STAROCK Diversity
This document lists 10 enhancements you should make to every
new Windows PC, no matter whether it is a workstation or the family media
computer.
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Table of Contents
10 TWEAKS..................................................................................................................2
1. PREPARE IT FOR THE
INTERNET........................................................................2
2. TURN ON CLEARTYPE AND ADJUST DESKTOP SETTINGS...........................2
3. CONFIGURE FILE
SYSTEM....................................................................................3
4. SET SCREEN RESOLUTION AND HZ AND DPI...................................................4
5. ACTIVATE WINDOWS............................................................................................5
6. COPY OVER BROWSER
SHORTCUTS..................................................................5
7. INSTALL NEEDED
APPLICATIONS......................................................................6
8. SET UP E-MAIL AND HOME
PAGE.......................................................................7
9. INSTALL POWERTOYS...........................................................................................7
10. SAVE SYSTEM AND REGISTRY, BACK
UP......................................................7
10 things you should
do to improve every new Windows PC
10 tweaks
Getting a new PC, whether it is at work or at home, is one
of those "makes you smile" moments. Just like the "6 Million
Dollar Man" we all want better, stronger, and faster. However, every new
PC that crosses your path is in need of a few tweaks. This document lists 10
enhancements you should make to every new PC, no matter whether it is a
workstation or the family media computer. These tweaks will bring out the best
in your new PC and give you a solid foundation for future applications and
operating system updates.
1. Prepare it for the
Internet
The first step should always be to implement the necessary
security measures required for connecting it to the Internet. For office
workstations and PCs installed by network administrators, much of this
preliminary work will have already been done, but for home PCs these steps are
essential. Connecting a new PC to the Internet before taking the proper
security steps outlined in a previous article will be construed by the
nefarious citizens of the Internet as an invitation to infect your PC with a
virus, worm, or Trojan horse. The scariest part of that scenario: the infection
is likely to take place within 12 minutes of connecting to the
Internet!
2. Turn on ClearType and adjust Desktop settings
One of the first things I do when I sit down at a new
Windows PC for the first time is activate the ClearType
effect located on the Display Properties control panel. To get to the right
control, open the Control Panel and then open the Display Properties control
panel. From there, navigate to the Appearance tab and click the Effects button.
Click the second check box for smoothing font edges and
choose the ClearType option. Click OK a few times and
you should see the fonts displayed much more crisply on the screen. For tired
eyes, like mine, this can literally save you a few headaches, especially if you
have to stare at a monitor screen all day. Once you install the Microsoft PowerToys (See #9) you can adjust the ClearType
settings to achieve a more personalized display.
This is also where you would adjust the size of the Windows
icons, choose whether to allow the screen contents to show while dragging,
specify themes, and designate font style and size. Those are all personal
choices and will vary, but for those of us that look at the screen all day,
these setting must be adjusted.
One important thing I do is change the background color for
text areas in Windows. The default is white, but that is often too bright for
me. I change it to off white to reduce the intensity and the eye strain it
causes. It is a small change, but I think it makes a big difference.
3. Configure file
system
Sometimes large software companies like Microsoft take on a
motherly role by configuring their software to protect us from ourselves. This
is the case with the default manner in which the file system is displayed in Windows
Explorer—system files are hidden, file extensions are hidden, and big icons are
displayed instead of a detailed list. Some of these settings may be a matter of
personal preference, but if you are going to truly know your PC and the Windows
OS up and down, front to back, you will need to see all the information about a
file displayed in every listing you see.
To set up the file display to your liking,
open Windows Explorer and navigate to Tools | Folder Options on the menu and
then to the View tab. Next, you want to look down the list of checkboxes
and radio buttons to find the one that says "Show hidden files and
folders". I also recommend you click the checkboxes next to:
.. Display the contents of the system folders
.. Display the full path in the address bar
You should also uncheck the boxes next to:
.. Hide extensions for know file types
.. Hide protected operating system files
Revealing the protected OS system files can be dangerous if
you are one who likes to delete files and ask questions later, but as long as
you are careful, I think the benefits outweigh the risks.
Once you get the folder view the way you want it, you should
click the Apply to All Folders button to make the view common to all folders.
4. Set screen
resolution and Hz and DPI
Once again, this suggestion may stem from my aging eyes, but
the general concept is sound for all new PCs. Go to the Control Panel and open
the Display Properties. While you may want to change the Appearance or activate
a Screen Saver, my concern is with the Settings tab. The resolution determined
by the install process (includes any OS) may not be the best resolution for
your hardware or for your eyes.
For LCD monitors, the resolution settings should match the
native resolution of the monitor itself. The native resolution is easy to
determine, it the maximum resolution the LCD monitor can actually display.
For CRT monitors, the resolution settings should be set to
values that are most comfortable to your eyes. For monitor sizes of 17 inches
or more that would most likely mean settings of at least 1024 X 768. However,
the actual settings available are determined by your hardware, which includes
not only the monitor but also the video card.
Perhaps even more important than the resolution are the
settings for Dots Per Inch (DPI) and the Screen
Refresh Rate. These controls are under the Advanced
button of the Display Properties. The DPI, found under the General tab,
determines how large the display fonts will be on a Windows PC. The default is
96 DPI, but at resolutions above 1024 X768 I prefer a DPI of 120.
The Screen Refresh control is found under the Monitor tab.
(See Figure C) Your monitor will determine what settings are available here,
but for CRTs I prefer a relatively high refresh rate of 85 Hz. Although you may
not notice it, the monitor screen is constantly flickering. This flicker can
give you a headache and make your eyes hurt if it is too slow, especially with
CRTs. LCDs are a little different. They are usually
limited to 60 Hz, but because they use a different technology, the strain to
the eyes is much less pronounced.
5. Activate Windows
At some point during the setup process you will likely be
asked to activate Windows. (Linux you would similarly be asked to register your
particular distribution.) This is a good time to get that out of the way.
Taking this step assures your operating system is legitimate and opens up a new
set of support features including community forums and FAQs.
6. Copy over browser
shortcuts
For many of us, our list of favorite Web sites is a
reflection of our lives. It is more than a mere list of places on the Word Wide
Web; it is our connection to a dynamic virtual world. However, once a link is
placed into your browser, you don't really have to worry about remembering what
can often be a cryptic URL. However, because you don't have to remember, you
may actually forget what it is. This is why porting over your browser favorites
is so important.
It is a two step process. First, export your browser
favorites to a file. In both Internet Explorer and Firefox,
the Export and Import features can be found under the File menu. Once you have
exported to a file, copy that file to the new PC and then import that file to
your browser of choice on the new PC.
7. Install needed
applications
If your new PC is at work, chances are that all of the
"necessary" applications are installed already. But for home PCs,
there is still work to do. Everyone's idea of what applications should be
installed is going to be a personal choice, but there are likely to be some
selections common to us all. Here are some of the applications I have to install
with each new PC:
.. Office XP Pro, including e-mail client
.. Money, QuickBooks or some other money management
application
.. RSS Reader
.. iTunes
.. Graphics/Paint program beyond Paint for Windows
.. VPN client (for connecting to the office)
.. CD/DVD burning applications beyond what shipped with the
PC
.. HTML Editor
.. Application developer IDE (often two—VS and Eclipse)
I'm sure you can think of some others. Of course there are
always the entertainment applications like World of Warcraft,
Call of Duty and Civilization.
8. Set up e-mail and
home page
Now that you have your e-mail client and browser installed,
it is time to configure them. Specifying the browser home page is an easy thing
to do, but it is also quite necessary. The default home page for browsers is
not where you want to go every time you fire it up. The e-mail client
configuration will be dependent on the client application and the service
provider. In Outlook, the configuration is under Tools | E-mail Accounts, which
starts a wizard that will walk you through the process.
9. Install PowerToys
One of the more important things you can do to enhance your
new PC, especially if it is a Windows PC, is to install the Microsoft Windows
XP PowerToys. These free applications can simplify
your Windows PC life by making it easier to change default configurations,
synchronize across computers, and manipulate files and photographs.
10. Save system and
registry, back up
Once you have your new PC setup the way you like it, you take
a few moments to backup your hard drive and save the system files and the
registry. Taking these steps to establish a restore point now will create a new
base configuration for your PC. This is a state you can return to if something
goes wrong in the future.
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