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Computers 101

Q:
Where is the information on the Windows Clipboard kept?

A:
When you use the "copy" or "cut" command, it copies information to your Windows clipboard. That information is kept in your RAM memory until it's replaced by something else.

Unfortunately, if you're copying large items, this can adversely affect your computer's performance. How? Well, that large file, picture, object, or whatever it was that you copied is floating around in your RAM, regardless of whether it's been pasted or not.

For example, let's say I have 32 meg of free RAM. I copy a 10 meg file to my clipboard. Now, that file will continue to occupy 10 meg of RAM until something else is placed on the clipboard, the clipboard is purged, or I restart my computer.

So what can you do?

The simplest thing would be to just copy something small to your clipboard. Maybe copy a blank space in a word processor to your clipboard or possibly a short sentence. Anything small is fine. Since your clipboard can only hold one item at a time, the old 10 meg file is replaced with the new small file.

You could also open the Clipboard Viewer, hit the Edit menu, then Delete. This will quickly purge the clipboard contents.

You can get to the clipboard viewer by clicking Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools. It should be under there if it's installed (it's not always installed).

Oh, if you want more info on the elusive clipboard, head to:

http://www.worldstart.com/tips/termclipboard.htm

Have a question for the newsletter? Submit it at the link below:
http://www.worldstart.com/submitquestion.htm

Tip of the Day

Don't Start

Web link - http://www.worldstart.com/tips/msconfig.htm

We are getting lots of questions about keeping programs from running at startup. So, here's the tip for it :-)

Don't you just hate it when you've installed a program that insists on starting itself when you boot the computer? You know the drill. You install something and it places an icon in your system tray.

Now, all those little icons you see in your system tray represent programs that are RUNNING. If a bunch of stuff loads when you start your computer, you may be maxing out your system before you launch your first regular program. So, if you find your computer getting progressively slower as you add more software, it could be that these system tray icons are, at least partially, at fault.

In addition, program running in your system tray can cause any (or all) of the following problems:

- Sluggish system speed
- Frequent lockups / illegal operations
- Software install problems
- Difficulty in running some programs

The more of these programs you have running, the more likely it is that you're going to see one or more of the problems mentioned above. Granted, System Tray programs are not the only cause for the conditions mentioned above, but they are the first place to look.

So, how do you keep all these unwanted programs at bay?

1. Click the Start button and select Run...

2. Next, type in:

msconfig

Then hit OK.

3. The System Configuration Utility should run (please note that not all computers have it installed -see note below).

4. Click the Startup tab.

5. You'll see a listing of all the stuff that starts itself when your computer does. Just uncheck the programs you don't want to load and leave the rest alone.

Note - If you don't have msconfig on your system (win 95 / 2000 doesn't) then check out Startup Control Panel at:

http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml

It does basically the same thing.

Once you get msconfig or the program above running, you'll probably see more stuff than you bargained for. I would advise exercising caution while unchecking, especially if you're not sure about what program(s) you're suppressing. Stuff like "Scan Registry" and "System tray" are probably best left alone. If you see stuff that you recognize as being non-essential software, than uncheck it. This is one of those do at your own risk things - for sure.

If you're not sure which program is being referred to, look at the path. Sometimes the folder just before the ".exe" file can give you a clue as to what program you're dealing with.

For example, if I see something like:

"C:\program files\real\realplayer.exe"

I can guess the program in question is the ever annoying Real Player.

In general, don't disable stuff that starts like this:

"C:\Windows\"

Or stuff like this:

SysTray.exe

These are more likely to be important system files and programs. You may find that your computer won't run without them and you'll have to go into Safe mode to get things working again.

Finally, note that unchecking this stuff doesn't remove it. The idea behind having these programs start when the computer does is to give you fast, easy access to them. However, having too many of these programs running at the same time can hit you hard in the system resources department. I personally make sure anything I don't need isn't running. If I need it, I'll click on it's shortcut.

Have a tip for the newsletter? Submit it below:
http://www.worldstart.com/submitatip.htm

Cool Site of the Day

The Best 9-11 Site?

I found a site that has got to be the best 9-11 site ever. It shows you what's basically a presentation of the events in the order they happened. It's a reminder of why we are fighting in the middle east and is a memorial to all those who suffered and died last September.

It's big and it takes awhile to load (especially with a dial up), but it's well worth it. You may want to have a tissue handy:

http://www.politicsandprotest.com/

Do you have a cool site that you want to share? Send it to me! Here's my address:

steve@worldstart.com

Oh, and we're looking for non-commercial sites. We generally don't run sites that are strictly for shopping.