May Computer Journal – Defragmentation, again and again and again

Okay, I’ve talked with you about doing weekly, bi-monthly or monthly Disk Clean and Disk Defragmentation of your computer’s hard drive. We went through it in detail awhile ago in this journal and I’ve walked several of you through it during downloads of the nw software. Well, here’s what I told you could happen if you didn’t do this. This is the second computer in a week which was in this shape, this one fortunately (we hope) may be able to be saved with files intact. The other one had to have low-level techy stuff done to it and took most of a two-day download event in Idaho last weekend.

My client has a small screen where she has to scroll up and down and side to side to see her entire screen. If you are considering replacing your old computer please consider a 17” monitor/screen. You will undoubtedly be dissapointed with anything smaller unless you don’t mind scrolling to see the program parts for session after session. What you are about to look at is only a part of the defragmentation screen.

 

On the screen display there is no white space larger than 1/32". There are places where the colors look yellow or even orange or gold that is where there is so much red/green/white overlayed that the teeny spaces between fragmentation pieces look like they are those colors. They are not.

This hard drive is as close as I never want to see a hard drive be fragmented. What is fragmented you might ask?

When you create a file like saving a document created in a word processing program, it is saved to the hard drive of your computer. When you do another task like work with your financial program, entering in income and expenses and you close the program either you or it or both create one or more files as saved data. That data is placed possibly next to your word processing document, right next to it.

Now you want to open your original word processing document and add to it – maybe it’s your journal for instance. When you do that and save the file and close the program the file cannot be placed exactly where it was in the beginning, only the part which was created originally can be re-saved onto the hard drive with your financial data file right next to it. The rest of your word processing document is saved in the next available space on your hard drive.

When you do Disk Defragmentation at the end of the day or week or whenever you do it next, the pieces of files which all would go together to be either word processing document or financial data files get moved around on the hard drive where there is room until they can be joined together into one whole word processing file and one whole data file. People like me (techy’s) call that Defrag. Your operating system calls it Disk Defragmentation.

Please set an alarm on your cell phone, make an entry in your calender or Online Calender, put a sticky note on your computer or write in on the palm of your hand to Defrag, Defrag, Defrag!!!!!

Here’s how you do disk clean and degragmentation:

1.     Left click on the START button (lower left of your task bar on the desktop).

2.    Left click on ALL PROGRAMS and take your mouse’s cursor up to ACCESSORIES.

3.    Left click on ACCESSORIES see it pop out to the side with more choices.

4.    Left click on SYSTEM TOOLS see it pop out to the side with more choices.

5.    Go to and Left click on DISK CLEANUP.

a.    When you click on DISK CLEANUP it begins to interrogate your hard drive and when it is finished it gives you a checkbox of items to remove from your drive. Most of the ones you do want to clean up are already checked so you really don’t have to do much except say OK.  See the small box in the picture below. Do that often and your computer will run more efficiently.

6.    You will see another screen after DISK CLEAN has scanned and compressed what files it can on your hard drive it will show another screen where you can click to choose what you want to remove from what can be removed from your hard drive.

a.    NOTE: the first three or four bar movements showing work done may take what seems like a long time then suddenly finish quickly. Don’t despair if it seems that it will take forever for it to finish – it doesn’t.

Check off everything except maybe PASSWORDS if you want them remembered. Then click OK. Now it will go along removing stray files, empty files, temporary files, etc. until it is finished.

7.    When DISK CLEANUP is finished it goes away like magic.

8.    Now got back to START/ACCESSORIES/SYSTEM TOOLS and Left click on DISK DEFRAGMENTER.

Long story - simple concept; if the computer is allowed to become infected with too many fragments of files it will forget that it is a computer and become a teapot once again. Defragmentation or DEFRAG for short takes awhile to accomplish now that we have hard drives counting in the hundreds of gigabytes but it is vital to the continued functioning of your DOS-based Windows computer.

9.    You will want to just choose DEFRAGMENT not ANALYZE. If you are doing this every week or two the Defrag program with analyze your hard drive first then automatically defragment it.

10. When it has finished defragging your hard drive, it will wait for you to either print the report it has created of files which might not have been able to be defragmented or not print the file.

11.  If you choose not to print the file, just X out of it by clicking on the big red X.

Now you know how to keep your computer’s hard drive from turning your $3,000.00 computer into a tea pot.

Enjoy your computer, learn to use it, take care of it. The computer is the backbone of your practice. Without it, the device doesn’t work the great software is gone and you will need to have a repair person come out to reinstall your operating system, then you or they will need to reload all the programs you had on that computer including your very expensive software and you will lose all your client data files as well. So it is my sincere hope that you will do three things regularly:

1.     Write down your client information just in case you lose your program and data files.

2.    Run DISK CLEANUP every week or two on a regular schedule.

3.    Run DISK DEFRAGMENTER every week or two on a regular schedule.

You don’t want your hard drive to look like the one at the beginning of this article.

THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU GIVE ME YOUR COMPUTER

1.  Check for Anti-virus software. If you have one installed verify that it is current and all scans are current.

a. If there you don’t have an anti-virus software loaded I strongly suggest you get one and load or download it to your computer immediately. If you have an anti-virus and it is not working properly or has expired I urge you to either renew the subscription, reload the current version or otherwise ensure your computer has valid working anti-virus before you give your computer to me.  NOTE: Check www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

2.  Run DISK CLEAN and DEFRAG.

3.  Check your hard drive to see that it has 15 gig of available space for the download.

4.  Remove all shortcuts pertaining to the CLASP32 program you will not need these after the 7-7-10 version is downloaded.

5. Create a registration with http://www.qxsubspace.com  so I can go there after ensuring you have proper internet protection and do the download. CLASP32 downloads are all done using the internet from Budapest. 

6.  You will need to either make an appointment with me after the download to meet and perform the software ACTIVATION together or you will need to be available by phone for me to enter your method of payment (paypal or credit card) if you want me to activate your software before I return it to you.

7.  I urge you to schedule time when I deliver your computer or when you come to my office to pick it up so I can show you the highlights of what is new in this version of the software.

What You Need To Do Before I Do A Download On Your Compter.....

1.     Check for Anti-virus software. If you have one installed verify that it is current and all scans are current.

a.    If there you don’t have an anti-virus software loaded I strongly suggest either you load Microsoft Security Essentials or you give me permission to load it for you. It is free and I have it running on at least 14 machines. 6 or 8 of them have been using it for six months or more. This software appears to be stable, doesn’t slow down your system, runs in background or you can select the scan level you want for a single scan above the constant scanning.       

b.    If you have an anti-virus and it is not working properly or has expired I urge you to either renew the subscription, reload the current version or otherwise ensure your computer has valid working anti-virus before you give your computer to me unless you want me to load MSE for you and remove whatever other anti-virus software you might have installed at any prior time.

c.    If there is some issue with it because you haven’t used it for over a month, either attend to that yourself or ask me to see if I can fix the issue and then I’ll run a scan before we download the new CLASP32 software.

2.    Check fragmentation of hard drive and if fragmented, run DISK CLEAN and DEFRAG.

3.    Check hard disk to see that it has 15 gig of available space for the download.

4.    Remove all shortcuts from CLASP32 load which is being overloaded with 7-7-10 ver.?

5.    Create a registration with http://www.qxsubspace.com  so I can go there after ensuring you have proper internet protection and do the download. CLASP32 downloads are all done on the internet from Budapest. 

6.    You will need to either make an appointment with me after the download to meet and perform the software ACTIVATION together or you will need to be available by phone for me to enter your method of payment (paypal or credit card) if you want me to activate your software before I return it to you.

7.    I urge you to schedule time when I deliver your computer or when you come to my office to pick it up so I can show you the highlights of what is new to in this version of the software.

End of Year Computer Clean up

As the old year comes to a close and the new year is just beginning please take some time to clean up your computer files. Create file folders in you’re My Documents folder which are reflective of your organizational intentions. Move, copy & paste or drag & drop many or most of the myriad files you might have strung all over your desktop because you haven’t known where to put them into the folders you create to keep your files organized in you’re My Documents folder.

Then take a few minutes to do Disk Clean and Disk Defragmenter processes located on your System Tools folder in Accessories from your “All Programs” clickable on your START button.

Go to your web browser (Internet Explorer, IE or whichever one you are using) and delete temporary files, and other junk files from your browser memory.

Go to http://www.update.microsoft.com  and check your computer updates to make certain you have the most current updates to your Windows and other Microsoft products you may have.

Go to the All Programs list and see what you have loaded on your computer to update from a third party vendor like Adobe Reader 9 or whatever is most current, and any other programs which may need to be updated.

This is especially needful if you have a laptop which you turn on and off in between uses or if you do not have Automatic Updates turned on in your computer.

If you have any questions about any of these processes, press the back arrow to find my contact information or go to http://www.look-inside-a-healing-way.com/ .

November Computer Journal

I’ve been working with practitioners and their computers for most of my time the last month. I’m glad I stood up for practitioners and made it known that I want to be of service to people who have put their computers into the closet or under the bed or wherever they’ve gone since they have stopped practicing with the biofeedback device.

I’ve seen many different permutations of kinds of computers, ages of computers, versions of the CLASP32 working or broken. It has truly been an eye-opener. I want to let you know that I’m still available to help you get your computers running or help you decide what kind of newer computer you might want to get to replace the ones from 2002 or even older.

If your computers run slow or won’t run at all. If you encounter blue screens then black screens then failures to display the desktop (main screen). You might need to look at how much “memory” (RAM) you have and also how much room is left on your hard drive. Many of the older computers had 30 gigabyte hard drives and it takes 15 gigabytes just to extract the 50 megabyte CLASP32 files.

So if you computers are older, you might want to look at replacing them with something sturdy and newer. The new computers come loaded with Windows 7 which is going to be a bit of a culture shock if you’ve been running XP, but it seems like a pretty nice operating system. There are always issues with new software the first year or so that it’s out and Microsoft if good about fixing issues as they come up.

You’ll want to have 500 gigabyte and you could get by with around 320 or so if you need to. You’ll also need 3-6 or more gigabytes of RAM. I’ve been telling folks to buy as much hard drive and memory as they can afford in whatever kind of computer they choose.

If you buy from Quantum Computers you will have the added benefit of having the latest version of the CLASP32 loaded for you and everything will be delivered to your door. Be sure to buy a very good anti-virus software even if you don’t think you are going to ever be on the internet I’ll lay you odds that you will need and may come to want to be on the internet and it is more difficult to protect you and get you on the internet than it is to just have a good piece of anti-virus software.

Quantum Computers will tell you what they recommend and what Budapest recommends as well. They’ll give you the prices and install what you choose on the machine they create for you.

If you buy a computer from a known manufacturer I recommend buying from the actual manufacturer so you will be certain to get a physical copy of your operating system software as well as having them install it for you before shipping it to you. If you purchase from a chain store which sells many different brands you will be buying what is in the “box” so to speak and what you may find when you get home is that your software is loaded on the computer but there are not disks and you don’t have a built in call-in-support for a couple of years like you probably will have if you buy direct from the company who makes the computers.

It is essential I believe to make certain you have a maintenance contract from the manufacturer of your computer so you can call them anytime day or night with any questions you may have about your new computer and its idiosyncrasies.

People who like the Mac might want to look at the MacBook Pro. I can’t believe this “DOS’er” is saying this, but, the hard drive in the MacBook can be partitioned to hold the Clasp32 on the Win7 side and Mac’s 0S10 operating system on the other side of the partition. I’ve heard of people who have had these computers since 2006 without event.

I like one operating system on one machine at a time and so I’m a bit of a purist and since the CLASP32 is made to run on “DOS” machines, you are looking at operating systems like XP Version.... , and Windows 7. Some of you may still have Vista. And, that’s all I’m going to say about that.

I encourage you to find the disks and manuals, all the paperwork and purchase slips that came with your original computers and the CLASP32 software and any other software you have on your computer, put it all in a gallon zip-lock back or two and put it in your file system next to your insurance and wills.

It is very difficult to help you if we can’t find the original disks that came with your computers.  You have spent a great deal of money on these systems, please gather the papers and disks just as you would for a new car and put them safely away where you can find them again.

It slows down the process if we have to contact the computer manufacturer and ask them to mail you new disks because you don’t know where yours are. It also costs more money that way.

So, we’ve talked a little bit here about getting your computers in shape. I’ve assisted people in getting the most current version of the CLASP32 software onto their computers. If you want to keep your existing software, please call me at 360-880-1750 and I’ll be happy to discuss it with you in more detail.

The downloads from Budapest take 5-7 hours with high speed cable if you have a version earlier than 2010. Any version after that takes a couple of hours tops and you are all upgraded, paid for and back in doing sessions.

The URL for Budapest Home Office, BHO is:  www.qxsubspace.com

You will want to create an account there if you haven’t already done so, this is very simple and then you can watch several videos which are quite good at showing how to do the things you need to do to create the account, do the download, activate the software and even set up a new port if you are downloading to a new computer where you haven’t had the SCIO/EPFX/QXCI installed before.

Again, ask people who do this kind of thing for a living or have done it to help you be secure with your computer and experience a stress-free download of the CLASP32.

I wish you the best of everything and I especially look forward to emails and calls telling me that you have a new ownership of your biofeedback systems. Finally, what I need to say is that in my travels to practitioners so far, the reality is that the computer and software situations are just the vehicle for meeting you in person and getting to know the wonderful shining lights you all are.

Peace and Happy Thanksgiving,

And Then Comes October…..

2010 has been interesting so far and when the numbers of the year are added together they equal 3. This “3” year is numerologically a year of being mindful of deceitful words and actions.  That is so as well of the date 10-10-10 which we have been hearing so much about. What has happened in my world so far this month?  It’s the 14^th and I’m late updating the website.  I’ve had phone calls all weekend and all week up to today from people who are telling me about implosions in their worlds. Things they thought were going along well suddenly have stalled or ceased to be viable. Emotions have been high. Melt-downs have occurred. The date 10, 10, 2010 which adds to a 5 in numerology is the number of “chance”.  It is thought by some to be most favorable and by others to be discouraging and hazardous. It is the midpoint between the 1 and 9 cycle and so this pivotal number is the place from which past and future are both visible at the same time.

I’ll say a little here about recent events in the world of a software package which affects many people who read this website. A newsletter was sent to all owners of the software in question. The only people to get the newsletter are those who are users of the internet. The wording used by this company was scary to those who aren’t computer literate. It used words like “Software Update Required” and “It Is Compulsory That Users Update Their Software To The Current Version”.

People, if you have this software please understand that you do not have to move to the version the company is trying so hard to scare you into going to as long as what you have works and you like it.!

Many people who know nothing of applying an update to their software or downloading software from the internet felt they were compelled to do just that. The fallout of this fear-driven mass race to get the version the company wants them to have by 10-10-10 or else . . . has caused many problems for owners of this software. I am hearing from people already – from those who did try to beat the date and upgrade and now have encountered problems and from those who didn’t do it and have encountered punitive shutdowns of their current software. This is most distressing for people who have experienced these things and it shouldn’t take much thought to realize any harm done to an owner of this software package so harmed, has recourse.

. 

I walk around shaking my head in disbelief that a company would actually do something like this to clients who have paid many thousands of dollars for their products trusting that they would be treated well according to the contracts that were signed at purchase.

I’ve written in the Computer Journal blog on this same site in an earlier month about software companies with ethics create their products. After much preparation and even more testing a product is deemed ready to sell.  Then it is released with all pomp and marketed vigorously to invite would-be purchasers to buy the “new” version. This is quite correct and it is how the system generally works today.

The only real “hammer” any software company can use to try to move people upward into the newest version of their software is to stop supporting older versions. Now this won’t matter to anyone who has no personal, compelling need to upgrade their software to a newer version. If they like the one they have and it works well for them, then they have no reason to buy or upgrade for free their current software. This is also how consumers respond to a new software release if they don’t want it.

The other way I’ve seen software houses try to force their customers to go to a different version of software is to create a real or imagined change in hardware and then create “new” software” to run on it. Then they can market the new hardware changes as the most wonderful, newest, most Wizzardly and “techy” thing since the abacus. This action “forces” people to upgrade to a “different” version of the same software which is now meant to run only on a particular kind of computer (hardware).

This is the simplistic scenario. The actual “rest” of the story is much more complicated. For our analysis of the previous company’s behavior this story is given as an example of how other software house have tried to force their customer groups to spend more money and when they failed, they went back to what the consumer wanted in the first place.

In this month of 3’s and 5’s we are seeing where a company is taking a chance (5) and speaking deviously (3).  This example reminds us to remain mindful and continue to have hope.  Everything will be worked out -  by the company, by lawyers or the company will go out of business or, or, or. I believe everything happens for a reason.

Look here again next month for another entry in the Journal or call me with any questions you have. 

© 2010

No Really - This Is About Folders & Files

Next I want to discuss organizing the information you will gather and want to keep in your My Documents file folder.

You will use the same process that you would use to set up a filing system in your office. If you don’t have a filing system and don’t set one up on your computer then every file you create or save will show up in one huge group when you open you’re my documents file.

If you have varied interests and do research or write about things or take pictures and want them on the computer you will need to think about making folders with unique names and possibly even folders within folders.

In my home office file cabinet I have hanging folders with titles like Finances, Wills, Owner Manuals, Insurance, Medical, Writing, Publishing, etc.

Within Finances, I have twelve pendaflex folders named by month. I put my receipts and monthly finance information into these folders and at the end of the year I go through them for tax information. I have a thirteenth folder at the back of the Finances folder called Taxes which is where I keep my income tax information for a few years.

The same thing exists on my computer I am a published author. I’m currently writing two new books. I use a word processing program on my computer and I’ve set up a folder called Writing and Research. Within that file folder in My Documents I have several other files one each by book title, one for Research and so on. Like this:

• Inside Writing and Research are the sub files:
• And within each of these file folders are individual files, emails and some pictures and audio pieces to support the writing that I do.

I love Railroads, I worked for one for many years and one of my new books is set in a railroading community. So within My Documents is Writing and Research an within that is Railroads and inside that is the word processing file I created last month for the website.

This is just one way in which you can set up organizational file folders and files on your hard drive.

I have many interests and am active in many things. To keep my life somewhat orderly, I have a Calendar, File folders set up for various kinds of information like my writing.

I find if I am thoughtful when I create a file folder within My Documents and then even more thoughtful about the sub folders and their contents my information is compact and organized just like in a folder in my file cabinet. I can grab a folder by copying it onto a portable device such as a USB drive (finger drive) and take it with me to another computer for instance if I want to use the information somewhere else.

It just takes a bit of mindfulness to make your computing life as harmonious as the rest of your life.