RHFtech Help Desk (and more)

I frequently install HP printer and all-in-one software for myself and clients. It never works the way the instructions indicate. NEVER!!!!!!!!! And it takes forever to install.

Have the software engineers at HP ever tried to use this stuff? My experiences suggest the answer is no.

Setting up these devices on networks is a waste of time since the network setup rarely sees the devices during installation. The software never see the scanner part of these devices. So network scanning is reduced to using the device’s built-in web client rather than the HP Pro Scan utility that comes with the device.

I think it is time to switch to Canon or Brother in the hope that their engineers know how to code installation applications.

This post is part 3 of a 5 part series. It addresses deleting unneeded items and organizing your hard drive files, for Windows and Macs.

Part 1 covers physical cleaning.
Part 2 covers uninstalling applications or stopping unneeded ones from auto loading at boot time.

Computers collect temporary files in a variety of locations. One might expect that the operating system would automatically delete these files once they have served their purposes. Neither Windows nor OS X cleans up after itself as much as user might like. The Windows Recycle Bin and OS X’s Trash folder can consume significant amounts of hard drive space.

Windows

Windows comes with Disk Cleanup a built-in application for cleaning up these files. It is located in the same place on XP, Vista and Windows 7. Launch the tool by clicking the Start button and navigating to Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup.

The initial Disk Cleanup dialog, Select Drive asks which hard drive to clean up. Clicking the OK button starts the program’s analysis phase. It catalogs potential file cleanups in a variety of drive locations. When this phase is complete, you are presented with a dialog and a selection of check boxes to choose what to delete.

Some of the choices are checked by default. These are things like Downloaded Program Files or Temporary Internet Files. One unchecked choice may be Office Setup Files. It is NOT a good idea to delete these files. If you delete them, you may be asked to insert your Office setup CD or DVD on the next update. Make your choices and click the OK button. The cleanup operation starts. When it is done, the dialog will disappear.

CCleanup is a free, far more comprehensive Windows cleanup utility.

It is a good idea to defragment the hard drives when Disk Cleanup is done. Cleanup frees up space but leaves your hard drive’s file system sub-optimized. Defragging a hard drive reorganizes the files to make it more efficient for disk reads and writes.

Launch the tool by clicking the Start button and navigating to Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter. Then select the hard drive and click the OK button. XP and Windows 7 have an Analyze button and a Defragment button. Vista has only a Defragment now… button.

XP differs from Vista and Windows 7. The latter two Windows versions defragment hard drives automatically on a schedule that was created when the operating system was installed. XP requires the user to manually execute Disk Defragmenter.

XP users can create an automated defragmentation schedule by using the built-in Scheduled Tasks application. Launch the tool by clicking the Start button and navigating to Accessories > System Tools > Scheduled Tasks.

It is best not to use your computer during this operation. Defragmentation can take several hours on large, fragmented drives. So it may be a good idea to run this overnight when you do not need to use the computer.

Macs

OS X is better than Windows about cleaning up. It regularly, automatically deletes temporary files and defragments hard drives.

But at times, it too needs manual, user intervention. You need to manually empty the Trash when your hard drive is filling up.

OmniDiskSweeper is a free Mac utility like the above-mentioned CCleanup.

Onyx is a more comprehensive, free Mac utility, featuring maintenance, optimization, and personalization.

Biological infections have catchy names like the plague, measles, or swine flu. Hurricanes have peoples names, like Andrew or Katrina. But computer infections have epithets like W32.Simouk, W32.Gaobot.AJD and, of course, Confiker (AKA Downadup). At first glance you might mistake these for celebrity baby names.  I am pretty certain they are not. So why do we have these strange, often unpronounceable, concoctions of letters and numbers that refer to computer infections?

I don’t know. I wish I did. But I have an idea to reform the computer infection naming enterprise and turn it in to a money making scheme for some deserving charity like the Aging Geeks Retirement Fund (AGRF).

We should appoint an international body, like the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) or The Internet Engineering Task Force, to regulate the naming of computer infections. They could then auction off the choice of names to the highest bidder.

If you are rich, vain and indifferent to bad publicity, you could buy an infection and name it after yourself. We could have the SteveJobsWindowsTrojan or the the BillGatesMacJavaScriptWorm. Large corporations could buy the naming rights like they do for public arenas and stadia. We could have the BankAmericaIdentityTheftPhishingExpedition, the HaliburtonSpyonYou spybot or the SteveGibsonInsecurityNow virus. And if you are truly monied and devious you could buy the naming rights and name it after your competitor, your enemy or someone you despise. The possibilities are endless and lots more fun than Downadup.

I outlined a five-part computer cleaning process in my post Spring cleaning for your computer. I only covered cleaning the physical machine there. This post will cover part 2: Uninstall applications or stop unneeded ones from auto loading at boot time.

Uninstalling applications

If you are like me you install lots of applications. If you are more typical you rarely install applications. However, there are probably applications on your system you never use. Why not reclaim the hard drive space and reduce menu clutter as well.

If your computer is used by more than one person it is a good idea to check with the other users before uninstalling applications. You might not use AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) but your teenager may.

Windows Uninstalls
Uninstalling on a Windows PC can take two different routes. The most common way to uninstall an application is to go to the Control Panel. If you are in Control Panel’s default Category View select:

• XP – “Add or Remove Programs”
• Vista – “Programs > Uninstall a program”

If you are in Control Panel’s Classic View select:

• XP – “Add or Remove Programs”
• Vista – “Programs and Features”

Then select the program(s) to uninstall.

Some older programs place their uninstall links in their Start menu > All Programs directory. So you need to peruse the program’s menu directory and see if there is an “uninstall” link.

Mac Uninstalls
Uninstalling on a Mac can also take two different routes. The simplest way to uninstall is to navigate to the Applications folder in a Finder window and drag the unused application to the Trash icon on the Dock.

Some Mac programs have uninstall links in the original installation file DMG (Disk Image file). In this case, you need to reopen the DMG and click on the uninstall link. These programs have installed more than a simple program application file and need to clean up after themselves.

Auto loading programs

Windows and Mac computers auto load many processes and services at boot time that are hidden from view. These programs consume CPU and memory resources. Most of them are necessary to the proper running of your computer. Some are optional.

Windows Auto Loads
Type “Windows key   + R” to open a Run dialog. Type msconfig and click the OK button. The System Configuration dialog should open. Click on the Startup tab.

Each line contains a program that runs at login. Be careful. Unchecking items that you don’t know what they are for may disable something you want or need running. If you don’t recognize the item then Google it to find out more. If you still don’t know what it is, I suggest you leave it alone.

Click the OK button once you are done. You will be greeted by restart dialog.

The next time you reboot you will get a second dialog telling you have changed the Windows startup. If you don’t want to see this dialog every time you start Windows, check the box that I have highlighted here and click the OK button.

Vista has another better utility for pruning auto loading items. It is part of Windows Defender, an anti-spyware application that comes with Vista. (Windows XP users can manually download and install it.)

Start Windows Defender, click on Tools and select Software Explorer in the resulting screen. You will be presented with a more informative dialog than msconfig’s.

Mac Auto Loads 
Start System Preferences to find auto loading programs in Leopard or Tiger. Click on Accounts and then select the Login Items tab.  Select the program and then click on the minus “-“ button to remove from the auto load group. Again, if you don’t know what the item is, Google it. If you still don’t know what it is, leave it alone.

A client asked me, “Why her WordPerfect shortcut icon on her desktop had a small Windows security shield emblazoned on it and the other program shortcuts did not?” I did not know the answer.

The image to the right has four icons. The “Restore Computer” icon shows the Windows security shield. The others do not.

I remember the first time I saw it and wondered the same thing as my client wondered. But I quickly let it slip from my mind as I do not have any icons on my desktop.

I did some research and think I have a partial answer. I believe the security shield icon means that the application requires elevated “administrative” privileges to run. If a user clicks on the icon a UAC (User Access Control) prompt will appear. I could not confirm this with Microsoft so it is only a guess.

EeeRotate is a tiny Windows program that can turn your netbook or any computer into an eBook reader. It rotates the screen 270 degrees, from the normal landscape to portrait mode, making your computer screen similar to the Amazon Kindle or Sony eBook readers.

My ASUS Eee PC 1000HE is particularly well-suited to this dual role. It is about the size of a trade paperback. It weights just over 3 lbs. And it will run 6-8 hours without needing to recharge the battery.

Here are screenshots of my 1000HE’s screen, regular and then rotated.

We perform routine maintenance on many of our machines, cars, furnaces, or air conditioners, and neglect our computers. What do I mean by a computer cleaning? It is a five-part process:

1. Clean the physical machine.
2. Uninstall applications or stop unneeded ones from auto loading at boot time.
3. Delete unneeded items and organize your hard drive(s) files.
4. Arrange and prune your desktop.
5. Do a security check-up.

This cleanup is appropriate for Windows and Mac computers. It should be done on desktop and laptop computers. Many people experience computer anomalies, such as slow machine responses, random freezes or shutdowns, because they have not cleaned their computers.

Here we cover part 1 – Clean the physical machine.

Is your keyboard filled with crumbs, hair and unidentified particles? Is your screen covered with fingerprints, smudges and/or dust? Are your computer’s air vents clogged with dust balls and animal hair? If the machine is more than a year old, or operates in a variety of environments, from clean to dirty, it is time to freshen it. Turn the computer off and unplug it.

Let’s start with the screen. Wipe the screen with a camera lens cloth or a soft, lint-free, untreated cloth. Do not spray glass-cleaning products on the screen’s surface or the cloth. Most LCD screens have treated surfaces that are damaged by these cleaning products. If you need to use moisture, lightly dampen a cloth with water, distilled is recommended, and then wipe the screen.

A keyboard is more of a problem to clean then a flat surface like a screen. We start by employing gravity. Turn your keyboard or laptop upside down and gently shake it so that dust, hair and other matter lodged between and below the keys falls out. It is a good idea to do this over a recycled newspaper you can throwaway to avoid having to clean up the area afterwards. Next take a damp paper towel or cloth and gently wipe the keyboard surfaces to remove whatever has adhered to the key tops and between the keys.

Heat is the great destroyer of computers and other electronic devices. Unfortunately, these devices generate heat as they are used, in essence, the greater the activity the greater the heat. Most of these devices are air-cooled. Clogged airflow paths are common in older computers. This leads to operating issues and eventual hardware failure.

We need to clean both the inside and the outside of a desktop computer. A laptop or all-in-one like an iMac is best not opened so cleaning will be limited to the external air vents. Avoid using a vacuum on a computer. You may unintentionally suck out a connector or other part, or create a static electricity discharge that damages the machine. A can of compressed air is extremely useful in dislodging dust balls and cobwebs from inside a machine.

Open the case of a desktop computer and spray compressed air at all the interior sides of case vents, fans and anywhere you notice dust buildup. If you do not know how to open the case, you can usually find instructions at the manufacturers website. Carefully remove dust balls that cling. Do not apply moisture to the interior parts and avoid wiping parts as you may damage them. Compressed air cans get cooler as they are used and become quite cold to hold in your hand. Use the compressed air to blow all the dust away from the exterior side of air vents. Do not forget to blow dust away from the fan on the power supply.

It is a good idea to do a physical cleaning periodically. If your computer operates in a dusty or hairy environment, such as one with pets, you should clean your machine much more frequently.

Effective December 12, 2009 the “475” area code will be added to “203” and “860”.

Effective November 14, 2009 10-digit local call dialing will be required. (10-digit is area code + phone number.)

You might need to update:

• Fax machines
• Speed dialing
• Alarm systems
• Personal phone books
• Call forwarding
• Pet identification tags
• Stationery
• Advertising materials

Unlimited battery life and displays colors!

Jeff Seaver’s website is http://seaver.com

RealPlayer has a reputation for selling itself too hard and for making changes to a computer system without informed user consent. Real has reformed but the reputation continues. Apple’s iTunes, which installs QuickTime, Apple Updater, Bonjour and lots of other crapware without explicit user consent, seems immune to criticism.

The RealPlayer media player is an extremely useful tool. It has one feature that I find compelling – PerfectPlay. This feature allows you to buffer streaming audio, to pause and restart where you paused. You can set RealPlayer to cache up to 12 hours of an audio stream. When the phone rings or you need to temporarily leave the room you can pause the audio. When you return, you can restart the audio exactly where you paused.