DIY: Laptop tuneup tips

Is your laptop cranky, sluggish, or out of sorts? It's probably not your imagination.

Months of installing new programs, downloading email, and performing other workaday computing chores can weigh down your notebook with fragmented files, frivolous applications, and who knows what else. You can fiddle with your display and power-management settings, but they'll take you only so far.

Don't overlook the basics -- such as keeping a clean and tidy hard drive and removing unnecessary background apps from your system. These optimisation tips apply specifically to users of Windows XP/98 users.

Last updated: 11th November, 2005.

Hard drive housekeeping

Open the Drive properties to check for errors and to defrag.

1. Start your hard drive housekeeping by archiving or deleting files you don't need and backing up the rest.


2. To defrag what's left, go to My Computer or Windows Explorer (but not a shortcut to a drive).


3. Right-click a drive icon, select Properties, then click the Tools tab.


4. Click the Check Now button to have Windows check the drive for errors and fix them.


5. Go back to the Tools tab and click the Defragment Now button to defrag the drive.

Because defraggers are dreadfully slow, I strongly recommend that you use them only when you have a break in your day, or at day's end. You could also pick up something faster, such as Symantec's Norton Utilities 2004 (NU 2004). In my book, NU's Disk Doctor error-checking and Speed Disk defragging are the best in the business. On the other hand, I don't recommend NU's background application, System Doctor, for reasons that follow.

Removing background applications
By far the most conspicuous consumers of CPU cycles and wasters of Windows resources are background applications, often recognisable as icons in the Windows System tray. Perhaps you have a system monitor (such as NU's System Doctor), an Internet firewall, or a background virus checker. Other programs, like Microsoft Office and RealPlayer, load portions of themselves at Windows Startup. Some applications load pop-up reminders to, say, register your product. A notebook I reviewed recently "featured" a whopping 17 of these little devils, enough to slow its test scores significantly.

Exterminating these wee beasts is easy. First, of course, you should back up your system before making any changes to its configuration.

Open System Configuration Utility to view edit startup files.

1a. In Windows XP, Microsoft has included a program called System Configuration Utility that lets you safely edit all your startup files, including your autoexec.bat, config.sys, and win.ini files. It also provides access to programs that load when Windows boots. From Windows Start menu, click Run (or press Windows + R) and type 'msconfig' to open System Configuration Utility. In the utility, select the Startup tab; there you'll see a list of the programs and their filenames. Simply uncheck any programs you don't want to load. Don't worry -- you can always go back and reselect them later.

1b. In Windows 98, from Windows' Start menu, click Programs • Accessories • System Tools and launch System Information. In System Information, select Tools • System Configuration Utility. In the utility, select the Startup tab; there you'll see a list of the programs and their filenames which you can uncheck if you don't want them to load.

2. Which programs should you remove? Good question -- and the one that most intimidates users who don't know what these background programs are or what they do. Check your system documentation, or call your computer vendor or the software company itself, to find out what the program does and whether it's vital to your system's operation. A good way would be to check Google for more information on the Startup Item such as Winampa or Mixer.

Proper hard drive maintenance and the removal of unnecessary background apps are not the only ways you can optimise your notebook's performance -- but they have a tremendous impact. Taking the proper precautions is the most important part of the process.

Power ups and downs
Intel's much-publicised enhanced SpeedStep technology is the latest in a long list of power-saving techniques -- and it's the least intrusive. Available on all Intel Pentium M processors, enhanced SpeedStep reduces CPU speed and voltage use when the notebook is running on its battery. Improving on the older basic SpeedStep technology, the processor can now be throttled at a range of speeds depending on system requirements. By reducing the power consumption of the computing core during lull periods, battery life is significantly improved.

Sadly, automated power-saving features -- having Windows or your BIOS spin down your hard drive, dim your screen, or put your computer to sleep for you -- can lead to unexpected interruptions that waste as much of your work time as they save in battery life. Most of the pros handle power savings on their own by simply shutting off the notebook or putting it into sleep or standby mode manually when they're not using it. Sound simple? It is. As a hedge against forgetfulness or daydreaming, they'll also set their notebook to shut off automatically -- but only after an interval long enough to guarantee that they won't be caught during a short period of contemplation.

Mind your devices
Most of your power management settings can be adjusted via the Power applet in Windows' Control Panel or with a customised applet provided by the notebook OEM. Windows allows users to turn off Windows' power-management features and let the notebook's BIOS handle them. In this case, you can check your notebook's BIOS setup, which can usually be invoked by pressing the Del or F2 key when you boot the system. You'll generally see the same hard drive, screen, and suspend/standby settings here, plus a plethora of wake-up events to rouse your notebook from its rest, such as mouse movements, keystrokes, or incoming signals to your notebook's modem port.

Some of the most insidious battery drainers are external hard drives, CD-ROM drives, modems, and other peripherals that draw power from your notebook's PC Card slots or ports. The rule of thumb here is to disconnect any external peripheral when it's not in use. You could save a little more power by removing modular drives, but that's probably taking power-saving mania a bit too far and for too little benefit.

If you want the fastest performance and longest battery life your notebook can provide, take control of your destiny. Instead of relying on Windows to conserve power for you, develop good habits. Follow the some of the tips I've mentioned, and you'll get more out of your notebook -- and your workday.