Do I Need a New Computer? Part 2

Last week, we talked about the various components that make up a computer and how age can affect performance. Now, we're looking at software.

What about the software?

Computer software (like the Microsoft Office Suite) just keeps getting better and better. Every few weeks, there's an update for this, another update for that. They keep adding features and more security to applications, which cause them to grow in both capability and size.

Think about it: a year ago we could buy a PC with Windows XP and Office 2003 and at that time the recommended hard drive space was 60GB. These days, it's hard to even find a new PC with Windows XP anymore; they now come loaded with Windows Vista and Office 2007. And they require a Hard Drive space of 120GB at least. See the difference?

Sure, Windows Vista offers more security features than Windows XP; good ones and not-so-good ones. But Windows XP requires 1/3 of the memory, CPU and Hard Drive space than Vista does. So if I had a computer that was 2 years of age and wanted to upgrade to Office 2007 and Vista, I might find that my PC is out of date.

So, while it's easy to keep an out of date PC running, we keep applying automatic updates and our applications keep getting better and better, but what happens to our computer components? Should we upgrade them as we go? Or should we just dispose of the computer and buy a newer one?

Frustration!

There is nothing more frustrating while working on a computer than losing unsaved work, not being able to open an attachment, applications that take forever to open, freezes, crashes, etc. I am sure you've experienced this as well, but the truth is there is no way to completely avoid it. Applications malfunction. Sometimes there is so much going on that they just give up and need the famous "Restart" to continue working properly.

So here are a few simple exercises that you can use to help you troubleshoot some problems.

Problem #1: Applications

This one is probably the most common one. You start your day as you normally do and the computer is soooo slow you can barely look at it. You ask yourself, "What's going on in here?" and nobody answers. Well, fear no more; say hello to Mr. Task Manager! Call it to action by pressing CTRL + SHIFT+ESC on your keyboard!

The Task Manager is your main resource to see at glance what is going on with the applications on your computer.

If you find yourself with an application that is non-responsive (meaning that it doesn't work or doesn't allow you to close it by hitting the X at the top of the window) you can force the application to close by executing Mr. Task Manager and seeing the status of the application.

In this example, all of my applications are running. But if there is an application with problems, you will see the status change to "Not-Responding." This doesn't mean that the application is not working or it won't be back to normal in a minute, it just means it is currently in a non-responsive state.

Give it a few minutes to see if there is a task that it is trying to complete. But, if after 5 minutes you still are experiencing the problem, go ahead and click once to select the application from the list and as soon as it is selected click on "End Task."

Problem #2: Performance

Invoke the Task Manager by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC on your keyboard.

I've highlighted in blue for you the tab we are going to pay attention to for this exercise.

When you launch the Task Manager I want you to switch to Performance in the top tab section. This will show a group of graphs and percentage meters that will help us troubleshoot performance problems with our computer.

The most important one here is CPU Usage. The CPU Usage will show us (in a percentage rate) how much of the CPU's resources are being used. A normal rate would be between 1 to 35%. A 100% CPU utilization means problems with performance. At this point you would need to look into the Applications tab and see if there is an application that is in a Non-Responsive state. If that's the case, go ahead and "End Task" and go back to performance to see how the CPU is behaving now. If everything is back to normal, congrats! You have successfully fixed that problem all by yourself. If not, just go ahead and save all your work first and restart the computer. If the problem persists, call your IT person.

Restarting the computer sometimes is like a refreshing feeling for the PC. All processes get shutdown and restarted so everything starts afresh. A good measurement you can use to see whether or not you have a computer problem is to ask yourself how many times you end up restarting your computer every day. Multiple restarts might be a sign. Look into it using the steps above to see if the problem is caused by an application and if not, pass it onto the IT Dept.

Conclusion

I've walked you thru all the components that make your PC a perfect tool of productivity and fun. I also gave you some guidelines on what is considered current and what's not. You'll be able to see the difference between old and new components in the years to come as software gets more powerful. As we continue evolving technologically, it's imperative to keep our computers up to date.

So look into the applications you use on a day-to-day basis and see how important they are. What would life be like if they could be just a little bit faster? A simple upgrade on your computer might just be able to accomplish that. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me angel@officearrow.com. See you next time!