Speeding up your PC by toning down the visual effects

As it frantically crunches numbers in the background, Windows Vista tries to project a navelgazing image of inner peace. Its menus and windows open and close with a fade; aesthetically pleasing shadows surround each menu and the mouse pointer. If your video card possesses enough oomph, Vista even makes the window borders translucent, allowing part of the desktop to glow from behind. All these extra visual decisions require extra calculations on Windows’s part, however, slowing it down a bit. To change Windows’ attitude from peaceful to performance, head for the Control Panel’s System and Maintenance category, choose System, and click Advanced System Settings. When the System Properties box opens to the Advanced tab, click the Settings button in the Performance area. For fastest action, choose Adjust for Best Performance. Windows quickly strips away all the visuals and reverts to Classic mode — a faster way of working that mimics earlier, nofrills Windows versions. To return to a prettier, but slower, Windows, choose Let Windows Choose What’s Best for My Computer. The Backup program in Windows Vista Basic version can’t run automatically. If you own the Basic version, it’s up to you to remember to run the Backup program at least once a week.

- For your computer to back up automatically each night, you must leave it turned on during the scheduled backup time. I leave mine turned on 24 hours a day, as most PCs consume less power than a light bulb. (Please turn off your computer’s monitor, though.)

- Vista saves your backup in a folder named Vista in the location you choose in Step 3. Don’t change the backup’s location. Vista may not be able to find it again when you choose to restore it.

- After making its first backup, Vista only starts backing up files that have changed since your last backup. Don’t be surprised if subsequent backups are faster or don’t require as many CDs or DVDs. Eventually, Vista tells you it’s time for another complete backup, which will take longer. Finding technical information about your computer If you ever need to look under Windows Vista’s hood, heaven forbid, open the Control Panel’s System and Maintenance section and choose System. System window offers an easily digestible technical briefing about your PC’s viscera:

- Windows edition: Vista comes in way-too-many versions to remember. To jog your memory, Vista lists the version that’s running on your PC.

- System: Here, Vista rates your PC’s strength — its Windows Experience Index — on a scale of 1 (frail) to 5 (robust). Your PC’s type of CPU (Central Processing Unit) also appears here, as well as its amount of memory.

- Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings: This section identifies your computer’s name and workgroup, a term used when connecting to other computers in a network.

- Windows Activation: To keep people from buying one copy of Windows Vista and installing it on several PCs, Microsoft requires Windows Vista to be activated, a process that chains it to a single PC. The pane along the left also lists some more advanced tasks you may find handy during those panic-stricken times when something’s going wrong with your PC. Here’s the rundown:

- Device Manager: This option lists all the parts inside your computer, but not in a friendly manner. Parts with exclamation points next to them aren’t happy. Double-click them and choose Troubleshoot to diagnose their problem.

- Remote Settings: Rarely used, this complicated setup lets other people control your PC through the Internet, hopefully to fix things. If you can find one of these helpful people, let them walk you through this procedure over the phone, or through an instant messaging program.

- System Protection: This option lets you create restore points (described in this article’s first section), as well as let a restore point take your PC back to another point in time — hopefully when it was in a better mood.

- Advanced System Settings: Professional techies spend lots of time in here. Everybody else ignores it. Most of the stuff listed in Vista’s System area is fairly complicated, so don’t mess with it unless you’re sure of what you’re doing or a technical support person tells you to change a specific setting. If you want a taste of it, check out the sidebar on adjusting Vista’s visual effects. Freeing up space on your hard drive Vista grabs more space on your hard drive than any other version of Windows. If programs begin whining about running out of room on your hard drive, this solution grants you a short reprieve:

1. Click the Start button and choose the Control Panel’s System and Maintenance category. Then choose Free Up Disk Space from the Administrative Tools section. Vista asks whether it should clean your files, or every user’s files.

2. Choose Files from All Users on This Computer. This step empties the Recycle Bin and cleans up trash from every user account on your PC. If your PC asks you which drive you want to clean, choose the first one listed, the C: drive, and click OK.

3. Check all the items and then click OK. Check all the check boxes and then click OK. As you check a box, the Description section explains what’s being deleted.

4. Click Delete Files when Windows Vista asks whether you’re sure. Windows Vista then proceeds to empty your Recycle Bin, destroy leftovers from old Web sites, and remove other hard drive clutter. Setting up devices that don’t work (fiddling with drivers) Windows comes with an arsenal of drivers — software that lets Windows communicate with the gadgets you plug into your PC. Normally, Vista automatically recognizes your new part, and it works. Other times, Vista heads to the Internet and fetches some instructions before finishing the job. But occasionally, you’ll install something that’s either too new for Windows Vista to know about or too old for it to remember. Or perhaps something attached to your PC no longer works right, and Vista’s Welcome Center grumbles about needing a “new driver.” In these cases, it’s up to you to track down and install a Windows Vista driver for that part. The best drivers come with an installation program that automatically places the software in the right place. The worst drivers leave all the grunt work up to you. If Windows Vista doesn’t automatically recognize and install your newly attached piece of hardware — even after you restart your PC — follow these steps to locate and install a new driver:

1. Visit the part manufacturer’s Web site and download the latest Windows Vista driver. You often find the manufacturer’s Web site stamped somewhere on the part’s box. If you can’t find it, try searching for the part manufacturer’s name on Google (www.google.com) and locate its Web site. Look in the Web site’s Support or Customer Service area. There, you usually need to enter your part, its model number, and your computer’s operating system (Windows Vista) before the Web site coughs up the driver. No Windows Vista driver listed? Try downloading a Windows XP or Windows 2000 driver instead because they sometimes work just as well. (Be sure to scan any downloaded file with a virus checker.)

2. Run the driver’s installation program. Sometimes clicking your downloaded file makes its installation program jump into action, installing the driver for you. If so, you’re through. If not, head to Step 3. If the downloaded file has a little zipper on the icon, right-click it and choose Extract All to unzip its contents into a new folder. (Vista names that new folder after the file you’ve unzipped, making it easy to relocate.)

3. Choose Hardware and Sound from the Start menu’s Control Panel and select Device Manager. The Device Manager appears, listing an inventory of every part inside or attached to your computer.

4. Click anywhere inside the Device Manager, click Action, and then choose Add Legacy Hardware. The Add Hardware Wizard guides you through the steps of installing your new hardware and, if necessary, installing your new driver.

- Avoid problems by keeping your drivers up-to-date. Even the ones packaged with newly bought parts are usually old. Visit the manufacturer’s Web site and download the latest driver. Chances are, it fixes problems earlier users had with the first set of drivers.

- Problems with the new driver? Click the Start menu, choose Control Panel, and open the System and Maintenance category. Choose Device Manager and double-click the part name — Keyboards, for example — on the window’s left side. Vista reveals the make and model of your part. Double-click the part’s name and click the Driver tab on the Properties box. Breathe steadily. Finally, click the Roll Back Driver button. Windows Vista ditches the newly installed driver and returns to the previous driver. Cleaning Your Computer Even the best housekeeper or janitor draws the line at cleaning a computer. This chore’s up to you, and you’ll know when it’s necessary. You don’t need to turn off your computer for any of this — except if you need to remove your keyboard for cleaning. Cleaning your mouse If your mouse pointer jumps around on-screen or doesn’t move at all, your mouse is probably clogged with desktop gunk. Follow these steps to degunkify it:

1. Turn the mouse upside down and clean off any dirt stuck to the bottom. Your mouse must lie flat on its pad to work correctly.

2. Inspect the bottom of your mouse. If your mouse has a little ball on the bottom, proceed to Step 3. If your mouse has a little light on the bottom, proceed to Step 4.

3. Cleaning a mouse that has a ball. Twist off the mouse’s little round cover and remove the ball. Wipe off any crud from the ball and blow dust out of the hole. A little air blower, sold at office and computer stores, works well here. (It also blows off the dust layers clogging your computer’s air vents.) Pull out any stray hairs, dust, and roller goo. A cotton swab moistened with alcohol cleans the most persistent goo from the little rollers. (The rollers should be smooth and shiny.) Dirty rollers cause the most mouse problems. Replace the cleaned ball into the cleaned hole and reinsert the clean little round cover.

4. Cleaning an optical mouse. An optical mouse replaces the old-fashioned rubber ball with a tiny laser. With no moving parts, optical mice rarely need cleaning. But if yours is acting up, remove any stray hairs clinging to the bottom around the light. Also, make sure that the mouse rests on a textured surface that’s not shiny. If your desktop is glass or shiny (polished wood grain, for example), put your mouse on a mouse pad for best traction. If your newly cleaned mouse still has problems, it may be time for a new one. But before shelling out the cash, check these things:

- Wireless mice go through batteries fairly quickly. If your mouse doesn’t have a connecting cord, it’s wireless. Check its battery and make sure that it’s within range of its receiving unit. (The receiving unit plugs into your PC, perhaps in the back.)

- Check your mouse’s settings: Click Start, choose Control Panel, and choose Mouse in the Hardware and Sound category. Look through the settings to see whether something’s obviously wrong. Cleaning your monitor Don’t spray glass cleaner directly onto your monitor because it drips down into the monitor’s guts, frightening the circuits. Instead, spray the glass cleaner onto a soft rag and wipe the screen. Don’t use paper because it can scratch the glass. For cleaning flat panel monitors, use a soft, lint-free cloth, and a mix of half water and half vinegar. Feel free to clean your monitor’s front panels, too, if you’re feeling especially hygienic. Cleaning your keyboard Keyboards are usually too wide to shake over a wastebasket. The best way to clean them is to shut down Windows, turn off your computer, and unplug the keyboard from the computer. (If your keyboard has a rectangular plug that pushes into a USB port, you don’t need to turn off your PC.) Take the keyboard outdoors and shake it vigorously to remove the debris. If the keyboard’s grimy, spray some household cleaning solution onto a rag and wipe off any goo from around the keyboard’s edges and its keycaps. Plug it back in, turn on your computer, and your computer looks almost new.