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July 15, 2005
Dear CNET members,
Between family, work, and everything in between, time is valuable. So, Evelyn, I'm with you when you say you don't want to spend a lot of time working on your machine. However, if your computer is an important part of your life, initially, you should take the time to give your PC a complete overhaul; eventually, PC maintenance procedures will become faster and less troublesome. Now let's get started. This week, I received an extraordinary number of helpful submissions from our members. And to start you off, we have two winning answers by Dana and Mark, both of whom are no strangers to this newsletter and who wrote incredibly detailed lists of tasks to help out with your sluggish machine. But also check out the huge list of honorable mentions and suggestions from our loyal members. With all this info, I have no doubt, Evelyn, that your computer will be back in the fast lane in no time. Everyone, please join us in this week's discussion with your additional tips and recommendations on this topic. And thank you for your willingness to help each other out.
(Just a friendly reminder to new subscribers to this newsletter: We have an archive of our past Community Help & How-to newsletters, which covers many technical topics. So give it a try, because I see a lot of questions that have previously been covered by our community members.)
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Member Question of the Week
I have a Windows XP machine that's been getting more and more sluggish. I don't have a lot of time to spend working on the machine, so I was wondering: Do you have a detailed checklist of simple tasks I can do to help boost PC performance? Thank you.
Submitted by:
Evelyn D.
Answer by Dana:
Hi, Evelyn! Not knowing what your definition of "a lot of time" is, you may want to consider just dropping your computer off at the nearest computer store and having them take a look at it. Many repair shops have cleanup specials for around $50, which normally include many of the same recommendations I have outlined below. If you don't want to wait a few days for this service, your fastest method may be to purchase a new computer (just kidding, but it is an...
Submitted by:
Dana H. of Wayland, Massachusetts
Answer by Mark:
Hi, Evelyn! You have a computer that is getting more and more sluggish as time goes on, and you want a checklist of simple tasks you can do to improve its performance? You are using Windows XP.
You say that you don't have a lot of time to spend on the computer, and while I understand this, (we all seem to live at breakneck speed these days), you may have to consider...
Submitted by:
Mark F. of Littleover Derby, United Kingdom
For
Dana's and Mark's
efforts, we're sending them a choice of any
Help.com Learning CD.
Community Buzz
 Each week we take a look at topics discussed in the forums.
Best regards and enjoy!
drive beginning to fail?
One common characteristic of a failing hard drive is strange noises. But what if the computer freezes all the time and won't shut down; are those symptoms, too? See what members are offering as suggestions to one of our members who shares this concern so that he can try to determine what the problem is. If you have any recommendations, please join the discussion.
More from the Computer help forum
What is XP's maximum
addressable memory?
Memory prices have dropped tremendously in the past few years, and the tendency for people buy additional RAM for their computer is commonplace. But is there a performance peak related to the amount of RAM a system needs? Find out more detail in this discussion; maybe you'll discover that you do have enough RAM and that your money can be better spent elsewhere.
More from the Windows XP forum
AMD-Intel antitrust: whom do you support?
With the AMD antitrust lawsuit against Intel in full force, what's your opinion on the case? Do you think Intel has done wrong? Will this lawsuit be dragged out on the scale of Microsoft's antitrust case? Whom do you support? Read up on the case and let us know your opinion!
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Can I password-protect recorded
CDs, DVDs, or files on a computer?
Member mike62 looks to our members for a possible way to easily password -protect recorded CDs, DVDs, or sensitive file folders on his computer to keep everyone but himself from opening them. Find out in this discussion if there is a way to do this, and if you have a unique method of protecting your sensitive information, please share with it with us. We're all ears.
More from the Computer newbies forum
Need a little help uninstalling AOL?
Many users have moved on from AOL to other ISPs and found that deleting AOL out of their computer systems wasn't as easy as they thought it would be. So if you need a little help removing scraps of AOL from your computer, give this discussion a peek. If that doesn't help, post your question for a quick resolution.
More from the Computer newbies forum
Mac nugget:
Regular maintenance for Mac OS?
You always read about regular maintenance on PC, but what about for a Mac? Member grimgraphix asks if there any regular maintenance routines that Panther or Tiger require to keep the system running smoothly. See what others have recommended, and if you have a maintenance routine for your Mac, let's hear what you do.
More from the Mac forum
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Check out next week's question:
My question is both simple and complex. It's simple because I can put it to you simply. My computer has lost--that is, "cannot find"--something called a rundll32.exe file. What is it, and where did it go? But it's complex because I've had this thing in a repair shop (twice); they installed (or said they did) what supposedly cannot be found. The machine worked well at the shop. But when I got it home and connected it up, it STILL could not find this thing. It keeps telling me it's needed to open certain e-mail attachments friends send me. This doesn't make any sense to me. Can you speculate/explain? I'm pushing 70, and all my kids are out of the nest--no help there. Please answer in jargon-free English. Running Windows XP.
--Submitted by:
Allen O.
If you have the answer,
e-mail us at messageboards@cnet.com.
If we choose your response, you'll get a
free Help.com CD.
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Click here to see Dana's full answer
