35 Things Every PC User Should Know

Diagnose PC Problems Using Event IDs
Anytime your system crashes or an application freezes up, Event Viewer dutifully logs the error--but sorting through Event Viewer logs can be just as frustrating as dealing with the Blue Screen of Death. Here's a cheat sheet.

• Start by familiarizing yourself with Event Viewer before you have a problem. It's under Start, Settings, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Event Viewer. The utility's System node logs Windows issues (particularly networking ones), while the Application node logs issues with other software. You should not see much activity in the Security node since it is disabled by default and is used only if you have auditing turned on (which requires extra Microsoft software and ultimately doesn't help most folks anyway). Third-party apps might create more nodes, as well.

• Events are fairly self-explanatory: The date and time of each event are logged along with its source, plus miscellaneous data about the issue. Most events will be noted as 'Information' and are generally safe to ignore. The 'Error' and 'Warning' entries are what you should concern yourself with. You can access the guts of the information by double-clicking the event to open its Event Properties page.

• In the Event Properties window, you'll find detailed information about the error in question and a link to the Microsoft support Web site. Clicking the link will open a detail page within the Windows Help application (not your browser) for the error you're investigating. But often the information you get will tell you little about the problem, either saying no more data is available or declaring there's nothing you can do.

• For more detail on the error types and what they mean, turn to the Web. Plug the event ID into EventID.net, or search for key phrases in the error message, and try looking for clues to your problem by using the 'Source' field in the Event Viewer log as a search term.

Surf Anonymously
Not too long ago hiding your tracks on the Web usually meant finding an open proxy server to surf through or paying for proxy software like Anonymizer ($30), which redirects traffic through its own proxy servers.

Today there's a better solution, and it's free: the Torpark browser. Torpark is a Firefox-based browser designed to access the Tor network of encrypted proxies. When you use the Torpark browser, your Web session bounces through multiple secure proxies, encrypted all the way, until your request reaches its destination. Torpark is a quick download and doesn't require a formal install on your PC; just launch the executable when you need it and make sure the Tor Network icon is active when the browser starts.

Secure browsing is considerably slower than regular browsing, though, so skip it If you don't need the extra security---and most people don't most of the time.

 

Test and Tweak Your Internet Connection for Top Speed
Don't settle for out-of-the-box performance when faster downloads and hidden features are just a few steps away.

First, measure your current connection speed. Make sure nothing else on your network is using the connection and stop any Internet processes on your PC (finish downloads, close your e-mail client, and the like). Next, visit Speakeasy's speed tester. Click a server to run the test for download and upload speeds. Note that you will get atypically high results for servers very near you, but that will give you a gauge of your connection's top raw speed. Try running the test once more against the farthest-away city on the list to see your full range. Try the same test at BroadbandReports.com, too, for a good idea of what your current throughput is.

If you like to keep an eye on performance over time, the venerable DU Meter keeps logs of network performance no matter what kind of connection you have.

You can improve network performance modestly through Registry tweaks, but mucking around in the Registry is never a pleasurable experience, and with these difficult tweaks, it's easy to mess something up. Tweak Tester makes the task simple. Visit Broadband Reports' tweak page, and run Tweak Tester II. Results will appear on a new page. Pay attention to the 'Notes and recommendations' section of the page, where you will see any settings that merit alteration for improved performance. (You may want to print this page.) Changing the TCP Receive Window setting is likely to be the only tweak that will have any real effect.

Next, download and run Dr. TCP. You can run the program directly without installing it, but backing up the Registry before you use it is a good idea. (Go to Start, Run, and type regedit at the prompt; then, click File, Export, name the file, and click Save.) Enter the changes noted in the Tweak Tester results in the Dr. TCP window, and the program will then make all of the appropriate Registry fixes for you. Restart the PC, and then retest your connection to see if the tweaks helped.

You can also improve your Web experience (but not raw throughput) by increasing the number of download sessions in your browser. By default, Windows limits you to a mere two downloads at a time, but you can bump that up to eight or ten. Since few downloads fill your network pipe completely, the overall effect is that downloads should go faster. (Warning: Regedit work coming up, so back up your Registry before you begin!)

• Click Start, Run, and type regedit.

• Browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
  CurrentVersion\Internet Settings.

• Right-click in the right pane and then click New, DWORD Value.

• Type MaxConnectionsPerServer in the resulting field.

• Double-click on the new item and then type a new number of connections (say, 10) in the 'Value data' field. Click Decimal.

• Following the previous three steps, create another new DWORD entry, giving it the name MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server.

Solve Wireless Connection Problems
Wi-Fi is awfully convenient, but it's also awfully buggy for many users, particularly those in areas crowded by competing wireless signals. If you're dealing with a loss of signal, try the following to troubleshoot your wireless setup.

• Your PC might just need a little massaging. The best way to quickly disconnect and reconnect to your router is to right-click the wireless icon in the system tray and click Repair. If this doesn't solve the problem and you suspect it's still a PC issue, open a command prompt and type ipconfig /renew. This performs nearly the same operation as Repair but bypasses Windows, which could be causing the problem. If all else fails, reboot your PC.

• If you're still having trouble, power-cycle your router by unplugging it, waiting 10 seconds, and plugging it back in. Your PC will need to reconnect after the router has booted up. Most routers lock up occasionally, and power cycling is the most reliable way to fix them. (Unless you can't physically reach your router, don't restart it through its management utility; that approach takes just as long, and the utility may not respond anyway.)

• If you're still encountering frequent problems, you may be experiencing channel conflict, where multiple Wi-Fi routers are operating in the same narrow band of frequency. Download and run the evaluation version of WirelessMon; you can do all you need to with the demo. Look at the 'Channel Use' chart: Red and orange bars indicate channels under heavy use, while blue or no bars indicate relatively free channels. If your router is on a crowded channel, switch to a less busy one. (Visit your router's management system to do this; read "Safeguard Your Wi-Fi Network" for directions.) You may see better performance and fewer dropouts.

Save Streamed Media Locally
Since YouTube hit it big, streaming movies and music have gone positively bananas. But such online media has a major flaw: You can't download it to your desktop and save it forever.

Here's how you can download streamed-media offerings of various types.

Audio
Record Internet radio with Replay A/V, which can handle every audio format you're likely to come across, including Windows Media, Real, QuickTime, Flash, and even AOL's NSV format. It's $50, but if you want to record a lot, it's worth it.

Video
Record Flash-based video (like YouTube and Google Video files) with KeepVid.com. Just enter the video's URL, and KeepVid converts it into an FLV file you can download. To play the file, use software such as FLV Player or VLC. Better yet, convert the video to an .avi, .mov, or .mp4 file by visiting the FLV Online Converter. These sites and programs are free.

Create Keyboard Shortcuts
You can automate just about any point-and-click operation you perform with the mouse. Here's a variety of ways to make keyboard shortcuts.

Windows lets you assign a keyboard command to any shortcut icon. (Note, though, that it has to be a shortcut; you can't assign a keyboard shortcut to any file you want.) Just right-click the icon in question, click Properties, and click in the 'Shortcut key' field. Press the keyboard combo you want to assign to launch the shortcut; it must include one standard character plus two or three of <Ctrl>, <Shift>, or <Alt>. (<Ctrl>-<Shift>-R in the example shown.)

To make more robust shortcuts, try the appropriately named freeware app Keyboard Shortcuts. With such shortcuts you can launch any file, perform system commands (such as logging off and shutting down), or open any URL in a browser. One shortcut can even perform several of these actions, simultaneously or in sequence.

For even more complex shortcuts, get a macro recorder that can capture detailed steps and repeat them on command. The Workspace Macro program ($25) can capture anything you type, as well as mouse movements and clicks. Just click New to record a macro, and click Stop after you've done all your typing and mousing. If you want to assign keyboard shortcuts to your macros, you'll need a separate program, Launch-N-Go ($25).

 

Keyboard Shortcuts You Should Know
Shortcut	Action
<F2>	Rename selected file (in Windows) or edit selected cell (in Excel).
<Shift>-<F3>	For any highlighted text, cycle among all-caps, lowercase, and title case. Click Format, Change Case for more options.
<F5>	Refresh your page in Explorer and Web browser windows.
<Ctrl>-<Esc>	Open the Start menu (useful if your mouse won't respond).
<Ctrl>-<Space>	Reset the highlighted text to the default font (in Word).
<Ctrl>-mouse wheel	Zoom in and out.
<Windows>-L	Password-lock the computer.
<Windows>-R	Open the Run dialog box.
<Windows>-M or <Windows>-D	Minimize all windows.
<Ctrl>-+ (on numeric keypad)	Resize a column to fit its comments (in Excel).
<Windows>-E	Launch Windows Explorer.

Create a Disaster Recovery Disc
It's great to have your PC's system-restore disks and a fresh copy of Windows at hand, but if your computer does go south, don't be in such a rush to wipe out the hard drive. In advance, create a DVD full of essential utilities that you can use to try to repair your PC before reinstalling Windows from scratch.

Your disaster disc should also contain up-to-date hardware drivers, especially for networking devices. Organize everything by folders, and keep names short: You may be browsing the folder from a command prompt if Windows won't boot.

Here's a good selection of utilities that should help out in any crisis, large or small. Note that the first two listed need to be installed on their own bootable CD or DVD in order to run at startup. All are free or available as trialware.

• MemTest86: This venerable RAM tester still works.

• Active@ KillDisk: Securely wipes drives as required.

• Hot CPU Tester: Diagnoses CPU problems with an in-depth testing procedure.

• Restoration: Recovers accidentally deleted files from both FAT and NTFS partitions, as well as memory cards.

• HDDlife: Monitors the hard drive to warn you if a failure is near. (It's also a good idea to install this on your PC for occasional checkups.)

• AOL Active Virus Shield: Free antivirus protection, with an engine powered by Kaspersky.

• Spybot Search & Destroy: Keep an antispyware scanner on hand at all times.

• OpenOffice.Org: Always great for reading Office files when Microsoft Office isn't working.

Also check out these premade, downloadable emergency discs, which, in many cases, pack lots of system utilities.

• Knoppix: Use this free bootable Linux CD to access Windows directories on a hard drive.

• Ultimate Boot CD: Contains over 100 low-level system utilities on a single disc. The download is free; a CD is $6, with shipping.

• EBCD: This free emergency CD is designed for seriously broken PCs--and expert users.

• Microsoft Boot Disks: Download free boot discs for OSs from Windows XP to MS-DOS 6.

Move Big Files Across the Internet
It's considered rude--and rightly so--to e-mail someone a file larger than a few megabytes without permission. And you may not be able to anyway, since many ISPs place a cap on message size (often 10MB or less). So what are you to do if you need to send an 18MB, an 80MB, or even an 800MB file to someone? Online services make the task much easier and more elegant than burning a DVD and dropping it in the mail. You have lots of options, and more new services pop up every day. MediaFire.com is my favorite, and it's one of the best on the market now. The free service requires no registration, and it allows unlimited maximum file size, unlimited downloads, and multiple simultaneous downloads. It's just about perfect!

The other services below, however, also have certain unique features that may make them more suitable for you.

Files-upload.com: Handles 300MB files through a Web-based interface without registration; files expire after 45 days. Register, and you get your own FTP subdomain (yourname.files-upload.com) that's accessible with a standard FTP client. It has a 1GB file-size limit.

GigaSize.com: Has a 1.5GB file-size limit and stores files for 90 days. A $4 monthly fee gets you a 2.5GB size limit.

Pando.com: Has a 1GB file-size limit, but offers a peer-to-peer plug-in for various e-mail, Web mail, and instant messenger clients, so you don't have to go to the Web site to transfer files.

Xdrive.com: Gives you 5GB of free storage space, accessible through the Web or a Windows Explorer plug-in that also allows for sharing with others.

Safeguard Your Cell Phone Data With a Backup
Increasingly, people have essential data stored on a fragile, easily misplaced communications device that they carelessly toss around. Here's how to back up the data on your cell phone.

First, check your handset's manual or product Web page: A backup program designed specifically for that phone may be available for download. For phones with a USB charger, connect the handset to your PC via a USB cable with a mini-USB plug on one end. Use the software you find on the vendor's site to back up contact information to your PC.

If your phone doesn't have such an application, check out FutureDial SnapSync II, a $30 utility that supports most cell phones. Click the Is my phone supported? link on its site to make sure yours is on the list. A data cable costs an additional $30. SnapSync can also sync your data with Microsoft Outlook, as well as export numbers back to the phone. If SnapSync doesn't support your phone, consider Susteen DataPilot Universal Pro, which includes seven phone connectors, iPod and Bluetooth adapters, and backup software for $80. It supports hundreds of phones; to check for yours before you buy, go to Susteen's Phone Support page.

For SIM-equipped cell phones, use the Clipper Gear SIM Saver ($20) to make a backup copy of the card in less than a minute (but you can't then back up SIM Saver to your PC; it talks only with the SIM card).

Another option is Spark Technology's CellStik ($40), which looks like a USB thumb drive and attaches directly to your phone. A USB connector on the other end lets you hook up to a PC to back up and edit the data, which you can then transfer to the phone.

 

Eradicate Your Web and Windows Tracks
Hey, it's nobody's business but yours what you're doing on your own PC. If you share a system with a nosy roommate or family member, or if you're stuck using public PCs at a conference, you may want to scrub your tracks--Windows' memory of what you've done over the last few hours or days--each time you sign off.

First, set up a browser for sensitive surfing, and use it only for work in which you need maximum security. Clear your secure browser's history and configure it to remember as little as possible. In the chart below are instructions for the most commonly used browsers.

You can also get rid of your Windows history on PCs that you own or share, but the easiest way to keep prying eyes away from your Windows history is to prevent it from being recorded. Download Tweak UI (see "Expand Your Collection of Windows-Tweaking Tools") and run it. Make these changes:

• Under 'Explorer' check Clear document history on exit. Uncheck Allow Recent Documents on Start menu, Maintain document history, and Maintain network history.

• Under 'Common Dialogs' uncheck Enable AutoComplete and Remember previously-used filenames.

Calibrate Your Monitor's Color
Obtaining true-to-life color on your display can be an expensive task that requires special software and hardware. Here's how to get more-accurate color out of your monitor without spending an arm and a leg.

First, download the free Monitor Calibration Wizard. When you run the wizard, it will walk you through several simple tests.

Afterward, save the profile under a name of your choosing. Select this profile under the Load Profile box, and check the box next to Load at Windows startup. Your color will be corrected to your new profile each time you boot. You may not notice much of a difference, though, unless your monitor was seriously out of whack to begin with.

Additional free color-correction tools exist for specific video card brands. RivaTuner is primarily designed for systems with nVidia cards (through the GeForce 7 card series), while ATITool is the counterpart for ATI cards (to get color-correction support for cards released in the last 12 months or so, download the beta version of this free tool).

 

Decipher Digital Camera Mode Icons
The little icons that appear on the control wheel of your digital camera may look pretty, but unless you've spent time with your camera's manual, you're likely to be baffled by what they all mean. Each represents a distinct camera mode, and selecting the right one can make the difference between a great shot and a dud.

Here's a cheat sheet of some of the most common icons and how the modes work. (Caveat: Every model of camera is designed differently, so you may notice some variations on the items below.) Note that shooting modes may not all appear on the control dial--some modes may be on a menu.

Automatic
Sets the camera's flash and focus to automatic and uses average exposure settings. Generally the default on digital cameras. Sometimes the icon reads 'AUTO'.

Close-up
Use this mode for taking photos from about 2 feet away or closer. Note that the flash may not fire unless set manually in this mode.

Landscape
For distant subjects. The flash should not fire. Sometimes indicated by the 8 symbol.

Sport Mode
For photographing moving subjects. Sets the shutter speed to the fastest mark and generally uses the flash as needed.

Night Mode
For low-light conditions. Uses a slow shutter speed and may fire the flash. The icon may also indicate a backlight mode that fires a fill flash so that you can properly compensate for the shadowed subject.

Portrait Mode
For faces. Tries to blur out the background and may use red-eye reduction mode.

Video Mode
For shooting short video clips.

Image Stabilization
Turns on the image stabilizer in order to counter shaky hands.

Manual Mode
This setting gives you complete control over your camera's aperture and shutter speed.

Aperture-Priority Mode
You manually determine the aperture setting (the diameter of the lens), and the camera controls the shutter speed.

Shutter-Priority Mode
You manually determine the shutter speed, and the camera controls the lens aperture.

 

Partition Your Hard Drive
If you're out of space on your system, it's time to add a new hard drive to your PC--or just reconfigure an old one. There's no real need to set up even the largest drives into multiple partitions (each with its own drive letter) anymore, as the system BIOS can address all the storage in one partition. However, partitions can still make for good housekeeping, and you might consider creating a separate partition for any network shares you'd like to make--say, for storing drivers and software installation files that you plan to reuse and want easy access to. Or you may wish to use one partition to install the operating system and critical apps and another for your data files, which will simplify backup tasks. Here's how to go about it.

Partitioning as you install Windows
Use Windows Setup's partitioning system to set partitions appropriately as you go through the process. Format the partition(s) with NTFS. After you have installed Windows, copy any data you need from the original drive to the new one. You can then retire the old drive or clean it off for use as additional storage.

Partitioning under Windows
To set up a new or existing drive in Windows, go to Start, Settings, Control Panel, and click Administrative Tools, Computer Management, Storage, Disk Management. Your drive should appear; new drives will show as unformatted space. Partition the space by right-clicking in the unformatted area and selecting New Partition; then, to format each partition, right-click in the partition and choose New Logical Drive.

Copious third-party tools offer options to ease partition management and disk maintenance. Norton PartitionMagic ($70) and Diskeeper Home ($30) can streamline the operations if you're uncomfortable working with Windows' tools. Users with lots of PC upgrade experience can save some dough when they add a new drive by buying it bare--no kits, utilities, or OS. Such a drive works well if you're not planning to use it as a boot disk or if you intend to install Windows fresh (for step-by-step help with the installation process, see our "How to Install an Additional Hard Drive" video).

 

Windows Tips: Optimize PC Settings

• Tweak the start menu display: Right-click the Start button, then click Properties and Customize. Under the Advanced tab, you'll see a list of the items you can modify.

• View all files: Click Tools, Folder Options, View In Windows Explorer. Check Show hidden files and folders; uncheck Hide extensions for known file types and Hide protected operating system files.

• Make sure system restore is on: Go to Start, Settings, Control Panel, System, and then click the System Restore tab; enable it if needed.

• Turn off auto-restart on error: With this feature on, you can't find out why your PC crashed. Right-click My Computer, choose Properties, Click the Advanced tab, select Settings under 'Startup and Recovery', and uncheck Automatically Restart under 'System failure'.

• Turn off error reporting: Go to Settings, Control Panel, System. On the Advanced tab, click Error Reporting, and then select Disable error reporting. No more nag note about sending Microsoft a report.

Add-Ons: Get 5 Useful Freebies

• Puretext: Copies text and strips all formatting, such as italics and HTML tags.

• AOL Active Virus Shield: AOL merely puts its logo on this heavy-duty antivirus system; the actual security engine is from Kaspersky. Works with Windows 98 and up.

• AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5: A great spyware removal tool when others fail.

• SpamBayes: This Outlook antispam plug-in doesn't rely on blacklists but instead learns what to block according to how you train it.

• HTTrack: Highly configurable offline browser mirrors Web pages or entire sites onto your PC for later perusal.

PC Protection: Tighten PC Security

• Create a password for the Administrator account. You can find the option under Start, Settings, Control Panel, User Accounts.

• Password-protect your screen saver. Go to Settings, Control Panel, Display. Click the Screen Saver tab. Change 'Wait time' to 5 minutes, and check On resume, password protect. The password will be your user password.

• Turn off file sharing in Windows Explorer. Open Explorer, click Tools, Folder Options, View. Scroll to the bottom, uncheck Use simple file sharing, and click Apply.

• Turn off the Windows Firewall. Go to Settings, Control Panel, Windows Firewall and click off under the General tab. Then, install a software firewall such as ZoneAlarm.

• Turn on Automatic Updates. Go to Settings, Control Panel, Automatic Updates. Select the first option to have each update download and install automatically. If you want more control over the process, use either option two or three.

• Install an antivirus program, turn on automatic updates, and set up a regular scanning schedule.

• Install an antispyware app and run it on a regular schedule.

• Turn on your browser's pop-up blocker. In IE 7, go to Tools, Pop-up Blocker Settings, and choose the Medium option (this is the default, but it's easy to turn it off accidentally); to kill all pop-ups, select High.

• Optional: Set a BIOS password in your PC Setup application.

• Optional: Increase your browser's security settings. In IE 6 or 7, click Tools, Internet Options, Privacy and move the slider to High.

Systray Tips: Turn Off Pesky Apps
More and more applications continually nag you with pop-ups or plop an icon into your already crowded system tray. Here's how to deal with some of the worst offenders.

Apple Quicktime
To remove the icon from the system tray, right-click it and select QuickTime Preferences. Click Advanced and uncheck Install QuickTime icon in system tray.

Real Player
To remove pop-ups, right-click the Real Player system tray icon. Click Set Real Message Center preferences.... Uncheck all boxes. Click Yes on the 'Warning!' screen. To remove the shovelware, go to the 'Add or Remove Programs' control panel. First, remove The Weather Channel Desktop (click No thanks... at the warning prompt and quit the browser survey launched after); then remove Weather Services. You must remove them in order.

Windows Messenger
To prevent Messenger spam, disable it. Click Start, Settings, Control Panel, Administrative Tools. Double-click Services. Scroll to and then double-click Messenger. Click Stop. Change the 'Startup type:' field to Disabled.

More Tips

Make Sure Burned DVDs Play
With a full seven types of standard-def writable DVDs out, ensuring that the home movies you just burned to disc will actually play on your set-top player can be difficult. Get a list of the media your player is compatible with by searching for your player's brand and model number on VideoHelp.com.

Format Your iPod for PCs
Out of the box, your new iPod may be configured to work not with a PC but with a Mac. Before you try to use it, you must format it to work with Windows' file system (a Mac will recognize a Windows-formatted iPod, but the reverse is not true). Download iTunes, install it, and then plug in your iPod. On the left side of the iTunes window you should see 'Devices' and your iPod below it. Click the iPod's name, then click Restore to the right and follow the prompts. This will reformat your device for use with Windows. If Windows can't see your iPod at all, try Apple's iPod troubleshooting steps.

Reorganize the Taskbar
Download the free Taskbar Shuffle. With this plug-in you can drag taskbar items from one place on the bar to another. Note that some antivirus software may incorrectly warn you that Taskbar Shuffle is malware.

Sort Your Start Menu
Click Start, All Programs, right-click one of the selections, and click Sort by Name. You'll have to do this again each time you install a new app.

Remove DRM From Your Tunes
Apple's iTunes, MTV's Urge, and similar online stores take the pain out of buying music, but the embedded digital rights management technology in the songs adds a new headache, limiting where you can play them and how often. Some apps strip out DRM by cracking the encryption, but that tends to be illegal. Achieve the same ends with the following.

• Create a new playlist with all the songs you'd like to rip.

• Use your software's Burn Disc option to copy the music to audio-CD format.

• After you've burned the music to disc, rename the originally downloaded song to something like "My Sharona-iTunes DRM."

• Insert your newly burned CD-R and click Import CD to copy the songs back into iTunes or whichever player app you originally used. They will now be stripped of all DRM.

Save Money on Tech Purchases
In many cases, when you buy a desktop PC, you're best off getting the minimum amount of RAM you can, since upgrading it yourself later is cheaper and a simple process. Also, never buy the fastest CPU on the market, which will always carry a significant price premium. You'll save hundreds by purchasing a processor one or two rungs down, and you're unlikely to notice much performance difference.

Disable the Insert Key
Nothing good has ever come from the <Insert> key. Although you have many ways to disable it, here's a simple one: In Word, click Tools, Customize, Options, Keyboard. In the Categories box (look in the left pane), select All Commands. In the Commands box (right pane), select Overtype. In the 'Current keys' box, highlight Insert and click Remove.

Get Live Phone Help

 

Web Services:
Amazon.com	800/201-7575
Buy.com	877/780-2464
eBay	800/322-9266
Netflix	888/638-3549
NetZero	866/841-1442
PayPal	888/221-1161
Tech Support:
Apple	800/275-2273
Dell	800/624-9896
Gateway	800/846-2000
Hewlett-Packard	800/474-6836
IBM	800/426-4968
Toshiba	800/457-7777

 

You can find other numbers (and instructions for bypassing automated menus) at the Gethuman 500 Database.