Productivity: Office Software

Fix Broken Windows

In every Windows 9x and Millennium Edition (Me) system, there are thousands of software and hardware components that interact with one another. When one of these interactions turns into a head-on collision, the result can be a system crash, a sudden slowdown, or an undecipherable error message.

So, how do you troubleshoot and fix broken Windows? The best way is to narrow down the possible causes of a problem. Grab a pen and a piece of paper so you can write down any important details. Then ask yourself these eight questions.

1. Did your PC work at some point in the past?
   If your system was working yesterday and is having problems today, try to identify everything that has changed. Have you installed any new hardware or software? Did you update a device driver? Did you download something from the Internet? If you can remember doing something before your problem began, focus on that action first. If you're struggling with a new feature or program that has never worked properly, you should suspect a setup problem, either with Windows or with an application program.
   
   
2. Did the problem begin after you installed a new program?
   Antivirus software and firewalls are notorious for causing conflicts with other software. If you think you have a software conflict, follow the instructions to uninstall the software using Windows' Add/Remove Programs feature. (See "Uninstall Troublesome Software.") If the symptoms go away, you've identified that program as the cause of your problems, and you should visit the software developer's web site to see if an updated version is available.
   
   
3. Did the problem begin after you installed new hardware or updated a device driver?
   Hardware drivers work at the microcode level in Windows, which interacts directly with the program code in your software. So a bug in a device driver can cause serious symptoms, such as system lock ups, fatal error messages, and general protection faults (GPFs). If you encounter these problems, find the problem device in Device Manager and disable it temporarily. If the problem goes away, you've found the cause. (See "Resolve Driver Problems.")
   
   
4. Do you receive a consistent error message?
   Write down the exact text of the error message. If you know the exact wording, you can usually find detailed help using the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://search.support.microsoft.com/kb/c.asp. GPF messages can be found at http://support.micro soft.com/support/kb/articles/Q82/7/10.ASP.
   
   
5. Can you reproduce the problem?
   If you can identify a specific set of actions or keystrokes that consistently cause the problem, you're in luck. Write down the actions or keystrokes. You may need it later if you have to call Technical Support. After you try each troubleshooting step, use that specific set of actions or keystrokes as your test.
   
   
6. Does the problem only occur after you've been using your PC for a while?
   If your computer runs fine first thing in the morning but crashes after an hour or two, you should suspect heat-related problems. (See "Keep it Cool.")
   
   
7. Have you run out of disk space?
   Music files (.MP3), movies (.MOV, .AVI, and .MPG), digital pictures (.JPG, .BMP, and .GIF), and other files can fill up your hard disk. If you use Windows 98 or Windows Me, try running the Disk Cleanup Wizard. This utility can tell you whether you're running out of room and help you clear away some space. (See "Give it Space.")
   
   
8. Are you running low on system resources?
   Each running program consumes a portion of Windows' precious system resources. When you run low on system resources, Windows may begin slowing down or behaving strangely. When you run out of resources, you're guaranteed to crash. To learn how to avoid resource problems, install the System Resource Meter. (See "Keep Track of Resources.")
   
   Keep system resources above 20%. If they dip below that figure, you risk crashing. Figure out which programs are using lots of resources by watching how much resources drop when you load programs.
   
   Don't get fooled by the amount of free system resources supposedly available when you start up. To speed up startup, Windows 9x and Me defer loading some key components. If you open and close a few programs, you get a much better idea of what your baseline resources actually are.

With these eight steps you can find most Windows problems. Go through this checklist to start troubleshooting and fixing broken Windows.

Uninstall Troublesome Software

Here's how to uninstall a Windows 9x program:

1. If the program includes its own group on the Programs menu, look for an Uninstall or Remove menu choice. If you find this option, run it. If not, continue to the next step.
2. Click the Start button, choose Settings, and click Control Panel.
3. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
4. Scroll through the list of programs on the Install/Uninstall tab and select the one to remove.
5. Click the Add/Remove button to start the program's uninstall utility.
6. If prompted, choose the Automatic option to remove the program completely without any input. If the program offers a Custom option, you can choose to approve all changes before they occur.
7. If prompted, restart your computer to complete the uninstallation process.
8. Delete any unnecessary shortcuts from the Start menu, Quick Launch bar, and desktop.

Resolve Driver Problems

Here's how to track down any hardware driver:

1. When you're having hardware problems, the first step is to check for an updated device driver.
2. Your first stop is the PC Drivers HeadQuarters site at http://www.drivershq.com. This site has links to patches, BIOS updates, and drivers in more than two dozen categories.
3. You can also download, from the same site, a useful utility called Driver Detective, which scans for installed drivers on any system, regardless of which Windows version you are running.
4. Then try the WinDrivers Driver Search Engine at http://www.windrivers.com. You can look for drivers by company name.

Keep It Cool

Here's how to keep your PC cool:

1. Check the fan and make sure air is blowing from the inside out. A broken fan will cause problems in no time.
2. If your PC's BIOS includes a temperature reading, check it by restarting and going into the BIOS setup after you've been running for a while.
3. Clean out those dust bunnies! Take your PC's case off and blow out dust that may be clogging up ventilation ports.
4. With the cover off, check the wires on your CPU fan. The CPU fan is mounted on your CPU and blows heat away. If the CPU fan stops working, your PC will too.

Give it Space

Here's how to clean up temp files:

1. Click the Start button and choose Programs, then Accessories, System Tools, and Disk Cleanup.
2. Choose the disk to clean up (usually C:) and let the wizard work. Its report tells you how much space unneeded temporary files are consuming.
3. Check that box and click OK to perform the cleanup.

Keep Track of Resources

Here's how to install the System Resource Meter:

1. Open Control Panel and double-click the Add/Remove Programs option.
2. Click the Windows Setup tab, then select System Tools and click the Details button.
3. Check the System Resource Meter box and click OK.
4. Close all dialog boxes.