The most recent articles from Computeract!ve

Gallery: Install processor

Debbie Oliver — 2008-09-10T12:20:00.000Z

Debbie Oliver, Computeract!ve, Wednesday 10 September 2008 at 12:20:00

How to install a processor in a PC

PC Help: Why is your PC running slowly?

Tim Smith and Anthony Dhanendran — 2008-07-31T10:00:00.000Z

Tim Smith and Anthony Dhanendran, Computeract!ve, Thursday 31 July 2008 at 10:00:00

The System Idle Process and Commit Charge explained

Q On checking Task Manager, I found that the CPU column showed ‘00’ for all items except the very last item labelled System Idle Process. This was very active and was frequently listed as 99. Is there anything wrong?

Nick Dunsford

A There is nothing wrong, even though it looks like the sums don’t add up. The System Idle Process is what the processor does when there are no other jobs to do. It does not count towards the CPU column because it is not really a task.

If the computer is still slow, the problem is elsewhere, most likely with the hard disk, so make sure that it has been defragmented and that at least 10 per cent of the disk’s capacity is free.

The other important figure on Task Manager is Commit Charge, this is shown on the right of the bottom status bar in Task Manager. It shows the amount of memory in use and how much is available, for example 846M/2441M.

If the first figure is close to the second, the computer is running out of memory. Shut down any running programs that you are not using to free up memory. This can also happen when there are too many tabs open in an internet browser.

Workshop: Boost your notebook PC's battery life

Nick Peers — 2008-06-17T10:00:00.000Z

Nick Peers, Computeract!ve, Tuesday 17 June 2008 at 10:00:00

Discover how to squeeze better performance from your laptop battery

One of the biggest selling points for notebook computers is portability.

Thanks to built-in batteries, they can be used just about anywhere, but what happens when you find yourself running short of power on a regular basis?

Notebook manufacturers usually quote optimistic figures for how long their batteries will last on a single charge, but that doesn’t mean you should simply accept what might appear to be poor performance from your notebook.

While some notebooks are able to automatically throttle back performance in favour of battery longevity, others need a helping hand.

Click here to find out how to optimise your notebook to maximise battery life. Assuming your portable pal hasn’t already been tweaked to perform more efficiently when not plugged in, it could add more than an hour’s life between charges.

Partition your hard disk

Paul Wardley — 2008-05-30T10:00:00.000Z

Paul Wardley, Computeract!ve, Friday 30 May 2008 at 10:00:00

Divide your PC’s hard disk for maximum performance and convenience

Partitioning a hard disk means dividing it into several sections instead of using it as a single, giant repository for programs and data.

We’ll tell you why and we’ll show you how, but not until we’ve stressed that working with partitions can cause a loss of data and we’re not talking about losing a few documents or a couple of emails, we’re talking about losing everything on your hard disk.

The chances of making a fatal mistake are minimal but you make a full backup of your computer. Only proceed after you’ve backed up. It might also be a good idea now to experiment with partitioning on a spare disk: that way, if you make any mistakes, you shouldn’t lose anything.

Have you got that backup, safe and secure? Fine, let’s crack on. Nearly everything described here also applies to Windows Vista, but because Vista’s partitioning abilities are more advanced than those of Windows XP, you might wish to delay any practical experiments until the next issue of Computeractive, when Vista partitioning will be covered in depth in our Masterclass.

Why use partitions?

Historically, the main reason for splitting a hard disk into two or more partitions was to run multiple operating systems: perhaps different versions of Windows or a combination of Windows and Linux. When multiple operating systems are installed on separate partitions, a program called a boot loader asks which one should be launched every time the PC is started.

With the passage of time though hard disks have grown so big that partitioning is often used solely to make the available space more manageable. In the days of Windows 95, a 500MB hard disk was considered enormous, but now it’s not unusual to find an off-the-shelf PC equipped with a 500GB hard disk able to store a thousand times as much. Backing up and managing this much data is an unwieldy process, so splitting a physical hard disk into several smaller, virtual hard disks (partitions) is an attractive option.

This is never truer than when backups are made using one of the increasingly popular

disk-imaging programs. These work by duplicating an entire partition instead of copying individual files, and they rely on using a second partition to store the duplicate image because it is unfeasible to store a copy of a disk on the disk itself: that would be equivalent to lifting yourself up by the ankles.

Every partition on a disk can be separately formatted with a different file system, and it’s the file system that determines exactly where and how data is stored. Windows XP and Windows Vista work best when formatted as NTFS, but Windows ME and Windows 98 were designed for FAT 32, and Windows 95 for FAT 16. Splitting a disk and formatting one of the partitions as FAT 16 ensures that, when shared over a network or by multiple operating systems installed on the same PC, at least one partition will be readable to all of them.

Partitioning a new hard disk

When installing Windows XP on a brand-new hard disk, its partitioning and formatting are handled by the Windows Setup Wizard. But if you’ve added a new hard disk to an existing Windows XP computer, the partitioning and formatting of the new disk are your responsibility.

Regardless of whether the new disk is fitted internally or attached to a USB port, the techniques are the same and are handled through the Computer Management Console of the Windows Control Panel. To use this, open the Start menu and click Control Panel, then Performance and Maintenance, then Administrative Tools. In the Administrative Tools window, double-click Computer Management. In the Computer Management Console, double-click Disk Management.

Within Disk Management, each physical hard disk is identified by number, starting with Disk 0. The partitions of each hard disk are displayed alongside.

Formatted partitions are labelled with their name, size, file system and the letter by which Windows identifies them as a drive, while unpartitioned and unformatted disks are listed simply as Unallocated.

To partition a new disk, right-click on the unallocated section and select New Partition from the context menu. This starts the New Partition Wizard, which asks whether you want to create a primary or extended partition. The answer depends on how many partitions are required. Primary partitions are the most versatile and straightforward (they can be used for both operating systems and data), but there can be only four of them on a disk.

If more than four partitions are required, one must be designated as an extended partition. Extended partitions can themselves be subdivided into so-called ‘logical drives’, each acting like a separate partition and each one identified by its own drive letter in Windows.

If the primary partition type is selected, the wizard asks how large the partition should be and displays the maximum possible size in megabytes. This is a bit disconcerting these days, because we’re used to thinking about hard disks in terms of gigabytes. Just remember that for partitioning purposes, 1,024MB is equivalent to 1GB, so for a 20GB partition you’d select 20,480MB.

The wizard then asks which drive letter should be assigned to the partition and offers the next available letter, which can be changed if desired. The identifying letter of any drive or partition can be changed at any time by returning to Disk Management, right-clicking the drive and selecting Change Drive Letters and Paths.

The next decision is how to format the partition, and for partition sizes over 2GB the choices are FAT 32 or NTFS. For partitions smaller than 2GB there is also the option of FAT 16, which is offered under the name FAT. Unless you’re tied to a particular format for compatibility with other operating systems, then NTFS is best. It has a number of advantages, but the significant ones for home users are increased reliability, greater security when several users share the same PC and the ability to compress data so that more can be fitted on to each partition.

Having made the appropriate selections, click OK to create the new partition. This closes the wizard and displays the new partition in the Computer Management Console, where it is then automatically formatted. If only part of the total space on a disk has been partitioned, the remainder shows as unallocated. This can be further partitioned by running the New Partition Wizard again, or left unallocated for future use.

All of the above applies equally to extended partitions. The only difference is that, after creating an extended partition, the New Partition Wizard is invoked by right-clicking on the extended partition and selecting New Logical Drive.

Re-partitioning an existing hard disk

The Disk Management options in the Computer Management Console are simple and reliable, but very limited in scope. Partitions can be created and deleted but they can’t be resized or moved, and these are exactly the actions that are required if you want to change the partitioning arrangements on an existing hard disk. In such cases, a free program called GParted can do the job.

Although it runs under Linux, don’t let that put you off. If you download the ‘LiveCD’ version, it includes a ready-to-run version of Linux, and GParted itself works like a Windows program. Download the GParted Live CD ISO version and then use whatever CD-burning software is installed on your PC to burn a CD from the downloaded ISO disc image. Don’t just copy the ISO file on to a CD because it won’t work; it must be burned as an image. CDBurnerXP is a free program that is able to create CDs from ISO images.

To load and run GParted, your computer must be set to boot from its CD drive. Most new computers are supplied in this way or can be made to boot from a CD by changing the boot options within the Bios setup program. Soon after booting from the CD, when asked to choose which version of Linux to load, just press Enter.

When asked to choose a keymap, type UK and press Enter. When asked to choose a language, type 02 (for British English) and then press Enter. When Linux finally loads it does so with GParted already running and ready for action.

GParted shows information about the host PC’s bootable main disk, which it designates as /dev/hda. Its partitions are identified by additional numbers; eg, /dev/hda1, /dev/hda2 and so on. If there is more than one physical hard disk in the PC, a different one can be selected by clicking the disk information button near the top-right of the window. The partitions of the selected disk are displayed graphically beneath the toolbar and in detailed table form below that.

Partitions can be made bigger or smaller, and they can be moved to different positions on the disk without losing any of the data they contain. But bear in mind that if you format a partition you will lose everything on it.

In the graphical representation of each partition, a coloured bar indicates how much of it has been used. Obviously, a partition cannot be shrunk to a size smaller than the data it already contains, but it can be shrunk to anything in between its current size and its minimum size, releasing some or all of its free space for other partitions to use.

Hard disks can be expanded into unallocated space immediately to the right of them, and if there is currently no unallocated space available it can be created by shrinking one of the other partitions. If the unallocated space thus created is not immediately to the right of the drive that is to be expanded, it may be necessary to move other partitions out of the way. There’s a step-by- step guide to shrinking a partition below.

When actions are selected in GParted, they’re added to a list of pending operations and only carried out when the Apply button is clicked. Although it is possible to schedule multiple actions and perform them all at the same time, we do not recommend this method when working on Windows partitions.

After applying a single change, close GParted and click the Linux Exit button, then reboot into Windows so it can sort itself out. If further changes are desired, boot back into Linux from the GParted CD.

Conclusion

That’s it, so far as partitioning under Windows XP is concerned. You can use a tool such as GParted to experiment further. And Vista users remember we’ll be looking at partitioning using your operating system in our next issue.

Doing it the windows way

The Disk Management feature of the Windows XP Computer Management Console can’t resize partitions: partitions have to be deleted and recreated, which destroys everything they contain.

GParted, running under Linux, can resize partitions without destroying any data, but to get the same facilities under Windows means paying hard cash for a third-party partitioning program such as Norton Partition Magic and Paragon Partition Manager. Though not cheap, they do offer the additional facility of being able to non-destructively convert the format of a partition to a different file system.

Here's a quick guide to using GParted to shrink a partition

Gallery: Boost your notebook PC's battery life

Matt Andrews — 2008-05-28T10:43:00.000Z

Matt Andrews, Computeract!ve, Wednesday 28 May 2008 at 10:43:00

Discover how to squeeze better performance from your laptop battery

Gallery: Use GParted to shrink a partition

Paul Wardley — 2008-05-22T14:59:00.000Z

Paul Wardley, Computeract!ve, Thursday 22 May 2008 at 14:59:00

PC help: Dodgy defrag

Tim Smith, Anthony Dhanendran — 2008-05-21T10:00:00.000Z

Tim Smith, Anthony Dhanendran, Computeract!ve, Wednesday 21 May 2008 at 10:00:00

Scan and fix your hard disk before defrag

Q The defragment utility cannot finish its work on my computer. An error message appears that says: ‘Defrag of (C:) has been aborted due to inconsistencies that were detected in the file system. Please run CHKDSK or SCANDISK on C to repair and then run defrag again’. I have tried typing these commands in the Run box but nothing happens.

Karl

A The defrag utility checks for these kind of errors because not doing so could lead to lost files. Left-click on the Start button and then on My Computer. Right-click on Local Disk (C:) and select Properties from the menu that appears. Click on the Tools tab and then on Check Now in the top section. Click in the two option boxes ‘Automatically fix file system errors’ and ‘Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors’ so that a tick appears in each and then click on Start.

A message will appear saying that the check could not be completed because the utility needs exclusive access to some files. This is quite normal. Click on Yes to schedule a disk check when Windows next starts. Restart the computer to run the test. After the first Windows screen a light-blue screen will appear warning that the check is about to take place. Don’t press any keys and the hard disk will be scanned and fixed. When it has finished Windows will start automatically and you should be able to defragment the disk.

PC Help: Why upgrade to dual-core?

Tim Smith and Anthony Dhanendran — 2008-03-18T00:00:00.000Z

Tim Smith and Anthony Dhanendran, Computeract!ve, Tuesday 18 March 2008 at 00:00:00

We make the case for dual- and quad-core processors

Q Everyone seems to be pushing the new dual-core and quad-core processors. What is wrong with keeping my Pentium 4 processor, which provides 3GHz? Most of the new processors seem to provide 2.4GHz, and then only on the more expensive models.

Richard Jones

A It might help to think about the numbers to which you refer in a different way. Rather than providing a certain amount of power, as a car’s engine does, they actually denote the rates at which the processors’ internal clocks operate.

In theory, a higher number means more power, but because processor designs change from chip to chip, the clock speeds of newer processors, such as the dual-core and quad-core designs, can’t be compared directly to those of older processors. The technology in the new processors operates more efficiently, meaning a 2GHz quad-core can get some things done faster than a 3GHz single-core processor (such as your Pentium 4).

That’s also because the dual-core and quad-core processors have more than one physical processor on a single microchip (Intel calls these processors cores, so dual-core chips have two, and quad-cores have four). New software, including Windows Vista, can take advantage of these and assign each core a distinct task. This can result in big speed increases for some tasks.

More and more software is being written to take advantage of this, especially photo- and video-editing software, and games. If you’re considering upgrading or buying a new PC, multi-core processors are certainly worth a look.

Gallery: Make your notebook PC easier to use

Matt Andrews — 2008-03-17T00:00:00.000Z

Matt Andrews, Computeract!ve, Monday 17 March 2008 at 00:00:00

Workshop: Make your notebook PC easier to use

Paul Wardley — 2008-03-17T00:00:00.000Z

Paul Wardley, Computeract!ve, Monday 17 March 2008 at 00:00:00

Change the way you use your notebook computer by customising Touchpad input

Every notebook computer is fitted with a pointing device that takes the place of a mouse. With very few exceptions these days, this will be a touch-sensitive pad.

Synaptics, the company that makes many of these parts, calls it a Touchpad. It has emerged as the most effective pointing device only after years of rivalry from other devices such as joysticks and trackballs. If your notebook computer has a Touchpad but you still feel more at home with a mouse, this Workshop is for you.

The instructions here are for notebooks using a Synaptics Touchpad, but other models may often include similar options.

Find out how to customise the Touchpad here.

No Problem: Keyboard is too fast

Anthony Dhanendran, Tim Smith — 2008-03-13T00:00:00.000Z

Anthony Dhanendran, Tim Smith, Computeract!ve, Thursday 13 March 2008 at 00:00:00

Stop a held keystroke from producing multiple letters

Is it possible to alter the settings of a keyboard in Windows XP so that each keystroke will only produce one character and not a continuous string? My disabled granddaughter can type quite well, but tends to press each key for too long, making for lots of use of the backspace key. Is it possible to create some sort of delay or, better still, make a key operate just once per press?

Ian Cook

You’ll be pleased to hear that, for the last few versions, Windows has included software for exactly this purpose, as well as other programs that can help those who find it physically difficult to use a computer. They’re found in the Start menu, under Accessories, then Accessibility, as well as in the Control Panel, under Accessibility Options.

The one you need is called Filterkeys. Open the Control Panel, then select Accessibility Options. If you see the ‘Pick a task’ screen, click on Accessibility Options again. In the dialogue box that appears, tick the Use Filterkeys box. Click on the Settings button, and remove the tick from the ‘Use shortcut’ box. Select ‘Ignore quick keystrokes and slow down the repeat rate’, then click on Settings.

You can choose ‘No keyboard repeat’, which will, as you ask, make a key operate just once per press. Click in the Test area below and try it out to see if this works. Click on OK when you’re satisfied, then OK again, and again. Close the Control Panel. You may also find that the Accessibility Wizard is of use – you can find it in the Start menu as described above.

Evesham customers to pay for support

Dinah Greek — 2008-02-26T00:00:00.000Z

Dinah Greek, Computeract!ve, Tuesday 26 February 2008 at 00:00:00

Time moves on for Evesham customers

Speculation surrounding the future of Geemore Technology, which has been trading using the Evesham brand, continues to grow.

It emerged at the end of February that Richard Austin, the managing director, had jumped ship and left the company. Geemore has now been put on the market by its parent company, PCC Technology Ltd, the investment group based in Dubai.

Tahir Mohsan, one of the founders of Time UK and the head of PCC, said: "If a buyer cannot be found, Geemore intends to continue but the operation may be reduced to a smaller operation with lower overheads, in a controlled and responsible manner, while ensuring that customers are not affected."

However customers of Evesham Technology Ltd (the original company set up by Mr Austin) have been affected. Initially Evesham Micros told us that it was honouring warranties for customers of Evesham Technology Ltd (ETL), which folded last August.

When we spoke to staff at Evesham Micros two weeks ago, they reiterated this pledge. However we have since learned that this is not the case.

All its customers who want continued support , including those who had bought extended warranties with ETL, will have to find it elsewhere. Many have been contacted by a company called Total Care and Support, another company with links to the Time UK founder, offering support from £4.99 per month.

Only a skeleton staff now remains on board at Evesham Micros and our sister publication CRN reported that a source close to the company had said: “Staff have been told to build what they can from the remaining components and it sounds like that will be it. The brand is damaged and no suppliers will support it.”

PC Help: Clear a fuzzy screen

Tim Smith, Anthony Dhanendran — 2008-02-25T00:00:00.000Z

Tim Smith, Anthony Dhanendran, Computeract!ve, Monday 25 February 2008 at 00:00:00

Restore focus to your monitor

My monitor has recently developed a fault: when I first switch on the computer, the image is bright and sharp but after a while it becomes fuzzy and slightly unfocused.

If the computer is left on, unused, and the screensaver kicks in, the sharpness returns for a time when I start to use it again.

Patrick Ford

You haven’t specified it, but presumably we’re talking about an old-style tube (CRT) monitor. This is a hardware problem but it’s not clear where it lies.

The most likely culprit is the monitor itself but other possibilities are the cable or your computer’s graphics card.

If you can swap the monitor with a friend’s, or with another one in the house, you can see whether the fault is in the monitor.

The same applies to the cable – if you can swap it with another, while leaving the monitor and computer in place, that will show if the cable is at fault. Obviously, this won’t be possible if the cable is fixed to the screen.

Faulty cables are easily dealt with, but even if the fault is with the screen, it’s not necessarily a big problem. You will need to take it to a repair shop that will work with CRT monitors, and there may not be one nearby.

If it’s still covered by the manufacturer or retailer’s warranty, you should contact the shop for them to have a look at it.

PC Help: Clock won't keep time

Tim Smith, Anthony Dhanendran — 2008-02-20T00:00:00.000Z

Tim Smith, Anthony Dhanendran, Computeract!ve, Wednesday 20 February 2008 at 00:00:00

How to troubleshoot a common clock problem

When I start my computer up, before anything is loaded and before Windows starts, a message comes up that says there is a “CMOS checksum error” and that the defaults have been loaded.

The only real problem is that the date and time is out: it always shows 1 January 2002. I can change this to the correct time and the computer starts up and runs fine, but once it has been shut down and left overnight, the problem reoccurs.

Colin Sutton

This is a fairly common problem in older computers: the battery has run out. The battery isn’t used to power the PC: it is used to keep the time and settings (such as what hard disks are connected to the computer) accurate while the computer is switched off.

Computer batteries are designed to last for several years but when they fail, the computer will lose all its settings each time it is switched off for a long period of time or unplugged from the power supply.

Modern computers can automatically adjust the settings from scratch quite easily, so the only problem most users will notice is that the time is out of sync.

It’s not difficult to replace the battery, but it involves opening the computer’s case and working with the components. If you’re not comfortable doing this, any local computer repair shop will be able to do the job for a small fee.

The battery is a flat, silver cell, which will be mounted in a battery compartment somewhere on the motherboard. You may have to move some cables out of the way in order to move or remove it – be careful not to unplug or dislodge any of them.

When you have removed the battery, make a note of the type, which will be marked on the top, and pick a new one up from a computer or watch repair shop. It shouldn’t cost more than a couple of pounds.

PC help: Games need more memory

Tim Smith and Anthony Dhanendran — 2008-01-14T00:00:00.000Z

Tim Smith and Anthony Dhanendran, Computeract!ve, Monday 14 January 2008 at 00:00:00

Upgrade memory and graphics card on your desktop PC

Q My computer has an AMD AthlonXP 2400+ processor with 480MB of memory but my son wants to play games that require more memory and a better graphics card.

As a very basic computer user, I’d like to know how to increase its memory size, ideally to 1024MB or more, and how to upgrade a graphics card. Do I have to take the computer to a shop or could I do it myself? Is it likely to be expensive?

Dave Heath

A Fitting memory to most computers can be a simple process - with a couple of caveats.

First, if you’re a notebook user, you may need to go back to the shop or manufacturer because it’s harder to change notebook memory than that for desktop computers - and practically impossible to change the graphics card.

Second, you need to make sure that the computer has space for more memory. This involves opening the case and looking at the memory slots.

Normally, there will be two or four slots, and either two or all of them will be full. If there are free slots, you can add memory.

To find out what type, use the memory advisor at www.crucial.com/uk if your PC has a make and model number (once you have found the right memory for your computer, you don’t have to buy the memory from Crucial).

If your PC was self-built or it’s not on that list, you will need to look in the manual for the motherboard to find out what type of memory it requires. You can then buy this from Crucial or another memory supplier.

To fit the memory, slip it out of its packaging and slot it into place, taking care to sit it firmly. There is a small notch to ensure it is the right way up. You should use a 'static strap’, available from most electronics stores, to protect the memory and your computer while you install it.

Graphics cards are also fairly easy to add, and you shouldn’t need to spend more than around £80 for a decent mid-range card. There are two main types: you will need to make sure the computer has a free PCI-Express or AGP slot, and buy the appropriate card for the slot. If you’re not sure how to identify the slots, see the motherboard or computer manual, or go to the manufacturer’s support website.