Jan Mar May Jul Sep Nov Recent Developments .. Jan 2000 by Roger Davies Soft Serve Direct Magrath, Alberta T0K 1JO Phone (403) 388-4332 Email  news@ssdirect.com Feb Apr Jun Aug Oct Dec

Roger and Adrien

2OK - The new year didn't blow up.

The new year 2000. Didn't blow up. Enough said. So now we get to expound on other favorite topics.

How not to fix your computer: We were listening to a local radio talk show last week with a self-proclaimed computer "doctor" online as the expert guest. His solution to half of the calls, somewhat akin to just replacing your car engine, was to reformat the hard drive (i.e delete all files) and reinstall Windows from scratch. Oh yeah, don't forget to backup your data files first. Not too smart. This is usually only a last resort solution requiring some expertise. Why?

1. If the problem is hardware related, then the true solution is to identify and replace the defective hardware rather than to reinstall all software and data just in case. Otherwise ..
2. Although a regular backup is recommended, many users will have problems backing up all the data that they will require on a restore .. assuming what they want to backup will fit onto floppy disks. Common forgotten files are your email address book and messages (several MB's of data alone).
3. All original CD's and driver diskettes must be available and in good condition - rarely the case. Notable problems on reinstallation are the the fax/modem and sound card drivers which are not automatically setup during Windows install.
4. All other original programs and updates made along the way will also have to be reinstalled. Ever hear of Windows Update over the internet? What about updated drivers for printers, scanners, etc?
5. Re-configuration of all settings will be required to get back to the way you used to have your system set up as it was.
6. There is no guarantee that the above procedure will actually work.

The reasoning behind the above advice was that "90% of all problems are software related" (his number) and that with the millions of lines of code in Windows alone, it is too hard to determine where the problem actually originates .. but wouldn't you like to try?

For you do-it-yourself-er's out there, you can start this way .. access the internet and search for the problem that you are experiencing. I usually start with www.google.com or www.alltheweb.com and search for the error message phrase or type of problem being experienced. In alltheweb.com you can also  search for a specific phrase. Often you will find detailed instructions on how to remedy the problem. I also like www.windows-help.net or even support.microsoft.com for general troubleshooting procedures. If you get stuck, give us a call. After all, that is what we do.

And for those of you having way too much fun customizing your system, try Tweak UI. It can be found on the Windows 98 CD-ROM (but for some reason not on the Windows 98 SE CD), or download it from

www.pcworld.com

Note: Download tui98.zip (Windows 98), or tweakui.exe (Windows 95). However, TweakUI is intended for the advanced user and "Changes made in TweakUI change settings in the registry and can affect the behavior and appearance of Windows. While this provides a greater level of customization, it also presents a greater risk of making changes that will leave Windows in an unusable state.".

And when this messes up your system and you can't fix it on your own, don't whine, just give us a call.

Revised: June 23, 2001 Design Copyright 1996-2000 by Roger Davies for Soft Serve Direct (SSDirect - Computer Consulting, PC Sales, and Service). Permission is granted for individual use and reproduction provided that this document remains intact, with this copyright message clearly visible.

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