Housecleaning

Your computer, depending on use will every now and again require some general maintenance and care. Changing the oil, kicking the tires- that kind of thing. Since I'll be getting alot of this done on my systems this weekend, I thought Id blog about the process.

My usage varies. As serious as I want to claim that I am, I did build a computer to do my gaming on. I like to tell myself I did it because I wanted to keep my gaming files away from the machine most prone to viruses, and I certainly didnt want performance compromised on my file and web servers- so thats my story and I'm sticking to it. So, right to it.

Im thinking most computers will fall into this category. I send/receive emails, do downloads, do more downloads, and save files for sharing and such like that. Thats alot of online time with systems I cant control and dont always trust. So, in addition to the malware scans and the firewall I also take some time every week to defrag the drives the computer stores data on. Fragmentation occurs when the system cant or wont allocate enough contiguous space to store a complete file all together, but instead puts parts of it in gaps between other files (you get gaps in the first place because they used to hold a file that the system has subsequently deleted). Big files and big numbers of files help you get fragmentation faster and the drive slows down trying to sort through all the data to find you what you need (want). Defragmentation attempts to alleviate these problems.

The process of creating new files, and changing old ones , is sometimes called 'churn' and is, like fragmentation happens at main directory and subdirectory level. When you defrag your system, the program uses empty space on the drive to shuffle the data around to put files back where they should be. Files that should be next to eachother, get back together in a very memory intensive dance that cannot be performed on a system that has no freespace.
*some* files cannot be moved. System files, the swap file and other files labeled 'read only' wont be moved- but everything else is fair game. This can cause a problem say, if you copy a CD onto your harddrive. Files on a CD retain their 'read only' status when they hit your hardrive and you may end up with a big load of britney spears that you cant move for no good reason.
Also, while I'm thinking about it- a big misconception about defrag is that it stops your computer from acting wiggy. (Wiggy is a technical term) Not So! Your filesystem is designed to work around fragmented filespace. It works slower, but it works. What happens is, to run a defrag you must first run a chkdsk [chkdsk is a filesystem checkup utility]. Since it ends up being run first and usually fixes any problems it finds, people find their systems running all dandy after the defrag and assume that was the fix. Close. But no family friendly candy cigarettes.
Every system needs it every now and again, for me that one computer needs it more often. Not always because I notice it running slower or because i hear weird noises*. But because I know I shuffle bits on that computer like nobody's business. And If i want to keep performance up and my title as general nerd- I gotta put in the work.

If youre reading this youll prolly only need to do this at most every couple weeks, but you know what you do on your computer. Use your good judgment.

Ciao

* You know what it sounds like when your harddrive is doing what its supposed to. If you hear anything that even remotely sounds like your garbage disposal, hard shuddering clicks, polka music, or the like from your harddisk when you notice problems? Thats bad. Have it checked out. Soon.

Remember Two Things (DMB fans will understand)

These two things I think are just ducky and I thought you guys might like to read about them.


Thing One: Philly. Home of the Liberty Bell, the Cheese steak sammich and now, the very first city i know about under the warm snuggly blanket of wi-fi. Yes, The entire city (or at least 135 square miles of it) are going wireless. That is, anybody under that massive blanket will not only be incredibly hot- they will have internet access. All public areas, Most private areas not inside a microwave oven or a building - all wifi. And mostly for free.(although you do have to register with Earthlink) In some places the wireless thats already set up has a stronger signal and im sure theres bound to be some other problems but this is a HUGE step towards 'internet for everybody' and while thats going to be a challenge, I thin kits a worthy one.

and Thing Two: Two colleges on either coast are working out a system for disaster recovery between the two of them. Fantasticness! Disaster recovery is a big thing with me. What to do when your hard drive goes off the reservation and all your data goes to p00p. Most people have copies on another driver (but what if theres a fire) and some companies use off site storage or even third parties that are specifically setup to offer that kind of service - but can cost incredible amounts of money. By working together these two schools have kept their cost relatively low and the distance.. What can you say they're on opposite ends of the country.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE_WTF?!

First off, Let me apologize for leaving you dangling this past week. The internet is wide and vast and full and work has been busybusybusy. Honestly, my little fingers couldna take th' strain. So I had them replaced. And with these new tireless digits of blogging power I bring you:

The Registry

Rather, Microsoft brought you the registry way back with windows 3.11. The registry is a directory that stores information about pretty much everything installed on running on configured on your computer and even the users who use it (and the preferences there of). Just about everything is represented in some way shape or form in the registry. Almost every change involving the operation of your computer is logged in there. This glorious structure was brought about as an improvement on the way .ini files were kept all over the place. Now, instead of being stored wherever that information is all locked up (not so tight) in one location. And therein lies the benefit *and* the problem.


Editing your registry!
And why you shouldn't touch it with an 8 bit probe If you don't know what you're doing.

For being such a centralized hub of the innerworkings of your computer, the registry isnt locked up very tight. Administrators on your computers have it frighteningly easy when they want to get to and 'repair' your settings. Why is that bad? Honestly, how many of you make a distinction between your personal account and the administrator on your home computer? Go ahead and count hands, I'll wait. Let alone people who pop by for a visit and think they can tidy up your startup sequence with a little tweak here, a little tweak there. 'Hey, did you know I can change your splash graphic? Lemme just open your registry here...' The simple fact of the matter is - and this is important- You can screw things up really, really bad in your registry. Very few problems in tech support require you to format your computer. A lot of times, thats the easy/hard way out and technicians who want you out of their hair will suggest it, but 8 times out of 10 theres a long way that works just as well.

Messing up your registry is not like that.

You can go from 'great computer, savior of my bank account and the glue that binds my entire family together' to 'most expensive paperweight im likely to have thrown at me by my screeching soon to be ex-wife' in a short, short amount of time. It's repairing your daughters dental work with a chisel and a 10 pound sledgehammer. It's parking your Aston Martin with a bulldozer. (These, by the way, are not exagerations. Ask the nearest accessible screeching ex-wife you can find.)

But If you're feeling brave...

If you really want to give it a shot please re-read the previous paragraph aloud to your lawer and with your family present. Then, after signing the required forms, think about what changes you actually NEED to make. Keep in mind that most people only wander in the dangerous cave of forbidding doom that is the registry when something is wrong, and they've run out of other options to fix it. Find a hardhat and some tools you're comfortable working with, make a backup, get religious.

Tools you say?

Yes. Tools. Theres a few different ways to edit your registry. You can tinker manually using the software included with your Windows OS. You can crank up Regedit.exe (or Regedit32 if you're so inclined) and start a whackin. Theres also a few programs that makes edits to the registry through a shell, it offers a selection of preprogrammed niceness and lets you make additions to or subtractions from your registry with the relative safety of knowing something else is doing the typing. 'Registry Mechanic' and 'Hijack This!' come to mind. You can edit it from the command line if you feel really brave. reg.exe can be downloaded for every windows OS including XP and Vista, but it's included with those too. You programmers who might be reading for giggles will be happy to know "the registry can be edited through the APIs of the Advanced Windows 32 Base API Library (advapi32.dll)." Now, Im not a programmer so I leave all that well enough alone.

A few things before I close. Youll notice I didnt go into the structure of the registry, link to any programs to help you edit the registry, and I certainly did NOT recommend you make any changes whatsoever. Theres a reason. I have enough on my plate without having to worry about being assaulted by an angry teenager with a frapuccino because 'daddy' read my blog and turned their computer into a flowerpot. That being said, If you want to know a little about how your computer is setup and what makes it do the things it does, then peek around. Do some reading, learn some things.

Coming Soon:

Managing User Accounts!
A Vista review!
More pictures of cuddly animals!