PC Maintenance 3

Using Disk Defragmenter In the June and August newsletters, I explained how to use ScanDisk and Disk Cleanup. If you didn't get those issues, scroll to the bottom of this page for the links to the June and August columns. It's important that you run both ScanDisk and Disk Cleanup before you use Defrag. When you load a program or save a file onto your hard drive, your computer looks for the nearest open area and starts writing to it. If that space isn't big enough to hold the entire file, the disk drive will look for the next space and continue writing. If you have deleted a lot of files, there will be more spaces and these spaces won't all be side by side waiting for new data. Actually, it's not your hard drive that is fragmented, it's your files. The next time you want to load a file, your drive has to go looking for it all over the drive. This is why your hard drive slows down after a while. The Disk Defragmenter that comes with Microsoft Windows rearranges files and unused space, making your programs run faster. Here's how to do it: First, close all programs, including your Anti-Virus programs. To see what you have open, look on your task bar to the left of the clock. (figure 1) Right click on each one and select exit. Don't worry, the next time you turn on your computer, they'll reappear. I've seen the suggestion to disconnect the computer from your telephone line, but I never do. I'm not sure of the reasoning behind this, but thought I'd mention it incase you want to be extra safe.

The easiest way is to click on Start on your Taskbar, then onRun. Type C:\windows\defrag and hit enter. You'll see figure 2. If you have more than one hard drive, or your hard drive is partitioned, you'll want to select "All Hard Drives". Then click onSettings on the left toward the bottom. You should check both settings under "When defragmenting my hard drive" and also the box that says "Every time I defragment my hard drive." Click "OK" twice, and Defrag will start to run. (Figure 2). I always like to see what's going on, so I click on "Show details" Figure 3 Click on Legend in Figure 4 and you'll see what all those little squares mean. Figure 4 With today's huge hard drives, degragging can take quite a while, but it's worth it. I usually set it up and go do something else or go to bed.

PC Maintenance 2

Computer Maintenance, Part 2 Using Disk Cleanup In Part 1 I explained how to run ScanDisk. Now we'll go over the next step in hard drive maintanence, Disk Cleanup. After you've used your computer for a while, you're bound to have a lot of files you don't need. These could be temporary Internet files, downloaded files, or files in the Recycle Bin, for example. Windows includes a utility with versions 98 through XP that does a decent job of getting rid of some of the clutter. Disk Cleanup in Windows XP is a little different than in the other versions, but not a lot. In the other versions Click on START on the task bar. Click on Programs, Accessories, System Tool, and then Disk Cleanup Click the drive you want to clean. The program will tell you how much disk space is available for cleanup. You will now see a Disk Cleanup window that has 3 tabs at the top. The General tab shows categories of files you may delete. When you click on one, you'll see an explanation below in the gray part of the window. Click on the View Files button, and you'll see a list of the files in that category. To delete the files, put a check in the box beside the file category.

If you click the More Options tab, you'll be able to delete Windows components you don't need. Click on the Clean Up < B>button for Windows Components. For example, I deleted Paint because I never use it. Then click on Clean Up underInstalled Programs. You'll see a list of the programs on your disk. Be careful. If you don't know what a program does, you probably should leave it alone. Click on OK. You'll be asked if you are sure you want to delete files. Most likely you're ready to click Yes If you have a newer computer, you probably have lots of room on your hard drive. However, it's still a good idea to get rid of what you don't need. You'll be sur-prised how fast your drive can fill up. It's important to keep at least 100 MBs free on your C drive so Windows can use it to function smoothly. Otherwise, you won't be able to burn CDs if you have a burner, or your drive could start getting slower and slower. If you're using Windows XP, you have one other type of data you may want to remove, the restore points. Don't remove all of them. Keep the most recent. Also, in Win-dows XP, you may get the following message: "You are running out of disk space on [drive]. To free space on this drive by deleting old or unnecessary files, click here." This first turns up when you have only 200 MBs available. If you click on the message, you open Clean Up. If you're really getting low on space, you start get-ting messages more often. It's easy to clean up the clutter, so there's no reason to run out of space. There are software programs you can buy that do a better job, or at least are easier to use. This type of program works best when it�s installed when the com-puter is new. It needs to keep track of all your pro-grams. However, in combination with the Disk Cleanup utility, you can do a really good job of getting rid of useless files. Next month's topic will be defragmenting your hard drive - what that means and how to do it. ScanDisk and Clean Up are the steps you should take before you run DeFrag.

PC Maintenance

Computer Maintenance, Part 1 Don't let the word maintenance scare you - you don't have to open up the case to your computer. There are a few procedures you can do that will keep your computer functioning smoothly - at least most of the time. ScanDisk This utility comes with all Windows versions except NT. It is scans for errors on your hard drive. Sometimes parts of your files get "misplaced." Scandisk can find these lost parts and put them back where they belong. Before you run this utility, be sure you've closed any other programs that are running. For Windows 95/98/ME, go to: Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/ScanDisk You'll see a box like figure 1. My hard drive is partitioned into 2 sections, C and D which act like separate drives. If this is true of yours or you have more than 2 partitions, you'll need to use ScanDisk on each drive separately. The Standard scan doesn't take as long, and you may want to do that first. If that finds many errors, or stops and won't go on, then you'll need to do the Thorough scan. I usually do that one whenever I run ScanDisk. If you click on Options, you'll see figure 2. If you haven't scanned your disk before or it's been a long time, be sure to choose the top option. Otherwise, you might want to only scan one of the others. I always do the top one. If you click on Advanced, you'll see figure 3. I suggest you check the ones checked in the illustration. Back at figure 1, you see the choice "Automatically fix errors." This should be checked also. Then click on start, and sit back to wait. The rest is taken care of for you. If may take a while or even start over a few times.

If you have Windows XP, Double click on the My Computer icon which should be on your desktop. Right click on C: drive. Left click on Properties. Click on Tools tab: Error-checking is the same as Scandisk. Select: Automatically fix.....errors. It will tell you it can't run it now, but will next time you reboot. So agree to that. That's all there is to it. You should run ScanDisk once a month if not sooner. Some people feel you should run ScanDisk once a week. Next month we'll go over the Cleanup utility that comes with Windows 98/ME/200 or XP. Its purpose is to get rid of unneeded files. Figure 1    Figure 2 Figure 3

Computer Maintenance

Ten Tips to Keep your Computer Running Smoothly

1. Never, never, turn your computer off with the power switch until Windows has shut down.

The one exception to this rule is when your computer locks up and your hard drive is not running (hard drive light is not blinking). In this situation, you can turn the power off without harmful effects to the hard drive. As cutting the power can also result in lost data or Windows files, you should only do this when you have to.

Following this rule will prevent permanent hard drive defects caused by the hard drive heads contacting the surface of the drive disc, and it will prevent a host of Windows problems.
Whenever possible, recover from crashes by pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys at the same time. Press them again to reboot your computer.

2. I highly recommend that you purchase an UPS (uninteruptable power supply) for your computer. This will keep your computer from crashing during power outages, and will protect your computer from low and high voltage occurrences.
An UPS is far superior to a surge protector and will save your computer from almost any type of power disaster. (See #1 above for what happens when your computer crashes.)

3. Backup, backup, backup, any data you cannot afford to lose to at least two separate physical drives. So backup data to external hard drives, Zip disks, CD-RWs etc.
The time to backup is when you create something you can't afford to lose. Don't wait until tomorrow.

4. Run Scandisk and Defragment at least once a month. This will keep your hard drive healthy and prevent crashes. Alternatively, purchase Norton Utilities and use it to keep your hard drive healthy.

5. Never unplug peripherals from the computer when it is powered up. Unplugging with the power on can short out the connector socket or the motherboard.

The only exception to this rule is if you know a peripheral is "hot pluggable". If you do not know what "hot pluggable" means then ignore this exception.

6. Do keep at least 300 MBs of your C: drive free for Windows to use. If you useWindows XP or Vista then you should have 400-600 MBs of free space on your C: drive.
If you do not have enough free space you will choke Windows and it will start dumping data to your hard drive, or it will just get really, really, slow.
Use the ADD/Delete tool in the Windows Control Panel to delete unneeded programs from your drive.
You can also use Cleansweep included in Norton Utilities to clean up your drive. If you do use Cleansweep or another hard drive cleaner, do not delete shared files unless you back them up. The cleaners do a rotten job of knowing if another program uses shared files.

7. Do not let a lot of programs load up when you start your computer. They use valuable memory and Windows Resources (Windows internal workspace).
All programs in your Windows System Tray (in the lower left of your screen) are running on your computer. Close them if you don't need them or run them and configure them not to load when you boot up.
Other programs running in the background can be found by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete at the same time.

8. Do use a virus checker regularly. Everyone should use a virus checker. The best type of protection is continuous monitoring from a dedicated anti-virus program like Norton Antivirus.
The second best thing is to use is the free online virus checkers such as Housecall provided by Trend Micro.

9. If you have a high speed Internet connection you need a firewall program. A firewall program keeps those who want to hijack your computer from gaining access to your system. You really do not want someone else running your computer.
I suggest you purchase and run Norton's Personal Firewall program. Your firewall should boot up with your computer to protect it from invasion.

Case in point: When I am online 10 hours or more with my DSL connection, my computer is usually attacked by a hacker at least once.
Do not think you are safe from hackers!! Hackers use search programs to seek out computers at random. Get a firewall program and use it.

10. Keep track of the software disks you receive with your computer and new peripherals. These disks contain valuable software drivers and programs for Windows and are needed when Windows must be reloaded. Keep these disks and your Windowssoftware disks in a safe, dry, place -- you never know when you will need them.

General Printer Trouble

These steps should be taken when you're unable to get the printer to turn on and/or print properly.

Solution:

Printer does not have power indicator

First, make sure that the printer is on. When a printer is on it should have some type of light (usually green) that indicates that the printer is receiving power and is on.

If you do not have any indicator light make sure the printer is connected to a working power outlet by verifying each end of the power cable. Next, press the printer power button.

If after following the above steps your printer still cannot get a power status indicator it's likely you're encountering a serious printer issue and we suggest contacting theprinter manufacturer for additional steps and/or instructions on repair or replacement.

Cables not connected properly

Your printer should have two cables connected to it. The power cable and the data cable, the power cable should have already been verified as being connected if your printer has a power indicator light as mentioned above. Make sure the data cable (parallel cable or USB cable) is also connected from the printer to the computer.

Printer error (orange or blinking light)

After your printer has completed its initial startup you should have a solid green light. If the light indicator is blinking or orange often this is an indication of a printer error. For example, this could indicate a paper jam, issue with the ink or toner cartridge, or other serious error.

Because there is no standard to what a blinking light or orange light means if you're getting either of these we suggest referring to the printer documentation for troubleshooting steps or methods of determining what the status indicator is reporting.

No paper or paper jam

Without paper your printer will not be able to print. Make sure you have paper in the paper loaded into the printer paper cartridge or tray. Next, verify that no printer paper is jammed or partially fed into the printer. If you have one or more pieces of paper stuck in the printer these will need to be manually removed before the printer will print again.

Inkjet printer ink related issues

Often when you're encountering an ink related issue you're printer status indicator light (mentioned above) should be flashing. If this is not occurring you may want to simply skip to the next section. However, if you've recently inserted a new ink cartridge you may want to try the below suggestions.

See document CH000084 for additional troubleshooting steps that can be taken if your printer no longer works properly after replacing a printers ink cartridge.

Printer self tests

Most printers have a way of printing a test page. This page allows you to determine if the printer is physically working or not. This test is usually accomplished by holding down a series of keys. If you are not sure if your printer has this feature or how to perform it refer to your manual or visit your printer manufacturers web site.

In addition to testing the printer using the printer self-test Microsoft Windows users can also perform a software self-test to determine if their computer is able to see the printer and it's able to print. Follow the below steps to perform this test.

Microsoft Windows 98, 2000, ME, XP, 2003, and Vista users

1. Click Start, Settings, and open Control Panel.
   
2. Double-click the Printers or Printers and Fax icon.
   
3. Right-click on the Printer you wish to test and click Properties. If you do not see your printer listed your printer is not installed. See document CH000939 for additional information about installing a printer in Windows.
   
4. In the Printers Properties window click the Print Test Page button.
   
5. If the printer is able to print a test page, you're printer is installed and setup properly. However, if you're unable to print in other programs it's possible that the program you're attempting to print from has issues.
   

Older versions of Windows with older printers

If you are running an older printer and MS-DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT, you can also attempt the below software test.

Get to a MS-DOS prompt - Additional information about getting an MS-DOS prompt can be found on document CHDOS.
Get to the root directory - Type cd\
Reroute dir to printer - Type dir > lpt1

The above should take the directory listing and print to the printer. If this does not print, refer to your operating system troubleshooting section. Extra Note: This will not paper feed, therefore press your FF or PP, or manually eject the paper.

Printer drivers

If your printer does not have any flashing lights and is connected properly it's possible you may be encountering a driver related issue. We suggest visiting our printer driver listing, which links to all major printer manufacturer driver pages and downloading the latest printer drivers for your printer.

Parallel (LPT) printers

If the printer you're connecting to the computer is an LPT (parallel port) printer we also suggest verifying the below suggestions if your printer is not working.

Parallel port in CMOS

1. Enter the computers CMOS setup. Additional information about entering the CMOS (BIOS) setup can be found on document CH000192.
   
2. Once in CMOS verify that your parallel port is enabled or installed.
   
3. Next, verify the printer or parallel port mode. This option will often have several different modes. If your parallel port is set to ECP mode, we suggest trying a different mode.
   

Other parallel device

If you have a parallel printer with other parallel devices such as a parallel scanner or zip drive, temporarily disconnect these devices to verify they are not causing your issue.

Additional information:

• See document CH000250 for additional information about installing and setting up a printer in Microsoft Windows.

Basic Network Troubleshooting

If a computer is unable to connect to a network or see other computers on a network, it may be necessary to troubleshoot the network. A network may not work because of any of the below reasons.

1. Network card not connected properly.
2. Bad network card drivers or software settings.
3. Firewall preventing computers from seeing each other.
4. Connection related issues.
5. Bad network hardware.

Solution:

Because of the large variety of network configurations, operating systems, setup, etc... not all of the below information may apply to your network or operating system. If your computer is connected to a company or large network, or you are not the administrator of the network, it is recommended that if you are unable to resolve your issues after following the below recommendations that you contact the network administrator or company representative.
Note: If you are being prompted for a Network password and do not know the password, Computer Hope is unable to assist users with obtaining a new or finding out the old password.

Verify connections / LEDs

Verify that the network cable is properly connected to the back of the computer. In addition, when checking the connection of the network cable, ensure that the LEDs on the network are properly illuminated. For example, a network card with a solidgreen LED or light usually indicates that the card is either connected or receiving a signal. Note: generally, when the green light is flashing, this is an indication of data being sent or received.

If, however, the card does not have any lights or has orange or red lights, it is possible that either the card is bad, the card is not connected properly, or that the card is not receiving a signal from the network.

If you are on a small or local network and have the capability of checking a hub or switch, verify that the cables are properly connected and that the hub or switch has power.

Adapter resources

Ensure that if this is a new network card being installed into the computer that the card's resources are properly set and/or are not conflicting with any hardware in the computer.

Users who are using Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000 or XP, verify that Device Manager has no conflicts or errors. Additional help and information about Device Manager and resources can be found on our Device Manager page.

Adapter functionality

Verify that the network card is capable of pinging or seeing itself by using the ping command. Windows / MS-DOS users ping the computer from a MS-DOS prompt. Unix / Linux variant users ping the computer from the shell.

To ping the card or the localhost, type either

ping 127.0.0.1

or

ping localhost

This should show a listing of replies from the network card. If you receive an error or if the transmission failed, it is likely that either the network card is not physically installed into the computer correctly, or that the card is bad.

Protocol

Verify that the correct protocols are installed on the computer. Most networks today will utilize TCP/IP, but may also utilize or require IPX/SPX and NetBEUI.

Additional information and help with installing and reinstalling a network protocol can be found on document CH000470.

When the TCP/IP protocol is installed, unless a DNS server or other computer assigns the IPX address, the user must specify an IP address as well as a Subnet Mask. To do this, follow the below instructions.

1. Click Start / Settings / Control Panel
   
2. Double-click the Network icon
   
3. Within the configuration tab double-click the TCP/IP protocol icon. Note: Do not click on the PPP or Dial-Up adapter, click on the network card adapter.
   
4. In the TCP/IP properties click the IP address tab
   
5. Select the option to specify an IP address
   
6. Enter the IP address and Subnet Mask address, an example of such an address could be:
   
   IP Address: 102.55.92.1
   Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.192
   
   
7. When specifying these values, the computers on the network must all have the same Subnet Mask and have a different IP Address. For example, when using the above values on one computer you would want to use an IP address of 102.55.92.2 on another computer and then specify the same Subnet Mask.
   

Firewall

If your computer network utilizes a firewall, ensure that all ports required are open. If possible, close the firewall software program or disconnect the computer from the firewall to ensure it is not causing the problem.

Additional time

In some cases it may take a computer some additional time to detect or see the network. If after booting the computer you are unable to see the network, give the computer 2-3 minutes to detect the network. Windows users may also want to try pressing the F5 (refresh) key when in Network Neighborhood to refresh the network connections and possibly detect the network.

Additional troubleshooting

If after following or verifying the above recommendations you are still unable to connect or see the network, attempt one or more of the below recommendations.

If you have installed or are using TCP/IP as your protocol you can attempt to ping another computer's IP address to verify if the computer is able to send and receive data. To do this, Windows or MS-DOS users must be at a prompt and Linux / Unix variant users must open or be at a shell.

Once at the prompt assuming, that the address of the computer you wish to attempt to ping is 102.55.92.2, you would type:

ping 102.55.92.2

If you receive a response back from this address (and it is a different computer), this demonstrates that the computer is communicating over the network. If you are still unable to connect or see the network, it is possible that other issues may be present.

Another method of determining network issues is to use the tracert command if you are a MS-DOS or Windows user or the traceroute command if you are a Linux / Unix variant user. To use this command you must be at the command prompt or shell.

Once at the prompt, assuming that the address is again 102.55.92.2, type:

tracert 102.55.92.2

or

traceroute 102.55.92.2

This should begin listing the hops between the computer and network devices. When the connection fails, determine which device is causing the issue by reviewing the traceroute listing.

How to Fix an Invalid Page Fault

Cause:

There are several reasons a computer may generate an Invalid Page fault error. Below are few of those possibilities.

1. Incompatibility or issue with the software programs.
2. Issues with the computer memory.

Solution:

Remove all TSRs

Disable or unload any TSRs or programs currently running before running the program causing the GPF.

Additional information on how to end task a TSR can be found on document CHTSR.

Delete all program temporary files

Delete all temporary files that may still be residing on the hard disk drive from currently or previously running programs.

Additional information on how to remove temporary file can found on document CH000225.

Run Scandisk / Defrag

Attempt to run scandisk / defrag on the hard disk drive as it could be possible your hard disk drive may have an issue causing the swap file or data files to become corrupt or invalid

Additional information on scandisk can be found on our scandisk page.

Additional information on defrag can be found on our defrag page.

Update software or check for software patches

If you are experiencing invalid page faults in only one program, verify that the software program is compatible with the operating system you are running the program within. Also verify with the manufacturer or vendor of the software program that there are no available patches or updates for the program that may help or resolve your issue.

Recently installed software / hardware

If you have recently installed new software or hardware, attempt to uninstall or reinstall that software / hardware to verify it is not causing your issue.

Bad Memory, invalid bits or physically bad memory

It is possible that bad memory can cause Illegal Operations. If you have recently added memory to the computer it is recommended that it first be removed to verify that you are not experiencing conflictions with the recently installed memory.

If no memory has been recently added to the computer it is recommended you follow all other steps found on this page before replacing the memory within the computer.

Common Error Beep Codes

AMI BIOS Beep Codes

• 1 Beep – Memory Refresh Failure (check RAM)
• 2 Beeps – Memory Parity Error in first 64KB block (check RAM)
• 3 Beeps – Memory Read/Write Error in first 64KB block (check RAM)
• 4 Beeps – Motherboard timer not functioning (may need to replace the motherboard)
• 5 Beeps – Processor Error (may need to replace the processor)
• 6 Beeps – Gate A20/keyboard controller failure (may need to replace the motherboard)
• 7 Beeps – Processor Exception Interrupt Error (may need to replace the processor)
• 8 Beeps – Display Memory Read/Write Failure (check video card)
• 9 Beeps – ROM checksum Error (replace BIOS chip or motherboard)
• 10 Beeps – CMOS shutdown Read/Write error (possible motherboard replacement)
• 11 Beeps – Bad Cache Memory – test failed (replace cache memory)

Phoenix BIOS beep codes 
They are series of beeps separated by a pause,
A 1-2-1-2 series would be like :
beep *pause beep beep *pause beep *pause beep beep

• 1-1-4-1 – Cache Error (level 2)
• 1-2-2-3 – BIOS ROM Checksum
• 1-3-1-1 – DRAM Refresh Test
• 1-3-1-3 – Keyboard controller test
• 1-3-4-1 – RAM Failure on address line xxxx (check memory)
• 1-3-4-3 – RAM Failure on data bits xxxx of low byte of memory bus
• 1-4-1-1 – RAM Failure on data bits xxxx of high byte of memory bus
• 2-1-2-3 – ROM copyright notice
• 2-2-3-1 – Test for unexpected interrupts

Award BIOS beep codes:

• one long beep and two short beeps – Video error (check video card)
• two short beeps – Non-Fatal Error (check RAM)