Mike's Window : Utilities

Windows Optimizers..

Mike Hall — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:43:02 GMT

Q. What kind of stuff is most likely to slow down a computer? A. Malware Do you think that my answer was too short? OK, let’s blame something else. How about we pick on Windows processes When we install Windows, more than a few processes are set in motion...(read more)

Sticky networking

Mike Hall — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:00:25 GMT

If you don’t know what a ‘Sticky’ is, you should maybe click on this link: http://www.zhornsoftware.co.uk/stickies/ OK, having read the blurb, you will now be aware of how useful ‘Stickies’ can be. I use them for sending info to other computers, an example...(read more)

The Best Ever Utility?

Mike Hall — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:00:37 GMT

Contained in the Windows 95 Powertoys was a small utility called ‘Send ToX’. All one had to do was right click on one of the two files which had a right click option to ‘install’ and then click on ‘install’. A couple of popup windows would appear, and...(read more)

PerfectSpeed.

Mike Hall — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:08:07 GMT

To be perfectly honest, I am not generally a fan of any utility which claims to increase or maintain the speed of a computer. There have been a few over time, some free to use, others not, and I have never been able to tell if any of them performed as...(read more)

Defragmentation - size matters..

Mike Hall — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:26:00 GMT

Basically, files fragment because any time a file is edited and bits added either directly by the user or indirectly by the system, the file size may not fit the original saved space. In the case of the Windows filing system, the file will be saved elsewhere...(read more)

A ‘Cure all’ alternative..

Mike Hall — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:02:00 GMT

What program cleans up all in the list below: Downloaded Program files Temporary Internet files Offline webpages Office setup files Recycle bin Setup Log files System Error Memory Dump files System error Minidump files Temporary files Thumbnails Per User...(read more)

Defragging..

Mike Hall — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:54:08 GMT

I had recently installed Diskeeper Pro Premier 2009 on a 32bit installation of Vista Ultimate, but set it for manual rather than automatic defragmentation because I felt that it was interfering in normal operation. Since then, I have installed Vista Ultimate...(read more)

Ashampoo, Ashampoo, we all fall down..

Mike Hall — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:58:00 GMT

If you haven’t heard of Ashampoo, the company is probably most famous for sending out e-mails offering cheap CD/DVD authoring software. I subscribe to their ‘service’ letter primarily as a check to ensure that one of my mail accounts...(read more)

nVidia custom resolutions..

Mike Hall — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:54:00 GMT

This is a useful feature if you have a monitor like a Dell P990 (Trinitron CRT). The trick is to go into Control Panel > nVidia Control Panel and head down to ‘Manage custom resolutions’ For the Dell P990, 1280 x 960 works well because...(read more)

Snappy start-up = no features

Mike Hall — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:39:00 GMT

I did something recently that I have never done before. I used the ‘disable’ function in WinPatrol to eliminate some start-up items. For the most part, they were the ones which auto start but don’t show in the notification area, so I...(read more)

Ultimate Windows Tweaker..

Mike Hall — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:56:00 GMT

Whenever I installed Windows onto a computer, the first thing I would install was TweakUI. I wasn't too fussed about the other items in the original Windows 95 Powertoys collection other than 'Send to any folder', but I hated the shortcut...(read more)

The Slippery Slope - Foxit..

Mike Hall — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:04:47 GMT

If you were tired of waiting for Adobe Reader to respond, there were alternatives, and Foxit was one of them. It still is but there is a catch with version 3. The free version of Foxit is now sponsored by ASK.COM, and you can't install Foxit 3.0 unless...(read more)

Ultramon.. Dual Screen Functionality..

Mike Hall — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:15:59 GMT

Some you lose.. One of the most annoying events in a computer users life is losing features when upgrading to the latest and greatest OS. When I moved up to Vista from XP, my Canon scanner still retained full support because Canon were good enough to...(read more)

If You Are Into Cleaning..

Mike Hall — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:39:26 GMT

.. go do dishes or take the vacuum cleaner out for a jaunt around your abode, but please please quit using registry cleaners. The Windows NT operating system family (NT, Win2K, XP, Vista) is not phased by orphaned registry entries. They are ignored. There...(read more)

Ultimate Defrag.. Ultimate fun..

Mike Hall — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:31:14 GMT

What can be more fun than watching a 'Roomba' in action, windshield wipers clearing rain, clothes swishing around in a front loading wash machine or dryer. Ask your pet dog or cat. As members of the genus 'Homo Sapiens', we are above this...(read more)

Backing up without running out of space..

Mike Hall — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:54:36 GMT

Bearing in mind that a single DVD will not hold a backup image of your Vista installation, and that computer manufacturers do not include a second hard drive or external backup device specifically for the purpose, do NOT attempt a full system backup until...(read more)

AVG 8.0 Free Version..

Mike Hall — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:37:22 GMT

In the past, I have been an advocate of AVG and, until this version, had no reason not to be. Unfortunately, it has been slowing my system down. The automatic scan, set to start at 01:00 hrs, was still running on the 160gb SATA drive at 09:00, with an...(read more)

Et Tu, AVG?

Mike Hall — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:09:22 GMT

Version 8.0 Is NOT compatible with SpywareBlaster or Spybot 'immunize' features. The AVG people are well aware of this and sent this e-mail to a user in response to problems encountered, suggesting the following actions.. Dear Sir/Madam, According...(read more)

AVG releases Version 8

Mike Hall — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:55:12 GMT

Grisoft have released a new version of their Anti-Virus product. It has a new look icon and new look interface. Download the new version from.. http://free.grisoft.com/ Uninstall version 7.5 or whatever anti-virus solution you are presently using, and...(read more)

Defragmenting without the tears..

Mike Hall — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 20:47:03 GMT

For those of you who are suffering withdrawal since the Vista backroom boys took away the visual part of defragmentation, you can come out now. The nice people at Diskeeper Corporation have just what you need, and prices start from only $29.95 for the...(read more)