Running A Disk Check in Windows 2007

Running a disk check is a useful too to check a hard drive for system errors and/or bad sectors on the drive.  You can choose to either just scan the drive, or you can choose to scan the drive and also automatically attempt to fix the problem that arises (bad sector, recovering bad sectors, hard disk error)

1.  The first thing you do is open the Start menu and then click on Computer. 

2.  Right click whichever hard drive that you would like to check for errors, and then click on Properties. 

 

3.  Navigate to the Tools tab and then click on the Check Now button and you should see the screen below.

 

 

4.  This is the point where you will make the decisions on what you want the disk check to do.

 

• Both Options Unchecked
• Only scan for errors and receive a log of the check.. Will not fix errors.
• Only Automatically fix file system errors checked
• This scans the drive and also attempts to fix any errors with files/folders on the hard drive.
•  Only Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors checked
• This scans the drive and also attempts to repair and physical errors on the hard drive.
• Both Options Checked
• This will scan the drive for file/folder errors and bad sectors and it will also attempt to repair the problems.

  Note:  If the hard drive that you selected to run a disk check on is in use, you will have to schedule a disk check for the next time your computer boots up.  It will ask you for this option and you simply click Schedule Disk Check.  The disk check will run the next time your computer is started up.

The disk check may take some time depending on the type of check you run and it is highly recommended that you do not interrupt the scan to prevent damage to the hard drive. 

 

Windows 7 God Mode

Windows 7 has released a new little trick they call "God Mode" that is basically the Control Panel of all Control Panels.  It is a master list of a lot of options available in the Control Panel.  Here are the steps on how to enable "God Mode":

I have only tried this on Windows 7 64 bit.  I've been told it works fine with Windows 7 32 bit and Vista 32 bit but there have been problems with it on Vista 64 bit.  Be warned.

1.  Create a new folder wherever you would like.

2.  Rename the folder to "GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}"   (Without the quotations)


       That is all there is to it.  The folder icon should change and you can enter it by double clicking it.

Tip -  The GodMode text at the beginning of the folder name will name the folder.  If you don't want it to say "GodMode", change the text before the first period to whatever you like.


         For example, Chris.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} would name the folder "Chris".

Using Windows ReadyBoost to speed up your computer

Windows ReadyBoost started a few years ago and is available on Windows Vista and Windows 7.  It is designed to use the extra space on your flash drive as an extra drive for disk cache.  If you don't have much ram on your computer and you have an extra flash drive laying around, this is a good way to help speed up your computer.  When you plug your usb into your computer Windows will determine if your flash drive is capable of working with ReadyBoost.  Here is how it is done:

It is very simple to get ReadyBoost up and running on your computer.  

Simply locate your flash drive under My Computer and right click on it.

Click Properties on the drop down list.

Next, navigate to the ReadyBoost tab.  Your screen should look like the one below.  Make sure the Use this device option is checked and then slide the bar to how much space you want to use for Readyboost.  I have mine set to all of the free space that is left on my flash drive.

You may have to come back to these options and turn ReadyBoost temporarily off if you plan on using your flashdrive for storage.  Then, starting it again when you add files to it and re-sizing the Readyboost file again.

How to speed up Shut Down time in Vista

If it takes a long time for your computer to shutdown, you may need to limit the time that Vista takes before deciding to automatically shutting down a program on your computer.  Lowering this setting should not cause any problems if you save your work and close open applications before shutting down.

1.  The first thing you want to do is open up your Registry Editor by clicking Start and then typing regedit in the Start Search box.  Click enter to open this up.

2.  If you are unfamiliar with the Registry Editor, it should look like this when opened up:

Now, you need to navigate to the setting where you can change Vista's default value.

3.  Do this by going to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control.

4.  To the right, the last setting you see should say WaitToKillServiceTimeout.  Right click this and click Modify.  Value Data is where you want to change this value.

5.  What to change it to is the question.  Vista has is set to 20000 by default which means 20 seconds.  I wouldn't recommend setting this anywhere below 3000 and at the lowest, 2000.  Right now,  I have mine set at 3000, which is 3 seconds.  You can experiment setting it lower at your own risk.  If you have problems with Vista shutting down too fast, simply raise the time to a higher value.

How To Get Programs To Open Automatically On Startup

Everybody has a couple of their favorite programs that they always open up immediately when their computer loads up.  What if there was a way to get those programs to load up automatically when your computer is booted up?  Well there is, and it is very quick and easy to do for anyone no matter what experience you have with computers.

1) The first thing you need to do is decide what programs you would like to open upon Startup.  Some ones that people use are your Internet (such as IE or Mozilla), Email (such as Outlook or Windows Live), or any other programs you would like automatically opened.


2)  The first thing you do is navigate your mouse to the Start menu and right-click it.  Then click on Open All Users.

3)  Once this window opens,  double click the Programs folder.  This is just a list of your Start menu folders.  Scroll down to your Startup folder and drag and drop or copy and paste the program into this folder.


4)  Now, whenever your computer is restarted, whatever program you dragged into this folder should immediately open up with the rest of your programs.

Free Programs That Every Computer Should Have...

This is just a list of some of the programs that I think every user should have:

1)  CCleaner - CCleaner is a program that should be on everyone's computer.  It is a great program that  removes unused files, clears internet history, uninstalls programs, and also has a registry cleaner.  It frees up space on your hard drive and allows your computer to run faster.

2)  iTunes -  iTunes is not just your standard music player.  It is also a music store and a necessity for Ipod/Iphone owners.

3)  uTorrent - For you bit torrent users out there, uTorrent is the best client you can use for it.  It's user friendly design and ability to have multiple simultaneous downloads/uploads makes it a must-have program.  It doesn't use a lot of system resources so you barely feel it's presence while it's running.

4)  Google Earth - This isn't necessarily a must have program, but it's definitely one of the coolest.  It allows you to travel the Earth from the comfort of your home.  Check out places you've always wanted to see, view maps, look at topographical information, view buildings in 3D mode, or even check out your own house.  Now, it also has the options to view the Moon, Mars, and Outer Space.

5)  Driver Max - This is a good program that automatically searches for updated drivers for your computer.  When you run Driver Max, it builds a list of all of your drivers, informs you which ones you need to download, and then gives you the file to download.  This is a great way to keep your computer up to date and running smoothly.

6)  CPU-Z - CPU-Z shows you the valuable system information about your computer and components.  It shows you cpu, mainboard, memory, and system information.

7)  Mozilla Firefox - If you don't have Firefox yet, what are you waiting for?  IE is garbage compared to this browser.  It is definitely the most superb browser as it is more secure, faster, and just better all around.  The ability to add many different add-ons, privately browse, tabbed browsing, remember your passwords, etc... are just a few reasons you should switch to Firefox.

8)  Steam - Steam is a great gaming application that lets you download a lot of new games as they come out.  It's come along since I used it to play Counter Strike and Day of Defeat many years ago.  It allows you to access your favorite games, add friends and chat with them while in games, see new and upcoming games, and play in mulitplayer servers online.

9)  Rainmeter - This is a pretty cool desktop customization program.  I just started messing with it recently but it's fairly easy to figure and fun to mess with.  It has apps such as cpu resources, music players, RSS feeds, battery power, email, weather, etc....  Also, it doesn't use a lot of resources like a lot of programs like this use.  Here is a pic of what my Windows 7 desktop looks like with Rainmeter.

This is all that I have time to do for now.  I will update as I find new programs as well.  If there are any programs you think I should add, let me know.

Google vs Bing search engine comparer...

I saw this new website in Maximum PC's magazine and thought it was pretty cool.  It lets you search both Google and Microsoft's new search engine Bing and compares the results beside each other in one screen.  I'm a Google fan, personally, but it gives Bing skeptics a chance to compare the results with Google's.

www.bing-vs-google.com