Mobile Computing: Tune-Up Time

How to clean out, tune up, and improve the performance of your notebook.

James A. Martin

Feature: TLC for Your Notebook

Do you haul your notebook PC here, there, and everywhere? Work on it day in and day out? Under all sorts of conditions? Join the club. But your notebook needs a little TLC now and then, if it's to stay in tip-top shape. So here are some suggestions for spring cleaning your notebook because, to paraphrase Queen Latifah in Chicago, when you're good to your notebook, your notebook's good to you.

Make a Pitstop

PC Pitstop is a free Web service (which we shamelessly promote on the PCWorld.com Tools page) that examines your notebook's hard drive, memory, security, Internet connection, ActiveX settings, and other components, then recommends fixes and performance enhancers. I've used it several times and always found its advice helpful and easy to understand. And, as I said, it's free.

Check Errors

Let's face it, Windows isn't the tidiest operating system ever invented. Over time, system errors and bad sectors can pop up, causing Windows and its applications to grow sluggish.

It's a good idea to use the Error-checking system tool (formerly ScanDisk) in Windows XP and Windows 2000, preferably weekly. Go to the Start menu, select My Computer, and right-click the disk you want to check (such as the C: drive). In the pop-up menu, select Properties. Click the Tools tab, select Check Now for Error-checking, click the "Check disk options" you want, and click Start. Make sure all open files are closed before you run this utility.

Defrag Your Drive

Your computer files and free disk space become scattered over time (a feeling I can identify with). The result is that it gradually takes longer for your hard drive to read and write files. About once a month, you should tidy things up with Windows' Disk Defragmenter. The utility groups everything together more logically on your drive for efficiency's sake.

In most Windows versions, Disk Defragmenter is found in Systems Tools. In Windows XP, go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, Systems Tools. Disk Defragmenter can take a while to work--particularly if you haven't used it before or recently--so don't start it until you're ready for a latté break.

Sweep Away the Rubbish

Over time, Windows gets bogged down by accumulated cookies, temporary Internet files, and other ephemera. The Windows Disk Cleanup utility is a useful tool for making a clean sweep of files that you don't need. In Windows XP, go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, Disk Cleanup. On the Disk Cleanup tab, check the types of files (such as Temporary Internet Files) you want deleted. If you click the More Options tab, you can also remove optional Windows components, infrequently used programs, and system restore points.

Wipe Down the Screen

Invariably, your notebook's LCD will become decorated with smudges or streaks. To keep your screen in tip-top shape, be sure to have premoistened screen cleaners in sealed packets on hand. I use Endust for Electronics Anti-Static Wipes to clean my notebook screen as well as to wipe the keyboard on occasion. The wipes cost about $7 for a package of six pads. I usually buy them in an office supply or electronics store, and they're available online at Keysan.

Clean Out the Keyboard

Got crumbs between your keyboard keys? Blast them out with canned, compressed air cleaners, which send a whoosh of air between the keys. Canned air cleaners cost from $6 to $12. When you're traveling, leave the canned air at home (it's combustible) and pack a keyboard brush instead, which I've seen for about $4. Check out both products at Kensington or office supply stores such as Staples.

And If That's Not Enough...

As you can see, Windows (particularly versions beginning with Windows 98 and later) includes some useful system tune-up tools. If you really want to tinker under the hood, though, consider buying a program such as Norton SystemWorks 2003. SystemWorks is a bundle of utilities that handles routine house-cleaning chores and also scans for viruses, repairs infections automatically, provides tools for quick recovery after a crash, and more. SystemWorks 2003 Professional Edition adds to that Norton Ghost, which lets you clone one hard drive onto another (useful for disaster recovery and backup). You can use the PCWorld.com Product Finder to check the latest prices for SystemWorks 2003 (list price: $70) and SystemWorks 2003 Professional (list: $100).

For more spring-cleaning tips, see:

• "Home Office: Spring Cleaning for Your PC"
• "Apps for Tweaking PC Performance"
• "Tools for Trouble-Free Computing"

NOTEBOOKS & ACCESSORIES

Test Report: A Stylish Toshiba Satellite

The Toshiba Satellite 5205-S503 looks good and sounds terrific, but scrimps on the components found in Toshiba's 5205-S703 and S704 multimedia models (it lacks the DVD-RW drive and mini LCD touchpad, for example). Nonetheless, this is still a sleek, wireless-ready notebook. The plastic lid reminded us of the glossy hood of a sports car, and we loved the blue lower casing and silver-and-black music control panel on the front. But its weight of 8.7 pounds and lack of legacy connections such as parallel, serial, and PS/2 ports gave us pause.

For the latest prices (about $1549 and up), go to our Product Finder.

News: It's All About Speed, Part I

Sony's internal DVD recorder, the DRU-500A, earned a PC World Best Buy partly for its ability to record in both the DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW formats (most DVD burners force you to choose). The Japanese electronic giant is offering new internal and external versions of the drive that are capable of recording DVD+R/RW discs up to 4X, twice as fast as the earlier model. CD burning speeds jump from 10X to 16X. The external DRU-510UL--which notebook users might consider for backup and video authoring--will cost about $430 when it's available in June.

News: It's All About Speed, Part II

Intel has squeezed more speed out of its Mobile Pentium 4-M processor and has also introduced new Mobile Celeron processors. The Mobile Pentium 4-M now comes in a 2.5-GHz version, an incremental jump from the 2.4-GHz chip that once ruled the roost. You're most likely to find this chip in desktop replacement notebooks. The new Mobile Celerons run at 2.2 GHz and 1.26 GHz and are aimed at the low-end notebook market.

HANDHELDS

News: Palm Gets a Memory Upgrade

In terms of memory, Pocket PCs have had the edge over Palms. PDAs from Palm have been limited to 16MB for years, while Pocket PCs have been capable of using up to 128MB of memory. But that lopsided equation has become equal at last, with Palm's announcement that the Palm OS is now capable of using up to 128MB.

News: Accessorize Your Axim

Belkin has announced more than half a dozen add-on products for Dell's Axim Pocket PC. Among its new accessories are a car charger ($20), screen overlays ($23) to protect the display, and a USB sync charger kit ($23) that lets you sync and charge your Axim using your notebook's USB port. For more information, go to the Belkin Web site.

WIRELESS

Trend: The Walkie Talkie Returns

Mobile phones with push-to-talk capabilities are poised to become one of this year's hottest wireless trends. With PTT-enabled phones from such vendors as Nextel, you can push a button and converse, walkie-talkie style, with someone using a similarly equipped phone. Though Nextel has dominated this nascent service since the mid nineties, the competition is heating up. Ericsson recently announced its Instant Talk system. Based on open standards, Instant Talk should allow cell phone carriers with different types of networks to easily provide the service to customers. Ericsson's technology will be available to carriers later this year, the company said.

News: Get the Score

Sports fans, heads up: You can now get the latest scores from ESPN sent directly to your mobile phone. The service, which should cost an extra $3 to $5 per month, delivers the sports broadcaster's BottomLine score ticker to a programmable cell phone. In the future, the service is expected to include images, too.

Suggestion Box

Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it.

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