DirectComputerCare.com - Optimize Your Computer

Optimize Your Computer to Pull the Most Speed From it! We start with the easiest things first, moving to the more challenging. (Always make a backup before attempting any change, whether hardware or software, to your computer.)

Clean Up Your Hard Drive

It's time to get the rake and shovel out and clean your Hard Drive up of clutter, old files, and junk. Windows 98 and Me users can easily do this by clicking Start, Run, and then typing CLEANMGR. Simply choose the Hard Drive to clean, and after a few moments, a new window will pop up.



Put a check mark in each box to clean up this mess. No need to have all this clutter around!

Keep Your Hard Drive Running At Optimal Speed

To gain the most speed from your Hard Drive, Defrag Your Hard Drive(s) once every so often. Click Start, Run, and type Defrag.

Defrag Tips:

Perform a Disk Cleanup first.
Restart the computer immediately BEFORE and AFTER performing Defrag.
Turn OFF any screen savers or Power Management programs BEFORE running Defrag.
Don't use the computer while Defrag is running.

Turn Off The New Floppy Drive Check

When Windows 95/98/Me starts, it checks for the existence of a new floppy drive. Most of us rarely install a new floppy drive, so why should Windows check for a new floppy drive each time Windows starts? Squeeze a little time out of starting your computer and disable this check.

Click Start, Settings, Control Panel. Then double click the "System" icon. Then click the "Performance" tab followed by clicking the "File System" button. Finally click the "Floppy Disk" tab, and click the box beside "Search for new floppy disk drives each time your computer starts" to remove the check mark as shown in the following picture.

Turn Off Microsoft Find Fast

Find Fast is typically installed by default when you install Microsoft Office (any version). Every so often, Find Fast will automatically run and catalog Office files. This process consumes a lot of CPU time and puts a heavy load on the hard drive.

If you are using Windows 98 or Windows Me, to determine if Find Fast is running on your computer, while no other programs are running, hold down your keyboard CTRL key along with the ALT and then tap the DELETE key. Release all keys. In the window that pops up, scroll through the list and if you see the words FindFast, it is enabled.

REMOVE IT OPTION 1
Put your MS Office CD into the drive. Depending on what version you have, you can perform an add/remove of the Find Fast component.

REMOVE IT OPTION 2
Remove it by clicking Start, Run, and then typing MSCONFIG. In the new window that pops up, click the "Startup" tab, and then scroll through the list to find Find Fast (or findfast). Click the box next to it to turn it off. WARNING: Only turn off FindFast, by turning off other features, it may prevent your computer from operating normally! Click the "OK" button, and reboot.

Upgrade Your Computer's RAM

RAM prices are at an all time low. Upgrade now before prices go back up! RAM upgrades generally help just about every feature in your computer. It even helps minimize computer lock ups and other general problems. It's especially helpful for Internet users. Recommended minimum RAM for Windows 98 and Me users is 256 Megabytes.

Use a CD-RW Drive

Put those large or seldom files on a CD-RW. Why? So that your hard drive won't have to store these files. Give your hard drive plenty of "breathing" space and your entire computer will run faster. CD-RW's are great for those large MP3 collections! CD-RW's allow you to to use a CD-RW disc and store up to 680 megabytes of information. The files stored on CD-RW discs can be edited, deleted, changed, etc.

Update Your Video Drivers

If you want the most from games and even a faster overall computer, keep your video drivers up-to-date. To update, you typically will need to visit your video card manufactures web site to determine if you need an update and how to go about the process.

BIOS Settings for Your Hard Drive

When your computer was originally setup by your computer provider, they probably left the primary and secondary drives as "Auto." Why? Because it is quick and easy for the computer provider, but typically each time the computer comes on, it must scan for the existence of your hard drives and CD-ROMs, DVD, etc. Why not shave a few seconds off the time it takes your computer to start?

Adjust your BIOS primary and secondary to the exact specifications of your hard drive. This can usually be determined by either the drive manufacturers book or when your computer first comes on, you can write down the numbers displayed on your screen related to your hard drive(s) once your computer has scanned the drives.

Note that a wrong setting can potentially destroy hard drive data, so be sure you are accurate when manually entering the numbers. Also be sure to note which drive is on primary and secondary.

Click Here To Review A Listing Of All Articles

Remember, we don't rush out as soon as the job is complete. We gladly help answer questions, guide you through your new software and/or hardware, offer various suggestions to help improve efficiency and safety, etc. We are here to help!

Request An Appointment Right Now!