Computer Technology Tip

Customizing Your Desktop

When you purchase a new computer I'm sure you have expectations of a faster and more reliable machine than you are currently using. These are reasonable expectations. However, the major computer manufacturers see it differently. They insist that the computer you plan to buy has unneeded bundled software that is contracted by the manufacturer with a software provider. Often these programs are 30, 60, or 90-day trials. Basically they use the computer you buy as a marketing arena for these programs. Anti-virus programs are the worst offenders in this game. Sure, it's convenient to have an anti-virus program installed but is it the best one for you and for the overall performance of your new computer? Norton is touting a brand new anti-virus suite called Norton 360. It will replace Norton's Internet Security 2007. Early tests show it performs manual file scans faster than its predecessor but it takes over a minute after boot up before you can use your computer efficiently. This performance is worse than Norton Internet Security 2007! With this product installed it effectively places a new computer's performance back to the days of Windows 98 or 1998. As you can see I'm not a fan of Norton's or even McAfee's products.

In addition to the bundled software game, there is a hardware issue. Intel and AMD are the 2 companies that supply the actual computer processor chip inside the computer. Intel's branding calls its processor "Core 2 Duo" and AMD calls theirs "64 X2 Dual-Core" With marketing hype in overdrive, both of these processors lend themselves toward running 2 programs at the same time faster than a single core processor. Theoretically that's true. In real life that's far from the truth. Software programs have to written to take advantage of "Dual Core" technology. Notable software programs that can take advantage of the "Dual Core" technology are Microsoft Office, Nero 7, Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. There are others but these are the more common. For example, the computer you purchase may have Microsoft Office. Does that mean Office will run twice as fast? No it won't! It all depends on what you are doing at the moment. The "Core 2 Duo" or "64 X2 Dual-Core" only helps the power user or gamer and even then it's questionable. Dual Core type computers are the only types you may find in the stores so you have to live with this technology advance.

Microsoft once had a lofty boot up goal of 30 seconds from the time the Windows logo first appeared on the screen to the time the icons appeared on the Desktop. This goal can still be achieved but you will never achieve it when you buy a new computer. To take control of your new computer, or even an existing one, you should uninstall all unneeded software; control the startup of remaining programs on your computer by using Msconfig, and use anti-virus and anti-spyware programs that don't sap the life out of a computer.

If you are interested in learning about computer performance, reliability, and choosing the correct anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, I encourage you to attend our open PC Club meetings every second Tuesday of the month. We meet upstairs in Winfield Hall at 7:00 pm. Most of what we do is non-technical and is just a matter of applying practical knowledge. Ask questions about this subject or others so you may further enjoy your "digital life".
Don Trauger

To get answers to your questions about computers, please come to the PC Club meeting. The computer club meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in Winfield Hall.

On this website Calendar has a week's view of activities and events similar to the month's guide.