Carl_Malibu
02-04-2008, 22:51
Right, I figured some people might find this informative, please give me some feedback. I'll start with the basics (so I don't waste a load of time doing something that people don't want) and if there's enough call I'll go into some more advanced tweaking.
This guide is aimed at anybody who wants their computer to run faster, be more stable, or just wants to learn a little about the operating system they use.
It may be worth linking this to family and friends if you feel they might not catch it otherwise (due to being in the techie section!)
Also, most of these first tips will also apply to Vista, which I may later write a specific guide for helping it to run.
First things first
Windows XP is arguably the most stable release Microsoft have ever managed, and most running issues are down to the user. If you're experiencing problems with speed or stability there are a few things you can do to remedy this:
One: Make sure XP is up to date
Windows Update is there for a reason, I'm shocked at how many people don't use it!
www.windowsupdate.com is the place to go, if you don't have automatic updates installed.
The process is simple and always beneficial
Two: Drivers up to date as well!
Drivers are the software that allows the components of your computer to communicate with each other and the Operating System, and it is always worth keeping them up to date. This may sound a little intimidating but it is, in fact, fairly simple.
If you have an OEM system (i.e. Packard Bell, Dell, Sony Vaio) then head over to their support website (easily found with google) and look for driver downloads, find your machine on the site and there is usually a simple setup file to update everything appropriate.
If your system was built by a friend, or by a local shop, then it is worth knowing where to look for drivers. It is really as simple as finding the models of your components and searching google for the manufacturer website. For graphics cards the main manufacturers are ATI and nVidia, for motherboards its most likely to be MSI, Gigabyte, Asustek, Abit, etc. With a little searching you can make sure all of your hardware drivers are up to date. This solves many problems people have with things not working as they should.
Three: Antivirus and antispyware is important!
Most of the computers I help people with are riddled with one or both of these, so it's time to get rid!
Every Windows based computer should have some AntiVirus installed, and be scanned regularly.
The best of the free AVs is AVG from a company called Grisoft. This is a very basic program but far better than none at all. It is available to personal users here:
http://free.grisoft.com/
Honestly though you're far better off paying for antivirus, and the truth is that norton and mcaffee (the best selling AV softwares) aren't anywhere near the best available. Both have fairly good responses to viruses but use far too many system resources (particularly important for older computers) and throw up a lot of [i]false-positives[/b]. This is when an antivirus program detects a virus that just doesn't exist.
Of the paid antivirus softwares the one that comes out on top consistently is ESET Nod32.
Their Smart Security program (which includes an internet firewall) is brilliant for computers connected directly to the internet, and costs £39.00 a year for a license, whilst their basic antivirus (arguably the best availabe) costs £26.99 for a year.
Firewalls are worth a mention here; the Windows XP firewall on SP2 should be sufficient for most users but if you run a computer directly connected to a modem (i.e not on a wireless network or wired LAN) then it may well be worth finding some better protection.
Spyware is the bane of the computer world and can pose threats as small as tracking your website visits, to popping up adverts randomly, to logging everything you type and emailing it to someone (yes, including passwords, credit card details, etc.) Credit Card fraud is at its worst at the moment, and these little programs are responsible for a fair amount of it!
The good news is it's fairly easy to protect your system without digging into your wallet, there are a couple of brilliant free antispyware programs, and it is always worth using more than one.
Firstly is SpyBot Search and Destroy, found at
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
Installing this and running through the startup steps will actually immunise your computer against potential threats, as well as scanning for existing ones!
The other spyware checker worth having is Lavasoft Ad-Aware, again available for free from:
http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php
Use both these programs side by side and you are nearly guarenteed protection from spyware, and a much safer experience shopping online.
Four: Which internet browser are you using?
Whilst internet explorer is the default browser for Windows XP (and Vista for that matter) it is by no means the best. A brilliant alternative is Mozilla Firefox, available from
www.getfirefox.com
Whilst changing browsers may seem a scary prospect, Firefoxs installation program will automatically transfer browsing history, favourites, passwords, etc. from internet explorer, making the changeover almost seamless, and with firefox you get a more secure browser, and the ability to change the look with Themes, and add functionality with Extensions (both found in the menu Tools -> Addons) One extension well worth getting is ******* Plus which will stop nearly all banner ads from displaying at all. I don't think I've seen a web ad for at least a year!
If you still insist on using Internet Explorer, make sure that it's version 7, and as mentioned first, make sure your windows is up to date as IE7 updates are managed through there.
Right thats enough for now I feel, maybe a bit too much waffle, and a lot of you won't have learnt much new, but I hope it helps a few people. Please do say if you'd like me to get into advanced Windows tweaking (disabling unnecessary services, optimising internet connections, troubleshooting problems,
This guide is aimed at anybody who wants their computer to run faster, be more stable, or just wants to learn a little about the operating system they use.
It may be worth linking this to family and friends if you feel they might not catch it otherwise (due to being in the techie section!)
Also, most of these first tips will also apply to Vista, which I may later write a specific guide for helping it to run.
First things first
Windows XP is arguably the most stable release Microsoft have ever managed, and most running issues are down to the user. If you're experiencing problems with speed or stability there are a few things you can do to remedy this:
One: Make sure XP is up to date
Windows Update is there for a reason, I'm shocked at how many people don't use it!
www.windowsupdate.com is the place to go, if you don't have automatic updates installed.
The process is simple and always beneficial
Two: Drivers up to date as well!
Drivers are the software that allows the components of your computer to communicate with each other and the Operating System, and it is always worth keeping them up to date. This may sound a little intimidating but it is, in fact, fairly simple.
If you have an OEM system (i.e. Packard Bell, Dell, Sony Vaio) then head over to their support website (easily found with google) and look for driver downloads, find your machine on the site and there is usually a simple setup file to update everything appropriate.
If your system was built by a friend, or by a local shop, then it is worth knowing where to look for drivers. It is really as simple as finding the models of your components and searching google for the manufacturer website. For graphics cards the main manufacturers are ATI and nVidia, for motherboards its most likely to be MSI, Gigabyte, Asustek, Abit, etc. With a little searching you can make sure all of your hardware drivers are up to date. This solves many problems people have with things not working as they should.
Three: Antivirus and antispyware is important!
Most of the computers I help people with are riddled with one or both of these, so it's time to get rid!
Every Windows based computer should have some AntiVirus installed, and be scanned regularly.
The best of the free AVs is AVG from a company called Grisoft. This is a very basic program but far better than none at all. It is available to personal users here:
http://free.grisoft.com/
Honestly though you're far better off paying for antivirus, and the truth is that norton and mcaffee (the best selling AV softwares) aren't anywhere near the best available. Both have fairly good responses to viruses but use far too many system resources (particularly important for older computers) and throw up a lot of [i]false-positives[/b]. This is when an antivirus program detects a virus that just doesn't exist.
Of the paid antivirus softwares the one that comes out on top consistently is ESET Nod32.
Their Smart Security program (which includes an internet firewall) is brilliant for computers connected directly to the internet, and costs £39.00 a year for a license, whilst their basic antivirus (arguably the best availabe) costs £26.99 for a year.
Firewalls are worth a mention here; the Windows XP firewall on SP2 should be sufficient for most users but if you run a computer directly connected to a modem (i.e not on a wireless network or wired LAN) then it may well be worth finding some better protection.
Spyware is the bane of the computer world and can pose threats as small as tracking your website visits, to popping up adverts randomly, to logging everything you type and emailing it to someone (yes, including passwords, credit card details, etc.) Credit Card fraud is at its worst at the moment, and these little programs are responsible for a fair amount of it!
The good news is it's fairly easy to protect your system without digging into your wallet, there are a couple of brilliant free antispyware programs, and it is always worth using more than one.
Firstly is SpyBot Search and Destroy, found at
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
Installing this and running through the startup steps will actually immunise your computer against potential threats, as well as scanning for existing ones!
The other spyware checker worth having is Lavasoft Ad-Aware, again available for free from:
http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php
Use both these programs side by side and you are nearly guarenteed protection from spyware, and a much safer experience shopping online.
Four: Which internet browser are you using?
Whilst internet explorer is the default browser for Windows XP (and Vista for that matter) it is by no means the best. A brilliant alternative is Mozilla Firefox, available from
www.getfirefox.com
Whilst changing browsers may seem a scary prospect, Firefoxs installation program will automatically transfer browsing history, favourites, passwords, etc. from internet explorer, making the changeover almost seamless, and with firefox you get a more secure browser, and the ability to change the look with Themes, and add functionality with Extensions (both found in the menu Tools -> Addons) One extension well worth getting is ******* Plus which will stop nearly all banner ads from displaying at all. I don't think I've seen a web ad for at least a year!
If you still insist on using Internet Explorer, make sure that it's version 7, and as mentioned first, make sure your windows is up to date as IE7 updates are managed through there.
Right thats enough for now I feel, maybe a bit too much waffle, and a lot of you won't have learnt much new, but I hope it helps a few people. Please do say if you'd like me to get into advanced Windows tweaking (disabling unnecessary services, optimising internet connections, troubleshooting problems,