 Number 291 - August 2007 |
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| UNCLE TOM'S WIN TIPS | |
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compiled by Tom Steapnek, Tacoma Open Group for Microcomputers | |
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There are many web sites that provide a list of tips for use with WinXP. These tips usually make your job easier or improve the way you use the system. This new library column will contain a list of WinTips, updated whenever your librarian remembers to do so. However, this column will be different from those you might find on other websites. We plan to list only those tips that are hard to find or not well-known. Here is our initial list of WinTips. Let’s see what you think. Each tip is marked with the month it has been added. In this way you can quickly scroll down to the latest month and view any new tips that have been added.
If you have a tip that is little known but helpful, send it to Uncle Tom at That Pesky Error Reporting Window (Jun07) Many of you have experienced that pesky window that comes up when an error or exception occurs within a program or the operating system. The window asks if you wish to send a report to Microsoft on the details of the error. Many XP users wish they would never have to see that window again. Well, we can make that possible for you. Just right-click on My Computer, select Properties, and then select the Advanced Tab. At the bottom of that page, click on Error Reporting, then, on the new page, fill-in the circle to Disable Error Reporting. Finally, click OK and you will never again receive the notification. Reclaim Some Hard Drive Space (Jun07) If you browse your Windows folder with the Show Hidden Files Option turned on, you are likely to see files and folders with peculiar looking names. These files have similar names such as $NTUUninstallKB or $NTServicePackUninstall. These are uninstall files and folders for service packs and updates that WinXP installs over time. Some of these files can be very large (i.e., 5 MB) and thus consume hard drive space. These files can be deleted, as long as you do not plan to uninstall any updates. DO NOT DELETE the #hf_mig$ folder, as future updates may need |
some information contained in that folder. (Tip provided by Smart Computing Magazine, July 2007.)
NOTE: A program named Ccleaner (Ccleaner.com) can be configured to eliminate these files that are over 30 days old. Download the program and be sure to read all the help files. This is a powerful program that can save the user time in cleaning up his system of unwanted or unnecessary files.) Prefetch Folder and Files (Jun07) If you browse your Windows folder with the Show Hidden Files Option turned on, you will see a subfolder named Prefetch, with dozen of files contained within. Each of these files was created by WinXP to more quickly run your applications. However, the little time it saves in starting an application and the hard drive space lost in containing these files suggests it is not worth keeping these files that are older than 30 days. A lot of hard drive space can be retrieved by deleting these files. (Librarian note here: The Ccleaner program can also be configured to eliminate these files each time it runs.) Event Viewer Did you ever have an application freeze up on you, or WinXP notify you that the application must be shut down, but you have no idea why? Usually you go on and restart the application or move on to a different task. Did you know that XP logs the event in a file that you can access? After making a note of the exact time and date of the event, go to Control Panel, click on Administrative Tools, then Event Viewer, then the Application Tab. Scroll down until you find the time of your event and right click anywhere on that line. You will be presented with a window that contains all the information related to the event. You may not be able to understand the explanation, but you can make a copy of the report and send it to someone who can help you interpret it. (Tip provided by a Smart Computing Magazine subscriber.) |
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Number 291 - August 2007
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