The World of Grandpa Don
A Program Won't Work - (msconfig)
Sometimes, a program just won't start of if it does, it hangs up shortly after. You will find that when this happens, the program is usually a very large of and/or it is very graphic intensive. The simple solution that sometimes works, is to always use the program with no others open. That is not always practical. I remember when Microsoft first touted "multitasking" and I wondered ... 'why in the world would I want to do that?' Now I can't work without it!
The next thing to do is check your System Resources. If they are low, say ... below 60%, you may not have enough 'working' memory to permit a large program to function. To check this:
-
Right click on the "My Computer" icon on your desktop.
-
Click on Properties.
-
Click on Performance.
System Resources is displayed as a percentage. This tells you how much of your computer's working memory is available for your program.
At this point, many Tech Support people will tell you to:
-
Click on START.
-
Click on Programs.
Click on Accessories. -
Click on System Tools
-
Run the following utilities found there:
Disk Cleanup
Scan Disk
Disk Defragmenter
Now while it is a good idea to do this once a month or so because it gets a lot of old junk out of the way and makes your hard drive nice and orderly, making it faster to find files for more efficient operation, it does nothing to free up resources. So, what do you do?
There are some utilities that you can turn on that
monitor your computer's operation or look for problems. They use memory!
You can have a Virus Prevention program set to run checks in the
background. (Virus Programs sometimes more problems than they are worth)
Also, many programmers want to make it easy and quick to start their
program or application. So, They set them up to tell your computer to
start their little gem of a program every time the computer starts
and leave this kernel of software running all the time.
And they often don't tell you they are doing it or tell you how to shut
it off! And, ... Microsoft doesn't let you know that they provide a
utility that allows you to shut them off.
(Whisper) I will tell you the secrete! (Whisper) I
will tell you the secrete! (Whisper) I will tell you
the secrete!
-
Click on START.
-
Click on RUN
-
Type "msconfig" (no quotes)
-
Click OK
-
Click on the STARTUP tab
There you will find a list of programs. All those with the check mark in the box will start every time you re-boot your computer. And they will keep running, using up resource memory. Most of them are not needed. You will probably want to keep "System Tray" (the handy little rectangle at the lower right of your monitor that holds you clock, volume control, etc). I keep my scanner program and my DSL program running but not much else. Just click on a box to remove the check mark. You can always come back and turn them back on if you find that you can't live without them.
If you want to take the time, the right hand column gives the name and location of the file being run. This can help you to decide if they are worth the loss of system resources.
When finished, Click OK. You will be told that you need to restart your computer so go ahead and do it. When the computer comes back on, there will be a message that tells you you are using msconfig as a troubleshooting tool. This will be there as long as there are any unchecked boxes. You can check the option in the message so it will not be displayed.
If you have been brave enough to uncheck any programs, now is the time to again check System Resources. If the percentage has improved (up to 75% or better), try that balky program again. If it still doesn't work, get on the horn with the program's Tech Support and tell them what you have done.
Remember, if you get carried away with un-checking, you can always reverse the procedure.
|
|
|
|
A Program Won't Work - (msconfig) |
|
|
The
World of Grandpa Don www.plefka.net |
|
|
by The JavaScript Source | |
