Perk Up Your PC With Six Quick and Easy Tweaks

Simple system tuneup suggestions; create virtual CDs on your notebook's hard drive.

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With spring right around the corner, it's time to give your PC its annual sprucing up. Here are six no-cost, no-hassle tune-up tips to keep your system purring.

Prevent your disks from slipping: The venerable ScanDisk utility in Windows 98 and Me is reduced to a dialog box section labeled 'Error-checking' in Windows 2000 and XP, but it's still a great tool for identifying bad sectors and gauging the disk's health. In 98 and Me, click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, ScanDisk. Select the Thorough option and click Start. At the prompt let ScanDisk automatically fix any errors it finds. To scan a disk in Windows 2000 and XP, right-click the drive's icon in Windows Explorer or any folder window and select Properties, Tools, Check Now. Choose Automatically fix file system errors and click Start.

Take out the garbage: Now toss the temporary files that clutter up your system. Click Start, Programs (All Programs in XP), Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup. Select your drive and click OK. Check or uncheck the options and click OK and Yes.

Keep your drivers up-to-date: If your PC is working well, there's no reason to install updates for your hardware drivers, with three exceptions: First, while the latest graphics driver might not perceptibly change the quality of your display, it may prevent system crashes or other conflicts. Second, update the driver for any device that was not originally installed in your PC. The driver that shipped with the product is probably out of date. And third, set Windows to check for updates automatically. (See "76 Ways to Get More Out of Windows" for more on managing your Windows updates.)

Delete doppelgänger drivers: When adding new hardware or updating drivers, Windows may create two Registry entries for one device or fail to delete the entry for a removed component. To delete duplicate or unnecessary Registry entries, right-click My Computer and select Properties. In Windows 98 and Me, click the Device Manager tab. In Windows 2000 and XP, click the Hardware tab and then the Device Manager button. Double-click a device type to see its installed devices, and double-click a device to view its drivers. Remove duplicate or unneeded entries by selecting them and pressing Delete.

Get your data ducks in a row: Over time, Windows and various programs scatter data all over your hard disk. Your apps slow down because they must take longer to read the files they need. Windows' Disk Defragmenter reorganizes your data into contiguous, easy-to-read blocks. Click Start, Programs (All Programs in Windows XP), Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter. Note: Defragmenting multigigabyte drives takes hours, so run the utility overnight with no other apps open. Close all background programs as well, including your firewall, antivirus software, and screen saver. Deactivate hibernate or sleep mode to keep the defragmenter from being shut down before it finishes.

Speed your swap file: Your virtual memory (aka swap file) runs fastest if it's not fragmented. But Disk Defragmenter doesn't work on swap files. If you have a second hard disk or a single disk with two partitions, defragment the partition or disk not holding the swap file, and then move the file to that disk or partition. To optimize virtual memory in Windows XP, click Start, Control Panel (select Performance and Maintenance if you're in Category view), System, Advanced. Under 'Performance' select Settings and choose Advanced, Change. Select a drive in the top box and click Custom size (see FIGURE 1

Figure 1: Give your PC new pep by adjusting its virtual memory, or swap file.

). In Windows 2000, click Start, Settings, Control Panel, System, Advanced, Performance Options, Change. In Windows 98 and Me, choose Start, Settings, Control Panel, System, Performance, Virtual Memory. Select Let me specify my own virtual memory settings. Your swap file should be 2.5 to 3 times the size of your system's RAM. Enter this amount in both the 'Minimum' and 'Maximum' boxes ('Initial size' and 'Maximum size' in 2000 and XP). Click OK and Yes (if necessary) to confirm the change.

Discless Wonder

CDs: Don't leave home with them! V Communications' CD Anywhere lets you create virtual CDs on your hard drive so you no longer have to carry jewel cases with you. The virtual CD on the hard drive runs exactly like the real one would in a standard CD drive, without the hassle of inserting a disc. CD Anywhere is really handy for whiling away the hours on long, cramped flights with a notebook full of tunes. The program is free to try and $40 to keep. Visit our CD Anywhere review page for more information.