for Oct. 22, 2003

Hi, All;

This week: Fall clean up - Part 3!

Well, we've cleaned the inside, outside, and maybe our hard drive in getting ready for the long winter of Internet surfing and game playing--and maybe even some work. However, I forgot a couple of items.

The first, while you are using the canned air to blow out the dust bunnies from inside your PC,s case, use it to blow out the dust from the keyboard. Then use the soap and water from washing the monitor and wash off the keyboard and the keys-- very lightly, as keyboards DO NOT like water.

Secondly, I've gotten a couple of calls and questions about ComputerFAQ number 160. The callers were surprised about the number of "tmp" files after doing the search and were wondering where they came from, as there were files in the Windows folders and other system folders. Most temporary files are left when the PC or programs crash and they do not get to erase the temporary work files as they would on a normal shut down. Many are left from bad programming, either in installation programs or even in regular programs. Ninety-nine percent of the time you can delete any .tmp file without worrying about what it was for. If you try to erase a file that is in current system or program use, Windows will intervene and give you an error message about trying to delete a file that is in use. The delete utility will then stop and require you to re-highlight the other files that are not being used to finish the cleanup. All of the deleted files will be sent to your "Recycle Bin." This means that if a file that is needed is deleted, it can be recovered from the "Recycle Bin." After a couple of days and three or four re-boots, then empty the "Recycle Bin" and finish the fall cleanup. If you don't empty the "Recycle Bin," you have not saved much space, as all the files are still on the hard drive. '

Til next week, (ComputerFAQ#161)

Robert

 

Please send your questions to

Oct. 22, 2003 Fall Cleanup Part 3

Oct. 15, 2003 Fall Cleanup Part 2

Oct. 8, 2003 Fall Cleaning of Your PC

Oct. 1, 2003 Explanation of DSL

Sept. 24, 2003 Installing DSL at the Shopper

Sept. 17, 2003 What New Computer Should I Buy? Part 2

Sept. 10, 2003 What New Computer Should I Buy?

Sept. 3, 2003 Protecting from Viruses and Worms

Aug. 27, 2003 Current Viruses "Bast Worm" and "Sobig"

Aug. 20, 2003 Does Microsoft Password Make Changing Passwords Easier?

Aug. 13, 2003 Passwords and Passport Part 2

Aug. 6, 2003 More About PassPort and Passwords

July 23 & 30, 2003 Where Are Microsoft Passport Passwords Stored? and More About Passport and Passwords

July 16, 2003 Internet Explorer Helpful Hint Part 2

July 9, 2003 Internet Explorer Helpful Hint Part 1

July 2, 2003 Some More Icons Explained

June 25, 2003 Online Ordering

June 18, 2003 Followup on Refilled Ink Cartridges

 

July 05, 2000 Introduction to ComputerFAQ

July 12, 2000 Computer Definitions

July 26, 2000 More Computer Definitions

August 02, 2000 Defining Bits, Bytes and Hex

August 09, 2000 Internet Service Providers (ISP)

August 16, 2000 Backup up your PC

August 23, 2000 Backup Devices.

August 30, 2000 What is the slowest PC for Internet Access

September 06, 2000 PC Nomenclature

September 13, 2000What to do with Mail Attachements.

September 20, 2000What Happens at boot up

October 04, 2000Desktop Areas

October 18, 2000Start Button

October 25, 2000Display Made Bigger

November 01, 2000 More Monitor Controls

November 15, 2000 Right Click Display Menu

November 22, 2000 More on Desktop Menus

November 29, 2000 More on Desktop Menus

December 06, 2000 Desktop Properties Menu - part 1

December 13, 2000 Desktop Properties Menu - part 2

December 20, 2000 Desktop Properties Menu - part 3