What user
hasn’t come across a message on their computer screen that says “Error: unable
to load file” or “Could not access network” or the highly graphic informative
blue screen of death which virtually incapacitates the computer. In the
ever changing world of computers, complex hardware and software bring a myriad of new and more complicated
problems. This is what I know best which fortunately is also what I do for
work. As a software engineer and lab administrator who works exclusively
on Windows machines, I constantly have to deal with issues and problems wrought
by these seemingly innocent yet powerful systems.
As I
begin, let me write that this essay is somewhat technical and my come off as a
dry and boring but this is what I’m comfortable in explaining because I deal
with it daily. I don’t sing or dance. I play the guitar and
keyboard at church but by no means and expert. So I’ll try to make it as
much prose as possible but not lose the information I want to convey.
Also, I won’t get specific with name brands or give distinct details on how to
fix problems, just merely suggestions. There are enough resources on the
web, from computer-savvy friends and experts from big-box stores to
There is
a mosaic of complexity that surround the standard computer but for brevity’s
sake I’ll focus on one issue and many users question: Why is my computer
running so slow? This simple question has tentacles that touch many areas
of the computer, both software and hardware.
For
example, a user notices that the computer has recently been booting up slower,
much slower that when it was first bought. One offender could be
TSRs. Terminate and Stay Resident applications are programs that load at boot
time but appears stopped to the operating system and yet stays active in
memory. These programs have evolved from the early days of computing and
have become more involved in the behind-the-scenes activity of the PC and go
unnoticed to the user but hog resources none the less. The TSRs load
device drivers in memory when using peripherals like printers, cameras or
scanners so at any point in time these devices are active for use. If
these peripherals are not being used then it would be advisable to disable the
TSRs that control them thereby minimizing the wait time for booting up the PC.
Another
example of PC sluggishness is user applications that take a long time to
launch. When a word processing program is started the user waits as the
hourglass spins for what seems like an hour. After a trip to the coffee
bar the user comes back and the application finally starts. This slowness
could be attributed to the lack of enough memory or RAM (random access
memory). Memory is the second most vital workhorse of the computer (the
first is the CPU or central processing unit). RAM is like a huge
playground where data manipulation and calculations are done. If the
amount of memory is too small to do basic functions, then it resorts to
something called disk caching. If there is not enough memory to complete
certain transactions then a portion of hard disk is allocated to accommodate
the overflow. However, read and write speeds to a physical device
like a hard drive are markedly slower than reading and writing to RAM. To
minimize disk caching and to improve the overall performance of the PC, then
more memory is needed. But memory can get expensive and the amount of
memory can be gated by the operating system or memory slots on the PC itself.
Another culprit of slow processing system is Malware.
Malicious software is general term for software that disrupts or destroys
as system. Some forms of Malware are computer viruses, worms, and
spyware. These software and utility programs can range from the annoying
to fatal. For example, a computer virus can infect the user’s computer
and delete important data. This virus is then replicated to other
systems, via the network and before long all systems are corrupted. Recovery
from viruses and other forms of Malware can be time-consuming, tedious and
expensive so it’s better to safeguard the system from the beginning. There are
many sophisticated software and hardware tools available that will guard
against Malware like anti-virus programs, anti-spyware software and physical
and virtual firewalls to name a few. The web is full of information on these
products so the user can make an enlightened decision on how to protect their
PC.
Working in a lab environment for the past 10 years has brought me
about every kind of challenge, some easy but mostly difficult. Although
most of the problems seem similar there are certain nuances to each that
frustrate and baffle. The sophistication of current computer systems has
skyrocketed during my tenure and one has to constantly revise and upgrade their
skills and know-how just be viable and
keep their job. My favorite saying in the lab is “one step forward, five
steps back” because invariably I tackle a problem that should take five minutes
to solve, but a missing disk here, a misplaced password there and a software
security team that inspects your every move, the five minute solution turns
into a two hours marathon. There is a sense of gratification, though, that
gives me pride in beating a seemingly unsolvable problem and as I go home at
the end of the day I have the satisfaction of a job well done.
Essays read: Affair of the Lips: Why we kiss(112), Why
gossip is good for you (121),World Wildlife Fund(128)
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