Uncheck "Start with Windows"

As a computer repair guy, I often get called out to do what most people call a "tune up" on their computer.  Typically they will say their machine has become very slow lately.  It takes a long time to boot up and shut down, and/or they see the little spinning wheel going round and round while waiting for the thing they just clicked on to come up.

 

There are lots of things that can slow down your computer and one of the first things I have learned to look for is Skype running in the systray down by the clock.  One of the last screens of the setup of Skype (pictured here) comes with a checkbox that is already checked for you (I unchecked it before I took this screenshot) that says, "Run Skype when the computer starts."

 

It is important to realize that your computer has limited resources of CPU, RAM, video, etc., and when you have tons of stuff running in the background it is cutting into those resources.  Now mind you, today's machine are far richer in resources than the ones of 15 years ago, but still, if you know what to look for you can really "trim the fat" off resource use so you can focus your machine's resources on what you want, and your machine will run better.

 

Unless you plan to use your machine for Skype most of the time, it really doesn't need to be running constantly in the background.  If you use Skype as your machine communications program all the time then, sure, run it all the time and have it load when the computer starts up.  But otherwise, you really only need to start Skype when you need it, and shut the program off when you are finished.

 

While I can understand from Skype's point of view why they would want to have that box checked by default.  They want people to use their software all the time, of course.  So would you if you had created a popular piece of software.  I'm sure I would.  But from my point of view as a computer user, I do not want Skype running all the time if I only use it once in a while.  I only want it to run when I want it to run and the rest of the time it can stay off.

 

Bottom line: read before you click.  Don't let programs dictate to you what should be running on your machine.  For the most part, you don't want anything but your anti-virus program to start with Windows.  So if you have 10 icons in your systray, have a look at what they are and see if you really need them.

 

For more information, please feel free to call Big Mike Computer Services in Nanaimo, BC at 250-740-1812.

 

Happy Computing!

Big Mike

 

What is "Switch User" for?

Sometimes when you go to log off your Windows XP or Windows 7 computer, you may have seen the option to "switch user". Here's an example of how this option could be used: Let's suppose you are working on a big project on your family computer and you have several programs open simultaneously. Then your significant other comes along and says something like, "I'm expecting an important email today. Do you mind if I check my email quickly?"

Well, it might be a bit of a bummer to have to close down everything you're working on and the thought of having to find all your stuff again in ten minutes may seem like a big task. What to do? You won't need to shut anything down if you switch user. Switching user allows you to leave everything your working on open, and then "Switch User" to the other person's account so they check their stuff. Make sure they LOG OFF afterward and then you can log back onto your stuff and everything is still there.

Here are a couple of things to remember when using this option:
1. If you are downloading something, your downloads will pause while you switch users.
2. Your machine has a limited amount of resources; resources are being used for each "user" that is logged on. Therefore, it's important to have as few people logged on to the machine as possible.

What I have seen a few times when someone complains their machine is slow and I've been called as a tech to come investigate, is that there are several users (like 4 or more) all simultaniously logged on. I see the Welcome Screen with multiple users all indicating they are logged on. This happens when all these users have used the switch user option and then not logged off afterward. So it's important to LOG OFF when you are done to give back the resources to your machine.