Microsoft® Windows® 7: tune up your PC

Windows 7 is designed for efficiency and speed, but over time, any system can get bogged down. In
this class, you'll learn how to fix common hardware and software problems in Windows 7. You'll also
take a look at installing and removing applications, and determining what's running in the background.
Finally, you'll pick up system configuration tips for better performance, regular updates and more.

Lessons
1. Introduction to computer maintenance
In this lesson, you'll find out how hardware, the basic input/output system
(BIOS) and the operating system work together, and what can happen if they
don't. You'll also learn which tools give you system information and can
implement PC repair when necessary.
2. Hardware, BIOS problems and device resources
This lesson teaches you how to use Windows 7 and HP troubleshooting utilities.
You'll also dive deeper into the BIOS, and learn how to understand device
resources and troubleshoot problems with display, sound and speaker settings
in Windows.
3. Going behind the scenes of Microsoft Windows 7
To use Windows 7 efficiently, you need basic conceptual knowledge about how
it interacts with applications. This lesson shows you how to install and remove
software, control background programs and manage which programs start when
Windows boots.
4. Keeping Windows 7 clean and updated
This lesson brings you up to speed on how Windows 7 works with your
hardware. You'll also learn how to keep Windows 7 in good health by getting
automatic updates, configuring Windows Firewall and using antivirus software.
5. Troubleshooting common Windows 7 problems
Troubleshooting computer problems can be a chore, but this lesson makes it
easy. You'll find out what to do when Windows 7 hits a snag, resolve problems
with applications and recover from bad registry edits and system crashes.
6. Optimizing Windows 7 by improving system performance
This lesson teaches you how to boost the performance of Windows 7 with some
simple fixes and tweaks. You'll learn how to improve disk performance, optimize
your display settings and eliminate desktop clutter.

Introduction to computer maintenance

In this lesson, you'll find out how hardware, the basic input/output system (BIOS) and the operating system work
together, and what can happen if they don't. You'll also learn which tools give you system information and can
implement PC repair when necessary.
 

Welcome to the class

If you want to learn more about your PC and find out how to fix some of the
most common problems related to hardware and software, namely Microsoft
Windows 7, you're in the right place. This class also addresses various
Windows 7 problems and troubleshooting issues, discusses how to speed up
Windows 7, covers configuration management best practices and digs into
many tips, tweaks and tricks.
»  HP TouchSmart desktop
PCs

This class is geared toward users who want to troubleshoot and optimize
their personal computer using Windows 7 tools and utilities. The steps and
screen shots in each lesson are based on Windows 7 Professional.
However, most of the information is applicable to other editions of Windows
7.
How this class works

This class consists of six lessons; each has an assignment and a quiz. Read
the lesson, complete its assignment and then test your knowledge by taking the
quiz.

What this class covers

The basic principles of PC troubleshooting—focusing on the Windows 7

operating system—are covered in this six-lesson class. Instead of taking
potshots at specific problems, this class helps you develop a core set of tools
and techniques you can use in any troubleshooting situation.

Here's what's covered in the lessons:

Lesson 1: Introduces you to hardware and software troubleshooting

techniques. You'll learn the essentials of maintaining your PC's hardware
and get an overview of important troubleshooting tools and utilities.
Lesson 2: Focuses on hardware troubleshooting. You'll dive into the BIOS,
system resources, display problems and more.
Lesson 3: Explores software maintenance and troubleshooting. This lesson
walks you through adding and removing applications and managing
background tasks.
Lesson 4: Focuses on keeping your system up to date and healthy. You'll
learn how to use Windows Update, and configure firewall, antivirus and
antispyware software.
Lesson 5: Helps you understand how to deal with application and system
crashes and Windows 7 startup problems. You'll also learn how to use
System Restore as a means of repairing your system.
Lesson 6: Shows you how to truly tune up and speed up your PC by
defragmenting your hard disk, optimizing display settings, deleting
unnecessary files and more.

Throughout this class, we provide Flash examples. To view these

examples, you need the Adobe Flash Player. Keep an eye out for notes
with links that say "See how to ____" or something similar. Some of these
files are very large and could take a while to appear or download if you
have a slow connection.

Let's get started.

Understanding hardware, software and firmware

Maintaining and troubleshooting a PC generally involves four things: hardware,
the BIOS, the operating system and applications. Perhaps you already know
what these items are; here's a review in case you don't.

The physical parts of a computer are known as hardware. Hardware includes

the monitor, system case, motherboard, keyboard, mouse and similar items. »  Everyday computing
Any part you can touch and see is a hardware component. desktop PCs

Hardware is just a heap of metal, plastic, silicon chips and electrical circuits. It
doesn't know how it should behave. For that instruction, it turns to software,
which is the programming code. Software is stored on a disk, such as a hard
disk, flash drive, digital versatile disc (DVD) or compact disc (CD), until it's
needed, and then it's loaded into memory and executed.
 Perhaps you see the vicious circle here: Software must run from memory;
however, memory is hardware and can't do anything until software
commands it. This situation is handled by a special category of software
called firmware.

Firmware is software that's stored on a hardware chip. Its name comes from
the fact that it's not exactly hardware and not exactly software—it's something
in between the two. When the computer starts, a firmware chip called the basic
input/output system (BIOS) is accessed. Its low-level startup instructions are
read into memory and processed, enabling the operating system (for example,
Windows 7) to load. The BIOS can be controlled by a BIOS setup program,
which you'll learn about in Lesson 2.

There are two levels of software: the operating system and the applications.
Windows is the operating system on the vast majority of computers; other
operating systems include Mac OS and Linux distributions. The operating
system is in charge of the user interface—that is, accepting and processing
human commands—and talks to the hardware. An application runs on top of
the operating system and enables the user to perform a task, such as writing a
letter or calculating a budget.

Now that you're familiar with the basic parts of a computer system—the
hardware, software and firmware—let's move on to some troubleshooting tools.
The next section covers the tools you need to troubleshoot hardware.

Your hardware troubleshooting toolkit

Before you learn how to diagnose the source of a problem, know what Jargon buster
equipment you need for troubleshooting hardware. Surprisingly few tools are
required to work on PC hardware. In most cases, the only necessary tools are
medium-sized flat and Phillips screwdrivers (for notebooks, you need very A multimeter is a device that
small screwdrivers). For most newer systems, you don't even need these measures volts, amps or
because many companies use a tool-free chassis that has latches and thumb ohms depending on how you
screws. set it. A digital multimeter is
better than an analog one for
working on computers.

Some screwdrivers have magnetic tips that keep you from dropping a
screw before it's in place. Never use a magnetized tool with a PC or work
on a PC that's plugged in. Magnets and static electricity are the two biggest
hazards when working on PCs. You should also avoid getting any
hardware wet.

»  Laptop and tablet PCs

Other tools you might want are a small flashlight, an antistatic wrist strap,
compressed air and masking tape. Use tape to hold cables where you want
them temporarily (so they don't fall behind a desk, for example). You can also
label taped cables so you know which cable plugs into which connector.

You should also have a bootable optical disc or bootable flash drive for
whatever operating system your PC uses. For Windows 7, use the original
Windows installation DVD, or a disc or flash drive you prepared from a
downloaded ISO image.

Some systems that come with Windows pre-installed don't include

Windows Setup media. Instead, they provide a recovery DVD that either
contains Windows Setup files or boots to a restoration program that
recopies hidden Windows files.

Extras for pros

If you're responsible for troubleshooting and maintaining a large group of
computers, you'll find that your job is easier with a few extra tools. A pro
toolbox might contain a spring-loaded grabber (also called a part retriever), a
digital multimeter, tweezers, a chip puller and a variety of screws. In addition,
you should have an assortment of extra cables, a mouse, a keyboard, a
universal serial bus (USB) CD/DVD drive, a USB flash drive or external hard
drive and memory sticks.

Cleaning techniques

Cleaning supplies are a good addition to your hardware troubleshooting toolkit.

Over time, PCs gather dust and dirt, which can affect hardware performance.
You must clean your PC's components and remove dust from inside the case
at least twice a year.

Before cleaning any of the following items, always turn off your PC and
remove the power cord from the wall outlet.

Your cleaning plan should include attention to each of these:

Monitor: Purchase special computer-cleaning kits or use a dampened lint-

free cloth. Avoid using standard ammonia-based glass cleaners, and never
use a liquid cleaner on a flat-panel monitor.
Keyboard: Clean your computer keyboard by turning it upside-down and
gently tapping the bottom to dislodge any particles between the keys. Spray
crevices with compressed air or use a specialized mini-vacuum to remove
dirt and dust.
Mouse: Optical mice without a rollerball don't require regular cleaning. To
clean one with a rollerball, first unplug the mouse. Remove the ball from the
bottom and use alcohol and a cotton swab to clean the ball and the internal
rollers.
Cooling fan: The fan inside your PC accumulates dust as it cools the system.
Remove dust on a regular basis by spraying compressed air inside the fan.
PC internals: Compressed air can be used to blow dust from boards, power
supply, fans and vents. If you prefer, a specialized PC vacuum can be used
to clean the PC internals.
PC externals: Use a dampened cloth (wring well before use) and gently wipe
the outside of the PC case, all attached cords and around connections.
Printers, faxes and scanners: Because the makes and models of peripheral
components vary, search the manufacturer's website for specific cleaning
suggestions.

Now that you understand which tools you need and how to keep your hardware
clean and running smoothly, it's time to start troubleshooting.

Identifying the problem

So, what's the problem with your PC? The first step is to determine the source.
You might have a hardware problem if any of the following situations exist:

The device doesn't seem to be getting power. Look for power lights and
listen for normal sounds of operation.
The device is making a strange noise, such as grinding or whirring.
The PC sounds as if it's starting although there's no text on the screen. »  HP Everyday computing
The BIOS and operating system don't see the device, although you've run laptop PCs
the Setup utility or installed its driver.
One or more fans in the computer stop spinning.
The PC runs fine for a few minutes, then locks up, or shuts down after warm-
up.

It might be a BIOS problem if:

 Someone recently changed a setting in the BIOS Setup program.
The hardware device you want to use is set to Disabled in BIOS Setup.
You find information about a known problem with your PC that can be
corrected by installing a BIOS update.

If any of the following are true, it might be a Windows system problem:

The PC seems to start up okay, with text on the screen, until it tries to load
the Windows desktop.
Error messages appear that aren't associated with any particular application,
or when you first start Windows.
Windows locks up for seemingly no reason, regardless of the application.
A specific device doesn't work in Windows although it appears to have
power.

It might be an application problem if any of these situations exist:

The problem occurs only when you try to run a specific application.
An application terminates unexpectedly, with or without an error message.
The computer locks up whenever you use a particular application.

Of course, the preceding list is an oversimplification. Real-life problems can be

messy and complicated, and might involve more than one component.

Earlier in this lesson, you learned about the tools you need to work with the
hardware components of your computer. Read on to find out which software
tools your computer already contains that can help you diagnose problems.

Using Windows 7 system tools

Now let's continue to build your toolkit by looking at software utilities you can
use to gather information about your PC. You might need such information to
troubleshoot a problem yourself, or to communicate with a technical support
professional at a hardware or software company.

Windows System Information »  HP Monitors

In Windows 7, select Start, type system information in the search text box and
then select System Information from the resulting list. The System Information
window appears, much like the one depicted in Figure 1-1.

Figure 1-1: Windows 7 System Information window.

Enlarge image
You should see several categories on the left side of the screen. Click the plus
sign next to a category to expand it, displaying subcategories that enable you
to view detailed information about your system. Use this information to identify
components and to determine which system resources those components are
using.

You'll learn more about this information and how to use it in Lesson 2.

Device Manager

System Information enables you to see device resource settings and status;
however, you must work in Device Manager to change them.

To enter Device Manager, select Start > Control Panel > System and Security.
Click Device Manager in the System category. Alternatively, select Start, type
device in the search text box and then select Device Manager from the
resulting list.

By default, Device Manager displays a list of hardware categories, as shown in

Figure 1-2. Expand a category to view the devices it covers, and then double-
click any device to view its properties. Most devices include a troubleshooting
tool that's available from their properties dialog box. You can change how the
list is sorted by selecting a different view from the View menu in Device
Manager. Lesson 2 covers Device Manager and device configuration in detail.

Figure 1-2: Device Manager.

You've learned about the physical troubleshooting tools you'll need to work on
your hardware, in addition to some software tools that provide system
information. Next, you'll learn about administrative tools that come with
Windows 7, which help you troubleshoot problems and maintain your system.

Using Windows 7 administrative tools

The Administrative Tools folder in Control Panel > System and Security
contains shortcuts to several utilities for troubleshooting and maintenance,
including:

Event Viewer: This window provides a history of system events, such as

errors and warnings, as shown in Figure 1-3. Use it to get more detailed
information about a failure than would normally be seen in an error »  HP iPAQ handhelds
message.

Figure 1-3: Event Viewer reports application errors in addition to displaying

general system events.

Enlarge image

Performance Monitor: This window shows graphs of system-performance

measurements, as shown in Figure 1-4, and enables you to customize them
to see pertinent statistics.

Figure 1-4: The Performance Monitor window shows graphs of system

performance indicators.

Enlarge image

Computer Management: This window is a multipurpose console providing

access to Event Viewer and Performance Monitor, and to several other
utilities. One utility is Disk Management, where you can partition, resize and
format new hard disks from within Windows 7, as shown in Figure 1-5.
Figure 1-5: Disk Management displays disk partitions and enables you to
modify them.

Enlarge image

In addition, Windows 7 includes several command-line utilities you can run to

check network connectivity. A few of the most commonly used utilities are:

PING: This is one of the most useful network utilities because it tests
whether you can reach another networked computer. It also reports on the
general speed or reliability of a network connection. To use PING, click
Start, type cmd in the search text box and then press Enter. In the command
window, type ping <ip address> or ping <domain name>.
Ipconfig: If you get a timeout response to a ping command, it usually means
there's a problem with the configuration of the computer's networking
information. To resolve this, issue the ipconfig/all command to view the
configuration information.
Tracert: This utility tracks the path data takes while traveling across a
network or the internet, which is measured in hops (routers). This is useful in
finding out why you can't reach another network or a website on the internet.
To use Tracert, type tracert <ip address> or tracert <domain name> in a
command window.

Now that you know the tools available to analyze your system, look at the built-
in tools that help improve your system's performance.

Using computer maintenance utilities

When performing PC maintenance, you need utilities that can improve your Understand User Account
system, not just analyze it. All of these utilities should be staples in your Control (UAC)
arsenal of troubleshooting tools.

Windows 7 includes a
Windows Update security system called UAC,
which prevents a user from
making unauthorized
Windows Update is a utility that downloads and installs updates to your system, changes to a system. UAC is
and it's configured to run automatically by default in Windows 7 (for good what prompts you to click
reason). You'll find out how to use Windows Update in Lesson 4. Continue or Yes when
performing certain system
changes. Although Microsoft
Check Disk warns against it, you can
adjust UAC to be less
intrusive. To do so, select
In Windows 7, you use the Check Disk utility to scan your computer's hard disk
Start > Control Panel > User
for errors and try to correct them.
Accounts and Family Safety
> User Accounts. Click the
Change User Account
To run Check Disk, select Start > Computer, right-click your hard disk icon and
Control settings link. In the
then select Properties. The Local Disk Properties dialog box appears. On the
resulting window, move the
Tools tab, click the Check now button under Error-checking. In the Check Disk
slider bar down from the
dialog box, check one or both of the available options (Automatically fix file
default position and click OK.
system errors and Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors) and then click
Be sure to carefully read the
the Start button.
description of each UAC level
before making any changes.

A Windows message appears stating that the action can be performed only
after a reboot. To continue with Check Disk, click Schedule disk check. The
process resumes when you restart your computer. Depending on your
system speed and hard disk capacity, this process could take several
hours. It's best to start this in the evening and let it run overnight.

»  HP TouchSmart desktop
Check Disk deals with two kinds of errors. The basic Check Disk operation
PCs
finds and repairs logical errors in the disk's table of contents. These errors, if
uncorrected, can cause problems reading and writing files and can even make
Windows 7 itself crash. Therefore, it's a good idea to run Check Disk once a
month or so (or immediately if you start experiencing errors and crashes in
Windows 7).

The other error Check Disk addresses is a physical bad spot on the surface of
the disk. It attempts to relocate any data stored on that spot, and then it marks
the bad spot as unusable. This type of error requires a time-consuming search,
so Check Disk doesn't check this unless you mark the Scan for and attempt
recovery of bad sectors checkbox in the Check Disk dialog box. Perform this
check if you start experiencing errors reading or writing to the disk.

Disk Defragmenter and Disk Cleanup

Disk Defragmenter is a utility that rearranges fragmented files on your hard disk
so that as many files as possible are contiguous (not fragmented). Running
Disk Defragmenter regularly can improve the performance of your hard disk.
The Disk Cleanup utility scans your hard disk for many types of files that are
generally safe to delete, freeing up hard disk space. You'll learn more about
Disk Defragmenter and Disk Cleanup in Lesson 6.

So far in this lesson you've been introduced to many software tools available
through the Windows 7 operating system. Next, you'll examine some tools
available online.

Online troubleshooting resources

Truly great PC troubleshooters know they don't have to go it alone. The
internet is an excellent resource for troubleshooting help, so take advantage of
it.

Your first stop should be the HP Customer Care website, which provides a vast
array of information to assist you, including drivers, troubleshooting information »  Everyday computing
and numerous other self-help resources. desktop PCs

Here are some other places to visit on the internet:

To find these websites, just cut and paste the initial terms, such as Microsoft
Support Knowledge Base, into a web browser's search field.

Microsoft Support Knowledge Base: If any Microsoft product is a concern,

this should be your first stop. Select the problematic operating system or
application to read articles on related issues.
Windows 7 Compatibility Center: Windows 7 works with most, but not all,
hardware and software. Find out which hardware devices and software
applications you can use with Windows 7 at this website.
 AnswersThatWork.com: Valuable troubleshooting information is here,
including a reference of task list programs and what they do.
Tom's Hardware Guide: Professionals go to this site to learn and talk about
PC hardware. It's a rich source of detailed information.
ExtremeTech: Another high-end techie website for hardware enthusiasts. If
you're past the basics and want to talk about expensive equipment,
overclocking and new technology innovations, this is the place.

This is just a sampling; you can find many other resources on your own using a
web browser and the search words Windows 7 troubleshoot or Windows 7
maintenance.

Moving on

In this lesson, you were introduced to many Windows 7 utilities that help you
view system information, monitor performance and maintain your PC. In
Lesson 2, you'll dive into hardware and BIOS maintenance and
troubleshooting, including a close look at device resources. Before you move
on, don't forget to complete the assignment for this lesson and take the quiz.

Assignment #1
Here's where you get to practice much of what you learned in Lesson 1. To get the most out of
this class, try as many of the following activities as possible:

Open Device Manager, and then look at the properties for at least three different devices.
Open Administrative Tools from Control Panel > System and Security, and then look at the
features and options in Event Viewer, Performance Monitor and Disk Management (which is
in Computer Management).
Use Check Disk to check all your hard disks for errors.
Visit the HP Customer Care website and browse the links to become familiar with the many
services and features available to you.

Quiz #1
Question 1:
What should you always do before cleaning or working on PC hardware?
A) Read the hardware manual.
B) Call in a professional.
C) Turn off the PC and unplug the power cord.
D) Reinstall the operating system.
 
Question 2:
Which of the following is an example of firmware?
A) The Microsoft Windows 7 operating system
B) A keyboard
C) The BIOS
D) A flat-panel monitor
 
Question 3:
If your PC starts up properly but won't load the Windows desktop, what type of problem are you most likely
experiencing?
A) Hardware
B) BIOS
C) Windows system
D) Application
 
Question 4:
To get access to utilities such as Event Viewer, Performance Monitor and Computer Management in Windows
7, which feature do you select from Control Panel?
A) Network
B) System and Security > Administrative Tools
C) My Computer
D) System and Security > Diagnostics
 
Question 5:
True or False: Check Disk scans your hard disk for unnecessary files and gives you the option to delete them.
A) True
B) False
 

Hardware, BIOS problems and device resources

This lesson teaches you how to use Windows 7 and HP troubleshooting utilities. You'll also dive deeper into the
BIOS, and learn how to understand device resources and troubleshoot problems with display, sound and
speaker settings in Windows.
 

Using Windows 7 troubleshooters and diagnostic utilities

Welcome back. In Lesson 1, you learned the essentials of PC hardware and Windows 7 Action Center
software troubleshooting and maintenance. This lesson expands on that
discussion by focusing on hardware and memory troubleshooting, and BIOS
updates. A new feature of Windows 7
is Action Center, which
presents many maintenance
Windows 7 troubleshooters and security features all in
one easy-to-use interface. To
access Action Center, click
One of the best new additions to Windows 7 is the incorporation of built-in the flag icon near the right
troubleshooters for all basic system capabilities, including hardware, end of the taskbar along the
networking and applications. Windows 7 troubleshooters guide you through a bottom of the Windows 7
myriad of common problems and attempt to fix any issues. screen. You'll learn about
Action Center in Lesson 4.

To use a troubleshooter, select Start, type troubleshoot in the search text box
and select Troubleshooting from the results list. The Control Panel
Troubleshooting window appears, as shown in Figure 2-1.

»  Laptop and tablet PCs

Figure 2-1: The Troubleshooting window displays categories of

troubleshooters.

Enlarge image

Windows 7 provides troubleshooters across many categories: Programs,

Hardware and Sound, Network and Internet, Appearance and Personalization,
and System and Security. Just click the category that applies to the problem
your PC is experiencing, select a specific troubleshooter and then follow the
prompts in the troubleshooter wizard to let Windows perform the necessary
changes. If Windows cannot resolve a problem with your PC, the
troubleshooter usually provides detailed instructions for you to do so. The
Hardware and Sound troubleshooters are shown in Figure 2-2.
 Linking to manufacturers' websites takes you outside the Hewlett-Packard
website. HP does not control and is not responsible for information outside
the HP website.

Figure 2-2: The Hardware and Sound troubleshooters.

Enlarge image

See how to use a troubleshooter. (3.8 MB)

Problem Reports applet

Windows 7 includes a Problem Reports applet that assists users in identifying,

diagnosing and resolving issues when applications or drivers fail to load or run
properly. If your PC experiences a problem that cannot be fixed immediately,
Windows generates a report and sends it to Microsoft to help resolve the
problem. When a solution is available, a notification appears in Action Center.
You can see a list of pending problems and view problem history through the
Problem Reports window. To use this feature, select Start, type problem
reports in the search text box and then select View all problem reports from the
results list. The Problem Reports window looks similar to Figure 2-3.

Figure 2-3: The Problem Reports window lists reports that are pending or that
have been sent to Microsoft.

Enlarge image

You can access the Problem Reports feature from the Action Center by typing
problem reports in the search field in the upper-right corner and clicking the
View all problem reports link that appears.

Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool

The Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool checks your computer for memory
problems. You can run the tool from the Administrative Tools window in Control
Panel (just click Windows Memory Diagnostic). A window appears, enabling
you to restart your system immediately for testing or to schedule testing the
next time you restart your system. Regardless of how you start it, the Windows
Memory Diagnostics Tool runs before the Windows 7 graphical user interface
starts.

The Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool performs a battery of memory tests;

you can configure which mix of tests to run and the degree of thoroughness:

Test Mix: Basic, Standard or Extended

Cache: Default (some test are run with cache on, some with cache off;
doesn't change settings), On (turns on memory cache for all tests) or Off
(disables memory cache for all tests)
Pass Count: 0–99 (selecting 0 results in infinite test passes; press Esc to
cancel)

Once the tests are completed, Windows will start automatically. If you're
notified of memory errors, you may need to contact your computer's
manufacturer or replace the bad memory module.

The next section walks you through some troubleshooting techniques using
additional diagnostic programs, tools and services available on the HP
Customer Care website.

Troubleshooting with HP utilities and services

HP offers multiple layers of diagnostic programs, ranging from preloaded
applications to standalone utilities for its desktop and notebook computers. As
a preloaded application, HP offers its own full-featured hardware and system
diagnostic program—HP Total Care Advisor—on select desktop and notebook
computers. This program provides an integrated view of system information,
such as update information, system serial number and hardware status. In
addition, this program helps you discover what's wrong with your computer by »  HP Everyday computing
troubleshooting and isolating hardware issues. You can get information about laptop PCs
your battery usage (on a notebook PC), get warranty information, manage and
monitor up to 15 printers, get system and firmware updates, back up your PC
and more.

Before using HP Total Care Advisor, you may need to relogon to your computer
because this program requires administrative privileges. (Most home
computers are already set with administrative privileges.) Close all open
programs, such as your word processor, spreadsheet application or graphics
program. To launch HP Total Care Advisor, select Start, type total care in the
search text box and then select HP Total Care Advisor from the resulting list. In
addition, many HP computers include an HP Total Care Advisor icon on the
desktop—just double-click it to open the program.

The HP Total Care Advisor main window contains tools for viewing information
about your computer, diagnosing problems and getting help. Some of the
utilities include PC Health & Security, PC Action Center, PC Help and Product
Showcase. There's also a search feature available for quickly finding
information about the tools in HP Total Care Advisor.

Select a tab and then the tool that best matches the area with which you think
the computer is having a problem. If you're not sure or you're just curious about
the health of the computer system, start with the PC Health & Security tab,
which displays by default. To diagnose current computer problems and be
notified of potential problems, click the PC Health tool.
 For additional troubleshooting information, visit the HP Support &
Troubleshooting website.

HP Customer Care website

The HP Customer Care website, shown in Figure 2-4, has a number of tools
that can assist you in troubleshooting. From this website, you can begin to
identify the source of your problem by entering your product number.

Figure 2-4: The HP Customer Care website.

Enlarge image

For example, to search for troubleshooting information related to an HP

Pavilion notebook PC, type pavilion and your product number in the space
provided and click Next. On the results page, click the appropriate link to
display information on that specific product. On the resulting product page, click
the Solve a problem link. You can also access driver downloads; setup,
installation and configuration information; troubleshooting help, recommended
product maintenance routines and more on the product page.

HP provides additional tools for evaluating a system. Health Check is

preloaded on all HP PCs, performs diagnostic functions and reports its results
through HP Total Care Advisor when Advisor is available on the system.
Another option is the HP PC Tune-up Service, in which you give an HP
technician permission to access your computer over the internet. The
technician runs a series of diagnostic tests on your computer, resolves
detected problems and makes system changes that boost the performance of
your PC. This 24/7 service is available for a fee.

The HP Customer Care website is a great resource. You should check there
any time you're working on a problem with HP hardware. Other things you can
do from the HP Customer Care website are update device drivers as well as
your system BIOS. Read on to find out how.

Tools for power users: updating the system BIOS

Modern BIOSs aren't completely read-only; you can update them using a More on BIOS
special utility. This is good; otherwise, to update the BIOS you'd have to
remove the BIOS chip from the motherboard and replace it.
The BIOS chip itself is read-
only, but there's an additional
chip called complementary
Updating the BIOS is somewhat risky. If the computer's power goes off metal-oxide semiconductor
while you're updating, the BIOS chip's data can be corrupted and render (CMOS) that contains
the system unusable. Therefore, you should only update your BIOS if random access memory
you're trying to fix a specific problem with your computer and suspect that (RAM). That RAM remains
 an outdated BIOS is causing the problem. Always create a current system powered by the
image first, or at least a full backup of data and settings. motherboard's battery even
when the power is off. The
CMOS chip holds any
BIOS updates are delivered in two ways. You can: exceptions to the main
settings you configure in
Download a setup utility that creates a boot disc or USB drive image, and BIOS Setup. As the PC
then boot from that media to update the BIOS. boots, it first loads the
Download a setup utility that runs the update from within Windows 7. contents of the BIOS into
memory, and then it lets the
You usually don't have a choice as to which method you use; the company values in CMOS overwrite
providing the update decides this for you. the BIOS values where
they're different.

It's crucial that you get the BIOS update that's right for your system. It must be
an exact match; otherwise, your system can become unusable. Therefore,
check the BIOS's current model and version number before you proceed.

Finding the current BIOS version

»  HP Ultra portable laptop
Open the System Information window (described in Lesson 1) by clicking Start, PCs
typing system information in the search text box and selecting System
Information from the resulting list. Find and write down the BIOS information.

To obtain a BIOS update for an HP computer, perform the following steps:

1. Go to the Get software and drivers section of the HP Customer Care

website, enter the model of the PC (for example, hp pavilion dv7t quad)
and then click Next.
2. Select a category from the resulting list, select your product and then
click the link for your PC operating system (for example, Microsoft
Windows 7 (64-bit)).
3. Find the BIOS update listed under the heading BIOS or BIOS - System
ROM.

If a BIOS update is not listed, HP does not have a BIOS update posted for
your PC at this time.

1. If a BIOS update is listed, click the download link to begin the file
transfer to your PC.

Updating the BIOS

The instructions for downloading and installing BIOS updates vary. For most
PCs running Windows 7, download the file, double-click it and follow the
onscreen instructions.

Troubleshooting BIOS update problems

If a 251 or CMOS Checksum error occurs after installing the BIOS update,
perform the following steps:

1. Restart the PC, and then enter the BIOS screen by pressing the F10 (or
other appropriate) key when the initial screen appears.
2. Press the F5 (or other appropriate) key to load the default BIOS
configuration.
3. Select Yes by using the arrow keys, and then press Enter.
4. Press the F10 key to save the settings and exit.
5. Select Yes using the arrow keys, and then press Enter.
When the BIOS update is complete, the new BIOS revision number is updated
on the Main BIOS screen.

Now that you've learned how to download and install a BIOS update, let's move
on to another important area of PC troubleshooting: device resources usage.

Understanding device drivers and resources

A device driver is software that acts as an interpreter between the operating Jargon buster
system and the device. Drivers help Windows communicate with and control
hardware devices. Every piece of hardware requires a driver, but Windows
includes drivers for most essential components, so their implementation is PCI is the modern standard
largely invisible. For example, Windows includes keyboard, mouse and disk for expansion cards added to
drivers, plus generic display drivers. a PC. PCI Express is the
more current implementation
of the PCI card. ISA is the
older and now-obsolete
Windows can't possibly include drivers for every piece of hardware ever standard for doing the same.
produced, so it relies on you to supply driver files for devices it doesn't
recognize and support automatically.

The driver for a device is usually bundled in its packaging on a CD or DVD. If

the device is pre-installed when you purchase a PC, the necessary Windows
driver should already be installed as well. Most manufacturers update their
drivers over time to correct errors, add new features or improve performance.
To obtain updated device drivers, check the device manufacturer's website. »  HP Monitors

For optimal performance, a device driver must be created for:

The exact type of hardware installed in your PC

The version of Windows you're running on your PC

If the driver doesn't meet these criteria, problems may occur—it's essential to
obtain the right driver. Usually you can download current drivers from the
hardware device manufacturer's website if you don't have them on disc.

Look at the Driver tab in a device's Properties window to determine the age of
this software. This information is very important when you search online for a
newer driver. The older a driver is, the more likely it is that you'll find a newer
replacement online.

Device resources are parts of the system software that are dedicated to device
communication. These can include:

Interrupt request lines (IRQs): These are lines of communication to the CPU.
Depending on the PC, there can be 16 or 24 of them. Many devices today
can share IRQ usage.
Input/output (I/O) addresses: These are memory addresses reserved for
transferring data to and from a device.
Memory addresses: These are memory addresses reserved for the device to
use for activities other than I/O.
Direct memory access (DMA) channels: These are pathways from a device
directly into memory, bypassing the CPU.

Not all devices require all four types of resources. (You don't need to know
which devices require which resources, because these assignments are usually
handled automatically. However, if devices are acting erratically, resource
usage could be the culprit.) You can tell which resources a device uses by
looking at the Resources tab of its Properties dialog box. To access this dialog
box, follow these steps:
 1. Select Start, type device manager in the search text box and then select
Device Manager from the resulting list.
2. Double-click the device with the properties you want to see, and then
click the Resources tab. (Not all devices have the Resources tab. To
view resource usage for other devices, check the System Information
tool located at Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools >
System Information.) Figure 2-5 shows the resources for a notebook PC
display adapter.

Figure 2-5: Viewing a device's resource usage.

A resource conflict occurs when two devices try to claim the same resource, or
when there's not enough of a particular resource to go around. For example,
when two devices both require exclusive use of a particular IRQ, a conflict
occurs.

Windows 7 allocates resources automatically through Plug and Play (PnP), so

you should seldom encounter a conflict. Also, the latest Peripheral Component
Interconnect (PCI) and PCI Express devices are much better at sharing
resources than the earlier Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) devices were.

Next, learn how to identify and resolve resource conflicts.

Identifying and resolving resource conflicts

When you look at the list of hardware in Device Manager you might see a Devices and Printers
device with a yellow circle and exclamation point on its icon: double-click it to
open its Properties dialog box. Look at the General tab for the device's status. If
there's a resource conflict, it's reported here. The new Devices and
Printers applet gives you a
graphical view of the devices
In a resource conflict at least two devices are involved. Usually, both will have connected to your computer,
the same exclamation point indicator, though not always. To determine the such as a monitor, a USB
other device involved in the conflict, you can look at the Resources tab in the flash drive, a headset and a
first device's Properties dialog box for information. printer. It does not include
devices installed inside of
your computer such as a
Solving a resource conflict sound card or network
adapter, speakers attached
to the computer or PS/2 mice
Ironically, although resource conflicts are less common on newer PCs, they're and keyboards. With Devices
also more difficult to correct when they occur. On newer systems, a resource and Printers, you can install
management scheme called Advanced Configuration and Power Interface devices and printers, resolve
(ACPI) handles resource assignments for hardware and usually won't allow simple resource conflicts and
those assignments to be changed manually. Look back at Figure 2-5, for even access Device
example. The Use automatic settings checkbox is unavailable; this device's Manager.
resources can't be changed.

Generally, you should click the Troubleshoot button on the General tab in the
device's Properties dialog box, and then follow the prompts in the
troubleshooter. (Or just run a hardware troubleshooter from the
Troubleshooting applet as described earlier in this lesson.) However,
occasionally you have to modify the device's resource assignment.
»  Home servers and media
receivers
To change a resource assignment (if possible), follow these steps:

1. From the device's Properties dialog box, display the Resources tab.
Confirm which resource is causing the problem in the Conflicting device
list.
2. Clear the Use automatic settings checkbox, if possible. If you can't
uncheck that checkbox, you can't manually change this device's
resources.
3. Open the Setting based on drop-down list, and then select an alternate
configuration. Keep trying different configurations until the message in
the Conflicting device list changes to No conflicts, as shown previously
in Figure 2-3.
4. If none of the configurations worked in Step 3, try double-clicking the
resource under Resource type. A dialog box might appear that enables
you to manually change only that one resource's setting. Do so if
possible.
5. Close all open dialog boxes when finished, and reboot if prompted to do
so.

Removing and redetecting a device

If the preceding method for changing resource assignments doesn't work, try
removing one of the devices from Device Manager so Windows 7 is forced to
redetect it. When Windows 7 redetects the device, it might assign different
resources.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. In Device Manager, right-click the device and then select Uninstall. If

asked to confirm, click Yes.
2. Select Action > Scan for hardware changes.

Disabling a device

Another way around a resource conflict is to disconnect or disable one of the

devices. If it's a removable or unpluggable device, simply do that. However, if
it's built into the motherboard, you might not be able to remove it physically.

If you can't physically remove a device and you no longer want it to operate in
Windows 7, right-click the device in Device Manager, select Disable and then
click OK.

Now that you've learned some general troubleshooting techniques, read on to

learn how to troubleshoot specific problems with display devices.

 
Troubleshooting display problems
Now that you know a bit about resources and devices, let's spend the rest of
this lesson looking at some specific troubleshooting examples that aren't
always handled by the Windows 7 hardware troubleshooters.

Video card problems

»  Desktop & all-in-one PCs

When applications crash unexpectedly, the video card driver is a likely source
for such problems. Updating the video card's driver to the latest version can
often stop crashes from recurring. Performing this update should be the first
course of action for virtually every video troubleshooting scenario. HP computer
owners should always check at the HP Software & Driver Downloads website
for an updated driver. If you can't find one there, check your video card
manufacturer's website.

Signed drivers are certified to work correctly under Windows 7. With most
devices, if an unsigned driver doesn't work, you can just remove it and try a
different driver. However, the video card's driver is essential; without it you
can't see your screen (although you can always use the Standard VGA
driver as a workable if not pretty fallback). Therefore, only use signed
drivers for your video card.

If updating your video driver has no effect on the problem, perhaps the video
card itself is going bad, or the problem might be with the monitor. To tell the
difference, isolate the problem by trying a different monitor or different video
card and seeing if the issue remains.

Adjusting the color depth

If photos look washed out and unrealistic, it's possible the color depth setting in
Windows 7 needs adjusting. Fortunately, this is easy to remedy:

1. Right-click the desktop, and then select Personalize.

2. Click Display, click Change display settings, click Advanced settings,
click the Monitor tab, open the Colors list and then select a higher color
quality, as shown in Figure 2-6. Click OK.
Figure 2-6: Setting the color depth for Windows 7.

Lesson 4 covers color depth in a little more detail.

If you have a flat panel monitor, check the documentation that came with it to
see which color depth the vendor recommends for your monitor.

Identifying your video card

Windows 7 doesn't natively support the 256-color mode unless the video card
is incapable of higher modes. Therefore, if your display is set to 256-color,
there's probably a deeper problem with your display. In the Screen Resolution
window (right-click the desktop and select Screen Resolution), click the
Advanced settings button, and then see which video card is reported on the
Adapter tab. If it says Standard VGA or something similar rather than naming
your actual video card, Windows 7 can't identify your video card.

To solve this problem, run the Setup software that came with your video card. If
that doesn't help, update the device driver. (In Device Manager, double-click
the entry for your display adapter, click the Driver tab, and then click Update
Driver.) Many video adapter manufacturers also provide automatic detection
tools that you can run from their website. Once you've identified your video card
model, you can download and install the latest driver.

Installing a monitor driver

The monitor driver isn't really a driver in the same sense as the driver for a
video card. It's just an information file (.inf extension) that tells Windows 7 the
monitor's maximum capacities. Any settings from the Display Properties dialog
box that the monitor can't support are eliminated. By default, Windows 7
detects most monitors as PnP Monitor. The problem is that the maximum
settings for that driver are rather low. You can make better settings available in
many cases by installing a driver for the actual monitor attached to the graphics
card.

Moving on
In this lesson, you learned about troubleshooting system hardware, the BIOS,
device resources and display problems. In Lesson 3, you'll become familiar with
the basics of operating systems and the differences among various editions of
Windows 7. In addition, you'll learn how to install and remove applications, and
control programs running in the background. Before you move on, complete the
assignment and take the quiz.

Assignment #2
For this assignment:

1. Find out how to enter your BIOS program (by pressing F2, F8, F10, Esc or another key at
bootup). Cursor through the BIOS Setup program to view information but don't make any
changes. Note the model and version number of your BIOS.
2. Go online and determine whether a BIOS update is available. If you've experienced any
problems with your BIOS (or if you require the update to upgrade a PC to Windows 7),
consider installing the BIOS update as soon as possible.
3. Review your devices in Device Manager to find and resolve any conflicts.
4. Check your color depth setting in the Display settings (right-click the desktop, select
Personalize > Display > Change display settings > Advanced settings and click the
Monitor tab).

Quiz #2
Question 1:
Which of the following are categories of Windows 7 troubleshooters? (Check all that apply.)
A) Programs
B) Hardware and Sound
C) Network and Internet
D) Appearance and Personalization
E) System and Security
 
Question 2:
True or False: You should apply every BIOS update that becomes available for your computer, regardless of
whether you're experiencing a problem.
A) True
B) False
 
Question 3:
Which of the following circumstances could cause a resource conflict? (Check all that apply.)
A) Installing two applications one after the other
B) Using Windows Update
C) Two devices both want exclusive use of a particular IRQ
D) There's not enough of a particular resource to go around
 
Question 4:
Which of the following tools should you use to disable a device?
A) Device Manager
B) Add/Remove Hardware
C) Windows Explorer
D) Disk Cleanup
 
Question 5:
After deleting a device in Device Manager, if you want Windows 7 to scan for and locate your device again,
what's the procedure?
A) Select File > Find new hardware.
B) Click the Driver tab, and then select Find Driver.
C) Select File > Options > Scan for hardware changes.
D) Select Action > Scan for hardware changes.
 

Going behind the scenes of Microsoft Windows 7

To use Windows 7 efficiently, you need basic conceptual knowledge about how it interacts with applications.
This lesson shows you how to install and remove software, control background programs and manage which
programs start when Windows boots.
 

Understanding operating systems

In Lessons 1 and 2 of this class, you learned a lot about computer hardware.
You'll find that hardware is fairly stable; the majority of problems lie with a
system's software, which includes the underlying operating system and other
installed applications. The operating system is the platform upon which
application software runs. Applications don't run directly on PC hardware; they
run on an operating system. Part of the operating system's job is to mediate
access to the hardware: it serves as an intermediate layer and translator »  Everyday computing
between the PC hardware and the programs you want to use. desktop PCs

An operating system serves these essential purposes:

Startup: The operating system loads itself into memory at startup, and then
decides which support files are required and loads them into memory too.
Memory management: The operating system keeps track of what's stored in
the PC's RAM, and if memory gets full, swaps data between the hard disk
and RAM. This way there's always enough space in RAM for the system to
keep working and programs to keep running.
Human interface: The operating system provides methods for humans to
give it instructions and supplies feedback from those instructions.
Hardware interface: The operating system uses device drivers (software) to
translate commands between itself and the various parts of the computer, so
it can tell them what to do.
Program execution: The operating system runs whatever programs the user
requests and enables the user to interact with them.
Monitoring: The operating system remains on the lookout for problems with
hardware or software and reports them to the user as needed.

RAM is the main memory in a PC.

Now that you understand what the operating system is and what it does for
you, read on to learn about Microsoft Windows 7 features.

Exploring Windows 7 features

Windows 7 is one of the most popular operating systems in the world. It
handles all of the functions described on the previous lesson page very well
(although not always perfectly). Here are some of the salient features of
Windows 7 as an operating system:

Graphical user interface (GUI): Windows 7 interacts with the user via a
graphical interface controlled by the mouse and keyboard. Early operating »  Laptop and tablet PCs
systems, such as MS-DOS, were command-line operating systems. The
user interacted with these types of systems via typed commands and text.
Multitasking: Windows 7 enables you to run many programs at once, each in
its own window. Each program shares the available memory and CPU
(central processing unit) time with the others.
Device management: With Windows 7, each application doesn't need to
know how to talk to each piece of hardware; Windows does this for them.
Customization: You can customize virtually every aspect of the Windows 7
interface, from the display resolution and screen colors, to the preferred
internet connection method.
Understanding different Windows editions

Microsoft offers several editions of Windows 7, each of which offers 32- and 64-
bit versions. The three main editions are:

Windows 7 Home Premium is good for home PCs with basic computing
needs (email, internet browsing and document creation) and entertainment
needs (music, videos, internet TV and regular TV, if you have a TV tuner
adapter).
Windows 7 Professional is good for home power users and small and large
business PCs, or for situations in which you need a lot of security, domain-
based networking or mobile functionality.
Windows 7 Ultimate is good for home PCs that interface with an
entertainment center, mobile computers and users who don't mind paying
more for enhanced power and security features.

Two other Windows 7 editions include Starter, for netbook users, and Windows
7 Enterprise, for large-scale businesses.

If you plan to upgrade your computer from an earlier version of Windows to

Windows 7, visit the Windows 7 Compatibility Center to check that your
computer meets the requirements to run Windows 7.

You've learned some of the main features of Windows 7. Read on to learn how
to manage the software that's running in the background on your PC.

Managing background applications

Normally, when a program runs, it displays an open window you can minimize
or maximize. The program also appears as an item on the taskbar. In contrast,
a background application runs on the PC without displaying any obvious signs
of its activity, such as an open window or a taskbar indicator. A background
program might have an icon in the notification area on the right side of the
taskbar, often with no other indication that it's running.
»  HP Everyday computing
laptop PCs
Use only necessary programs. Minimizing a program's window often doesn't
stop that program from using the computer's processor and memory. Being
connected to the internet, listening to music and running virus scanners use a
lot of system resources. Try running virus scanners and other system tools
while you're away from the computer. Work offline when convenient. Closing
programs that aren't necessary helps Windows 7 perform more efficiently.

Many programs run in the background and serve important and legitimate
functions there, such as virus checking and internet connectivity. Parts of
Windows 7 itself also run in the background. Therefore, you never want to
disable all background programs. You just need to be aware of what's running
and be able to shut down anything you don't want or need.

Follow these steps to see what's running in the foreground and the background
on your PC:

1. Right-click the taskbar, and then select Start Task Manager. The Task
Manager dialog box appears.
2. The Applications tab displays any currently running programs, as shown
in Figure 3-1.
Figure 3-1: Task Manager, Applications tab.

1. Click the Processes tab. This tab lists all the processes (that is,
programs or pieces of programs) that are running. Some of them are
pieces of the applications from the Applications tab, or pieces of
Windows 7 itself; however, many of them are background processes
and utilities, as shown in Figure 3-2.

Click the Show processes from all users button in Task Manager when
viewing the Processes tab. That way, you can see all processes running on
the PC, not just those that the current user is using. This provides a much
broader view of what's going on with your PC.

Figure 3-2: Task Manager, Processes tab.

1. Close the Task Manager dialog box.

Viewing the notification area

The notification area appears on the right side of the taskbar. Sometimes it's
called the system tray, or just the tray. Standard icons displayed in the
notification area are the flag (to open Action Center), the power icon (on
notebook PCs), the network or wireless icon and the volume icon. Windows 7
groups other background program icons in a hidden area to keep the
notification area clutter-free. Just click the up-facing arrow to display the hidden
icons, as shown in Figure 3-3. In this example, you see the hidden tray icons
for the Bluetooth device applet, Windows Update, an antivirus program, a
pointing device and a virtual machine program.

Figure 3-3: Viewing hidden icons in the Windows 7 notification area.

Here are some ways to put these icons to work:

Double-click an icon to perform the default action for the related program. In
most cases, this opens a window for its configuration or use.
Select a command from the right-click menu that closes or disables the
application and removes its icon from the tray—until the next time you start
your PC (if it's set to load at startup) or until you restart that application
manually.

As software programs load, the number of small icons on the system tray
increases. Each of these small pictures represents a program running in the
background, and each one consumes valuable system resources. Move the
mouse pointer over each small picture to find out which program it represents.

You can increase system resources by stopping these tasks from loading or by
changing their settings. There are several ways you can do this because these
programs often start from various places on your PC. If the following methods
don't apply to a specific icon, consult the application documentation or its
maker's website:

1. Select Start, type msconfig in the search text box and then press Enter.
The System Configuration Utility window appears.
2. On the General tab, select Selective startup.
3. On the Startup tab, as shown in Figure 3-4, uncheck the check marks
from tasks that don't contribute to the system or are otherwise unwanted
or unneeded. If you're unsure about a task, write down its name and
research it on the internet. Don't remove a check mark if you don't know
what the task does.

You'll learn more about internet research in the assignment at the end of
this lesson.
Figure 3-4: System Configuration Utility, Startup tab.

Enlarge image

You can lose important functionality if vital applications are left unchecked;
this includes your antivirus software. Unlike uninstalling an application from
the Programs and Features applet in Control Panel, you can just recheck
the startup application at a later time to re-enable it.

1. Click OK to accept the changes, and then restart the computer.

2. If Windows 7 or other software stops working after a check mark is
removed from a task you were unsure about, restart the computer and
reverse these procedures to replace that check mark. Press F8 before
Windows 7 starts to boot (after the computer has been turned on) to get
into safe mode.

You'll learn more about safe mode in Lesson 5.

After completing these steps, Windows 7 runs using Selective Startup. This
means Windows 7 prevents the selected programs from starting. If Selective
Startup is disabled in the future, all of the selected programs will start again.

Later in this lesson, you'll find out about more strategies for background
programs. First you need to know how to add and remove programs, because
those skills are necessary to your arsenal of tools for dealing with background
programs (well, the removing part at least).

You know how to determine which background programs are running on your
system. Next, you'll learn how to remove programs you don't need, a satisfying
way to improve Windows 7 performance.

Adding and removing applications

 
Most applications are simple to install because they come on a self-running CD
or DVD. You just insert the media into the drive and follow the prompts.
Therefore, you don't need much detail about installing applications.

Briefly, though, here are some tips for adding applications:

1. Some antivirus software falsely detects an installation program as a

threat and won't let it run. If you have a problem with your antivirus
software interfering with application installation, you need to disable it
temporarily before installing the new application. To disable antivirus
 software, right-click the antivirus icon in the system tray, and then select
Disable or a similar command from the shortcut menu.

Don't exit or uninstall your antivirus software, just disable it temporarily. If

you need to access the internet during application installation, be careful to
access only trusted websites while the antivirus software is disabled.

1. Close all open applications before installing a new application.

2. To verify you're logged on as a user with administrator privileges, not
limited standard user privileges, check your user account type properties
in the User Accounts application in Control Panel.
3. Re-enable your antivirus software by right-clicking the antivirus icon in
the system tray, and then selecting Enable or a similar command from
the shortcut. If this option does not exist, reboot your computer after
installing software, and verify that your antivirus software was
automatically re-enabled upon bootup.

Removing applications

There are several benefits to removing applications you don't need. One is that
you free up hard disk space. Another is that removing an application often
removes entries from the registry, and when the registry is smaller, Windows 7
loads more quickly. Finally, if the application being removed was set to run in
the background, removing it prevents it from running there, further freeing up
system memory for running other things.

If you're unfamiliar with an application's purpose, do a quick search on the

internet to learn more about it. Never uninstall any application unless you're
absolutely certain what the effects will be.

The registry is the main configuration file for Windows. It contains

information about all the installed hardware and software. It loads its
information into memory each time the PC starts.

To remove an application, follow these steps:

1. Open Control Panel, click Programs and then click Programs and
Features. The installed programs appear.
2. Highlight an application you want to remove, as shown in Figure 3-5,
and then click the Uninstall or Uninstall/Change button.

Figure 3-5: Select an application you no longer want and remove it.

Enlarge image
 Different programs have different buttons. Some have an Uninstall/Change
button, others have both Change and Uninstall buttons, and still others
have just an Uninstall button. These options depend on how the software
was written. If the program has a Change button, you can alter how the
program is installed.

1. Follow the prompts that appear. If prompted to restart your computer

after removing a program, do so if you're done removing programs.
Click No if you want to remove more programs.

You've just learned how to remove programs that you don't need. Next, you'll
learn how to remove background tasks.

Cleaning up your system's background tasks

When PCs start running poorly, most of the time it's because junk programs are
running in the background. The definition of a junk program is a matter of
opinion. Consider a program junk if you didn't install it on purpose, it doesn't
help you and it's taking up memory space.

How does background junk get into your system? There are many ways—here »  HP TouchSmart desktop
are a few: PCs

Some legitimate applications install automatically loading components. For

example, both Intuit Quicken and Microsoft Money install bill-reminder
utilities in the notification area, which some people want and others don't.
When you visit some web pages, a dialog box may pop up offering you free
software that purports to give you some benefit. If you accidentally click Yes,
you've got junk installed. Such junk is usually adware or spyware.

Spyware is any software that gathers and transmits information without

one's knowledge. Spyware programs usually track information about the
websites visited, browser information, system information and your
computer IP address (the number that represents a network device on the
internet).

Some of this unwanted junk can be removed through Programs and Features
in Control Panel. It provides the cleanest removal, so try it first. There are other
ways to get rid of unwanted applications that run automatically. In most cases,
you can right-click an icon in the hidden icons section of the notification area to
open a menu. On the menu, look for a command such as Options, Properties,
Preferences, Configuration or some other such item that might open a dialog
box where you can set options for that program.

Beware of the wording in configuration boxes. Some applications permit

you to disable the display of the icon in the notification area; however, doing
so doesn't prevent the application from loading at startup. It merely hides
itself to make you forget it's there.

You can also check the Startup submenu (select Start > All Programs > Startup
). Sometimes shortcuts to programs are placed here to make them load at
startup. To remove a program from this location, just right-click it and select
Delete. This doesn't uninstall the program; it only prevents it from being started
automatically by Windows 7.

Some spyware is created to hide itself, so you may not be able to get rid of it
using conventional methods. You should also run a spyware removal tool, such
as Microsoft Windows Defender or Norton Internet Security. You'll learn about
spyware, and how to get rid of it, in Lesson 4.

So far, you've learned quite a bit about cleaning up the unneeded software that
runs on your computer. Next, you'll learn how to identify what's still running on
your computer.

Identifying what's still running

After you've been through Programs and Features and all the available options
in the notification area, you probably have a relatively clean system. Is there
anything left you can do without? Let's see.

Close all open programs (you might want to print these instructions, since
you're closing your web browser), and then do the following: »  Everyday computing
desktop PCs

1. Right-click the taskbar, and then select Start Task Manager.

2. Click the Processes tab.
3. Write down all the names of the running processes listed. (If you'd
rather, maximize the Task Manager window, take a screen shot and
save it to a file instead.)
4. Start your web browser again, go to AnswersThatWork.com or a similar
techie website and look up each item.
5. If you find any that shouldn't be there (such as items for viruses,
spyware or adware), highlight them and then move on to the next
section.

Working with Selective Startup

Now that you know what processes are running behind the scenes, you can
think about disabling those you don't want.

The technique you're about to learn isn't particularly graceful—it's the

computer equivalent of poking the programs with a sharp stick. It's better to
remove items using their Properties, or using Programs and Features in
Control Panel, whenever possible.

The System Configuration Utility, also known by its executable file name of
MSCONFIG, enables you to select individually each item that loads at startup.
Or to be more precise, it shows you what's already loading at startup and
enables you to nix any individual items you don't want. MSCONFIG prevents
Windows 7 from using all or individual programs.

The following steps are used to prevent all startup items from opening,
including antivirus software and other software that may supply important
functions or services. Use this technique only for troubleshooting.

For troubleshooting purposes, use the following steps to prevent all software
programs from automatically opening when Windows 7 starts:

1. Select Start, type msconfig in the search text box and then press Enter.
The System Configuration Utility window appears.
2. Select Selective startup, and then ensure the Load startup items
checkbox is checked. (The Load system services checkbox is also
selected by default.)
 3. Click the Services tab, check the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox
and then remove the check marks next to the remaining items in the list.
4. When you're finished, click OK.
5. Restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
6. After the computer restarts, a message about using MSCONFIG may
appear.
7. To continue using MSCONFIG, click OK and then close the System
Configuration Utility window (don't restart the computer). To prevent the
pop-up message from appearing again, place a check mark next to
Don't show this message again and then click OK.

After you've finished troubleshooting an issue, repeat these steps, replacing

the check marks to enable startup programs and services to start with
Windows 7 again.

Exploring the system configuration tabs

You can also select a tab within the configuration software to prevent individual
software items from opening with Windows 7. The following sections describe
two of the tabs and the items listed on the tabs in the System Configuration
Utility window.

General

Use the General tab to control which programs launch when Windows 7 starts.
The following selections appear on the General tab:

Normal startup: This setting instructs Windows 7 to open all software

applications that are normally scheduled to start with Windows 7.
Diagnostic startup: This setting provides a command when Windows 7
opens. Each software application scheduled to start with Windows 7 is
displayed, one at a time. Type a Y to open the listed software application, or
type an N to prevent the listed software application from opening.
Selective startup: Use this setting to prevent software applications of a
certain type from starting. If you select a specific software application type
under Selective Startup, all applications of that type will open with Windows
7. For example, select Load startup items to open all items listed on the
Startup tab.

Tools

This tab lists built-in system configuration and monitoring utilities, such as
System Information and Event Viewer. To start one of the utilities, highlight it in
the list and then click Launch.

Moving on

In this lesson, you learned a little about the various Windows 7 operating
systems, and you found out how to add and remove programs, as well as
background applications. In Lesson 4, you'll learn how about Windows Update,
antivirus and antispyware protection and other techniques for keeping your
system clean and healthy. Before you leave, complete the assignment and take
the quiz for this lesson.

Assignment #3
For this assignment:

1. Go through the list of installed applications in Programs and Features, and remove any that you
 don't want or need.
2. Look in the hidden icons section of the notification area to see what's running in the background.
Identify all the icons there.

Look for mouseover information when you move the cursor over each system tray item. (This action
usually identifies the program at work.) Right-click each tray item. Does it have a Properties, Settings or
About command? If so, here's another good way to see what's what.

1. Open Task Manager, and then look at the Processes tab. Click the Show processes from all
users button. You can record those processes by writing them down, saving a screen capture of
the Task Manager information or downloading and installing the Process Explorer tool from the
Microsoft website. Look up each process by name at a website such as the Windows Process
Library, AnswersThatWork.com or a similar technical website to ensure they're all legitimate and
should be running.
2. Use the System Configuration Utility (MSCONFIG) to disable any programs that load at startup
that you don't want or need. Be careful not to disable anything you need, for example, the startup
item for your antivirus software.

Quiz #3
Question 1:
Which of the following is not a characteristic of an operating system?
A) The operating system keeps track of what's stored in the PC's RAM.
B) The operating system loads itself into memory at startup.
C) The operating system decides which files are required and loads them into memory.
D) The operating system performs functions such as creating a spreadsheet or document.
 
Question 2:
Which of the following are Windows 7 editions? (Check all that apply.)
A) Basic Professional
B) Home Premium
C) Professional
D) Ultimate
E) Media Center
 
Question 3:
True or False: You should always disable antivirus software prior to installing an application.
A) True
B) False
 
Question 4:
True or False: You can remove all spyware programs using the Programs and Features Control Panel applet.
A) True
B) False
 
Question 5:
Which application enables Selective Startup?
A) Windows Explorer
B) System Configuration Utility
C) Programs and Features
D) Scheduled Tasks
 

Keeping Windows 7 clean and updated

This lesson brings you up to speed on how Windows 7 works with your hardware. You'll also learn how to keep
Windows 7 in good health by getting automatic updates, configuring Windows Firewall and using antivirus
software.
 
Introducing Action Center
Welcome back. Now that you understand the basics of hardware and software
troubleshooting and maintenance, it's time dive into keeping your system up to
date and healthy.

Let's get started with a look at Action Center, which is accessible through the
flag icon in the notification area of the Windows 7 taskbar. Click the flag icon »  Laptop and tablet PCs
and then select Open Action Center. Action Center is a clearinghouse for
system security, management and control tools in Windows 7. As Figure 4-1
illustrates, Action Center combines what Windows Vista called the Security
Center (which shows up in Action Center as the Security heading) with various
system maintenance tasks (which are displayed under the Maintenance
heading). From Action Center, you can check and modify security settings, run
Windows Update, access the Backup feature, get problem reports and
reliability data, run troubleshooters, access recovery tools and much more.

Figure 4-1: The Security and Maintenance sections of Action Center.

Enlarge image

In Windows 7, you can work with Action Center either reactively or proactively.
From a reactive standpoint, whenever various types of events occur or
conditions are detected, Action Center flags you with alerts or calls to action so
you can react to them. These include security issues, such as antivirus or
antispyware software that's turned off or out-of-date security databases, as well
as system issues, such as solutions to problem reports received, pending
Windows Update updates and driver issues. You can respond quickly and
easily through Action Center. Figure 4-2 shows an example of a driver issue
notification.
Figure 4-2: Action Center notifies you of system problems that may need your
attention.

You can also use Action Center proactively, even when pending alerts or
issues aren't flagged for a response. Just expand the Security or Maintenance
sections (if necessary) to access various status information and activities, use
the Troubleshooting or Recovery links at the bottom of the Action Center
window or click any of the options in the task pane on the left.

Now that you've taken a quick tour of Action Center, let's explore some of the
tools accessible in Action Center, beginning with Windows Update.

Using Windows Update

Windows Update is a web-based utility that checks the versions of your
Windows files and hardware drivers and downloads and installs patches and
other improvements on your PC. That way, you can easily keep up with the
most recent improvements to Windows 7.

These updates fall into three categories: »  HP Everyday computing

laptop PCs
Important updates: These provide critical patches and fixes to your system,
such as security updates.
Recommended updates: These provide non-critical benefits to your system,
such as new drivers that provide additional features or fixes for your
hardware.
Optional updates: These are similar to recommended updates but only serve
to enhance your experience while working in Windows 7 and are not
necessary to install.

The Windows Update automatic check is enabled by default in Windows 7. It

checks for updates to your system, and then downloads and installs important
and recommended updates at 3:00 a.m. You can configure Windows Update to
download updates but let you decide if you want to install them, or just notify
you when updates are available and let you decide if you wish to download and
install them. The easiest course of action for most users is to automate this
process as much as possible by allowing Windows Update to download and
install all important and recommended updates. You can't get optional updates
automatically—you must open the Windows Update applet and select which
optional updates to download and install.

Opening Windows Update

To use Windows Update, select Start > All Programs > Windows Update,
select Tools > Windows Update in Internet Explorer or open Action Center and
click the Windows Update link at the bottom of the task pane. The Windows
Update applet window informs you if updates are available, as shown in Figure
4-3.
Figure 4-3: Updates are available through Windows Update.

Click the <X> optional updates are available link, review available updates and
install any you think you need. Figure 4-4 shows that Windows Update has
optional updates for Microsoft Silverlight, and there's a new driver available for
the network card.

You can also install important or recommended updates, or let Windows

Update install them automatically at 3:00 a.m.

Figure 4-4: Review available updates and select the ones to install.

Enlarge image

Changing Windows Update settings

As mentioned, Windows 7 is preconfigured to download and install important

and recommended updates automatically. However, you might prefer Windows
Update to check for updates and notify you, enabling you to download and
install them at your convenience. Why? Some newly installed updates
automatically reboot the PC so the updates take effect immediately. Users who
frequently leave unsaved documents open overnight, such as Microsoft Word
or Adobe Photoshop files, can lose that data when the PC reboots. Also, some
users, such as software developers or test engineers, need their systems to
remain unchanged during development and testing phases. Changing the
Windows Update automatic installation settings gives users more control over
their environments.

To change Windows Update settings, open Windows Update and click the
Change settings link in the task pane. In the Change settings window, open the
Important updates drop-down list, as shown in Figure 4-5. You can change any
of the settings, but remember, you'll get the most protection from leaving
Windows Update at its default configuration.
Figure 4-5: Windows Update settings.

Enlarge image

See how to use Windows Update. (3.3 MB)

Now you understand Windows Update. Read on to learn how to configure

another essential security tool: Windows Firewall.

Configuring Windows Firewall

A firewall is a security system that masks some of the information that would
enable a hacker to access your computer, making it more difficult to break in to
your system. A software-based firewall to protect your computer system against
unauthorized use over the internet is included in Windows 7: it's called
Windows Firewall.

»  HP Ultra portable laptop

It's important for you turn Windows Firewall on and leave it on, unless you PCs
replace this built-in program with some third-party alternative, such as Zone
Labs ZoneAlarm or any internet security suite that includes a firewall (and most
do).

Windows Firewall is enabled by default on any network adapter or even a dial-

up connection that connects to the internet. New to Windows 7 is its ability to
separately control Windows Firewall settings for private networks (such as
home or work) and public networks (such as those at airports, libraries and
other public places). By default, Windows Firewall in Windows 7 blocks all
incoming connections from programs not on its allowed programs list, whether
that network is public or private.

Windows 7 and Windows Firewall impose more stringent security controls

on a PC when it's connected to a public network, where the PC is exposed
to increased security threats.

To check Windows Firewall for private and public connections, follow these
steps:

1. Select Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Firewall.
 2. The firewall entries should have a green shield icon indicating Windows
Firewall is turned on and protecting your system. Click the down arrow, if
necessary, to display information details, as shown in Figure 4-6.

Figure 4-6: The green shields indicate a firewall is installed and working.

Enlarge image

1. If a red shield appears, as shown in Figure 4-7, Windows Firewall is

turned off. If you aren't running any other software firewalls on your PC,
click the Use recommended settings button to turn on Windows Firewall.

Figure 4-7: A red shield indicates Windows Firewall is turned off.

Many internet security software packages include a firewall, in addition to

antivirus and antispyware software. In this case, the internet security software
turns off Windows Firewall and runs its own firewall. Security experts continue
to recommend using one and only one firewall, even for Windows 7. To verify
that a firewall is protecting your system, open Action Center and check the
Security category. The Network firewall section displays which firewall is
currently protecting your computer.

Next, learn how to protect your PC from viruses and spyware.

 
Protecting against viruses and spyware
Viruses and other similar threats are, unfortunately, an everyday part of the
internet. The best way to avoid them is to install a good antivirus application
and keep it updated.

What's a virus?
»  Home servers and media
receivers
The term virus is thrown around pretty loosely these days, and some of the
malicious items out there that people call viruses are actually other things, such
as worms and Trojan horses.

A real virus is a file virus. It might infect the boot sector of a disk, and load itself
into RAM when the computer starts. It might infect executable files by adding its
own code to them, so whenever that executable file runs, the virus does its
mischief. The virus spreads when that executable file is run on another
computer.

That type of virus is no longer very common. Much more common today are
worms spread via email or file-sharing programs. Rather than infecting
individual files, they infect PCs. They generally spread by attaching themselves
to your outgoing email or automatically mailing themselves to everyone in your
address book. Further, many of them spoof the "From" address, so the
message appears to be from someone the receiver knows.

This lesson uses the term virus generically to mean any of the threats out
there—worms, viruses, and so on.

Is your PC infected?

If you don't run an antivirus application, you are at much greater risk for virus
infection—maybe multiple infections. Yes, they are that common. Some users
receive many infected emails every day. An antivirus program can stop these
viruses from infecting your PC.

You also might have a virus if your antivirus definitions aren't up to date (for
example, if you let your subscription expire) or you've disabled your virus
checker for some reason (perhaps to install new software) and didn't re-enable
it.

Some viruses actually disable your antivirus software. These are called
retroviruses. Nasty stuff!

Antivirus options

Microsoft offers the Malicious Software Removal Tool, which checks your
computer for malicious software. Although this tool isn't comprehensive and
can't replace antivirus software, it can identify and remove major virus threats.
This application doesn't prevent virus attacks; rather, it's designed to identify
and remove malware from an already compromised PC.

If you aren't running antivirus software, acquire and install a package

immediately. You can download Microsoft Security Essentials, AVG Anti-Virus
Free Edition or Avast Home Edition for free. For more comprehensive
protection, buy Symantec Norton AntiVirus (as a standalone program or as part
of the Norton Internet Security suite) or some other reputable software.
However, here's a minor gotcha: If you already have a virus infection, you might
be unable to install antivirus software. Retroviruses can often prevent such
installation. So if you can't install antivirus software, try an online virus detection
utility to determine which virus(es) you have. Then run a free removal tool for
each virus from various places on the internet, including the Symantec website.
You can also review the information provided by HP on the Personal computing
security center website for additional information on keeping your PC safe.

The latest versions of most antivirus programs have a pre-installation virus

check utility that runs during setup. So when you install from the CD/DVD
version of an antivirus program, you can check your system prior to installation.

If your antivirus software is installed and hasn't been updated, you can
probably download an update and run a complete system check even if you
have a virus. Viruses that disable your antivirus software usually disable
only the automatic-checking process.

An antivirus program is only as good as its last update. Good-quality antivirus

software comes with an automatic update component that checks the
company's website every day and downloads needed files. The list of viruses
and instructions for checking for them are called virus definitions.

What's spyware and adware?

Spyware is software that installs itself on your PC (usually without your

consent) and then hides, secretly gathering data about you and sending it back
to its owner. This information can include shopping habits and even banking
account information, credit card numbers, passwords and identity data. Adware
is a related product that pops up advertisements on your screen. Both can be
acquired when novices surf the internet and innocently click pop-ups and
banners that offer some free service.

Most spyware surveys indicate as many as 90 percent of all PCs harbor

one type of spyware or another, and nearly all PCs infested with one type of
spyware are home to other types as well.

Is your PC infested?

So how do you know whether your system has been infected with spyware?
The following are just a few indicators:

Your computer is suddenly slower than usual or low on memory and

resources.
There's a sudden change in how your computer behaves.
It takes much longer to perform common tasks or boot up your computer.
Pop-up ads appear when you're not online.
Your hard drive continually makes a working noise even when you aren't
using the computer.
Components of Microsoft Windows 7 or other applications don't work
normally.
Settings in your web browser change, such as your home or search page,
and mystery items appear in your Favorites folder.

As with viruses, the key to protection is prevention: you must install an

antispyware program on your PC to provide real-time protection for your
system. Because no single antispyware program is 100-percent effective
against all known forms of spyware, most experts recommend using at least
two forms of antispyware protection. Run one in the background at all times;
configure the other to scan your system once a week or so to pick up things
that the first package misses.

Antispyware options

Windows 7 comes equipped with an antispyware package called Windows

Defender. It makes a good backup antispyware program. However, for the best
protection, turn to one of the three industry leaders: PC Tools Spyware Doctor,
Webroot SpySweeper or Sunbelt Software CounterSpy. If you're in the market
for a do-it-all security suite with a best-of-breed antispyware component, try
Norton Internet Security or the most current version of McAfee Total Protection.
These are commercial products that cost between $30 and $70 per year per
PC. If you can't afford that, try Lavasoft Ad-Aware Free or Spybot-Search &
Destroy for your primary antispyware program.

To run Windows Defender, click Start, type windows defender in the search
text box and then press Enter. Windows Defender is turned off by default, so
the first time you attempt to run it, a Windows Defender dialog box appears.
Click the click here to turn it on link. The Windows Defender window appears.
Open the Scan drop-down list on the menu bar, and then select Quick scan,
Full scan or Custom scan.

Moving on

In this lesson, you learned how to keep your system updated and free of virus
and spyware infections. In Lesson 5, you find out how to recover from system
errors in Windows 7. You'll also learn how to use safe mode to get into
Windows 7 when it won't start normally, and how to set and load System
Restore points. Don't forget to take the quiz and complete the assignment for
this lesson before you go.

Assignment #4
For this assignment:

1. Open Action Center and familiarize yourself with the Security and Maintenance sections.
2. Use Windows Update to check for optional system updates. Download and install any
optional updates you think you might need.
3. If you don't currently have antivirus software, at a minimum, download and install
Microsoft Security Essentials, AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition or the trial version of
Symantec Norton AntiVirus or McAfee VirusScan.
4. Check your Windows Defender settings to ensure the program is constantly checking for
spyware. (Optional) Download and install another antispyware program and run it once a
week.

Quiz #4
Question 1:
True or False: Action Center gives you access to security and maintenance utilities.
A) True
B) False
 
Question 2:
True or False: To install important and recommended system updates, you need to open Windows Update and
then click the Settings link.
A) True
B) False
 
Question 3:
Which of the following does a firewall protect your system against?
A) Viruses
B) Worms
C) Patches
D) Hackers
 
Question 4:
What is the best way to protect your system against viruses?
A) Install antivirus software and keep it updated.
B) Use Windows Update frequently.
C) Avoid sending email.
D) Avoid using applications such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel.
 
Question 5:
True or False: Spyware takes account information, passwords and identity data from your PC and sends it to
unauthorized third parties.
A) True
B) False
 

Troubleshooting common Windows 7 problems

Troubleshooting computer problems can be a chore, but this lesson makes it easy. You'll find out what to do
when Windows 7 hits a snag, resolve problems with applications and recover from bad registry edits and system
crashes.
 

An overview of application problems

Welcome back. Now that you've completed all lessons to this point and know Jargon buster
how to diagnose and repair hardware problems and keep Windows 7 clean and
updated, it's time to turn to software troubleshooting. Applications will crash,
lock up, terminate unexpectedly or display scary-sounding error messages. AutoSave is a feature in
There's no simple fix or cure-all for application problems. However, you can some applications that saves
use some basic strategies to minimize their occurrence and impact. In this your work automatically in a
lesson, you'll learn some of these basics. temporary file as you work.
Then if the program crashes
and you haven't saved your
An application crash occurs when the program stops working. You might work, that temporary file
receive an error message, or the program might just terminate unexpectedly. opens when you restart the
Applications can crash-and-burn in many ways. Here are causes for the application and enables you
common application crash: to save your unsaved data.

STOP error: This is the most serious type of error. It shuts down Windows 7
completely. You must restart. A bad hardware driver or a bad application
usually provokes this error, which appears on a bright blue screen with tiny
white text at the top.
Blue screen error (other than a STOP error): This is usually a General
Protection Fault error, in which an application tries to do something that
compromises the stability of Windows 7 itself or of another application. The
most common cause for this kind of error is a bug in an application. »  HP iPAQ handhelds

A "blue screen" is also a screen with a blue background, although it has

normal-sized text, in the middle of the screen, rather than tiny text at the
top.

Illegal operation: This is a slightly less serious application error: the

application has done something that caused itself to crash but hasn't
attempted anything that would harm Windows 7 or other applications. This
type of error usually appears in a regular dialog box, and the program shuts
itself down automatically.
Application not responding: Sometimes there's no error message—the
application just stops responding and won't close normally. An application
bug can cause this; more commonly it's caused when Windows 7 gets too
busy.
 Spontaneous termination: Sometimes an application just terminates. No
message, no nothing—it just quits. And you lose all your unsaved data.
Ouch!

Some applications, such as Microsoft Word, have an AutoSave feature. It's a

good idea to enable this so if an application terminates for any reason, you've
only lost a few minutes' rather than several hours' worth of work. If your
application lacks AutoSave, you must periodically save your work yourself.

For additional information on troubleshooting an unresponsive application, read

the HP Customer Care Center document Windows 7 Locks Up, Freezes, or a
Blue Screen Error Opens.

Now you know some of the causes of application crashes. Read on to learn
how to deal with them.

Dealing with an application crash

There are two parts to dealing with application crashes: dealing with the
immediate problem and fixing the root cause so it won't happen again.

Here's a general process for dealing with the application crash on-the-spot:

»  HP TouchSmart desktop
1. If the crashed program doesn't terminate itself automatically, terminate it PCs
using Task Manager (if possible). This is explained in the next section.
2. After terminating the crashed application, save your work in any other
open applications and close them so the crashed program can't take
them down as well.
3. If the crashed application supports AutoSave, such as Microsoft Word,
rerun the application and see if it recovered your unsaved work. If it has,
save it under a new name.

If you observe other applications behaving strangely after an application crash,

close all applications and restart the computer to reset the system to a stable
state.

Shutting down an application with Task Manager

When you have an application that doesn't respond and doesn't shut down,
Task Manager can help you. There are three ways to get into Task Manager.
Sometimes when one doesn't work (owing to the crash), the others will, so get
familiar with all of them:

Right-click the taskbar, and then select Start Task Manager.

Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete. Select Start Task Manager in the resulting screen.
Press Ctrl+Shift+Escape. The Windows Task Manager dialog box opens.

Task Manager incorporates numerous tabs. For application shutdown, you're

concerned only with the Applications tab. Right-click the crashed application
from the list, and then select End Task. The crashed task probably has a status
of Not Responding.

Wait a few seconds (up to 30) for Windows 7 to shut down the task or display a
message that the application has stopped responding. In that message dialog
box you can elect to close the application.

Restarting Windows 7 with Ctrl+Alt+Delete

If the system is still working well enough to restart normally, select Start > right-
arrow icon > Restart. However, if you can't get to that command for some
reason, you can also get to the Restart command by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
Along with a variety of linked text options, two red icons appear in the lower-
right corner of the screen. Click the upward-facing arrow icon to open a sub-
menu, and then select Restart or Shut down.

Now that you know how to recover from an application crash, read on to learn
how to fix the problem that caused the crash in the first place.

Fixing the root cause of application problems

If an application crashes once, it's no big deal; just reboot. However, if an
application crashes repeatedly, you need to deal with the underlying cause of
the problem. There are many possible causes when applications crash:

Programming errors: No application is perfect, because no programmer is

perfect. Sometimes these errors make the program crash only under specific
circumstances. You can check the application manufacturer's website for a »  Everyday computing
patch or an update that solves the problem. desktop PCs
Compatibility problems: Some applications don't work well with other
applications. Perhaps one of them has a programming error that's only
evident when the other one is running. Or perhaps they're both trying to
access the same resource at the same time.
Background application problems: Sometimes a problem can be caused by
a compatibility problem between a background program and another
application, or between two background programs. It might not be obvious
when the issue is a compatibility problem if you forget that programs are
running in the background.
Windows version incompatibility with an application: An application written
for one version of Windows and run under a different version can sometimes
have problems that resemble programming errors. However, they're really
compatibility issues between the application and Windows.
Device driver problems: Applications interact with hardware via device
drivers. If an application doesn't like a certain device driver, it might crash
when you try to use that device. For example, perhaps the application
expects the driver to behave a certain way, although the driver doesn't follow
those rules.
Corrupted files: If one or more of the files required for the application (or any
associated files like device drivers) becomes corrupted on the hard disk (for
example, through file system errors), it can make the application crash.

Troubleshooting the root cause of an application problem can be difficult

because many variables can be involved, and because many of them mask
themselves by apparent indirection. When several background tasks and
foreground applications are running simultaneously, if one of them crashes, the
problem could rest with the specific combination of software in use
(compatibility issues), the application itself (defects), a conflict with a hardware
driver, a corrupt data file or any of various other circumstances—you get the
idea.

Therefore, it's often best to take a broad, general approach to treat application
problems, and hope to hit the target somewhere within that scope. Steps you
can take along the path to a cure are:

1. Make sure Windows 7 is completely up to date. Select Start > All

Programs > Windows Update, and then check for and install new
updates.
2. Visit the application's website and download and install any available
updates or patches. While you're there, read through the support section
to look for any messages pertaining to your problem.
3. Visit the website for the system's video card and download and install
any updates or patches. Do the same for any other hardware the
application uses.
4. Try disabling one of the background programs to see if the problem
 clears up. (Refer to Lesson 3 of this class for detailed information on
disabling background programs.) If it doesn't, re-enable that task, and
then disable a different one. Work through all of them in a systematic
fashion (making a list might help) until you've eliminated background
applications as the source of the problem or identified a conclusive
source.

Disable only one program at a time and test the change. If you disable
more than one, you won't know which of them caused the problem.

1. If the problem appeared recently on a system that had run the

application in the past without problems, try using System Restore to go
back to a point in time before the problem occurred. You'll find out how
to use System Restore later in this lesson.
2. If a recent application or driver upgrade is the apparent cause of system
instability, try right-clicking the program folder or the individual files and
select Restore previous versions. This choice only appears if you've
installed a new driver.
3. Uninstall then reinstall the application.

Using Windows XP Mode for legacy software

Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate editions enable you to install and run
Windows XP Mode, a type of virtual machine that's designed to run software
that was written specifically for the Windows X environment.

Just search for and download Windows XP Mode from the Microsoft website,
along with the accompanying Windows Virtual PC program. Both programs are
free. Once you install the programs and start Windows XP Mode, you should
be able to run your old application in Windows 7. The application will appear in
the Windows XP Mode window but run as if you were using a computer running
Windows XP.

Using the Windows 7 Program Compatibility troubleshooter

Windows 7 comes with a troubleshooter that helps you set up an application for
optimal compatibility. To use the Program Compatibility troubleshooter, follow
these steps:

1. Select Start > Control Panel > Programs.

2. Under Programs and Features, click Run programs made for previous
versions of Windows.
3. In the first Program Compatibility troubleshooter screen, click Next.

If you click Advanced in the first screen and then Run as administrator, the
troubleshooter may be able to identify and fix more issues than when running
under standard user permission levels.

1. The troubleshooter scans your system, and then lists the installed
programs. Select a program to troubleshoot in the list, and then click
Next.
2. In the next screen, click Try recommended settings. (If you instead click
Troubleshoot program, you'll be prompted to specify the problems you
are having with the program, and can do so and finish the
troubleshooter from there.)
3. The troubleshooter shows you which compatibility setting is applied.
Click Start the program.
4. If a User Account Control dialog box appears, click Yes. The program
attempts to start.
 5. In the Program Compatibility troubleshooter screen, click Next.
6. If the program started properly, click Yes, save these settings for this
program. Otherwise, you can select the option to try again or the option
to check online for other possible fixes.
7. Click Close the troubleshooter, and then close the Control Panel
window.

You've learned what to do to fix application crashes; however, what if Windows

7 won't start at all? Don't panic—just keep reading.

Windows 7 startup problems

Now let's turn the attention to a different kind of problem: an error that occurs Using HP Customer Care
as Windows 7 is starting up. A common reason for a failed system startup is a resources
problem with the hard disk.

For more information on

This type of problem could be either a Windows error or an error involving one startup failures, refer to the
of the applications that runs automatically at startup. It's not always easy to tell HP Customer Care
the difference. One way is to follow the procedure outlined in the preceding document Windows 7 Does
section: Disable one of the programs that loads at startup, and then test to see Not Start .
if the problem goes away. (Use the System Configuration Utility, MSCONFIG,
for this, as explained in Lesson 3.) If Windows 7 still doesn't start normally
because of the error, go into safe mode and then use the System Configuration
Utility.

Safe mode and other alternative startup modes

»  Laptop and tablet PCs
Safe mode starts Windows 7 with a minimal set of drivers, and without any
applications loaded into the background. It's useful when the problem involves
something that tries to load itself at startup, such as a background application
or a device driver.

Once you enter safe mode, you can use MSCONFIG to prevent the problem
program from loading into the background at startup (as in Lesson 3) or disable
the device for which the driver is causing a problem (through Device Manager,
as you learned in Lesson 2).

You can't operate your PC normally in safe mode, or at least not very well.
Many of the items you normally expect to have at your disposal aren't
there, such as your CD/DVD drives and modem. Use safe mode only for
troubleshooting, then reboot into normal Windows 7 operation.

To enter safe mode, you need to display the Advanced Boot Options menu at
Windows 7 startup. After Windows 7 fails to start normally, it might display this
menu automatically the next time you try to boot. If it doesn't, press the F8 key
as the PC is booting. It can be tricky to press this key at just the right time. You
can't hold it down, or you'll get a Keyboard Stuck error message. Try pressing
and releasing F8 at one-second intervals starting at the moment the PC begins
its boot sequence. If you see the animated Windows 7 splash screen, you've
missed it.

When the Advanced Boot Options screen appears, select Safe Mode. Windows
7 boots into safe mode, which takes longer than usual to start up; this is
normal.

Ordinarily, you'll use the repair tools or Last Known Good Configuration
settings to fix any problems using safe mode. Follow the prompts to save your
changes and reboot your computer.
A method similar to using Last Known Good Configuration is to set restore
points using the System Restore utility. That's covered in the next section.

Creating and using restore points

The registry is a database of system settings that Windows 7 uses to start up
and to run the user interface and applications. It actually consists of several
files, although it appears as a single file when edited with REGEDIT, the
Registry Editor utility. The registry is essential for Windows 7 operation, and
only experienced users should edit it directly.

»  HP Everyday computing
Every application and device in a system affects settings in the registry. laptop PCs
However, it can get corrupted over time or through the installation of a bad
application or device. Fortunately, Microsoft created a program called System
Restore. This program takes snapshots (backs up) of the Windows 7 registry,
so if you have problems that involve registry settings, you can use System
Restore to revert the system to an earlier time prior to when problems began.

First, let's clarify what System Restore does and doesn't do. It's strictly a
registry and system settings backup. It doesn't back up data files or application
files. You can't use it as a substitute for a data backup utility.

Here's an example. Suppose you create a restore point (or one is created
automatically), install Microsoft Word 2007 and then create a document called
Important.doc. The Word application crashes repeatedly, even after you reboot,
and then you roll back the system to the saved restore point and reboot. Word
no longer appears to be installed; however, your data file is still present. If you
poke around on the hard disk, you'll find all the Word program files. System
Restore didn't delete any files; it just returned the registry to the state it was in
before Word 2007 installation.

Creating a restore point

Unless it's been set up differently or hard disk space is scarce, Windows 7
automatically creates a System Restore restore point every week and before
you install new software and hardware. That way, if there's a problem with
either type of installation, you have a simple way to get your system back to its
original state. Windows 7 retains restore points until the space reserved for
them fills up, and then it deletes the oldest restore points as new restore points
are created.

If you changed the settings for automatic creation of restore points, you can
create a restore point manually:

1. Select Start, type system protection in the search text box and select
Create a restore point from the resulting list. The System Properties
dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 5-1.
Figure 5-1: System Properties dialog box.

1. Click Create.
2. Type a description for the restore point (for example, Before Installing
Office 2007).
3. Click Create, click Close and then close the System Properties dialog
box.

Restoring a restore point

When a problem occurs and you need to go back to an earlier version of the
registry, do the following:

1. If Windows 7 won't start normally, start in safe mode.

2. Type System Restore in the Start menu search text box, then click the
System Restore entry in the resulting list.
3. Click Next to begin the restore process, select a restore point from the
list of available entries and then click Next again.
4. If the recommended restore point date is unsuitable for your needs, click
a different one of your own choosing. If you don't see one that you like,
click the checkbox next to Show more restore points to expand the
available list of items, and pick something else. Either way, click Next to
continue and then confirm the disks you wish to restore.
5. Click Finish, and then let Windows 7 lead you through restarting.
6. If you decide after restarting that you made a mistake in restoring that
point, reopen System Restore, click Undo System Restore, click Next
and then follow the prompts.

If you think you have a virus on your PC, disable System Restore until the
problem is cleared because you could inadvertently restore a virus-infected
file. To do so, select Start, right-click Computer and then select Properties.
In the task pane, click System protection and then click the Configure
button. When you turn off System Restore, all previously saved restore
points are deleted.

Sometimes restoring the registry is all you need to do to fix a problem. Other
problems aren't so simple. Read on to learn more about repairing Windows 7.

 
Repairing Windows 7
This section assumes that you have the following: Booting to CD or DVD

You have a problem with Windows 7 that you can't solve any other way.
You have an HP computer with a Recovery partition, or you have a copy of If your PC doesn't boot to the
the Windows 7 installation program on a genuine Windows 7 DVD or one CD or DVD drive, you must
you've built your own system repair disc. go into the BIOS Setup utility
for the PC and set the boot
To create a system repair disc, open Action Center, click Backup and Restore order so that it will look for
in the task pane and click Create a system repair disc. You may be prompted boot files on that drive (this
to insert Windows 7 media if this utility can't find all the files it needs to process varies by PC). As the
complete this task. Once the wizard begins just follow the prompts. PC begins booting, watch for
a message that says Press
{key} for Setup. Because this
If you have an HP computer with a Recovery partition, you can run the process varies, {key} may be
Recovery utility at startup. To do this, reboot your computer, and then closely Esc or F1 on your keyboard .
watch the bootup screen. When prompted, press F1 (or whatever key is Press it (quickly, before the
displayed) to enter Setup (the BIOS). In Setup, press the appropriate key (such message goes away), to
as F10) to enter Recovery and then follow the prompts to recover your system. enter the BIOS Setup utility
for the motherboard. From
there, carefully poke around
Put your Windows 7 DVD or the system repair disc in your PC, and then until you find a setting to
restart. It should boot from the disc into the Windows 7 Setup program. (You control which devices are
might have to go through a menu system for the recovery CD first.) bootable and in what order.
Make your CD drive the
highest-priority boot device,
When you boot from the Windows 7 DVD, or start the Windows 7 Setup then exit. Save your changes
program, one of the first questions it asks is whether you want to install and reboot.
Windows or repair an existing installation; you want to repair. Just follow the
prompts, and Windows 7 does its best to repair itself. The new Windows 7
installation media format also enables you to repair simple startup problems,
check system memory and perform a few other previously unseen tasks.

Reinstalling Windows 7

»  HP Ultra portable laptop

If repairing Windows 7 doesn't work for you, or if you can't do it for some PCs
reason, you can perform a clean installation.

With a clean Windows 7 installation, you usually reformat the hard disk, wiping
everything off the disk and reinstalling Windows 7 from scratch. This eliminates
all the problems you've been having; however, it comes at a cost: you'll have to
set up all your applications, hardware and settings from scratch. You might
need to download new drivers for some of the hardware, and you'll definitely
need to reconfigure your system for email, internet, networking and so on.
You'll also lose any data you've saved on your hard drive, so you should back
up important files before reinstalling Windows 7.

This is a project not to be undertaken lightly.

If you have the recovery media that came with your PC or created your own
recovery disc set, it probably has an option for doing a clean installation that
restores the PC to its original factory configuration. If so, it'll be very easy to
execute—just a few clicks or key presses to get it started.

If all you have is a regular Windows 7 Setup DVD, boot from the DVD and then
perform a new installation of Windows 7. When asked on which partition and
drive to put it, select the existing one and then select to reformat it through the
Setup program. From there, just follow the prompts.

It's highly recommended that you back up data files if possible. If the data
 files are located on the same drive and partition as the Windows 7
operating system when you reformat, the data files are erased.

Chances are you'll never need to reinstall the operating system, although if and
when you do, you'll be glad you know how.

Moving on

In this lesson, you learned how to cope when applications take a wrong turn.
You learned how to shut down applications when they're not responding, and
steps you can take to avoid problems in the future. You also learned about
alternative boot modes for Windows 7 and how to repair and reinstall Windows
7. In Lesson 6, you'll learn about utilities to enhance system performance.

Assignment #5
For this assignment:

1. Start any application on your computer and then open Task Manager.
2. Pretend the application is locked up, and then shut it down using Task Manager.
3. Close Task Manager.
4. Restart Microsoft Windows using the sub-menu provided by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
5. Create a restore point using the System Restore feature.
6. Boot Windows into safe mode. Explore a bit. Examine which drives are available in Computer
(select Start > Computer), and then restart into normal Windows operation.
7. (Optional) Create a system image of your Windows 7 system if you have adequate media.
8. (Optional) If you have a Windows 7 Setup DVD, boot from it and examine the beginnings of the
Setup utility. Don't actually reinstall Windows; abort the Setup after the first few screens, and
then reboot normally. Or, if you have a recovery disc, boot from it and read the introductory
screens. Don't actually restore and recover your system using it; abort the process before it
makes any changes, and then reboot.

Quiz #5
Question 1:
Which are possible root causes for application crashes? (Check all that apply.)
A) Programming errors
B) Compatibility problems
C) Device driver problems
D) Corrupted files
 
Question 2:
Which Windows utility do you use to shut down unresponsive applications?
A) Task Manager
B) System Editor
C) Check Disk
D) Disk Cleanup
 
Question 3:
True or False: You can use Windows XP Mode to run legacy programs.
A) True
B) False
 
Question 4:
To boot into safe mode, select it from the menu that appears when you press ____ as the PC is beginning to
boot.
A) F1
B) F5
C) Esc
D) F8
 
Question 5:
Which utility lets you use restore points to revert to an earlier version of the registry?
A) Disk Cleanup
B) System Information
C) System Restore
D) Task Manager
 

Optimizing Windows 7 by improving system performance

This lesson teaches you how to boost the performance of Windows 7 with some simple fixes and tweaks. You'll
learn how to improve disk performance, optimize your display settings and eliminate desktop clutter.
 

A better system awaits you

Welcome back. Almost everyone wants a PC that runs better, right? Whether
you'd like to make files open more quickly, create a more attractive Windows
desktop, or free up hard disk space, this lesson will help you out. Here, you'll
learn some practically painless ways to improve your Windows 7 computing
experience.

»  HP Monitors
Upgrading hardware

Although this lesson focuses on software improvements, don't forget that

hardware upgrades can boost system performance more dramatically than
software tweaks. First ask yourself: How could my system be improved? Is it
slow overall? Is it slow or choppy only when playing certain games? Is internet
speed unacceptable? Search for upgrades that address such specific
concerns.

Overall speed

Not enough RAM makes a system run more slowly than it would otherwise.
Microsoft recommends 1 gigabyte (GB) to run Windows 7; 2 GB or higher will
help the system run optimally. RAM is fairly inexpensive these days, and you
can install it yourself or let a professional do it. Of course, a new central
processing unit (CPU) and motherboard improve overall speed as well;
however, if you're willing to incur that much expense, you might be better off
buying a new PC instead.

Internet speed

Internet speed is determined mostly by your connection, not by PC hardware.

Therefore, any PC upgrades are unlikely to impact your internet experience. Go
broadband, if you haven't already. Cable and digital subscriber line (DSL) are
the best choices for residential users, and wireless routers let you access the
internet from anywhere inside the house without adding more wires. Many
businesses use a T1 line or higher speed connection.

Even if you don't need or want any new hardware, plenty of tweaks are
possible to pep up your PC. You'll learn about some of them in the remainder of
this lesson.

Defragmenting the file system

To understand fragmentation (and defragmentation) on a disk, you must know
a little about how a hard disk stores data.

Hard disk storage isn't necessarily physically sequential. Large files might
require multiple storage areas on disk, known as allocation units. For example,
suppose you have a spreadsheet file that takes up four allocation units on your »  Home servers and media
hard disk. If the file system writes them out side-by-side on the disk, this file is receivers
contiguously stored. Then let's say you store something else on the disk, which
gets placed next to the original spreadsheet file. When you go back and add
another page to that spreadsheet, it now requires five allocation units.
However, all allocation units immediately adjacent to the original file are
unavailable, so the file system finds an empty allocation unit elsewhere on the
disk where it stashes the extra piece. The spreadsheet file is no longer
physically contiguous on the disk: it's fragmented.

An allocation unit is the smallest unit of storage that can be addressed by

the operating system. Another name for it is cluster.

A fragmented file takes longer to read from the hard disk because the
read/write head has to jump to multiple locations to pick up the constituent
pieces and reassemble them in RAM. Therefore, it's beneficial to defragment
your hard disk periodically. Defragmenting rearranges the physical ordering of
file allocation units on the hard disk so that as many files as possible are
contiguous (in other words, not fragmented).

Defragmenting disks is highly recommended for improving system

performance. Some people never do this and their PCs continue to perform
pretty well. If you want to wring every last bit of performance out of your PC,
defragment your disks at least once a month.

To run Disk Defragmenter, select Start, type disk defrag in the search text box
and then select Disk Defragmenter from the resulting list. The Disk
Defragmenter window, shown in Figure 6-1, indicates whether the utility is set
to run on a schedule, and it displays the percentage of disk defragmentation for
each drive or partition. Click Analyze disk to determine if your disk needs to be
defragmented.

Figure 6-1: The Disk Defragmenter window shows that this disk does not
require defragmenting at this time.

Enlarge image

Windows won't defragment a disk unless at least 10 percent of the drive's

storage space is free. Most experts recommend you permit a drive to become
no more than 75 percent occupied. With 25 percent free space defragmentation
completes faster, because files have room to move around during the process.

Defragmenting a disk

To defragment a disk, select a disk in the Current status list and then click the
Defragment disk button. Don't use your PC while it's operating, because if it
detects changes on the disk it starts over. Also, depending on the size of the
hard disk and the level of fragmentation, this process could take some time.
Consider performing this process when you plan to be away from the computer
for a while.

You've learned how to defragment your hard disk to improve PC speed. Next,
you'll learn how to adjust your display settings to achieve an optimal video
experience.

Adjusting display settings

Windows 7 has four main display settings you can change: resolution, color Jargon buster
depth, refresh rate and font size. Let's look at each of these separately.

Hertz is a measure of cycles

per second. You might hear it
The optimal display settings for your monitor may be different if you have a used in terms of radio
flat-panel monitor. Check the documentation that came with your monitor to stations or electricity. In this
determine its optimal settings. case, however, it refers to the
number of times per second
the display refreshes
Resolution individual pixel locations or
phosphors.

Resolution is the number of pixels that make up the screen, where horizontal
values usually precede vertical ones. For example, the lowest resolution at A pixel is an individually
which Windows 7 operates normally is 800 x 600—800 pixels across and 600 addressable dot in a display
pixels high. That's a total of 480,000 pixels. mode. Each pixel can be
assigned a different color
value.
The Windows desktop expands itself to fit whatever resolution you select, so
you always have a full background. Similarly, the taskbar always stretches all
the way across the bottom of the screen. Nearly everything else in Windows 7
is measured in pixels. Therefore, the higher the resolution you select, the
smaller everything appears—the Start menu, dialog boxes and fonts change
size depending upon the resolution.

Your monitor has a maximum resolution it can support. If Windows 7 has »  HP iPAQ handhelds
correctly identified your monitor with Plug and Play, it's aware of your monitor's
capabilities and doesn't let you select a setting that it can't handle.

The video card also has a maximum resolution it can support; however, this is
more in terms of the video RAM available. The more RAM a video card has, the
higher the resolution it can support. The next section explains the equation for
calculating that value.

Resolution is a matter of personal preference. There's no one best setting.

It depends on your monitor size and your eyesight. However, lower
resolutions make the video card perform slightly better because it has to
deal with less data. On the other hand, most flat-panel displays look best
when run at their native or maximum resolution. You must decide what
works best for you.

To set screen resolution, right-click the desktop and then select Screen
resolution from the pop-up menu. Open the Resolution drop-down list, and then
drag the slider to change the resolution, as shown in Figure 6-2.

Figure 6-2: Changing screen resolution.

Enlarge image

Color depth

Color depth is the number of binary digits (bits) required to uniquely represent
the color for each pixel, for example:

16-bit color requires 2 to the 16th binary digits which enables 65,536
possible color values.
32-bit color requires 2 to the 32nd binary digits which enables 4,294,967,296
possible color values.

Higher color depth makes photos look better and more realistic. However, most
humans can't detect any differences between 16-, 24- and 32-bit color. At a
higher color depth, the video card sends the monitor more data, which makes it
work harder and means it might not perform as well in some situations.
Therefore, if your system's video performance isn't as good as you'd like, you
can sometimes improve it by decreasing the color depth.

You set color depth in the Advanced settings window from the Display control.
Right-click the desktop, select Screen resolution and then click Advanced
Settings. Click the Monitor tab in the resulting properties window, click the
Colors drop-down list and then select the color depth you want to use.

Refresh rate

The final piece of the display puzzle is refresh rate. This is mostly an issue on
cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors—that is, the traditional boxy kind, not the flat-
panel LCDs. Refresh rate is the number of times per second that the phosphors
inside the monitor are hit with electrons to make them glow. If the refresh rate is
too low, you might notice your screen flickering or you may experience
eyestrain from looking at it for a long time.

An LCD monitor has a refresh rate but it doesn't rely on phosphors, so it's
much less of an issue.

Refresh rate is measured in hertz (Hz), and the maximum refresh rate is
dependent on the monitor's capabilities and on the resolution at which you're
running the display. The higher the resolution, the lower the maximum refresh
rate.

To check your system's refresh rate, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the desktop, select Screen resolution and then click

Advanced settings. Click the Monitor tab.
2. Open the Screen refresh rate drop-down list, shown in Figure 6-3, and
check the available settings. There's no one correct value, although 60
to 75 Hz is a good "default" setting for most monitors. Lower refresh
rates are generally better for the life of the monitor, although they might
not look as good (flicker or flashing). Higher refresh rates look better and
make video games seem more responsive; however, they can be harder
on the monitor and can induce noise. Check with the manufacturer to
determine the best refresh rate for your monitor—59 or 60 Hz is a typical
setting for most LCD monitors.

Figure 6-3: Changing the refresh rate.

1. Click Apply, and then click OK again to apply the new setting. You'll
probably notice immediately that your display looks more stable and
solid, although it might be hard to put your finger on exactly why that's
true.

If Windows correctly identifies your monitor, there's no danger in selecting

the highest available setting. However, if Windows doesn't identify your
monitor correctly, there might be a setting on the list that's too high and can
damage your monitor. To play it safe, go with a mid-range setting, such as
60 Hz. To play it even safer, check the documentation for your monitor.

Font size

Sometimes screen resolution must compromise between workable viewing

area (the resolution) and the appearance of application windows, interactive
dialog boxes and associated text information. You can enhance desktop
appearance by adjusting font size dots per inch (dpi) to meld with your
preferred display settings, making otherwise illegible fonts highly readable.
Here's how:

1. Right-click the desktop, Personalize and then click Display.

2. In the task pane, click Set custom text size (DPI).
3. The Custom DPI Settings dialog box appears. Here you can start from
the default scale (100%) and select larger increments from the drop-
down list, or drag the ruler to specify your own custom font settings.

Now that your display looks as good as it can, let's focus on what you see on
your desktop.

Cleaning up the desktop

Over time, a Windows desktop can get cluttered with shortcut icons for
programs you don't use.

The simplest way to get rid of these icons is to delete them. Select one and
press Delete, or drag it to the Recycle Bin. You aren't deleting the program
itself—only the shortcut to that program. You can still run the program from the »  HP TouchSmart desktop
Start menu. PCs

In Windows 7, you can selectively show or hide active and inactive icons in the
notification area (system tray) and select which toolbars appear. Although this
can't resolve storage space issues, it can resolve any display issues with
toolbars and other icons that might inconvenience you.

To change icons that appear in the notification area, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the taskbar, and then select Properties. The Taskbar and
Start Menu Properties dialog box appears.
2. Click the Customize button on the Taskbar tab. The Notification Area
Icons window appears, listing taskbar icons.
3. To change an entry, open its drop-down list, as shown in Figure 6-4.
You can show or hide both icons and notifications, or show only
notifications as they occur. You can also turn system icons on and off,
restore default icon behaviors or even show everything, if you like.

Figure 6-4: Configuring icons that appear on the taskbar.

Enlarge image

1. When you're done, click OK.

You should keep only those icons you use all the time on your desktop. A
cluttered PC desktop is as bad for productivity as a cluttered desk in your
office. Read on to learn how to declutter the rest of your PC.

Deleting unnecessary files

Disk Cleanup helps you save hard disk space by offering to delete files (either
yours or everyone's files) it thinks you don't need. These files could include the
contents of the Recycle Bin, temporary internet files and other folders.

To run Disk Cleanup, follow these steps:

»  Everyday computing
desktop PCs
1. Select Start, type disk cleanup in the search text box and then select
Disk Cleanup in the resulting list.

If a Select Drive dialog box opens, pick the drive you want to clean and
click OK.

1. Disk Cleanup looks for files it can delete, and then lets you know which
types of files you can delete and the amount of disk space this frees up,
as shown in Figure 6-5.

Figure 6-5: Removing unnecessary files from your hard disk.

1. (Optional) Select a category, and then click View Files to see which files
it has identified in that category. Clear the checkbox next to individual
files or next to the entire category to leave those file(s) alone.
2. Click Clean up system files to accept the recommendations.

You can do your own hard disk cleanups, of course. Just go through all your
document files and delete any that you no longer want, or archive them to an
optical disk or other backup device. Also empty the Recycle Bin regularly.
In addition to deleting unnecessary files, uninstall any applications you don't
need. Windows uses hard disk space for different types of operations, such as
caching and virtual memory. The computer might not run reliably if free disk
space drops below 10 percent of total space. To see how much space remains
on your hard disk, click Start > Computer, and then view the bar graphs results
for each drive that appears in the Hard Disk Drives pane.

Use the Programs and Features applet in Control Panel to uninstall programs
you no longer use. For a refresher, see Lesson 3.

Using the Performance Information and Tools applet

The Performance Information and Tools applet in Control Panel acts as a
clearinghouse for all kinds of important systems tools and utilities. As shown in
Figure 6-6, the home screen for this applet displays ratings for key system
components—processor, RAM, graphics (and gaming graphics) and primary
hard disk—on a scale from 1.0 to 7.9.

»  Laptop and tablet PCs

Figure 6-6: The Windows Experience Index measures relative system

performance for your PC.

Enlarge image

Windows 7 provides links to Help files that explain the rankings ("What do
these numbers mean?") and how to improve system speed ("Tips for improving
your computer's performance").

The task pane includes several links to tools that affect system performance
and speed:

Adjust visual effects: Opens the Visual Effects tab in the Performance
Options dialog box; use this to adjust your system's graphical effects and
behavior. Turning on more effects looks nicer, but consumes more
resources; turning them off does the opposite.
Adjust indexing options: Controls which files, or categories of files, are
indexed on your disk(s) to speed up searches. This feature is explained in
the next section.
Adjust power settings: Opens the Power Options applet, in which you can
select from different power plans. This feature is discussed later in this
lesson.
Open disk cleanup: Opens Disk Cleanup for removing unnecessary files.
Advanced tools: Provides ready access to a smorgasbord of system
performance reporting and management tools, including the Event Log,
Performance Monitor, Resource Monitor, Task Manager, System
 Information, Disk Defragmenter and more.

If you want to know or do more to help your PC work at its best, you'll want to
explore this tool thoroughly. Next, let's take a closer look at how to adjust
indexing options.

Adjusting indexing options

When you click the Adjust indexing options link in the Performance and
Information Tools applet, the Indexing Options dialog box appears. Use this
tool to control which parts of the file system get indexed for searching. Clicking
the Modify button opens the Indexed Locations dialog box, which lists locations
on your computer that can be indexed, plus key applications such as Microsoft
Office Outlook or file collections such as Windows 7 Offline Files.
»  HP Ultra portable laptop
PCs
Although you can index entire disk drives, creating and maintaining large
indexes can slow your computer and increase search times. It's recommended
that you uncheck your system drive (usually C: on most Windows computers),
and think carefully before indexing any other hard disks in their entirety. Index
the folders where the good stuff is instead.

Windows 7 includes a terrific Help file for changing indexing settings. To access
this file, select Start > Help and Support, and then type change advanced
indexing options in the search box. There, you'll learn how to add file types to
the index, how to rebuild the index when it misbehaves, the ins and outs of
indexing encrypted files and how to change the location where the index is
stored.

Now that you've been introduced to indexing settings, let's move on to learn
how to adjust power settings.

Adjusting power settings

Click the Adjust power settings entry in the Performance Information and Tools
applet, or right-click the power icon in the notification area and select More
power options. The Power Options window appears. This controls the power
plan in effect for your PC, and helps you to manage how your machine
behaves when it's idle or unused. You can select from three power plans for a
Windows 7 PC:
»  HP iPAQ handhelds
Balanced (recommended): Strikes a compromise between high performance
and energy conservation
High performance: Focuses on raw performance over energy conservation
Power saver: Focuses on energy conservation over raw performance

Windows 7 also provides advanced power settings controls for all three power
plans. Click the Change plan settings link next to the current power plan to
display the Edit Plan Settings window shown in Figure 6-7.
Figure 6-7: Modifying power plan settings.

Enlarge image

In general, high-end desktop computers often use the High performance plan,
mid-range desktop PCs and desktop replacement notebook PCs use the
Balanced plan and notebook or netbook PCs operating on battery use the
Power saver plan. Given rising costs for power and more attention to energy
conservation, however, more companies and users are turning to the Balanced
plan to help conserve energy while achieving workable performance from their
PCs.

Moving on

Congratulations on completing this class. We hope you found it useful and

enjoyable, and that you're confident in troubleshooting and tuning your
Windows 7 system. You might even be able to help out your friends and family
with their systems. Before you move on, complete the assignment and take the
quiz for this lesson.

Assignment #6
For this assignment:

1. Defragment your hard disk using Disk Defragmenter.

2. Change the resolution of your display. If you don't like the new settings, restore the
original settings.
3. Change the refresh rate for your monitor, if possible. Restore the setting when
you're done.

If you have a flat-panel monitor, check the documentation for the proper monitor
settings. When in doubt, consult the vendor website.

1. Use the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box to modify your notification
area and toolbars on the desktop.
2. Use Disk Cleanup to delete any unneeded files.
3. Use any of the other tools and utilities discussed in the lesson, such as Indexing
Options or Power Options, to learn more about their features.

Quiz #6
Question 1:
What does Disk Defragmenter do?
A) Relocates file pieces into contiguous spaces
B) Checks disks for errors and fixes file system problems
C) Cleans up desktop shortcuts
D) Deletes unneeded temporary files
 
Question 2:
Where in Microsoft Windows do you change display resolution and color depth?
A) Display resolution
B) Computer
C) System properties
D) Display properties
 
Question 3:
Which display property is measured in hertz?
A) Screen resolution
B) Refresh rate
C) Color depth
D) Amount of video RAM
 
Question 4:
Which utility cleans up unnecessary files on your hard disk?
A) Desktop Cleanup
B) Disk Cleanup
C) System Properties
D) Disk Defragmenter
 
Question 5:
Which utility lets you view your computer's Windows Experience Index?
A) Windows Explorer
B) System Information
C) Disk Cleanup
D) Performance Information and Tools applet
 

© 2003 - 2010 Powered, Inc.