How Can an Operating System Slow Down a Computer?

I was asked an interesting question recently. It is not only an interesting question but it is a very important one. The answer makes it easy to understand what happens to a computer that becomes slow or sluggish. Hopefully, this article will answer this question and point you in the right direction to help keep your computer fast.

The question was asked by a young woman who had talked to a geek friend of hers. This fellow told her it was her operating system making her computer respond slowly. He suggested she backup all her files, reformat her hard drive, and reinstall her operating system.

How an Operating System Slows Computer Processes

Actually, I believe his method would work but I know there is an easier way. Before I get into this easier way, let's talk about two ways an operating system can slow down a PC. They are:

Upgrading to the operating system with an older PC and,

Having registry corruption build up in the operating system's registry.

Of course, the first problem can only occur if you have changed the operating system on your PC or upgraded to a newer one. The fact of the matter is each Windows operating system is larger than its predecessor and so the computer ends up with less free resources than it had when the old OS was running it. Fewer resources equals a slower computer; simple.

Registry Develops Corruption

Also, fairly simple is the topic of registry corruption. Every Windows operating system uses a registry to keep track of all parts of the computer. It also keeps track of all files added and moved on your hard drive. While this is an oversimplified explanation of a Windows registry, it does show that everything you do on your computer goes through the registry.

There are millions of steps needed to perform computer operations. Over time, registry files become bloated. Because of this, the steps needed to do operations can multiply. The result of this multiplication is your computer needing to wait as your microprocessor looks long and hard in the registry to find what it needs. The computer would have been able to do this operation quickly if the registry had all its fat cut out.

The Registry is an Integral Part of the OS

The registry clearly is a part of the operating system and when it needs to be cleaned out, it will cause the computer to be slow. It may also cause a computer to freeze and crash.

Spyware, adware, viruses and other parasites will also cause a computer to slow down. However, they are not part of the operating system; they are programs. They run without you realizing it and use your computer resources. In other words, they steal the computer's speed.

Source: http://goo.gl/2dJCH

Tips to Reinstall Windows XP

First, locate the Windows CD that shipped with your PC, along with the CDs for your application software. If you downloaded your antivirus, firewall, or other programs, copy those downloads to a CD or to some other type of removable media. (If your system didn't ship with a Windows CD, your reinstallation files are situated on your hard drive; I'll describe how to access them in just a minute.) Also, dig up the instructions that your ISP sent you for configuring your network settings, and keep them close at hand.

Copy the contents of your 'C:\Documents and Settings' folder (or whichever folder you store your personal files on) to a CD or other removable medium. Then grab any other critical data and back it up. It helps to collect the installers for the latest drivers for your PC's graphics card and other hardware, too.

Ready to Reinstall

Now insert the Windows CD that came with your PC, and reboot your system. If you didn't receive a Windows disc with your machine, the files you need are sitting in a hidden partition on your hard drive. To access them, press the keys indicated on your screen when you reboot, but before Windows loads. The keys differ from vendor to vendor, so contact your PC's manufacturer if you don't see the prompt.

In many instances, the only available option is 'Return the drive to its factory condition', which destroys all documents, photos, and other data files on your PC. That's why you made a copy of your data folders.

You get more options--including the ability to preserve your files and settings--when you use Microsoft's own Windows XP installation disc. Make your selection, and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the reinstallation.

Starting Over

Regardless of which option you choose, you'll have to reconfigure your network connections, reinstall some of your device drivers, and update XP and your applications manually.
To configure your Internet connection, right-click My Network Places, click Create a new connection, and follow the prompts, entering the appropriate information you received from your ISP.

Once you've re-established your Internet link, you must reinstall and update your firewall, anti virus and antispyware programs.

Next, check to see which of your device drivers need updates: Right-click My Computer and select Properties, Hardware, Device Manager. Look for entries with yellow question marks or red exclamation points. A question mark indicates that Windows is using a generic driver for that device instead of one specifically designed for it; an exclamation point means that the device is not working.

The drivers for graphics boards, sound cards, and printers are most likely to need an update. If you haven't already done so, visit the vendors' Web sites to download updated drivers to your PC. Run the installer for each updated driver, allowing XP to reboot when needed, or right-click the entry in Device Manager, choose Update Driver, and step through the wizard, selecting No, not this time to the Windows Update question, and choosing the specified location option when it appears. When you can navigate to the driver file, select it and click OK to install it. When you finish updating your drivers, close all open windows.

Updates Galore

Your next stop is Microsoft's Windows Update site. Click Start, Windows Update, and follow the prompts. Since you'll probably be downloading many megabytes of updates, you might want to find yourself a good book or seek some other diversion while you wait.

When the downloading is complete, you'll be ready to reinstall and update your applications. Don't forget to update your critical apps as well. Microsoft Office, in particular has some important updates. Download them at the Microsoft Office Online Downloads page.

Once you've restored your applications, begin replacing your data. The first priorities are the My Documents and Application Data folders, which you'll find in the folder with your logon name inside 'C:\Documents and Settings'. To bring back your Internet Explorer favorites, restore the contents of the Favorites folder. Also restore the Shared Data and Application Data folders inside 'C:\Documents and Settings\Shared Documents'. Once you've reintroduced all of your data, your Windows refresh will be complete.

Resource: pcworld.com

Phantom Operating System to kill Windows AND Linux

Russian programmer Dmitry Zavalishin is working on a revolutionary new concept for an operating system. In Zavalishin’s Phantom OS, snapshots of the entire system will be continually saved to disk, preserving state for running applications and active data. There are no files in the traditional sense, instead a file is merely an object with persistent state. Neat!

Phantom is new, but it can currently boot, execute applications, and continually save system state to disk. A GUI is planned, as are cross-development tools. The new OS is planning to support interpreted scripting languages like Ruby and Python, and virtual machine programming languages like C# and Java. What, no perl?!

The saved-state nature of Phantom makes it a real contender for both the mobile market, as well as servers. Switch off your phone running Phantom and then turn it back on with no loss of data or apparent interruption in what you were doing. For server environments, a power loss may no longer be a big deal.

It’s great to see real innovation in the OS space. Challenging the status quo may mean that Phantom has an uphill battle before it, but it’s refreshing to see people really thinking outside the box.

Source: techcrunch.com

How to Fix Error 47 on Your Windows XP PC - XP Error Code 47

Malware, spyware and viruses get installed on our PC accidentally from the internet through a pop up pretending to be and antivirus or anti-malware scanner, or other means. At least with these malicious programs you can simply close the window before the damage is done if you are paying attention. Not every malicious program lets you know that it wants to install to your PC.

For every one that attempts to trick you to install them, just as many simply force their way onto your computer and you do not know they are there until you’re sitting there and you start having issues with your PC.The malware advanced defender is one of those rogue antivirus programs that simply sneaks onto your PC and then starts causing all sorts of problems. Once this happens you need to find out how to remove advanced defender quickly to keep your computer malware free.

The first symptom that your PC is infected with advanced defender is a pop up screen telling you that your computer is infected with several different viruses and malware. These so called infections are actually put there during the malware installation so that when a fake scan is preformed it can show you your PC is infected. During that first scan it will hide many of, if not all of the icons on your PC’s desktop. If you are able to get to your programs and try to run any of them, you will get the message:

Warning! program.exe is currently infected with a keylogger virus. To protect your PC this program has been terminated.

The truth is that your program is not infected, it is just advanced defender causing havoc with your PC and attempting to defend its self should that program have been a anti-malware program you already have on your PC and you need to remove advanced defender before it causes real damage.

While running advanced defender will also keep giving you messages that tell you that your PC is under attack in an attempt to steal your personal information such as login and online banking information. Just like the rest of the messages this malware provides your banking information is safe, that is unless you leave it on your computer too long and it installs other malware or you enter your credit card details to buy the full version.

It will continue causing you issues and telling you the only way to remedy the situation is to purchase and activate your copy of the software and once you do this your banking and credit card information is no longer safe and this is why you must remove advanced defender malware form your computer quickly.

All of these messages and problems caused by advanced defender have been created with one purpose in mind, to put you in a state of panic so that you are willing to purchase a copy. Even if you do activate your copy of advanced defender you will not get these so called infections cleaned from your computer. Now you have to worry about your credit card information.

What you’re going to need is a real antivirus and anti-malware software that will be able to clean all of the current infection from your PC and keep it clean from future attacks. The best way to do this is simple.

1. Download a system and registry cleaner. This will scan your computer and windows registry for any traces of malware.


2. This will then scan the rest of your computer for file errors and registry errors that are already there or been put there by malware.


3. Once this is done the system and registry scanner will give you a report of what problems it has found and then allow you to fix them with the click of a mouse.

If your computer is running slow or you suspect it is infected with malware run a system scan now and remove advanced defender and any malware from your computer.

Source: booshnews.com

One in Six XP Users Plan Windows 7 Upgrade: Poll

End of Active support for XP SP2 prompts Change

A PC Advisor poll has found that just under one in six (15.4 percent) of Windows XP users planned to upgrade to Windows 7 immediately after Microsoft pulled support for XP's second service pack.

On 13 July Microsoft ended active support for Windows XP SP2, leaving users with the option of soldiering on without potentially vital patches and updates, upgrading to SP3, or switching to another operating system.

Asked for their immediate plans, 5.7 percent of XP users said they would stick with SP2 (or an earlier service pack).

Forum member Noldi commented: "Stick with XP SP2. My computer does what I require. Unless I have to install new software that is not compatible [with XP SP2], I have no plans to upgrade that particular computer."

Meanwhile, 5.1 percent plan to upgrade from SP2 to SP3.

The largest proportion, however - 60.2 percent - had seen the deadline approaching (or simply accept each new service pack as it's offered), and are already running - and plan to continue running - Windows XP SP3.

"I just let it upgrade itself, I assume that I must be on SP3...?" said Quickbeam.

Of those who chose to leave XP behind completely, considerably more thought Windows 7 an attractive option, with 15.4 percent planning that upgrade. Just 1.3 percent selected the answer 'Upgrade to Vista'.

The rest of the votes were rounded out by 7.5 percent indicating that they didn't know about Microsoft ending active support for XP SP2, and 4.8 percent reporting that they have other plans.

Source: pcadvisor.co.uk

How to perform System Restore?

Click the "Start" button on the XP system tray, then > All Programs > Accessories > Systems Tools > System Restore. Choose this item on the list: Restore My Computer To an Earlier Time. Click "Next".

On the dialog window, there is a calendar of the current month. Look for the highlighted days in the current month, those are days with a restoring point. Click a date, the restore points created on that day will appear on a list.

Click the restore point on the list for that day, to which you want to return your system. Click "Next".

A warning message will remind you to close all programs currently in use before proceeding. Click "OK" after you manually stop other programs running on your computer.

For your confirmation, System Restore displays the time, date, and brief description of the restore point you chose for returning your system. If correct, click "Next".

The restoration process will take several minutes, plus restarting Windows. You will see the System Restore reporting window, reporting the restoring status when Windows XP is running again.

Click "OK" on the System Restore reporting window to finish task, if it says the restoration was successful. Your system is now restored to the previous point of your choice, and should be working faster.

Office 2010 launch sharpens titanic battle with Google

The launch of Office 2010 takes Microsoft's titanic battle with Google into the cloud, retooling its office software to squish the challenge from web-enabled Google Docs. But the two companies' titanic struggle is being played out across the technology landscape, and on the same day came news that Google is working with US telecom giant Verizon on a tablet computer that would rival Apple's iPad and similar devices being created by Microsoft.

Verizon let slip that it plans to start offering its customers a tablet PC that runs on Google's Android software, the special operating system for mobile devices that competes with Windows Mobile from Microsoft. Both Google and Microsoft are trying to lure device makers to use their operating software for smart-phones and web-enabled tablet computers.

Apple uses its own, proprietary operating system for its iPhones and iPads, both of which are currently tied exclusively to the AT&T mobile phone network in the US.

Verizon and other carriers have been tempted to become players in the tablet PC market as a potential future wave of growth. Most people in the US have a mobile phone, and many have upgraded already to an internet-enabled smartphone. Tying up with Google and a hardware manufacturer to produce a Verizon-branded tablet could persuade customers to buy a second portable device – and could prevent them leaving for AT&T and Apple.

The iPad was launched amid great hype on 3 April and passed one million sales in the US within a month. It has now also gone on sale overseas.

A Google spokesman said the company had nothing to announce with Verizon imminently. "Anyone can take the Android platform and add code or download it to create a mobile device without restrictions," he told Bloomberg News. "We look forward to seeing what contributions are made and how an open platform spurs innovation."

Microsoft has been pushing Windows Mobile and Windows 7 as potential operating systems for a new generation of netbooks, smartphones and tablet PCs, although no single device has yet caught the public's imagination. Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, at the Consumer Electronics Show in January showed off a new tablet PC from Hewlett-Packard that uses a Microsoft operating system, in an attempt to steal Apple's thunder ahead of the iPad launch.

Source: Independent.co.uk