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Scott Jernigan
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Now that you’ve won your battles against crashes, lockups, and other Windows issues, you need to get proactive. You can neutralize issues before they cause your computer to crash. Today you’ll learn three ways to perform preventive maintenance:
Let’s get started by talking about backing up and restoring data.
The old tech joke goes, "There are only two kinds of computer users: those who have lost data and those who will lose data." Always prepare for that loss by backing up any important data.
How do you do that? Different versions of Windows offer different tools to accomplish backups. Let's look at the tools first and then turn to the backup process. You don't need to carry out the steps I describe the minute I describe them to you; I just want to show you what the process looks like.
Current versions of Windows use the Backup and Restore applet for making backups.
Depending on which flavor of Windows you're running, you may need to click on System and Security before you get to the Backup and Restore applet.
To run the applet, go to the Control Panel and click the Back up your computer link under System and Security (System and Maintenance in Windows Vista). Click Set up backup to start the process, or click Back up files or Back up computer in Windows Vista. You can back up your hard drive to any connected mass storage device (more about storage devices in a minute).
Earlier versions of Windows came with a program called Windows Backup as well, though it was more complicated than the current tool.
To get to the program, go to Start > Run, type ntbackup, and press ENTER. Then follow the wizard to back up your files.
Microsoft recommends backing up your drive to an external hard drive. This offers a couple of benefits. First, you can connect the drive without opening the case. Second, you can store the backed-up drive in a different location. If the location of the computer experiences a catastrophic event (fire, flood, and so on), your backup survives safely elsewhere (assuming you took it there).
External hard drives come in a variety of packages. Technically, the hard drive part of an external drive remains the same as an internal drive. External drives, however, use an enclosure that plugs into an AC electrical outlet and into a port on the back of the computer.
The data cable for enclosures connects to one of four types of port on the computer:
The most common external drives plug into Hi-Speed USB ports, also known as USB 2.0. Hi-Speed USB has the slowest sustained data transfer speed of the four, but the enclosures are the least expensive. Better ones plug into FireWire, eSATA, or SuperSpeed USB ports.
FireWire ports enable data transfers of either 400 Mbps or 800 Mbps. (Mbps means "millions of bits per second" or "megabits per second.") In practice, they crush Hi-Speed USB in sustained data transfers. The latter has a top speed of 480 Mbps, but that's achievable only in bursts. A FireWire port looks like a very elongated D.
Many newer computers come with either an eSATA or SuperSpeed USB port. These enable you to connect a better hard drive enclosure and get phenomenally faster transfer rates. The eSATA ports are flat, as you can see in the image below. The SuperSpeed USB ports look identical to Hi-Speed USB ports, though they're blue on most motherboards.
Note
There are a couple of other ports in the photo, such as PS/2, which you'll recall from Lesson 1. I'll discuss the other ports (high-end audio and networking) in later lessons. Also, ignore the green eSATA connection with the extra contacts that's not called out. It's not a standard connection you'll see on motherboards.
The eSATA and SuperSpeed USB standards claim 3-Gbps and 5-Gbps data transfer speeds, respectively. As with the Hi-Speed USB and FireWire comparison, the claims don't live up to reality. An eSATA drive can back up an entire drive of 500-plus gigabytes in half the time as a SuperSpeed USB. The only time that SuperSpeed USB defeats eSATA is in the transfer of giant files, like a single 4 GB movie file. Even then, the speed difference is minimal.
My take? eSATA is your best choice if you have that option on your computer. Unfortunately, hard drive enclosures that offer eSATA are more expensive than ones that do only Hi-Speed USB.
Keep the following three points in mind when purchasing a backup drive.
The only negative to following the future-proofing path is that the higher-end enclosures cost a little more than the lower-end ones.
Back up your files regularly. "But how often?" you ask. That depends on how you use the computer. If you're creating (writing, doing art) or importing pictures or music a lot, then back up frequently, like every week. If you primarily use your computer as an Internet-browsing and email-checking device, then make new backups once a month. You should have a backup that can help you recover from a catastrophic crash.
If you have a work computer, follow the company policy for backing up your drive. If you don't know it, ask!
Windows makes backing up files fairly simple: You follow the wizard. You can back up specific folders or entire hard drives, for one or more users. You can even schedule automated backups.
You can restore a backup as easily as you make one. Insert or attach your storage device, and then return to the Backup and Restore applet in the Control Panel. Click on Restore my files. Follow the wizard, which asks you to specify which backed-up files you want to restore.
It's bad enough if a computer crashes and files disappear because nobody made a backup. What can you do if an entire operating system fails? That's what we'll discuss next.
From time to time, operating systems fail. Hundreds of programmers (the people who write the code that makes the OS work) spend months (or years) working on an OS . . . and even with all that hard work, bugs and mistakes will remain. You don't cause these problems; the errors come built in to the operating system.
You might never encounter these bugs, but a particularly nasty bug can also prevent the OS from running at all. A bug could also make your computer run slowly or lock up. Fortunately, updates can fix these errors, but this general term can mean a lot of things.
Depending on the number and scope of changes, programmers release OS fixes in one of three ways.
The price of applications and operating systems frequently changes. Depending on when you read this and what version of Windows 7 you want, the upgrade version of Windows 7 may cost anywhere from $100 to $200. You might be able to save a little money by shopping eBay, though Amazon merchants are pretty competitive with the auctioneers.
While you need to buy a new version of an operating system, free Windows patches and service packs download automatically using the Windows Update applet in the Control Panel.
Microsoft's programmers work tirelessly to make Windows more stable and safe. In earlier versions of Windows, Microsoft released patches and service packs with the assumption that people would voluntarily download and install them. When that surprisingly didn't happen and people got hit with viruses and security exploits that Microsoft had already fixed, Microsoft changed the game.
If you have a connection to the Internet, you can receive automatic updates from Microsoft that patch Windows for you.
You have four options on how Windows downloads and patches your OS:
If you disable the automatic patching, you might miss an important security patch and leave your computer vulnerable to attack. If you're disciplined about going to Windows Update regularly, that might not be as big a problem. But if you're like most users and don't think about manually patching the computer, you put your computer at risk.
Here's how to check for available updates for your computer:
While a patch plugs the holes of a leaky operating system, installing a version upgrade gets you a brand new, entirely different boat. Upgrading to a newer version of an OS means a new OS. Sure, when you switch from Windows Vista to Windows 7, you still have Windows, but each has its own way of doing things. Upgrading means paying some money and installing a new OS, but the benefits make up for it.
Let's use the improvements between Windows Vista and Windows 7 as an example. Windows 7:
You'll find other benefits to installing a new OS (or even reinstalling your existing OS). Over time, your PC will get slower and buggier as you install, uninstall, reinstall, and modify applications, settings, and files. Upgrading offers you a fresh start because—and you need to know this—you need to delete everything on the hard drive before installing the new OS. Let that sink in for a moment.
I should mention that you can upgrade to a newer version of Windows without formatting your drive. (Formatting a drive means deleting all the data stored on it.) For the purposes of troubleshooting and preventive maintenance, however, installing a new version of Windows on top of an old one doesn't always get rid of the old problems . . . and it usually causes new ones. You will, of course, want to back up all your data before upgrading to a new OS..
In Chapter 3, we'll get into the details of installing or reinstalling the OS.
Upgrading to a new version of Windows or any other operating system provides many benefits, but it can take a long time. You need to follow several steps before, during, and after the actual installation. While it's easier than ever to install (or reinstall) Windows, I recommend you wait until after you finish this course to try it yourself. You'll want all of that knowledge when you run the installation.
Before upgrading or reinstalling Windows, you need to determine which version you plan to install. For each version of Windows (such as Vista or 7), Microsoft releases numerous editions, each with different sets of features. Check out Chapter 3 of Lesson 3 to review the multiple editions of Windows.
You must also make sure that your PC meets the minimum system requirements. Operating systems require a certain level of hardware—notably a fast enough CPU, enough RAM, and enough free hard drive space. If you're upgrading, check out Microsoft's Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to see if your system can handle it. (I've included a link to the Upgrade Advisor in the Supplementary Material for this lesson.)
Make sure that the hardware and software you already own works with the new OS. Check the manufacturers' sites to see if they've made new drivers or updates to enable compatibility.
Next, you need to buy a copy of Windows (if you haven't already). You can purchase it from a store—online or brick and mortar—or download it from the Internet. Once you have it, you can install the program.
Installing a new OS or reinstalling an old one can take some time. The steps listed here differ slightly between Windows Vista and Windows 7, but you can just follow the on-screen instructions once the actual installation begins.
A Note About Sequence
As you read this chapter, you may notice that it has a long list of steps to complete. Don't be intimidated! I numbered these continuously so that, if you go to the Discussion Area with a question about a certain part of the process, I can tell you exactly which step to revisit.
Operating system installations generally require you to boot to the CD or DVD that holds the OS. You enable the boot process by changing the boot order in the System Setup utility. When you're ready to upgrade or reinstall, follow these steps:
Passwords and Where to Store Them
Let me digress here briefly about passwords. A secure password consists of three elements: numbers, letters, and non-alphanumeric characters, such as #, $, *, and so on. The best passwords use all three and do not use numbers or letters that have anything to do with you or your life. Daisy325+ seems like a good password, but not for a user named Steve, who was born on March 25 and has a dog named Daisy. A better password would be 79artful* because it has nothing to do with Steve but is something he could easily memorize and type.
If you worry about forgetting a complex password—and you should, because it's bad when you do—then you have to write the password down. But you have to store that written password as if it were a bar of gold. Seriously. Put it in your house safe or in a safe-deposit box at your bank. Don't tape it to the bottom of your keyboard, because that's the first place we . . . err . . . hackers look.
You've finished installing Windows, but you still have more to do.
As you can see, you need to prepare for OS upgrades and reinstalls. I could go on and on about all the details and options available to you, but for the purposes of PC troubleshooting, I wanted to give you enough information so you feel informed about why you upgrade or reinstall Windows and how you go about it. It's a great way to give an ailing PC a fresh start.
You can use other tools and utilities to help prevent future frustrations. To learn more about them, move on to Chapter 4.
Every technician has war stories about the user who likes to add the latest gadget and cool software to his computer. Then he's amazed when things go very, very wrong: the system locks up, refuses to boot, or simply acts weird. This guy also can't remember what he added or when. Now he wants you to fix it—fast.
Microsoft must have heard this sob story a hundred times, because the company has developed a great solution. It's called System Restore. The System Restore tool creates restore points—copies of your computer's configuration at specific points in time. If you later crash or have a corrupted OS, you can restore the system to a previous state.
System Restore in Windows Vista and Windows 7 runs automatically, with the OS making restore points whenever you make important changes, such as installing an application. Windows does the preventive part for you!
To make your own restore point, go to Start > Control Panel > System and Security > System, click System protection, and then click Create.
If you open System Restore and click Next, you can view the available restore points. It might surprise you to see how many system restore points Windows makes for you. In most cases, you need only one to make your PC happy again.
During the restore process, only settings and programs change. Your personal data remains. System Restore includes all programs and settings as of the restore date. It's a pretty amazing feature when you see it in action.
Here's how to restore to a previous time point in Windows XP and Windows Vista:
Windows 7 automates the restoration process a little further. When you open System Restore, the program has a recommended restore point already selected. If you click Next, the restore process starts. If you want to review available restore points, you need to click the check box next to Choose a different restore point. Then click Next. That opens the screen above with available restore points offered.
You can reverse the restoration process. Thus, if you go too far back in time, you can restore to a more recent date.
Windows turns on System Restore by default and uses some of your disk space to save information on restore points. To turn off System Restore or change the disk space usage, open the System applet in the Control Panel. Click on the System Protection link, and then click the Configure button near the bottom of the dialog box. Select Turn off system protection to turn off System Restore. Then click OK.
Running Disk Cleanup regularly helps keep your hard drive clear of clutter. The program comes with all modern versions of Windows, so it's easy to find. Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup to run it. You can select things to delete, such as Downloaded Program Files or Temporary Files. Also, you can empty the Recycle Bin or get rid of setup files. Take your pick to clean up unnecessary files.
On a more complex computer with multiple hard drives, you can run Disk Cleanup on a specific drive. Go to My Computer or Computer, right-click a drive, and select Properties. On the General tab, click Disk Cleanup to run the program.
Hard drives break more often than other parts of your PC. Because you store all your data on hard drives, that's very bad. Fortunately, Windows includes tools you can use to ensure your hard drives function properly.
Individual clusters (chunks of data on a hard drive) sometimes go bad. There's nothing you can do to prevent this, so it's important that you check occasionally for bad clusters on the drives. Microsoft calls these tools error-checking utilities, although you might also hear two terms for two older tools—ScanDisk and CHKDSK (pronounced "checkdisk"). In Windows Vista and Windows 7, Microsoft calls the tool Error-checking. Whatever the name of the utility, each does the same job: When the tool finds bad clusters, it puts the electronic equivalent of orange cones around them so that the system won't try to place data in those clusters.
To access Error-checking, open Computer, right-click the drive you want to check, and select Properties to open the drive's Properties dialog box. Select the Tools tab, and click the Check Now button to display the Check Disk dialog box, which has two options. Check the box next to Automatically fix file system errors. Save the option to Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors for times when you actually suspect a problem, because it takes a while on bigger hard drives.
If you're trying to scan your primary (or only) hard drive—the one that contains Windows—a dialog box pops up explaining that you can't check a hard disk for errors while it's in use, but that you can schedule a disk check for the next time you start your computer. Click Schedule disk check to run the scan on your next bootup.
Now that you know how to run Error-checking, your next question should be, "How often do I run it?" A reasonable maintenance plan means running it about once a week. Error-checking runs quickly (unless you use the Scan for and attempt recovery option), and it keeps your system in top shape.
Fragmentation of clusters can make your drive access times increase dramatically. It's a good idea to defragment—or defrag—your drives as part of your regular maintenance. You can access the Disk Defragmenter utility the same way you access Error-checking—right-click a drive in Computer and choose Properties—except you click the Defragment Now button on the Tools tab to open the Disk Defragmenter.
But wait! In Windows Vista and Windows 7, you don't actually need to do anything to defragment your drives—Windows does it automatically. By default, the process runs on Wednesday nights at 1 a.m., but you need to keep your PC on then for it to happen.
You can reschedule the automatic defragmentation by clicking Configure schedule. In the dialog box that opens, you can decide on the frequency, day, and time of the defragmentation, as well as which disks to defragment. You can even disable automatic defragmenting, but I wouldn't recommend that option. You don't want to have to run it yourself. Disk defragmenting looks interesting—once.
Cluster, restore point, defragging—you've encountered a lot of new terms today. Please head over to Chapter 5 for a recap and a chance to assess some of what you've learned.
Troubleshooting never ends, even when everything works perfectly. Maintaining your operating system helps you avoid problems. While much of this process runs automatically, you need to start some things manually.
If you want to keep your PC safe, you need to back up your files. The process runs quickly, but most people still skip it—though that means they have nothing left after their hard drive dies. Don't become one of those people!
You also learned about updating and upgrading Windows. You should update your OS with every newly released patch. These fixes, though small in file size, might plug a huge security gap. And if updates are your daily lunch, then an OS upgrade is a fancy dinner out on the town. Upgrading means buying a whole new product, but you can shake out the bugs of an aging copy of Windows while adding new and improved features to your PC.
Finally, you learned about some important tools for maintaining your operating system. System Restore acts like a tiny backup, but it's for your OS and applications, not your data files. Disk Cleanup helps you sweep away old and unused files, while error-checking and defragmenting your hard disk helps ensure it's in good health.
This lesson wraps up a trilogy of OS-related information. You've learned the basics of operating systems, how to fix common problems, and how to prevent problems.
Now that you know a lot more about Windows, you can jump into the next big topic in Lesson 6, which covers networking and the Internet. See you in the next lesson!
From this site, you can download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, which helps you determine whether your computer (including all its little bits and pieces) can run Microsoft’s newest operating system.
A: No. If an older version of Windows still does everything you want it to, keep it. Plenty of machines around the world still run Windows XP (or even Windows 98). Remember, though, that Microsoft won’t support an old OS forever, and newer applications and hardware might require a newer version of Windows. Always check the system requirements before you purchase new software or hardware.
Back up your files using the Backup and Restore applet in Control Panel. You'll need a spare hard drive or writable CD, DVD, or Blu-ray Disc. Follow the wizard's instructions (or review Chapter 2) to back up your important documents. If you have the space, try backing up your entire hard drive.
Any questions? Remember that you can always ask for help in the Discussion Area.
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