Computers have it in for me

by John Hood, Mar 2006

If you watch the movie Jurassic Park, there is a scene when the paleontologist, played by Sam Neil, is looking at a computer generated image of a buried dinosaur. When he goes to point out the various features of the dinosaur, the computer display suddenly dissolves into a mass of static:
(Researcher) "What did you do?"
(Ellie) (Grinning) "He touched it!"
(Grant) "These things have it in for me, I swear."

Probably not Doctor Grant, but here are some possibilities ...

1: Excessive static charge or magnetic interference
2: Input overshoot
3: Too much running or installed
4: Temp file clogging.
5: Out of rev
6: Overheating

All of these are fairly easy to fix.

1: Static or Magnetic
Computer chips function at very low voltage levels. These levels are about the same as static electricity that is collected or generated by the human body. As a result, when a person has high static charge and touches a computer, the person does not get shocked, the computer does. Stray static electricity can enter the chips, causing erratic behavior by the PC. Rebooting the computer clears it out.

Some people (like Dr. Grant above) may be biologically at a higher electrical potential. Computers don’t have it in for him, they just can’t tolerate his electrical charge. Other factors for electrical charge are long hair, clothing made of animal fiber (wool, angora, cashmere, etc.) carpeted flooring, dry room air. Any two of these factors can lead to a static problem.

Before getting a haircut or buying a new wardrobe, try a can of anti-static spray on the carpet. Also, try to ground yourself on metal before working with the computer.

What goes for static electricity, also goes for magnets. Keep them away from the computer case. For sure, don’t stick magnets on the computer case.

2: Input Overshoot
When you launch an icon or press Enter, the computer needs a few seconds to execute the instruction you just gave it. Be sure to give it that time. Slamming a computer with too much input is the same as screaming at a person: You may be saying important things, but they can't hear it through the onslaught. Slow down a little. You will actually be MORE productive.

3: Too much running or installed
“But I’m only using Internet Explorer and a few other programs.”
You may be, but the computer is actually running far more than that. Programs install on your hard drive and run when Windows does, without your knowing it. To fix this, find “Control Panel,” “Add/Remove Programs.” Go down that list, and remove anything that you know you don’t need. If you aren’t sure what it is, best to leave it alone. To check what is running when Windows starts up, use StartUp Control, a free program available at
www.mlin.net.

4: Temp file clogging
Windows collects bits of data, that don’t always go away when you shut Windows down. Go to “Start”, “Run” and type
Cleanmgr Enter. You now have a screen that will allow you to clean out all that garbage and make your computer run more smoothly. If you get “File not Found” - try http://www.ccleaner.com/ which does mostly the same thing. Do this periodically. Your computer will thank you.

5: Out of Rev
Periodically, make a visit to Windows Update. Here are the latest in bug fixes and service packs for your machine. The first few times, you will probably have a LOT of patches to apply. Over time though, patching will be easy.

6: Overheating
Computers should work at a temperature of 68 degrees. They generate much more heat than that, which is why computers have fans equipped. Is the fan working and clear of debris? The more “gunk” the fan has, the harder it is to keep it’s innards cool, and the slower it goes. The fan outlet should have at least four inches of clearance so that hot air can blow away. Gunk builds up, so check it occasionally. See Fred Langa's article: Getting The Grunge Out Of Your PC.

John H.

Website: John's Best of Free Software
http://www.jhoodsoft.org


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