Vista - newbie has lots of questions - Please answer whichever you like

Sometimes windows sidebar stops working on logging in.

Any idea of the cause - it usually works fine, but with a bit of a
delay.

Boes the pc continue to process when asleep

what happened to check and scandisk

Does it take ages to defrag a 250GB drive (mainly empty)
1GB mem, 1.8GB processor

Is there a way to get vista to automatically update its own
patches

Do safepoints take up much space

where is the icon kept that appears at login

where are the desktop backgrounds kept

It is possible to flash the Bios on my machine. I can understand how a
harddisk hold information, but how does a bios hold info - it is not a
disk

My monitor has USB ports at the side. Why put USB ports on the monitor

How can I check tha McAffee is working in real time


thanks

Responses inline:

--
Dustin Harper
dharper@vistarip.com
http://www.vistarip.com

--
"species8350" <not_here.5.species8350@xoxy.net> wrote in message
news:1176566689.132663.205490@o5g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> Sometimes windows sidebar stops working on logging in.
>
> Any idea of the cause - it usually works fine, but with a bit of a
> delay.
>
> Boes the pc continue to process when asleep
>
> what happened to check and scandisk

CHKDSK is still there and replaced scandisk (which was made for Win9x OS's).
You can run it at a command line by going to Start, Programs, Accessories,
Right click RUN and select Run As Administrator. Type CHKDSK /F

> Does it take ages to defrag a 250GB drive (mainly empty)
> 1GB mem, 1.8GB processor

Sometimes, yes. But, as there isn't a progress indicator anymore, you can't
really tell how long is remaining.

> Is there a way to get vista to automatically update its own
> patches

Start, Control Panel, Security Center. It will tell you if it is set to
automatically install updates when available. To change it you can go to
Start, Control Panel, Windows Updates. In the left pane, Change settings.
You can have them download and install, download not install, check for
updates but not download, or never check.

> Do safepoints take up much space

Not usually, but you can set it to use as much or as little space as you
want. Start, Control Panel, System & Maintenance, System, System Protection.

> where is the icon kept that appears at login
>
> where are the desktop backgrounds kept

Some of them are in C:\Users\Public\Pictures\Sample Pictures

> It is possible to flash the Bios on my machine. I can understand how a
> harddisk hold information, but how does a bios hold info - it is not a
> disk

Yes, you would have to go to your motherboard manufacturer web site and see
what the process is for flashing your BIOS. It is stored on a flash chip on
your motherboard.

> My monitor has USB ports at the side. Why put USB ports on the monitor

Some people have many USB devices, and putting them on the monitor helps
with flash drives, etc. Easy accessability.

> How can I check tha McAffee is working in real time
>
>
> thanks
>

"species8350" <not_here.5.species8350@xoxy.net> wrote in message
news:1176566689.132663.205490@o5g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> Sometimes windows sidebar stops working on logging in.
>
> Any idea of the cause - it usually works fine, but with a bit of a
> delay.
>

Can't say for sure, as that Sidebar was the very first of Vista's
so-called "features" that I turned off immediately upon installing Vista. I
find it to be a horrible waste of display area. Of course, your needs and
tastes may vary. What particular "gadgets" do you have attached to your
Sudebar? Have you tried booting with them disabled? Does that make a
difference?


> Boes the pc continue to process when asleep
>

No.

> what happened to check and scandisk
>

Check disk is in exactly the same place it was for WinNT, Win2K, and
WinXP. Double-click Computer, Right-click the target HDD icon > Properties
> Tools. Like WinNT, Win2K, and WinXP before it, Vista does not have a
program called "Scandisk," as this was a Win9x/Me program. Instead, because
Vista is descended from the WinNT/2K OS family, it has a command line
utility called "Chkdsk," which performs much better.

Start > Run > Cmd > Chkdsk.exe /? for the correct syntax and available
options.

> Does it take ages to defrag a 250GB drive (mainly empty)
> 1GB mem, 1.8GB processor
>

Assuming that you mean a 1.8Ghz processor, it will be a little slow, as
that's a rather slow CPU for Vista, regardless of Microsoft's minimum system
requirements. But it shouldn't take "ages." A lot depends upon the size
and type of files onthe hard drive, and how badly fragmented they are to
start with. The first time you defrag the drive will be the time it takes
the longest; after that, it should be a fairly short process, depending upon
your computer usage habits. The best thing to do is to allow Vista to do
it's default weekly defrag, scheduled for some time when you don't normally
use the computer, such 1:00 A.M. on Mondays.


> Is there a way to get vista to automatically update its own
> patches
>

Actually, that's the default setting, and I generally recommend that
people change it.

I really don't like to see people use the Automatic Updates, unless they
take precautions to ensure that no patches get installed without the user's
express permission, given only after he/she has researched each individual
patch to ensure that it applies and is necessary. Due to the nearly
infinite number of possible combinations of hardware, device drivers, and
applications on any given PC, it's impossible to guarantee that all patches
will be 100% harmless. In a very small number of cases, patches and
hotfixes can cause conflicts or other problems. So, as with all changes to
an OS, caution is advised.

In the overwhelming majority of cases, all "Critical" updates should be
installed. These address serious issues that can affect a large number of
computers. There will be only rare occasions when a Critical update will
not apply. Of special importance are those that address security
vulnerabilities. If people had installed the available critical updates in
July of 2003, the Blaster and Welchia worms would not have spread throughout
the Internet the following month. In the unlikely event that problems do
develop, you can always use the Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs applet
or a System Restore Point to uninstall the troublesome hotfix.

For the "Recommended" updates, simply study the information provided to
see if these updates apply in your specific situation. If they don't apply,
or you're not experiencing the problem(s) addressed, you needn't install
them. For instance, I have no use for WinXP's MovieMaker, so I ignore any
updates to it. Again, in the unlikely event that problems do develop, you
can always use the Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs applet or a System
Restore Point to uninstall the troublesome hotfix.

In general, though, I've found it best *not* to download the "Driver"
updates from Windows Update, unless they're for a hardware device originally
manufactured by Microsoft. Device drivers provided by each component's
manufacturer's web site are likely to perform better and offer more features
than will the watered-down, "generic" drivers that those manufacturers
provide to Microsoft for distribution via Windows Update.


> Do safepoints take up much space
>

These can take up to a maximum of 12% of the hard drive's capacity. In
WinXP, there was an easy way to prevent this huge waste of storage capacity,
but I haven't yet found how to do so in Vista.

> where is the icon kept that appears at login
>

Do you mean the pictures that are associated with each user account? I
haven't found them yet, but then, I haven't really looked, either.


> where are the desktop backgrounds kept
>

C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper

> It is possible to flash the Bios on my machine. I can understand how a
> harddisk hold information, but how does a bios hold info - it is not a
> disk
>

Yes, it's normally possible, but rarely necessary. Should you need to
do so to correct a specific problem, always very carefully follow the
intructions provided by the computer and/or motherboard manufacturer. As
for how a CMOS chip stores the BIOS information:

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/bios.htm


> My monitor has USB ports at the side. Why put USB ports on the monitor
>

User convenience. Lots of people keep their computers on the floor
beside or under their desks; it's not real easy to connect frequently
connected/disconnected USB devices (cameras, thumb drives, etc.) when you
have to reach/crawl under the desk, so many monitor and even keyboard
manufacturers build USB hubs into their products.


> How can I check tha McAffee is working in real time
>

Check the Task Manager; there should be some McAfee processes running.
For more specific guidance, consult McAfee's technical support.


--
Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

On Apr 14, 7:04 pm, "Bruce Chambers" <bchamb...@cable0ne.n3t> wrote:
> "species8350" <not_here.5.species8...@xoxy.net> wrote in message
>
> news:1176566689.132663.205490@o5g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
>
> > Sometimes windows sidebar stops working on logging in.
>
> > Any idea of the cause - it usually works fine, but with a bit of a
> > delay.
>
> Can't say for sure, as that Sidebar was the very first of Vista's
> so-called "features" that I turned off immediately upon installing Vista. I
> find it to be a horrible waste of display area. Of course, your needs and
> tastes may vary. What particular "gadgets" do you have attached to your
> Sudebar? Have you tried booting with them disabled? Does that make a
> difference?
>
> > Boes the pc continue to process when asleep
>
> No.
>
> > what happened to check and scandisk
>
> Check disk is in exactly the same place it was for WinNT, Win2K, and
> WinXP. Double-click Computer, Right-click the target HDD icon > Properties
> > Tools. Like WinNT, Win2K, and WinXP before it, Vista does not have a
> program called "Scandisk," as this was a Win9x/Me program. Instead, because
> Vista is descended from the WinNT/2K OS family, it has a command line
> utility called "Chkdsk," which performs much better.
>
> Start > Run > Cmd > Chkdsk.exe /? for the correct syntax and available
> options.
>
> > Does it take ages to defrag a 250GB drive (mainly empty)
> > 1GB mem, 1.8GB processor
>
> Assuming that you mean a 1.8Ghz processor, it will be a little slow, as
> that's a rather slow CPU for Vista, regardless of Microsoft's minimum system
> requirements. But it shouldn't take "ages." A lot depends upon the size
> and type of files onthe hard drive, and how badly fragmented they are to
> start with. The first time you defrag the drive will be the time it takes
> the longest; after that, it should be a fairly short process, depending upon
> your computer usage habits. The best thing to do is to allow Vista to do
> it's default weekly defrag, scheduled for some time when you don't normally
> use the computer, such 1:00 A.M. on Mondays.
>
> > Is there a way to get vista to automatically update its own
> > patches
>
> Actually, that's the default setting, and I generally recommend that
> people change it.
>
> I really don't like to see people use the Automatic Updates, unless they
> take precautions to ensure that no patches get installed without the user's
> express permission, given only after he/she has researched each individual
> patch to ensure that it applies and is necessary. Due to the nearly
> infinite number of possible combinations of hardware, device drivers, and
> applications on any given PC, it's impossible to guarantee that all patches
> will be 100% harmless. In a very small number of cases, patches and
> hotfixes can cause conflicts or other problems. So, as with all changes to
> an OS, caution is advised.
>
> In the overwhelming majority of cases, all "Critical" updates should be
> installed. These address serious issues that can affect a large number of
> computers. There will be only rare occasions when a Critical update will
> not apply. Of special importance are those that address security
> vulnerabilities. If people had installed the available critical updates in
> July of 2003, the Blaster and Welchia worms would not have spread throughout
> the Internet the following month. In the unlikely event that problems do
> develop, you can always use the Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs applet
> or a System Restore Point to uninstall the troublesome hotfix.
>
> For the "Recommended" updates, simply study the information provided to
> see if these updates apply in your specific situation. If they don't apply,
> or you're not experiencing the problem(s) addressed, you needn't install
> them. For instance, I have no use for WinXP's MovieMaker, so I ignore any
> updates to it. Again, in the unlikely event that problems do develop, you
> can always use the Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs applet or a System
> Restore Point to uninstall the troublesome hotfix.
>
> In general, though, I've found it best *not* to download the "Driver"
> updates from Windows Update, unless they're for a hardware device originally
> manufactured by Microsoft. Device drivers provided by each component's
> manufacturer's web site are likely to perform better and offer more features
> than will the watered-down, "generic" drivers that those manufacturers
> provide to Microsoft for distribution via Windows Update.
>
> > Do safepoints take up much space
>
> These can take up to a maximum of 12% of the hard drive's capacity. In
> WinXP, there was an easy way to prevent this huge waste of storage capacity,
> but I haven't yet found how to do so in Vista.
>
> > where is the icon kept that appears at login
>
> Do you mean the pictures that are associated with each user account? I
> haven't found them yet, but then, I haven't really looked, either.
>
> > where are the desktop backgrounds kept
>
> C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper
>
> > It is possible to flash the Bios on my machine. I can understand how a
> > harddisk hold information, but how does a bios hold info - it is not a
> > disk
>
> Yes, it's normally possible, but rarely necessary. Should you need to
> do so to correct a specific problem, always very carefully follow the
> intructions provided by the computer and/or motherboard manufacturer. As
> for how a CMOS chip stores the BIOS information:
>
> http://computer.howstuffworks.com/bios.htm
>
> > My monitor has USB ports at the side. Why put USB ports on the monitor
>
> User convenience. Lots of people keep their computers on the floor
> beside or under their desks; it's not real easy to connect frequently
> connected/disconnected USB devices (cameras, thumb drives, etc.) when you
> have to reach/crawl under the desk, so many monitor and even keyboard
> manufacturers build USB hubs into their products.
>
> > How can I check tha McAffee is working in real time
>
> Check the Task Manager; there should be some McAfee processes running.
> For more specific guidance, consult McAfee's technical support.
>
> --
> Bruce Chambers
>
> Help us help you:http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htmhttp://...questions.html
>
> They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
> deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin
>
> Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

Bruce and Dustin.

Thank you both for going to so much trouble and answering so many of
my questions.

best wishes

Sp.