BITTER EXPERIENCE!!!!
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Why Empty the Recycle Bin?
Many of my clients tell me that “I always empty the recycle bin, so that can’t be the cause of my problem”. Oh dear!
The whole point of the Recycle Bin is that it should never be emptied. When the hard disk is so full that space needs to be made then the system automatically deletes the oldest stuff in sequence.
That way the system hangs on to everything that you have deleted for as long as possible - in case you need to recover it.
The only things that you should ever delete from the Recycle Bin are those items that you don’t want other users of the computer to see. And you can do those individually rather than emptying the whole bin.
So, emptying the Recycle Bin:
does not free up any space
does not speed up your PC
stops you from being able to easily recover from mistaken deletions
doesn’t really delete the files - they can still be recovered using simple programs freely available on the internet (until the system has written over them, then it is almost impossible)
So please don’t do it - it makes my job even harder!
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Web Style
New computer users justifiably get confused -
in classic Windows you single left click on an item to select it and double left click to open it, but..
on the internet you point to select an item and single left click to open it.
You can make Windows work the same as the web by switching on “Web Style”:
Open My Computer (Windows Explorer)
Left click Tools, then Folder Options, then select the General tab
In Windows 98, select Web style then left click OK.
In Windows XP, select “Single-click to open an item (point to select)” then click OK and exit from My Computer.
Now when you point to an icon the pointer will change to a hand and you can open it by single left clicking.
If you want to change back to Classic style:
Open My Computer (Windows Explorer)
Left click Tools, then Folder Options, then select the General tab
In Windows 98, select Classic style then left click OK.
In Windows XP, select “Double-click to open an item (single-click to select)” (or just left click the Restore Defaults button) then click OK and exit from My Computer.
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