Number 203 - April 2000

Computer Maintenance - Part 5 Deleting Duplicate Files (aka "Twins")
by Jennifer Fulton www.ivillage.com/click/experts/computingcoach/archive
Normally, the announcement that you're having twins is met with great happiness--but not when it comes to `twin,' or duplicate, files on your computer. This article will show you how to remove these `twins' and free up hard disk space.     Rather than spending the rest of your life hunting down twin files, you might want to download a nifty utility called Space Hound.     Many Windows applications use files called DLLs that contain a collection of common routines, such as displaying dialog boxes or menus. DLLs are meant to be shared by several applications in order to cut down on duplicate programming codes. Sometimes, however, that just doesn't happen. You see, many installation programs install their DLLs in a certain program's private directory, instead of the Windows System directory, where they are supposed to be placed. As a result, you end up with a lot of the same files scattered throughout your computer instead of having your programs simply share them.     Now, rather than spending the rest of your life hunting down these twin files, you might want to download a nifty utility called Space Hound. You'll find it at http://www.fineware.com. Once you install the program, simply set the Hound loose, and let it sniff out those duplicate files you don't need. (Wait! Before you do that, see "Troubleshooting DLL Conflicts" on page 7 of this issue - ed). Final Thoughts     I thought that I would end this series on getting the most out of Windows by listing some other things you might do to optimize your operating system. Here are my final thoughts on the matter:	    One thing you can do to really improve your situation is to streamline your startup by clearing out unwanted programs from your WindowsStartUp folder.     You can prevent the Windows logo from flashing you in the face during startup by editing the MSDOS.SYS file using Notepad. You'll find MSDOS.SYS hanging out in the Windows directory. After you open the file using Notepad, skip down to the Options section, and add the line, Logo=0 (that's Logo equals zero). Save the file and restart your system to test it.     Restart your computer every two or three days, at least. If, like me, you don't feel like wasting time each day turning off/on your computer, you might begin to simply leave it on all the time. This is fine, as far as the computer itself is concerned, but it's not so great for Windows, which tends to get confused after a while. So give your operating system a break and restart the computer every two or three days (or every day, if you have the time and the patience).     Upgrade to Windows 98 SE. If you're using Windows 98, the best thing you can do for yourself is to get the upgrade to SE, which was released just recently. This update fixes all those mysterious, annoying glitches that Windows 98 was famous for. So, save what's left of your hair and your sanity and get the upgrade.     When installing a program, choose the Minimum or Typical option whenever possible. This will allow you to install only the most commonly used features, and save a lot of hard disk space in the process.     Well, I hope you enjoyed this series on taming your Windows monster. Good luck, and great computing!
Number 203 - April 2000