Darrell’s Day
If you read my last post, you’ll read a little of the story of Nathaniel Darrell, who saved Britain from the Dutch. I just thought I’d search for Darrell’s Day in Google. I then opened a site, which because it had an embedded QuickTime video in it, locked up my computer. I’m running IE8 in Vista and there are many forums that say that QuickTime and Vista are like oil and water. So I then tried to uninstall QuickTime and the uninstall software seemed to get in a pickle.
If I’d written software with those number of problems, I’d have been very ashamed of what I had done!
It’s only when you have had a stroke or have suffered serious injury or disability, that you realise how truly crap some programs are. Perhaps, such people should do most of the program testing. Preferably with the programmers in the same room, so that they could vent their feelings properly. Sometimes, I think various other instruments should be available for use in the testing process, but then I’m against violence and capital punishment.
Just think of the times recently, where software has been released without adequate testing and it has caused true distress and even possibly loss of life.
Anti-Virus Protection
For years, I’ve used McAffee, but when it came to renew this year, they wanted me to take all sorts of software that I don’t need. I very much object to the completely unnecessary SiteAdvisor. At 62, I’m perfectly capable of deciding what I want to look at.
So McAffee has had to go. Sad really, as indirectly I was an investor in the company and I made some money and they have served me well for years. But why should I buy things I don’t need.
So what have I done?
Programmers know where to get trusted software and one of those resources is SourceForge. There I have found a free anti-virus program called ClamWin.
It installed easily, although McAffee tried to stop the installation.
I’ll let you know how I get on.
Silk Icons
There is a lot of good free stuff on the Internet. I’ve just upgraded MX73 with the Silk Icons from a guy in Birmingham. West Midlands not Alabama!
MX73 with the Silk Icons
At least the software is coming on fast. It’s one of the advantages about living alone. There is no-one to tell you when you are working too hard!
How to Keep Your Computer Running Smoothly
This post really has been brought about because many of my friends seem to struggle keeping their computers working smoothly. And it doesn’t seem to matter whether they are Macs or Windows PCs.
Children and Young Adults
A lot of the problems I have found seem to stem from allowing teenage and sometimes older children to use the machine, as they gum it up with massive video and music files and inappropriate software. This would not normally be a problem, but many older people are careful with their computers and often run one that is a bit older and therefor short of both disc space and memory.
So the answer should be no, when your child asks if they can update their iPod.
Not Enough Memory
I also find that a lot of PCs don’t have enough memory, so make sure that you have at least two gigabytes. To find out how much you have go to the Control Panel and display the System. This should tell you. It is usually a simple matter to purchase more memory from someone like Crucial over the Internet. Installation is not difficult on many machines, but if you can’t do it yourself, there are plenty of your friends who can do it.
Slow Starting Up
Slow start-up of a computer is often caused by loading too many programs at the beginning. Many software companies think that their products are so important that they preload every time you start the machine. But do you really want them loaded every time. This page says how you remove them for Windows XP. For Vista it is quite similar except that you’ll need to find the Run command, which is in Accessories.
Updating Windows and Programs
I also always update my computer to the latest versions of Windows. Some people set the settings to do this, but set it for the middle of the night and then it either doesn’t get done or makes your computer extremely slow in the morning. If your computer always seems to have a hangover when you start it up, move the update download to a more convenient time.
Backing Up
And then there is the need to backup everything regularly. I backup all my important documents and my e-mails to an external hard disc at least once a week. Good external hard discs, usually cost about £50 and just plug in to your USB ports.
You can also back-up to SD cards, like you get in digital cameras. This is to be recommended for important documents and pictures, that say go with a particular project you have worked on. Can you be sure that DVDs will still be readable in twenty years? I suspect they will, but I reckon SD cards are a better bet. You can get very affordable and good ones from Memory Bits.
Cleanliness
A last point and one that is often forgotten. Keep your computer clean!
The Anonymous Widower 