Follow these tips to restore performance. Plus: Handle backups too big for CDs, read attachments in Outlook Express 6, dispose of old CDs safely, and more. Lincoln Spector All of a sudden my once-fast computer behaves as if a ton of molasses took over its innards. How can I get my speed back? Oded Degani, Calabasas, California There are several possible causes for your PC slowdown--and as many solutions. First, back up your Registry as a safety precaution; browse to "How Do I Restore My Windows Registry?" for instructions. Here are the leading performance-robbing suspects: Spyware: Besides violating your privacy, these activity-monitoring programs can also slow down your machine. Visit our downloads page to get one (or both) of the top spyware spotters: Patrick M. Kolla's Spybot Search & Destroy and Lavasoft's Ad-aware. They're both free. Too many active apps: Every program running on your system slows it down, and you'll be amazed to learn how many programs load automatically when your PC boots. To see a list of your autoloading apps, select Start, Run, type If a program needs to be running at all times (a firewall, for example), leave it checked; otherwise, uncheck it. Chances are it will start automatically when it's needed, or you can open it manually. (In last month's Full Disclosure, Stephen Manes recommends a more cautious approach.) Uninstall programs you don't use, even if they don't load automatically. Unloaded programs shouldn't slow your PC, but with the Registry, you never know. New software on old hardware: Any program you have--especially a major application or a version of Windows--that is newer than your computer by at least 18 months could be more than your system can take. Try switching to an older version of the program, if one is available. Also, the application itself may have an option to revert to features of an earlier version, though selecting this is certainly no guarantee of a performance boost. Windows XP's Prefetch folder: Go to C:\Windows\Prefetch and delete all the .pf files. The Prefetch folder was added to XP to improve the operating system's performance, and over the short term it succeeds. But if the folder gets overloaded, it can slow your machine down. The Registry: Windows' collection of settings, instructions, and mistakes grows more unwieldy over time, increasing your PC's processing overhead (a bloated Registry also raises the likelihood of other system problems). Cleaning it out every so often is a good idea--although an imperfect one. No Registry cleaning program I know of gets every nook and cranny. Microsoft no longer supports its free RegClean utility, but it still works. Visit PC World's downloads page to get the tool. Though RegClean doesn't support Windows XP, I've used it on that OS without trouble, and between RegClean's Undo feature and your Registry backup, there's no harm that you can't fix. You can also try a shareware Registry cleaner such as Iomatic's $20 Registry Medic (See FIGURE 1 ).
Backups Too Big for CD
Your Spector Backup System won't back up more data than will fit on a single CD. What can I do? John Phillips, Colorado Springs That is definitely a flaw in my backup system--caused by WinZip's inability to see a CD-RW as a removable disc. Sorry about not making that clearer. However, the more data you have to safeguard (and the more disc swapping required to protect it), the less likely you are to back up. If a data folder grows too large to back up conveniently, separate your current data (which you regularly change and should back up daily) from your archival data, which doesn't change. First, create an archive folder: Open Windows Explorer or any folder window and select your C: drive (listed under My Computer in the folder tree). If you get a message about hidden files, click Show the contents of this folder. Right-click in the pane to the right, and select New, Folder. Name your new folder Every month or so, move the files you no longer use from My Documents and your other data folders into your Archive folder. Don't archive your digital photos until you've decided to keep them and after you've finished touching them up. Once you've moved files to the archive, protect them so that you won't accidentally edit or delete them. Right-click your desktop and select New, Shortcut. In the 'Type the location...' field, enter the command line Burn the just-moved files to a CD with whatever software you use for that purpose (if you don't have a CD-RW drive, use your backup media). Use a CD-R disc rather than a CD-RW--you want these backups to be permanent. And be sure to make two copies on separate CDs for safety's sake. Make Outlook Express Less Protective
I use Outlook Express 6, and I can't open any e-mail attachments. Is there a way around this block? Stephen Brown, Waynesboro, Pennsylvania To protect against e-mail-borne viruses, Outlook Express 6 blocks many (sometimes it seems like most) attachments by default. To alter this, open OE and select Tools, Options, Security. Uncheck Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus, and click OK. Never open any suspicious e-mail attachments, even if you recognize the sender's address. Always keep your antivirus software up-to-date. There's a good reason why Microsoft blocks those types of file attachments.
Secure CD Disposal
With all the talk about privacy and identity theft, how should I dispose of unneeded old CD-Rs that contain sensitive information? Nicole Michalke, Schulenburg, Texas You can buy a device that destroys the data on a CD, or you can do it manually. A gadget is best for a lot of discs, but manual destruction is fine if you have only a handful of discs to annihilate. For about $50, you can buy either Alera Technologies' DVD/CD Shredder or Royal's MD80 CD/Disk Media Destroyer (see FIGURE 2). Both of these products punch tiny holes into the surface of the CD, obliterating the data. The "shredded" CD is still in one piece, suitable as a coaster or child's art project, but it's unreadable. Royal's MD100 CD/Media Destroyer & Paper Shredder costs about twice the MD-80, but it chops up CDs, DVDs, floppies, credit cards, and even sheets of paper. The MD100 is a good choice if you're looking to demolish more than just CDs. The most obvious ways to destroy a CD manually aren't necessarily the best ones. Breaking the disc in half with your hands can send dangerous shards flying. Burning discs or toasting them in a microwave can release toxic fumes. Cutting a CD with scissors is safe enough, but it's not all that secure because cut-up discs have been successfully reassembled and read. I recommend a combination of techniques. Start by bringing the disc outside, dropping it onto concrete, and rubbing it vigorously into the ground with your foot. Then turn the disc over and rub again. With both sides heavily scratched, cut the disc into as many separate pieces as patience allows. If you're really paranoid, make like the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II and dump the shards in various garbage cans around town. It sounds like a lot of work, but I have to admit I've never had so much fun testing a tip. In fact, this might make good PC therapy: Every time your system does something to tick you off, go outside and take your frustrations out on an old CD. And if the disc happens to have a certain corporate logo, all the better.
Block the Insert Key
Is there a way to disable the <Insert> key on my keyboard? For me, it's nothing but a nuisance. Joel Hall, San Jose, California You could physically remove the key with a flat-blade screwdriver, but I advise this only if you have a cheap keyboard you can easily replace. Luckily, there are some less dramatic solutions. You can alter what <Insert> does in Microsoft Word, but this doesn't affect other programs. Select Tools, Options, Edit, Use the INS key for paste, and click OK to make <Insert> paste from the clipboard. If you want to turn the key off in every Windows program, try BrainSystems' free CapsUnlock. By default, CapsUnlock disables CapsLock as well as Insert, but changing the setting is easy enough.
Free Undeleter
Last December I recommended DTI Data's Fast File Undelete for recovering accidentally deleted files ("Recover Lost Files That Aren't in the Recycle Bin"). Reader Filip Semey of Gent, Belgium, pointed me to a program with a significant advantage over Fast File Undelete--it's free. You can run Brian Kato's Restoration from a floppy disk, so you don't have to install it on your hard drive. The program can restore a lost file to a removable medium or to another drive, thus letting you avoid writing the file to a potentially bad hard disk. Go to the link to download Restoration.
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