Home Computer Talk

In Part One of ‘Old Age…?’ I talked about defragmenting and the speed increases it can give. There is another process which Windows doesn’t do well at and it has to do with the files most people never see.

Everyone knows about icons – those little pictures that appear on the desktop when we install programs. In fact some people think they are the program itself. Mr. JM has on occasion told me of clients being upset about deleting their program when in reality they simply removed the icon.

Quite a number of us know of, or have heard about the .EXE files; the executable parts of programs that are usually what the icon points to. But only the computer-savvy know about the libraries and other files that the programs use to perform their functions. Some of these files are common files – in other words, they are used by multiple programs.

The problem comes in because the programmers can’t be sure you actually have the correct version of such files on your computer – so they install their version, usually without bothering to ask you about it.

So, when you install software, there can eventually be a mix of files versions with a variety of functions inside them. This mess can slow things down drastically.

Note the following is for Windows XP; when my budget allows purchase of a Vista-capable computer I will be able to cover the subject of rebuilding a Vista machine.

To fix this, the simplest method requires a Windows Boot disk; we all have our original Windows CDs right? For those buying a computer, you should make sure you get original media, just in case. It’s all very nice to have a recovery partition on the Hard Disk, but sometimes the Hard Disk dies and then you’re left with a door stop.

If you don’t have the CD, there are a variety of ways to get one. It gets a little more difficult for those with non-legal computers, but a search on the internet can provide ways to build a bootable Windows CD.

The trick is to start with the Windows CD instead of your Hard Disk (what usually happens), then use the built in repair function to rebuild your original Windows setup.

In the next post, I will go step-by-step through the process of running the repair, but for those who know how to boot to CD, and who know what a partition is, here’s the basic trick. You DO NOT want to run the first repair option; make sure you get past the ‘Press F8 to Accept…’ screen then run the Repair option that is offered.

Warnings: Do NOT Delete the Partition. Do NOT Format the disk. When it finds your current Windows installation (usually on the C Drive) accept the option to repair that install.