Computer Questions

[carguy]

Why does a computer get fucked up if it isn't turned off properly? Everything else just has a button or a switch to turn it off.

Also, why does the computer need to be restarted whenever a new program is installed?

If anyone knows why try to keep the answers at like a second grade level, I know nothing about computer stuff.

[Death Metal Moe]

Because that's what our dark lord commands.

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[reeshy]

Cause Baby Jesus said so!!

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[TooCute]

I typed "Why can't I just turn off my computer?" into google
and found out the following:

Dear Computer Lady,

ÿÿÿÿ Why can't I turn off my computer using the power switch
when I am done with it? It takes so long to wait for the screen
that says "It is now safe to turn off your computer" Unsigned

Dear Unsigned,

ÿÿÿÿÿ While you are sitting there waiting for your computer to give
you the OK to turn it off, your computer is busy putting things
away where they belong (sort of an electronic housekeeping).
When you just cut the power without a proper shutdown,
Windows does not had time to put temporary files where they
belong, and finish saving documents or changes you have made
to your registry. While it can locate the files it needs in the
resulting mess, over time, there will be such a mess that you
will start getting error messages.

Users who reboot properly a minimum of once a day (allowing
Windows to perform its housekeeping tasks on a regular basis)
experience very few problems of any kind, while those of us who
impatiently hit the power button when done with the computer
will start to see semi-regular "freezes" and illegal page faults.
Over a period of time, you will start to come up with registry
errors, "dll not found" messages, and other errors that will
eventually need to be fixed by re-installing Windows.



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[Death Metal Moe]

Like dear ol' dad would have told ya:

"Because I SAID SO! Now do as your TOLD before you catch a beatin'!"

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[FollowThisLogic]

About installing programs, usually some component is installed that either must start with Windows, changes the way a normal Windows file loads, or just puts crap into the Registry that needs to be there on startup in order to work right.

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[FatTony]

Well with that kind of answer who can complain.

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"They always win in the end."

[Bill From Yorktown]

because a computer is not a toaster oven.

seriously - do you hit stop on your vcr when you are taping something before hitting the off button? Think of this as something similar but taken to an extreem - see what TooCute said above.

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This message was edited by Bill From Yorktown on 6-13-03 @ 11:15 AM

[HordeKing1]

I like Moe's answer better.

A complete scan of your hard drive for bad sectors, and at least weekly defragmenting will help, as will utility programs like Norton.

To clean up the crap left over, you can delete all temp files. Search for them by typing *.tmp
in the search field (press start to access it). Some files may not be able to be deleted b/c they're running in the background. It's still safe to delete them, but you may have to reboot your computer to do this. Also, it's a good idea to backup the files to a new file just to make sure.

There are other extensions that are safe to delete as well, but I can't remember them now.

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[sr71blackbird]

I bet 99% of the world doesnt do defrags and virus scans or delete cookies or get updates and they end up needing a new computer every year or 2. I gave my nephew my old computer and he called me up like a year and a half after I gave it to him saying he couldnt get it working. I looked into it and he had like 20 viruses and his registry was completely shot. They download all kinds of games and stuff and they havent a clue what they are doing. They use the same computer for important school work and when it craps out, they freak. Its not a toy, its a sensative instrument and should be used carefully, or else be prepaired to have it go down and youll lose your important stuff. I never click on pop ups nor am I teased by advertisements.

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This message was edited by sr71blackbird on 6-14-03 @ 5:32 PM

[SatCam]

You can get a computer to use for about 6 years, until everything is outdated, and it'd cost a fortune to update, and everything has been so overused that it's not even funny. That's when you get a new computer. I've seen people get new mouses because they didnt know you could clean the trackball.

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[Death Metal Moe]

I like Moe's answer better.


Which one Horde King?

The "Dark Lord" crack of the "Do as your told" crack?

Oh, and I saw a guy put white out on his screen once since we're trading computer storys now.

You think your Commodore 64 is really Neato?
What kinda chip you got in there? A Dorito?

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[HordeKing1]

MOE - "Dark Lord."

SR71BLACKBIRD - I think it's more like 99.99%. I still laugh when I think about the director telling me that her new computer monitor was "defective" beccause it didn't have a place to plug the printer cable! I explained that this cable went into the computer itself, not the monitor, and she said that she and another person who got new monitors spent the bulk of the previous day trying unsuccesfully to figure it out!

Most people don't even know about Microsoft's (at least) monthly "critical" updates, or recomended updates. How many people have direct X 9 installed? How many have any version of direct x other than the original version that shipped with the computer? (Obviously, I'm not including the gamers here).

I remember reading figures about defrags, and routine maintenance in one of the computer magazines. I don't remember but an overwhelming majority of readers of the magazine (a group you'd think would be more computer savvy than most) didn't do this. Most didn't have a firewall or even antivirus software. Those that had antivirus virus, typically didn't keep the definitions up to date.

Even doing everything that you're supposed to, your computer functions optimally if you do a complete wipe and reformat of your hard drive every 6 months to a year.

I wonder if Mac users are more knowledgable about their computers (it is a nitch market after all) or if the software and hardware are so much better that they don't need this type of maintenance.

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