System Management and File Management by Jerry Niebaum

What computer chip do I have in my computer? How much disk space do I have? How much disk space remains unused? How much memory is in my computer? What’s the difference between computer memory and computer disk space?

Let’s start with the last question first. Computer memory resides on one or more microelectronics chips in your computer. Typical desktop computers now have 256megabytes or 512megabytes. Microsoft recommends at least 512 megabytes of memory for running Windows XP. Memory chips store ones and zeroes and are stationary in your computer i.e. they don’t move. Disk storage stores ones and zeroes on the magnetic surface of a disk. The disk spins at high speeds in your computer. A read head moves across the surface of the disk and can read information contained on the disk.

From the Start menu select My Computer. Pause the mouse pointer over the icon for your computer disk to view the available space and total space on your disk. After you’ve viewed the disk space and with the mouse pointer over the disk icon, press the right mouse button i.e. the button on the right side of the mouse. From the menu list select Properties at the very bottom of the list. The screen shows 5 categories of options: General, Tools, Hardware, Sharing, and Quota.

The option, General, is displayed as the default when the menu is selected. Note the graph of details about available and used space on your disk. Note that there is an option for Disk Cleanup if you are running low on available disk space or if your computer seems to be running rather sluggishly.

The option, Tools, has options for Error-checking and Defragmentation. The first of these checks for any bad spots on the disk which cannot be used for storing data. The second option enables the system to move files around on your disk to make them more suitable for fast access. For example some may be scattered in several parts of the disk making it harder for the computer to access the files. I recommend that you defragment your disk at least once a year.

The option, Hardware, tells you which disk drives are available and whether they are working properly or not. A Troubleshooting option allows quick checks for common disk problems.

The option, Sharing, allows you to select to share your disk drive over a network. Unless you understand local networks and have one in place, better to leave this one alone.

The option, Quota, is only used when the computer is available to many users and you want to restrict the amount of disk space available to any given user. For most of us this option is almost never used.

From the Systems Task menus on the left side of the My Computer page select “view system information.”

A menu of System Properties is displayed with 7 options: General, Computer Name, Hardware, Advanced, System Restore, Automatic Updates, and Remote.

General: Notice how much information is available from just that one screen such as the type and model of the computer, the operating system, the speed of the processor, and the amount of memory.

Computer Name: This option tells you the name you or someone has given to your computer and allows you to rename it as you see fit.

Hardware: The choices within this option are daunting. You need not concern yourself about any of this information, but you should know that it’s there in case you need it.

Advanced: Just as the name implies, this is heady stuff. Explore if you are interested, but keep careful records of what you change, so that you can undo those decisions if needed.

System Restore: This option is not to initiate a restoration, but rather to enable the operating system to have current information if a system restore is needed to recover from failed software.

Automatic Updates: If you have a cable network or DSL phone connection I recommend that you enable automatic updates to keep your operating system current. This will make all updates much simpler. You can maintain as much control over the process as you care to do. I schedule mine to be done automatically at a certain time of day. You need to choose a time that your computer will be turned on. I do not recommend automatic updates for dial-up access.

Remote: If you have problems that require remote assistance, they may request that you permit them to take control of your computer system remotely. The box in this option must be selected to enable this service.

From the Start menu select Control Panel, the folder that contains a whole bunch of great stuff completely in your control, if you want it.