PCs Articles

Article / Updated 08-16-2022

The only time you need to restore a system image on your Windows PC is when the entire hard drive is dead, missing, or replaced with a cheese sandwich. With all that data gone, you have to rely upon three items: A recovery volume: Use this media to start the PC and access the Windows Recovery Environment. The tools presented help you navigate through recovery. The system image: Use this information to restore Windows and other partitions as a base to rebuild your computer system. Tools on the recovery volume help you use the system image information. File History: Finally, with Windows restored, you run the File History program to recover your PC's lost files and programs. You don't need to restore a system image if you merely need to recover from a Windows disaster. The first thing you should try is System Restore. Second, you can try to reset the PC. Otherwise, the process of using the system image works like this: Start the PC by using the Windows Recovery Environment. Choose Troubleshoot. Choose Advanced Options. Choose System Image Recovery. Point the system image recovery tool at the location of the system image files, and then sit back and wait as the system is rebuilt. Yes, the process is more complex than four simple steps. For example, you may need a replacement hard drive. The good news is that you have the system image if you need it. Along with a recent backup, you can fully restore your system no matter what happens to the computer.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-12-2022

Even though computers are supposed to make our lives easier, you may find it beneficial to print and complete some information about your personal computer (PC) on paper. You can use this as a reference for technical information, internet, and email information, or how all those wires and peripherals should be hooked up to your PC — even while the computer is off. You’ll also want to check out the following list of helpful PC hints.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-18-2022

Dive into this guide for your PC troubleshooting and maintenance needs. Refer here for tips, tricks, and information when your computer starts acting funny. Sadly, funny computer smells aren’t covered.

Article / Updated 11-02-2021

By opening a command prompt window, you can search for files that Windows truly doesn’t want you to know are there. It’s a little technical, but when you really, really need to find a file, the method described in the following steps does the job: From the Start menu, search for and open the Command Prompt. Type CD, a space, and then the backslash character. CD / Press Enter. This command propels you to the root directory (folder) on the main hard drive. Type DIR and a space. Type the name of the file you’re looking for. For example, if you’re looking for the file secret.doc, type secret.doc. You can type upper- or lowercase letters. When you don’t know the full name, replace the part you don’t know with an asterisk (which is a wildcard). For example, you type secret* to search for all files beginning with the word secret. Don’t type any spaces. If you must type a space, use the ? (question mark) character instead. Type another space and then /S, a space, and /P. The complete command line to look for the file secret.doc appears like this: dir secret.doc /s /p The /s option directs a search of all folders on the hard drive; the /p option pauses the display after each screen of text. Double-check everything! Press the Enter key. The results display one screen at a time. Peruse the screen full of results. If you find a file that matches, you can open a Windows Explorer window to display the file’s folder. Press Win+E to open a Windows Explorer window. The pathname is found above the filename in the results. The pathname reads similar to this line: <span class="code">Directory of C:UsersDangDocumentsForgotten</span> If the file isn’t found, press Enter to see the next screen (if necessary). The prompt reads Press any key to continue, but the Enter key is the “any key.” Repeat Steps 7 and 8 to review the results. Type the EXIT command to close the Command Prompt window when you’re done. Yes, this method is not only technical — it’s tedious. But the DIR command does a thorough job of scouring the entire hard drive. Sometimes you may want to use it just to confirm that a file doesn’t exist.

Article / Updated 11-02-2021

To make the unallocated portion of a hard drive useful, you must create a new volume, one that’s recognized by Windows. You can create three types of volumes: Simple: This typical hard drive is the type that most PC users have in Windows. If you’re shrinking a volume to create a new logical drive, such as a new drive F (or something), this option is the one you want. Spanned: A spanned volume combines two or more unallocated volumes, even on separate physical hard drives, creating a new drive. The new drive combines all the space of the various unallocated volumes into a single volume. Striped: Striped volumes are used to improve disk performance by spreading information between multiple disks. The net result is that several drives are used to quickly access information, which makes all disk operations faster. You need two or more unallocated chunks of disk space to set up a striped volume. If you’re using the new volume to install another operating system on the PC, do not create another volume in Windows. Just leave the volume unallocated and let the other operating system’s installation program do its thing with the drive. Using Disk Management to allocate space To allocate the unallocated space as a usable hard drive in Windows, follow these steps: Open the Disk Management console. Open the Control Panel. Open the Administrative Tools window. In Windows 7 and 10, choose System and Security and then choose Administrative Tools. In Windows Vista, choose System and Maintenance and then choose Administrative Tools. In Windows XP, open the Administrative Tools icon. Open the Computer Management icon. In Vista, click Continue or type the administrator’s password. Choose Disk Management. Right-click the unallocated volume. Choose New Simple Volume from the shortcut menu. The New Simple Volume Wizard appears. Click the Next button. Set the size of the new volume by using the Simple Volume Size in the MB text box. The size is already preset to equal the entire disk capacity, which is recommended. If you need to set it to a smaller size, do so. The remaining space on the drive continues to be unallocated. Click the Next button. Windows lets you assign the drive a letter, or you can mount the drive on an NTFS volume as a folder. Or, you can do neither, depending on how you fill in the wizard. (Optional) Choose a letter for the new volume. My advice is to use the letter that’s provided. Click the Next button. Ensure the option Format This Volume with the Following Settings is chosen. Ensure that the NTFS format is chosen. Click the Next button. Click the Finish button to create the new volume. Windows prepares the disk by formatting it, laying down the tracks (or parking spaces) for the files. The amount of time taken to complete the operation depends on the size of the volume. Larger disk drives take longer to format. The display in the Disk Management console shows the drive being formatted; you can watch its progress in the Status column at the top center of the window. The drive isn’t assigned its new letter until after it’s formatted. When the operation is complete, you can close the Disk Management console. The newly created disk drive appears in the Computer window. It’s immediately available for use. The new volume may have less capacity than anticipated. The missing bytes are overhead, used by the formatting process.

Article / Updated 11-02-2021

Much like everything else in your computer, Bluetooth functionality requires both hardware and software. Like a camera without film — one won't work without the other. Unfortunately, not all PCs arrive Bluetooth-ready right out of the box, especially older models. If your PC didn’t come with Bluetooth hardware installed, you can easily add some by purchasing a Bluetooth USB dongle. Using Device Manager to find Bluetooth hardware To determine whether your Windows PC has Bluetooth hardware, check Device Manager. Follow these steps: Open the Windows Start Menu to search for and open the Control Panel. Choose Hardware and Sound, and then choose Device Manager. In Windows 10, the Device Manager link can also be found beneath the Devices and Printers heading. Look for a Bluetooth drop-down menu in the list. If any items are listed here, your PC has Bluetooth hardware installed, and you can safely assume that the software has been set up as well. Close the various windows you opened. Adding a Bluetooth device Bluetooth software is typically supplied by Windows or whatever installation drive came with the hardware, so you shouldn't have to worry about setting that up too often. To connect to a new Bluetooth device, however, follow these steps: In Windows 10, go to Settings and then Devices. Click on Add Bluetooth or other device. Choose the type of device you want to connect to from the list. Make sure the device is on a "discoverable" mode. Check the device's manual if you don't know how to do so. Once discoverable, the device's name should appear on your screen. Select it and Windows should take care of the rest. You may now close all windows. Bluetooth devices are paired, which means that they are assigned to work with only one device at a time. The wireless networking used by Bluetooth isn’t as robust as Wi-Fi. For the most part, Bluetooth is a low-powered system. You can’t move a Bluetooth gadget more than 10 feet or so from its paired device without losing the signal.

Article / Updated 10-06-2021

For a microphone to work on your computer, it must be plugged into the pink jack on your PC, unless it’s a USB microphone, which simply plugs into the USB port. After plugging in the microphone, test the thing. Testing works differently depending on your version of Windows. To test the microphone in Windows 7 and Windows Vista, heed these steps: Ensure that the microphone is properly connected. Open the Control Panel and choose Ease of Access. Choose the link Set Up Microphone, found beneath the Speech Recognition heading. The Microphone Setup Wizard materializes. Choose the type of microphone you’re using: the headset, cheap-o desktop microphone or the they-saw-you-coming microphone that the guy at the music store sold you. Click the Next button, and so on. After seeing a few meaningless screens, you eventually approach the Adjust the Microphone Volume screen — pay dirt. Speak away. Say: “Enunciation is the prestidigitation of audio infatuation.” Or be a wienie and say, “Test, test.” Watch that green bar go! Basically, by seeing the visual feedback, you confirm that the microphone is working. Continue working through the wizard or just click Cancel. If you’re satisfied with the results, you can bail out on the wizard. Otherwise, keep clicking Next and eventually you arrive at the Finish button. To confirm that your microphone works in Windows XP, follow these steps: Plug in the microphone all nice and snug. And stuff. Open the Control Panel’s Sounds and Audio Devices icon. Click the Voice tab. Click the Test Hardware button. The Sound Hardware Test Wizard appears. Click the Next button. Hum a jaunty tune while the hardware is tested. Speak into the microphone to test the volume. The volume meter on the screen should dance up and down as you vocalize. Click the Next button after confirming that the microphone works. Click the Finish button. Your computer may not be configured to use the specific microphone jack that your microphone is plugged into. If your PC came with specific audio software, use it to configure the audio jacks to accept microphone input. You don’t want to spend too much or too little on a PC microphone. Cheap microphones don’t work well, record poorly, and are annoying to hear for audio chat and online communications. Expensive microphones may require a mixer or pre-amp to work properly. Good microphones can be found in any computer or office supply store. A microphone headset provides both headphones and a microphone. It’s perfect for online communications and gaming.

Article / Updated 10-04-2021

A PC laptop has several phases of “just won’t start.” The problem is compounded because a laptop has two power sources: When AC isn’t available, electricity is drawn from the laptop’s battery. So you know immediately that when the laptop doesn’t turn on right away, you have a power supply issue. If the laptop appears dead, you have a power supply issue. Here’s how to troubleshoot: Power sources Check to ensure that the laptop is plugged in. Check to ensure that the battery is properly installed. Try removing the battery to run the laptop from just the AC power. If it works, you may have a defective battery that needs replacing. If you have a second battery, use it instead. AC cord adapters Check the power brick on the AC cord. Is it the right adapter for your laptop? Other portable devices may have similar-looking adapters, but unless they match the volts and amps for your laptop, the laptop doesn’t work. (Not that this has ever happened to me.) Check the lamps When the laptop’s power lamp is on, it shows that the laptop has some life. It means that the laptop’s hardware is recognizing that it has power. The problem could then lie with the laptop’s hardware, not with the power supply. When your laptop has separate lamps for the AC power and battery, you can check both. If the AC lamp lights but the battery doesn't, it’s a battery issue. When the battery lamp is lit but the AC lamp remains dark, the AC power brick might be dead or the AC power from the wall might be messed up or you might have a connection issue. Testing the hardware If you consider yourself to be technically proficient, you can try testing some hardware. For example, if the laptop has removable disk drives, check to ensure that they’re properly connected: With the laptop’s power off, take out the drives and put them back in again. Ditto for the PC’s memory card: Turn off the laptop, remove the memory, and then put the memory back. Laptops don’t start when they’re broken. I’m not being flip, either: Laptop hardware can fail. Failed electronics are covered by most laptop warranties. You need to get support by contacting the laptop manufacturer. Could it be related to the display? Press the Caps Lock key. If you have power, the Caps Lock lamp on the laptop will blink on and off as you press the key. If so, the problem could be the display. Check the laptop display’s brightness settings. If the brightness level is turned down too much, the screen will be dark, especially in a bright room or in direct sunlight. Try turning up the brightness all the way to see whether the screen glows. Plug an external monitor into the laptop’s monitor port. If the external monitor works, the problem is with the laptop’s display only, not with the laptop’s display adapter or other internal hardware. Because the laptop and monitor are the same thing, fixing the monitor (or the display adapter) involves replacing major laptop components. You must return the laptop to the dealer for repair.

Article / Updated 09-15-2021

When an update doesn't go as planned, roll it back. You can do so within Windows, or, under dire circumstances, you can roll back an update from safe mode or when using the Windows Recovery Environment. First, if you can get into Windows, follow these steps to roll back an update: Press the Windows key + i to open Settings. Choose Update and Security. Click the Update History link. Click the Uninstall Updates link. The Control Panel's Installed Updates windows appears. It lists all updates that Windows monitors, which includes Windows updates as well as updates to specific programs. Choose the update you want to undo. The updates are categorized by program and then by date. Choose the top item in the Microsoft Windows category to remove the most recent Windows update. Click the Uninstall button that appears on the toolbar. Not every update features the Uninstall button. Minor updates may not show the button. Follow the directions provided on the screen. If prompted to restart Windows, do so. The update should be removed successfully and your system restored. If not, or when the computer won't start, boot the system into the Windows Recovery Environment and enter safe mode. You can also use System Restore to recover from a bad Windows update. If you can't access System Restore in Windows or in safe mode, use the Windows Recovery Environment.

Article / Updated 06-11-2021

PC performance and resources are related. Resources include processing power, storage, and other hardware capabilities. The amount of performance you squeeze out of a computer directly relates to the resources available. You may not be able to swap out hardware, but you can do what it takes to eke out the best possible performance from the hardware your PC currently has. The tools Windows offers to monitor performance and resources are: The Performance Monitor The Performance tab in the Task Manager window The Resource Monitor These tools demonstrate that Microsoft has an uncanny knack of not assigning tools unique and descriptive names. All these utilities do basically the same thing: Present charts and graphs illustrating how resources inside the computer are used. Each has differing degrees of complexity, and some are better suited for specific tasks. Of all the tools, the Performance Monitor is the oldest, introduced for Windows NT back in the 1990s. It's also the most complex of the trio. The Resource Monitor was introduced with Windows Vista. It's the most useful of the tools, especially for tracking down issues with specific programs. The Task Manager's Performance tab once dwelled in the System Configuration Utility (MSCONFIG) window. It's a bit friendlier than the Performance Monitor—plus, it's easier to access. Yes, overlap exists between all three tools. You don't have to use them all. Performance and resources play a role in troubleshooting with regard to software. For example, a bug may cause a program to consume more and more resources over time. Known as a memory leak, it's easy to spot such a program based on how it's using resources and how the PC's performance degrades over time. To measure the PC’s performance, or how well it’s utilizing available resources, you summon a tool called the Performance Monitor. You can also check PC performance from the Task Manager, though the Performance Monitor is more thorough in its presentation. The Performance Monitor The Performance Monitor console is the most sophisticated of the Windows resource graphing tools. It’s also the most difficult to use, probably due to its origin as a Windows NT program. To bring up the Performance Monitor console window, use these steps: Tap the Windows key on the keyboard. Type performance. Choose the Performance Monitor app from the list of search results. The Performance Monitor appears in a console window. From the left side of the console window, choose Performance Monitor. This item is located in the Monitoring Tools folder, as illustrated here. The Performance Monitor window is rather barren at first; you need to add items to the monitor to view the graph, especially one as detailed as the one shown. To add an item, click the Add (green plus) button. In the Add Counters dialog box, click to select a counter and then click the Add>> button. Click OK to view the results. The display in the Performance Monitor can get rather hectic, which makes it my least favorite monitoring tool. Still, it offers plenty of details. If you need to get specific in monitoring an activity, this is the tool to use. For example, to monitor network traffic, add the Network Adapter counter to the display. Choose a specific counter to monitor by unchecking the other counters. For example, uncheck everything but Bytes Received to check on incoming network traffic. To clean up the display, select a counter and click the X (Cancel) button. You can Shift+click to select multiple counters and remove them all at once. The difference between removing a counter and unchecking it is that you can more easily recheck a counter to again review its status. The Performance tab The easiest monitoring tool to use is found in the Task Manager window. To view this item, follow these steps: Press Ctrl+Esc to bring up the Task Manager window. Click the Performance tab. The Performance tab is illustrated here. The Performance tab lists key resources as thumbnails on the left side of the window. In the preceding figure, you see entries for the CPU, memory, mass storage devices, the network, and the graphics processing unit (GPU) with more items in a scrolling list. To view a different category’s performance graph, choose its thumbnail from the left side of the window. The graph changes over time, scrolling from right to left. The higher the line on the graph, the more the chosen resource is in use or being consumed. The CPU meter tells you how much processing horsepower is in use. In the preceding figure, the values are low until a spike happens. The low values indicate that Windows isn’t doing much; the spike occurred when I opened another program. If the figure were high, or suddenly spiked, that means more activity is taking place, such as a background task or service. The Memory meter tracks how much memory is in use. This item fluctuates as you use programs. For example, running a photo editor may consume a huge amount of memory, but the Performance tab would show that amount of memory freed after you exit the program. Disk items show storage activity. Ethernet shows network activity. If a Bluetooth adapter is available, you may see an entry for it as well. For further details, use the Resource Monitor. As a shortcut, click the Open Resource Monitor link, located at the bottom of the Task Manager window’s Performance tab. System resources To monitor specific programs or activities, the best tool to use is the Resource Monitor. It’s far less complicated than Performance Monitor, and it offers more information and control than the Performance tab in Task Manager. To open the Resource Monitor, follow these directions: Tap the Windows key. Type resource. Choose the Resource Monitor app from the search results. The Resource Monitor window appears, illustrated here. The Resource Monitor’s Overview tab, shown, shows the big picture on system resources: CPU (processor), Memory, Disk, and Network, along with charts for each. The various tabs show more details and even more charts. What’s interesting about the Resource Monitor is that you can examine the effects of specific programs on resources. For example, in the preceding figure, the service SearchApp.exe is selected. Its effect on resources is shown in each category (click the chevron to expand a category) as well as highlighted in each of the graphs. When you choose a program in this manner, you can spy on its effects on all resources. Use the monitors as troubleshooting tools All the performance‐ and resource‐monitoring tools provide good feedback, but the details are trivial. Activity always abounds inside a computer. The concern is whether that activity is causing the system to slow down. Whenever the PC starts acting slowly, pop up Task Manager and click the ­Processes tab. Click the CPU column header to sort the list of running programs by processor use. (If necessary, click the header twice so that the programs using the CPU the most appear at the top of the list.) The program using the most CPU time is probably the one slowing your PC. You can also click Task Manager’s Performance tab to check on memory and other resources. But to confirm that the single program is consuming too many resources, use Resource Manager: in the Resource Manager window, choose the suspect program from the list on the Overview tab. Then select all resources. What you’re looking for is increased consumption of resources over time. In some cases, the program may busy itself for a short span, and then regular activity resumes. When a program continues to consume resources, you might consider terminating it to see whether the PC’s performance improves. If a single program is to blame, consider getting an update for the program. If the program is a background task that gobbles too many resources, consider rescheduling the task for a time when you’re not using the computer. A program that continues to use resources after it quits, especially memory, has a memory leak. You should stop using the program and see whether an update or a replacement is available. Some web page plug-ins may cause problems. These plug-ins might appear as issues with the web browser program itself, but they’re not. The way to fix this issue is to check the web browser’s settings or preferences and disable the plug-in. Malware also consumes resources at a rabid pace. You can attempt to halt the run‐amok program, but it’s best to run a scan and have Windows Defender remove it.