Here’s a funny glitch that eventually corrected itself. After installing Mac OSX Lion, spotlight initially thought it needed 5 years to index all my files.
Make a Linux Boot USB Key
If you want to install Linux or just try it out, you can make a USB key that is bootable into Linux with UNetbootin.
UNetbootin is a simple program that allows you to choose from over 40 Linux distributions. My favorites are Linux Mint (which is probably easiest for folks used to Windows) and Ubuntu.
Once you create the bootable USB thumb drive, you can select it in your computer’s boot options or enable USB booting in the BIOS.
This is a great way to try a new operating system that might speed up your old machine.
The Flaw of Software Patents
The radio show This American Life has a great show When Patent’s Attack about the terrible state of US software patents. Patent holding companies (like Intellectual Ventures and Lodsys) sue and extort money out of small developers. Good stuff. Hopefully some people in Congress hear this.
Speed Up PC
I was recently asked to speed up a slow laptop. Here are the steps that I took:
- Apply Windows Updates: The computer had downloaded lots of updates (including Vista Service Pack 2) that were just waiting to be installed. This was a multi-step process since not all the updates could be updated in one package.
- Run Spinrite: This checks for and automatically fixes hard drive problems
- Remove Browser Toolbars: Google, Yahoo, and other toolbars in Internet Explorer and Firefox just slow down and junk up the browser without any real benefits.
- Remove Google Desktop: This is a redundant desktop search tool that just slows down the computer.
- Open Windows Task Manager, search for processes, and remove unnecessary applications and start-up items. This is done from Add/Remove Programs, from the startup folder and from msconfig.
- Turn off Windows sidebar: This feature available in Windows 7 and Vista by default just loads pictures and a clock which people don’t use.
- Remove some Windows features, as mentioned in 12 Ways to Speed Up and Slim Down Windows Vista.
- Update Firefox: Firefox 4 has significant speed improvements.
- Remove paid Antivirus and install Microsoft Security Essentials which typically uses fewer system resources and is a good and free Antivirus.
- Run Disk Defragmenter
- Update Power Settings: This laptop’s settings were to run the CPU at a max of 50% both when unplugged (to save the battery) and also when plugged in. The max CPU should be set to 100% when plugged in unless the computer is having overheating problems.
- Install Foxit Reader: This is faster and less annoying than Adobe Acrobat which I removed.
Microsoft Safety Scanner
Microsoft recently released Microsoft Safety Scanner, a simple on-demand virus scanning tool that works happily alongside other virus protection software. For example, you can use it alongside the always-running anti-virus offered by Microsoft Security Essentials.
