PERRICONE'S WORLD » PC Tips

Why Computers Sometimes Crash! by Dr. Seuss.

Tom Perricone — Fri, 21 May 2010 12:20:25 +0000

Why Computers Sometimes Crash! by Dr. Seuss.
(Read this to yourself aloud – it’s a must!)

If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port, and the bus is interrupted at a very last resort, and the access of the memory makes your floppy disk abort, then the socket packet pocket has an error to report.

If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash, and the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash, and your data is corrupted cause the index doesn’t hash, then your situation’s hopeless and your system’s gonna crash!

If the label on the cable on the table at your house, says the network is connected to the button on your mouse, but your packets want to tunnel to another protocol, that’s repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall……

And your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss, so your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse; then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang, ‘cuz sure as I’m a poet, the sucker’s gonna hang.

When the copy on your floppy’s getting sloppy in the disk, and the macro code instructions cause unwanted risk, then you’ll have to flash the BIOS and you’ll want to RAM your ROM, just quickly turn the darn thing off and run to tell your Mom!

Feb 2, Windows XP slow shutdown ? Learn how to troubleshoot that.

Tom Perricone — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:08:41 +0000

Windows XP slow shutdown : learn how you can easily troubleshoot this.

How IT Guys Do It!

Tom Perricone — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:50:17 +0000

How To Find Your Computer Name

Tom Perricone — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:23:12 +0000

Method 1:

On the Windows Desktop, right-click on “My Computer” and select “Properties”

In the System Properties window, select the “Computer Name” tab

Take note of the full computer name

Close the dialog box.

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Method 2:

Start -> Run
cmd -> Press enter

echo %computername% (Then press enter)

Take note of the name that pops up.

Close the dialog box.

How to schedule a weekly defragmentation

Tom Perricone — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:22:29 +0000

If it seems like your computer has gotten slower since you bought it, it probably has. One of the biggest factors that slows down your computer’s performance is fragmentation, a situation that occurs over time, in which files on your hard drive become divided into small pieces. Your computer must read a file to open, save, or close it. So when it reads each piece of a fragmented file separately, the effect is that the file can seem “slow” when you’re working with it.

Defragmenting your hard drive is the process of putting all the scattered pieces of files back together. Microsoft Windows XP includes a tool that will defragment your hard drive for you. To keep your system performing well, it’s a good idea to have Windows XP automatically defragment your hard drive every week.

1.	Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2.	Click Performance and Maintenance.
3.	Under or pick a Control Panel icon, click Scheduled Tasks.
4.	In the Scheduled Tasks window, double-click Add Scheduled Task.
5.	In the Scheduled Task Wizard, click Next.
6.	Click Browse.
7.	In the File name box, type %systemroot%\system32\defrag.exe, and then click Open.
8.	Under Perform this task, click Weekly. Then, click Next.
9.	Set the time and day of the week you would like to defragment your hard drive. For best results, choose a time when your computer will be on but you will be away from it. Click Next.
10.	Type your password in both the Enter the password and Confirm password boxes. Then, click Next.
11.	Select the Open advanced properties for this task when I click Finish check box, and then click Finish.
12.	In the Run box, add C: to the existing command. Make sure you include a space before the “C:”. Then, click OK.
13.	In the Set Account Information dialog box, type your password in both the Password and Confirm password boxes. Then, click OK.

Windows XP will defragment your hard drive at the time you have scheduled. During defragmentation, a black window will open. If you happen to be working at your computer when the window opens, you can ignore it. The window will automatically disappear when defragmentation is complete. You can use other programs during defragmentation, but you may prefer to schedule defragmentation at a time when you won’t be using your computer.

Organize Your Notification Area

Tom Perricone — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:20:48 +0000

The notification area is the collection of small icons near your system clock, in the bottom-right corner of your screen. After you’ve used your computer for a few months, the notification area can become cluttered with icons for different programs you may have installed. Each icon takes up space on your Microsoft Windows XP taskbar, which leaves less room for your program buttons.

Fortunately, you can free up space in the notification area by hiding icons that you don’t use very often.

1.	Right-click the system clock, and then click Properties on the shortcut menu.
2.	In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, click Customize.
3.	The Customize Notifications dialog box appears. For each icon you want to hide, click the Behavior list, and then click Always hide. For each icon you want to always show, click the Behavior list, and then click Always show.
4.	Click OK twice.

Your notification area will be much less crowded, giving you more room for program buttons on your taskbar. To show the icons you have hidden, click the left arrow beside the notification area.

Add An Item To The Send To Menu

Tom Perricone — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:19:29 +0000

When you right-click a file name or a thumbnail in Microsoft Windows XP, you see a shortcut menu for that file. One of the items on the menu is Send To, which enables you to quickly e-mail a file, copy it to your desktop, or copy it to a floppy disk.

Sometimes what you really want to do is to save a copy of the file to a specific folder on your computer. If you have a folder where you frequently place files, you can add that folder’s name to the list of locations on the Send To menu. This can save you the time of opening another Windows Explorer window and copying the file from one folder to another.

For example, you could create a My Pictures folder and then use the Send To menu to copy your best pictures to that folder.

To add a folder to the Send To menu

1.	Click Start. Make note of your user name (“Administrator” in the example below) which is displayed at the top of the Start menu. Then, click My Computer.
2.	In the My Computer window, click the Tools menu, and then click Folder Options.
3.	Click the View tab. Under Hidden files and folders, click Show hidden files and folders, and then click OK.
4.	In the My Computer window, double-click Local Disk (C:), double-click Documents and Settings, double-click your user name, and then double-click SendTo.
5.	Click the File menu, click New, and then click Shortcut.
6.	The Create Shortcut Wizard appears. Click the Browse button.
7.	In the Browse For Folder dialog box, click the folder you want to add to your Send To menu, and then click OK.
8.	Click Next.
9.	Click Finish.

Now when you right-click a file and click Send To, the destination you selected will be an option on the Send To menu. You can create shortcuts to local or network programs, files, folders, computers, or Internet addresses.

Log On As An Administrator

Tom Perricone — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:17:46 +0000

Microsoft Windows XP has two types of user accounts: limited and computer administrator. Limited accounts are more secure because they offer some protection from spyware and viruses. For that reason, you should use a limited account for your day-to-day computing. For more information about user accounts, read Set up user accounts and log on to your computer.

Limited accounts are called that because they are limited—you can’t install software or change certain computer settings when you’re logged on with a limited account. That’s great if you’re creating an account for your kids and you don’t want them making any changes to your computer. But sometimes you need the unrestricted access a computer administrator account provides.

First, determine whether your current account is a computer administrator account. If the account is, you can install software and change settings using your current user account. If your account is not an administrator account, you can log on as an administrator by following a special logon process.

How to determine if your user account is a computer administrator account

To determine whether your current account is a computer administrator account

Click Start, and note your user name at the top of the Start menu. Then, click Control Panel.

Click User Accounts.

Below your user name, you should see either Limited account or Computer administrator.

If your account is a limited account, you cannot install software or change certain computer settings. You can either log on using one of the computer administrator accounts (as described in Set up user accounts and log on to your computer), or you can log on using the special Administrator account as described in the next section.

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How to log on with the Administrator account

All Windows XP computers have a special user account named Administrator (some computer manufacturers might rename it).

To log on with the Administrator account so that you can install software or change computer settings

If you are currently logged on to your computer, click Start, and then click Log Off. When prompted, click Switch User.

Note: If your computer is joined to an Active Directory, the Fast Users Switching feature will be disabled. This is a common change made to computers used for business. In fact, it happens automatically when a computer joins an Active Directory domain. However, this setting is not the default setting. Almost all computers in home environments will have Fast User Switching enabled.

On the Welcome screen, press CTRL+ALT+DEL on your keyboard by holding down both the CTRL and ALT keys and then pressing DELETE.

The Log On to Windows dialog box appears. In the User name box, type Administrator. In the Password box, type your Administrator password, if you created one during Windows XP setup. If you have not assigned a password, or you do not know your password, leave the Password box blank. Click OK.

Windows XP logs you on using the Administrator account. You should use the Administrator account only when installing software or changing computer settings. When you are browsing the Web, reading e-mail, or performing other day-to-day computer tasks, you should be logged on using a limited account. For more information, read Set up user accounts and log on to your computer.

Auto logon for Windows XP

Tom Perricone — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:15:45 +0000

Would you rather not have to log on after your computer starts? If you’re the only person who uses your computer, you can make life a little easier by skipping the Welcome screen completely and having Microsoft Windows XP take you straight to your desktop.

To automatically log on to Windows XP upon startup

1.	Click Start, and then click Run. Note: Remember your user name at the top of the Start menu, because you’ll need it later.
2.	In the Open box, type control userpasswords2 and click OK.
3.	Clear the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer check box. Click OK.
4.	Click the User name box, type the user name that was displayed on the Start menu in step 1. If you normally type a password to log on, type your password in both the Password and Confirm Password boxes. Otherwise, leave these boxes blank. Click OK.

Auto logon now allows anyone to start and use your computer without typing a password.

Note: Keep in mind that you should not enable auto logon if you need privacy for any files on your computer. If you need to maintain privacy, create separate user accounts for everyone in your home, and protect your account with a password.

How to change Office 2007 default file types

Tom Perricone — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:13:16 +0000

How to change Office 2007 default file types fox Excel, Powerpoint & Word 2007

To change default file save options in Office Excel 2007

Double-click Microsoft Office Excel 2007, double-click Excel Options, and click Save.
In the right pane, right-click Save Excel files as, and select Properties.
In Save files in this format, select Enabled.
In the drop-down box, select a default file save format.
Click Apply to save the settings.

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To change default file save options in Office PowerPoint 2007

Double-click Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, double-click PowerPoint Options, and click Save.
In the right pane, right-click Save files in this format, and select Properties.
In Save files in this format, select Enabled.
In the drop-down box, select a default file save format.
Click Apply to save the settings.

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To change default file save options in Office Word 2007

Double-click Microsoft Office Word 2007, double-click Word Options, and click Save.
In the right pane, right-click Save files in this format, and select Properties.
In Save files in this format, select Enabled.
In the drop-down box, select a default file save format.
Click Apply to save the settings.