Index Your Drive for Faster Searches in Microsoft Windows
98/Me/2K/XP!
If you can't remember where you put things--those reading glasses
must be somewhere--you're probably familiar with the Windows
search function. You can cut your search time from hours to
seconds by simply indexing your disk (that's how Web search
engines are so fast). Indexing takes time, but it should be a
one-shot process; start it, go out and grab a bite to eat, and
when you get back it should be finished.
Indexing becomes a continuous process that kicks in when you
create, change or move files, or when Windows thinks you're not
using your system (even if you are). If you don't need or use
indexing, you can switch it off.
Under Windows 95/98/Me, the chief indexing problem is the FastFind
utility in the Office suite. Disable it by removing it from your
Startup programs. Windows 2000 and XP have their own indexing
service, which you control through Start | Settings | Control
Panel | Administrative Tools | Computer Management | Services and
Applications | Indexing Service. You can switch indexing on and
off as well as control it when it kicks in.
Bypassing the Confirm File Delete dialog box in ME!
If you're tired of having to click Yes in the Confirm File Delete
dialog box each time you delete a file, why not prevent the dialog
box from appearing in the first place? This can save you a bit of
time, and if you accidentally delete a file, you can always head
to the Recycle Bin and restore it, assuming you haven't configured
the Recycle Bin to remove files immediately upon appearing there.
Simply right-click on the Recycle Bin and select Properties from
the shortcut menu.On the Global property sheet, deselect the
Display Delete Confirmation Dialog option, and then click Apply
and OK.
Increase the size of the swap file in Windows XP!
When your computer uses up its RAM, it turns to a small amount of
hard-drive memory called the swap file (also known as virtual
memory). You'll run low on virtual memory when you open a lot of
large files in labor-intensive programs such as Photoshop.
Here are some suggestions.
-Increase the size of the swap file in Windows XP
-In Windows XP, allocate more virtual memory.
-Right-click My Computer and choose Properties.
-Click the Performance Settings button on the Advanced tab.
-Go to the Performance Settings Advanced tab, scroll down to
Virtual Memory, and click the Change button.
-Choose to let the system manage it.
-Buy more RAM
-Increase the amount of RAM you have installed in your system to
512MB so your computer is less likely to use the swap file.
|
|