1. You can stop unnecessary programs from launching. These extra applications increase the time your system takes to boot and sit in the background taking up valuable system resources.
2. Clean your hard drive by uninstalling programs you don’t use on your computer.
3. Eliminate parallel printers because Win2000/XP don’t support parallel-port interrupts.
4. Check your memory because you may be forcing your computer to use the hard drive as “virtual memory,” which is much slower than RAM (Random Access Memory). You may need to increase your RAM to at least 250MB.

Color Printer Problem
If you have a color printer and it won’t print in color, check the settings. Some color printers are set to print black and white by default. To change it, you have to open and change the printer's settings. Even if you are not having any problems, it's usually a good idea to check your printer's settings. Using these settings you can set the printer to work in different modes. For example, you might keep your color printer set on Normal and only use the High Quality settings for important documents. Not only is it faster to print in Normal mode, but you save ink, too. You might also want to disable color matching because it slows down printing. It’s recommended that you leave the setting on black and white because most print jobs don't need color. If printing out a Web page, you probably don't want the ads in color. When you do want a color picture, click File, Print, and then click the Properties button. You can change to color for just that picture which will not change the default setting. Depending on your printer, your setting may be somewhere else. With WinXP, click Start, Printers and Fax, and double-click your printer. In the window, click Printer, Printing Preferences. Click the Paper/Quality tab, select Color, and click Apply, OK. On Win98/ME, click Start, Settings, Printers. If you're not using your color cartridge on a regular basis, print a test sheet every week. This action will keep the jets from being blocked by dried ink.

Emergency Computer Recovery
Should you experience a major computer problem, there are several troubleshooting steps which may help solve it. Start by making sure that all of your power switches are turned on and the cables and cords securely connected to outlets and equipment. Check, too, the fuse or reset switch on your surge protector. Next, look in Device Manager. Windows’ Device Manager will tell you if a component isn’t working properly. To open Device Manager in Win98/Me/2000, right-click My Computer and select Properties. In WinXP, open System Properties, select the Hardware tab, and click the Device Manager button. A red X or a yellow circle with an exclamation point appearing next to the name of a device indicates a problem. Double-click the listing to display the device’s Properties screen, and then look in the ‘Device status’ box for more information. The next step should be to test your suspicions. Many times computer problems are the result of insufficient memory. If you think a sound card, network adapter, CD-RW drive, or other device is malfunctioning, disable it and see if the problem goes away. Open the device’s Properties dialog box. Under the General tab, choose Disable in this hardware profile for Win98/Me/2000 or Do not use this device on the “Device usage” drop-down menu in WinXP

If you’re still experiencing trouble, turn off and unplug your computer, use a grounding wrist strap, open its case, and make sure every cable and connector is attached to something. Sometimes just detaching a connector and then reattaching it will take care of a problem. Don’t forget that many hardware problems arise from conflicts relating to a device’s software drivers. Check the Web site of your system or device manufacturer for updates. To find the version of your currently installed driver, open the Properties dialog box and click the Driver tab. WinXP has a handy button on the tab that lets you reinstall an old driver when a newly installed one causes problems. If you have or can obtain a hardware diagnostic program, use it in hopes of identifying and/or isolating your problem. If you’re setting up a new computer or peripheral, install its software from the unit’s CD first before connecting an external device to your PC otherwise there will be a computer problem. At this point if all else fails, either contact Tech Support and/or a computer repair person.

Hard Drive Noise
Typically, if you hear noises such as grinding, scraping, clicking, they are all signs that the read/write heads are going “south” with your hard drive. These heads fly over the hard drive's platters, putting files together. If they come into contact with the platters, the hard drive fails. Without the read/write heads, you can't access your data. If you hear these noises, don't hesitate to immediately backup your data. You can burn it to a CD, DVD, or copy it to a Zip drive disk. Another nasty noise is a whining sound. This noise probably is a bearing that is failing on your drive. Again you should backup your data to another drive. According to techie lore, you can take a nonworking drive, seal it in a bag, and put it in a freezer overnight. That could shrink things enough to free them up. Hard drives have grown more reliable over the years, but they still fail with alarming regularity. A backup routine can save you a lot of money and stress. At one time, your choice was a stack of floppy disks or tape. Tape is still viable, but they and their drives are expensive. Many users have second hard drives. However, for maximum protection, you need a media that can be removed and taken to another location. A CD or DVD burner is viable, as is a Zip drive. If your hard drive fails, a recovery company may be able to save your data. This work can be very expensive, but may be worthwhile if your data is valuable. It can also be time-consuming.

Scandisk
To run Scandisk, close out all applications. Scandisk starts over every time it encounters an open file. If you have problems with Scandisk or Disk Defragmenter not completing these tasks or having to restart many times, try starting windows in Safe Mode and then running the program. To start in Safe Mode tap the F5 key after you have started your computer but before the windows screen pops up. You will see a box that explains that you are in Safe Mode. Click OK and proceed to run Scandisk or Defrag. When in Safe Mode your video display will change to 16 colors and you will not have sound. However, those features will return once you have restarted your computer after completing Scandisk or Defrag. Although certainly not recommended, but if you must cancel Scandisk after starting it, simply key in xxx as it launches itself. It will stop immediately and allow you to start normal work on the computer. If you stop Scandisk, make a mental note to run it within a day. If you find your system trying to start Scandisk every time you turn on the computer, then it’s time for some professional maintenance help.

Service Packs
Microsoft (MS) has recently shipped Service Pack 2 for Office XP. It corrects all previously known bugs in Office XP. Besides addressing a number of security holes in Office XP, SP-2 also fixes various minor annoyances and irritations with Word 2002 and Excel 2002. A word of caution, though, should be keep in mind regarding these service packs. You should not assume that every MS service pack will resolve all problems with your operating system or Word. Updates should be viewed with suspicion. To be safe, set a Restore Point when downloading any Windows or Office update. Many computer users have experienced problems with both service packs.

Shutdown Problems
If you have problems shutting down Windows and recently installed software/hardware, try uninstalling it. If that doesn’t cure the problem, check with the manufacturer for a solution. If you're still having a problem, the culprit could be a driver or a damaged exit sound file. Try pressing Alt-Tab to switch to a different running application. Press Ctrl-Alt- Delete, to see if the Windows Task Manager pops up. If it does, your system’s probably not frozen, and you should be able to click Close Program in Win9x/Me or Task Manager in WinXP to shut down programs that are hung up and regain control of your system. In Win9x/Me press Ctrl-Alt-Delete so the Close Program window appears. Click the name of the program you wish to shut down and then click End Task. Feel free to disable every entry except Explorer and Systray, which are the only two programs Windows needs in order to operate. In WinXP, choose the Applications tab, click the name of the frozen program and End Task. You can also click the Processes tab and look in the CPU column for an entry with a value of 90 or more that isn’t named System Idle Process. Click the entry to highlight it and click End Process. You might need to click End Task or End Process many times to get a stubborn program to shut down. If you still can’t shut down your unit, see if it has a reset button and try holding it down for 10 seconds to turn off the system. Failing this option, when your hard drive access light, which is usually green or amber, no longer blinks, then pull the power cord. MS has information for all three operating systems. Find it at:

• For Windows 98
• For Windows ME
• For Windows XP
  

Start Menu Cleanup
If your Win98 Start Menu is cluttered with too many unused programs in this listing, get rid of anything in the Start menu by right-clicking the Item’s Name and selecting Delete from the appearing menu.

Finally, if the power supply is functioning correctly on your computer, it’s easy to forget one’s there. Yet when a power supply is overloaded or failing, problems quickly appear with your computer. Although a computer with a faulty power supply may exhibit a variety of symptoms, the most common are mysterious reboots of your operating system or a failing hardware device. One of the more common symptoms you may experience is caused by overloading your power supply with a new component. Another symptom of an overloaded or failing power supply is one or more components suffering from degraded performance. In this case, a component may function, but only because it’s receiving a limited amount of wattage. Overheating is another common problem with power supplies. There are two main factors that can cause your power supply to overheat: overloading and inadequate cooling. Keeping your power supply cool is the key to a healthy computer. When your power supply overheats, it becomes less efficient and can not supply enough power. It also may experience drops or surges on the rails that damage your computer’s components. Instead of trying to repair a bad power supply, it’s best to just replace it with a new one.