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Screen Readability

Don Trauger – Kennett

As we age, the vision that we may have had in our younger years, is not what it used to be. Even with glasses visual acuity is often
compromised. On the newer LCD computer screens with high resolution, the font size is often tiny. Although the content is sharp it
can be hard to read. Now I’ll tell you the procedure to improve this problem with different Microsoft operating systems.

First, make sure your monitor is adjusted properly using its contrast and brightness settings. If you have a high resolution picture
from a digital camera, this can be used to set the contrast and brightness for a life-like setting. If a picture is not available go
to www.google.com and search for “nature wallpaper” or “landscape wallpaper”. Click a life-like picture then click on full-size image
to the right. Do several to get an idea of a life-like image. To see more pictures click on “Images for Nature Wallpaper or “Images for
Landscape Wallpaper”. With a life-like picture on the screen you can now adjust your monitor’s contrast and brightness for the best
quality. Check your monitor’s manual for instructions on the location for the contrast and brightness controls.

With Windows XP right click a blank area on the Desktop screen. Click Properties and then click the Appearance tab. Next click the
Effects button. In that window put a check next to “Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts”. Click the little down arrow
and click “ClearType”. OK the window. Next, click the Settings tab. Under “Color quality” choose “Highest (32bit)”. Click the Advanced
button. Under “DPI setting”, click the down arrow and choose “Large size (120DPI)”. OK the window. The following adjustment can be used
but it will distort the screen image so that circles may not be round any longer and it can also cause other side effects in all operating
systems. This adjustment is the Screen resolution slider setting under the Settings tab. If you move the slider to the left everything on
the screen will appear larger but possibly distorted and fuzzier. Set it to where you are satisfied with the results.

Windows Vista is similar. Right click the Desktop, click Personalize. On the left side click “Adjust font size (DPI)”. Choose “Larger
scale (120 DPI)” and OK the window. Next, Click Display Settings. Here you can adjust the Resolution, and Colors (Highest 32 bit is recommended)
if necessary.

Windows 7 allows additional adjustments. Click Start then click Control Panel. Click Appearance and Personalization
(View by: Category at top right). Click Display. Choose “Medium – 125%”. On the left side, click “Adjust resolution”. Use the recommended
setting if at all possible. Next, click “Calibrate color”. Follow the instructions on the screen. It will be followed by a ClearType procedure
to improve text quality.

Windows 7 does the best job of tuning your computer display for your individual needs. However, XP and Vista also provide the ability to make
your screen easier to read. One thing to remember – don’t use Windows High Contrast setting should you encounter it. It may seem to be an easy
fix for readability problems but you will incur color distortions, and other visual side effects that conflict with normal Web surfing.

Help with the above information is available at the PC Club meetings. We meet the second Tuesday of every month at 7:00 PM upstairs in
the Ardmore room of the Community Center.

Set Your Router’s QOS (Quality of Service) (Dec 2017)

Technology Tips – Published December 2017 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

 

I usually write about Windows 10 but I thought I would touch on routers with this article. Also, this content is geared more toward those of you that are “tech savvy”. Previously I have written about routers and have said to turn the power off then on to reestablish Internet connectivity or position them for best signal strength. Now we’ll enter into the internal settings of routers where the QOS setting can be checked or changed as necessary.

 

QOS serves an important service particularly when watching video streaming or movies on the Internet. It’s purpose is to control the router in such a way that movies and the like lack any stutter or other artifacts that may produce unwanted visual/audio effects. For example, you may be watching a movie while someone else in your household is downloading files. Both are important but with QOS turned on the movie gets the appropriate bandwidth from the router to produce a smooth visual presentation. The file downloader will notice no difference.

 

Setting QOS requires you to  open your browser, clear anything out of the address field and type in: 192.168.1.1 and press the Enter key. Comcast uses 10.0.0.1. You should see a sign-in window where you type in your Username and password. Username is typically “admin” (no quotes) and password is the same password you used to first set up the router. Keep in mind that the preceding address number doesn’t work for all routers so you may have to consult your manual or do a Google search for your model router to get the correct address.

 

Once inside the settings area look for QOS. It may be in the Advanced Setup area. Click it to open QOS. Newer routers have an automatic QOS setup feature. First, you may have to run a speed test so the router can set the QOS to match the speed of your Internet provider (Comcast or Verizon). There’s one more setting associated with QOS. It’s called WMM. It’s a subset, if you will, of QOS. Its primary function is to prioritize the same main features of QOS (movies and video streaming) BUT only when you are connected to the router wirelessly. Just make sure it’s turned on. After that is complete, click Apply or Save then logout out of your router settings. The preceding guideline is based on a Netgear Nighthawk router so yours can be different.

 

What does all this buy you? Well, not much if you are just the ordinary web surfer and email user. However, with the proliferation of Internet video streaming, movies and different devices including Internet connected Smart TV’s, the router is playing a more important role.

 

Like your PC, routers can benefit from updates. There is often a button to click to update the router along with a visual reminder message. Security is the watchword.

 

We’ll discuss this subject and demonstrate the basic idea of optimizing your router for video at the PC Club meeting on December 17 at 7 p.m.

Toolbars

Don Trauger

There are well over a dozen popular toolbars that are available for download or come as part of other programs that are installed on your computer. For example, there are, the Yahoo toolbar, AOL, MSN, Ask, and Comcast toolbars, and of course the very popular Google toolbar. Basically these toolbars are convenient entry points for searching the Internet for almost anything you can think of plus a myriad of other buttons that whisk you off to specialized locations. They occupy a location in Internet Explorer near the top of the window you are viewing.  I’ve seen computers that have at least three of these toolbars installed. This reduces the ability of Internet Explorer to display the full height of the Web page. Although you can move the vertical scroll bar to the right of the window to see the full page, it requires you to manipulate the mouse more than you should. This of course is user preference but it can be annoying too.

 

A more serious problem with toolbars is that they have their own behind-the-scene agenda. Many of them offer anti-phishing, anti-spam, anti-spyware, and a pop-up blocker. This built-in protection scheme often conflicts with your own installed anti-virus software. In addition, some toolbars may link to 3rd party sites of questionable integrity. My advice is to uninstall all toolbars. For Windows XP click Start, click Control Panel on the right, click Add or Remove Programs, click the name of the toolbar you want to remove, and then click on Change/Remove or Remove. For Vista and Windows 7 users, click the Start orb (lower left corner of the screen) then click Control Panel on the right. Click Programs and Features, click the name of the unneeded toolbar, and then click Uninstall. I can hear you now – “I really use my toolbar”. I understand, however, Internet Explorer can be configured to use any search engine you wish without using a toolbar. For Windows XP users, open Internet Explorer and click the tiny down arrow under the “X” in the upper right corner of the window. Click Find More Providers. Under Internet Explorer Gallery are the popular search engine providers. Google is the preferred choice. Click Google if it is not installed and choose to make it the default. Click Add, and then click the Add to Internet Explorer button. By clicking that same down arrow again in Internet Explorer, you should now see that Google has been added. You should also see Google in the grayed out search field of Internet Explorer. Type a search request in this field then click the magnifying icon next to the search field and you will automatically be taken to Google. The first ten search results will show in the opening window. Windows Vista, 7, and 8 users can click the gear icon, and then click on Manage add-ons, then Search Providers on the left side. At the lower left of the window, click on Find more search providers and then follow the above procedure for adding Google in the Internet Explorer Gallery. Vista, 7, and 8 users must type search requests in the address field of Internet Explorer.

 

            If you insist on having a toolbar make sure only one is installed to avoid conflicts. Look for where the Preferences or Options are in the toolbar and turn off or disable all the extra and unneeded security functions it offers.

 

            The basic rule is to not run your computer with multiple security programs of the same type at the same time. Only one anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, phishing filter, or pop-up blocker should be operational at a given time. More information about this and other subjects can be obtained if you attend our monthly PC Club meetings. They are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM upstairs in the Ardmore room of the Community Center.

 

Note: Remember to visit our newly designed Web site at www.hersheysmill.org to discover information about our community.

HMSG-Billiards

Welcome to our Billiards Group

Billiards

Where we Play!

Community Center

The men’s eight ball team, The Ball Busters, consists of approximately 15 players who regularly play & practice 3 pm to 6 pm Monday through Friday in the Community Center Billiard room.

  • Matches are played, three or four monthly September through May, against communities and senior centers in Chester and Delaware counties.

How to Schedule Court time

It is important to realize that any resident can use any of the Sports facilities whether or not they have registered for HMSG and/or one or more Sports groups.

In other words, simply stopping down and using a sports facility is fine if it has not already been scheduled by anyone.

To ensure that you don’t run into conflicts, it makes sense to simply schedule the resource that you would like to utilize ahead of time.

[In such a case, the group who made the reservation would have the right to the court]

We Use SKEDDA to maintain our reservations!

  1. You do need to do a “1” time request of SKEDDA Access if you plan on using it to schedule time for one of the Sports facilities.
  2. With or Without SKEDDA access, anyone may view the schedule by clicking on the link.

If you would like to stay informed of HMSG plans and events, make sure you join HMSG if you have not already done so. You will be added to that mailing list.

Likewise, if you want to know what’s going on in particular sport groups, let them know so they can add you to their unique mailing list.

Click SKEDDA image below to open SKEDDA tab..

Anyone can view the SKEDDA schedule but you need prior authorization for creating reservations. This is a “1” time process. For more information, please press the “More SKEDDA” button to the right!

Learn all about SKEDDA..

SKEDDA pronounced /sked-dah/ 

is a web based software system used by Hershey’s Mill for scheduling court time. Being web based means that you can schedule future playing time from any browser on any device you have. Court time can be scheduled for the following Sports Groups:

  • Billiards
  • Bocce
  • Horseshoes
  • Pickleball
  • Platform Tennis
  • Shuffleboard
  • Table Tennis
  • Tennis
More SKEDDA

Open Play

Open Play is when folks show up and play based on a predetermined schedule.

Currently Open Play is

3:00 PM to 6:00 PM Monday through Friday

... Come on out and join us

At your convenience please stop in and see the new Billiards room.

Beginners, experienced players wishing to brush up old skills, and those interested in a social game should give it a try. A member of the Billiard team will be present to assist, instruct, or play depending on the attendees.With two tables we have more options for everyone to participate at a comfortable level.

Have a Request for the HMSC ? 

Please download a HMSC Request form on the right.

Fill it out and submit it to Jack Bradley (or any other member of the HMSC).

 

You can download it in PDF form and simply use a pen/pencil to fill it out

  • Have Sport Leader sign 

    • Scan and email completed form or simply drop paper copy in their mailbox

If you prefer and are comfortable with Microsofts Word program, download a blank form in .Docx format.

    • fill out on your computer replacing place-holder X’s with your text.

    • Have Sport Leader sign

      • Scan and email completed form or simply drop paper copy in their mailbox

Download Form (PDF)
PDF will be opened in a new Browser Window
Download Form (Word)
Word Document will be found in your Browsers Download Folder

Billiards Feedback form

If you have any questions, concerns or issues that you would like to bring to the attention of the Billiards Team, please give us as much detail as possible…

If you would like to join the email distribution list, please fill in name, email and street address (used to validate HM residency).

Billiards day to day operation is run by Jim Short.

Thank you!

Village Council Meeting – March 16, 2023

In Attendance:  Mike Pincus, Jay Harter, Margaret Callahan, Bill Shipley and Janet Burgess.

Absent:  Bob Gottschall

Meeting called to order at 9:00 AM by Mike Pincus.

January 18, 2023 Meeting minutes were approved.

Financial:  Jay Harter reported that $10,000 was spent on tree removal/pruning. CSK received $10,000 from the master association for reimbursement of the money we spent on drainage issues. We are $11,000 under budget for snow removal. Reserves for roof replacement options look good.

Committee Updates:

Architectural: CSK requested that they receive copies of all letters sent to residents by the Architectural Committee.  Council should also receive copies. Mike will follow up with Dom Aleardi

A recent Franklin Village house sale has revealed that East Goshen Township is now requiring hard wired smoke detectors in all bedrooms. If anyone is planning to sell their house they can check with Matt Ratliff of West Chester Security, 610-399-7986, for costs.

An Architectural sub-committee from Council will be formed to review and update our Architectural Guidelines. The sub-committee will include Mike Pincus, Margaret Callahan, Dom Aleardi and one other resident.

A handrailing was approved by the committee and council for 521 Franklin Way.

Landscaping:  Michelle Cohen will be away until early April so there are no updates on landscaping.

Many thanks to Michelle for all her work.

Welcome Committee:  There has been one house sold this year.  It is the first since January of last year. There are 3 more house that may be going up for sale this year.  The committee met with Brighton residents who are interested in starting their own welcoming committee.

Pool Committee:  The committee met with a concrete contractor this week who will be providing an estimate for fixing the concrete apron around the pool.

The circulation pump, which was not working, was replaced

CSK received the contract for 2023 from Rich Frey of Giuliani Pools. Council approved the contract. CSK will sign the contract and pay Giuliani Pools.

Margaret Callahan came up with a fix for the lock handles that were damaged by squirrels.

The possibility of installing a panic button that would alert security of an emergency at the pool will be investigated by Bill Shipley.

Communications: All communications requested have been sent.

Garage & Street Lights:  Kevin Callahan is being contacted by residents to replace lights.

Maintenance: No response from the request for volunteers so far..

Old Business: A map from Pipeview which shows drain pipes and drains in the village was shared by Janet Burgess. Mike Pincus will continue to work with Ed McFalls concerning the drainage issues.

Roofing proposals from Bachmann Roofing, KPI, and Lemus Construction were discussed. Lemus Construction seems to be the best of the 3.  Lemus was used by Eaton.  Mike, Dom Aleardi and Dave Ogletree met with Lemus and liked their presentation.  Janet Burgess said Bachman replaced the roofs for Ulster and she liked their work.  Janet Burgess shared a report of the amounts spent for roof fixes over the last 3 years. 2020 $4800 was spent, 2021 $4500 was spent, 2022 $4100 was spent. There will be a presentation concerning roof replacement at the annual meeting on May 24th.

The pest control company will be doing termite inspections, Saturday March 25 and Saturday April 1. The inspections will be external. If residents want them to do an inside inspection, they will have to request it when the company knocks on their door. There is no additional charge for an inside inspection. Bill Shipley will send out an email to residents.

The insurance letter concerning the change to the Franklin Village Declarations about the deductible amount was discussed.  The master association insurance committee negotiates insurance policies that each village can use. The $7500 deductible that is stated in our Declarations will no longer be offered. We have been advised to remove the $7500 specification from the Declarations in order to have flexibility when changes occur.  A new letter will be sent out shortly for residents to vote on the change.

New Business: None.

The next council meeting will be held on Wednesday April 27, 2023 at 9:00am

Meeting was adjourned at 10:22 am.

Respectfully submitted by Bill Shipley

 

 

 

HMSG-Cycling

Welcome to our Bike Club

Bike Club

This is a group of about 50 bicycle enthusiasts who enjoys both the outdoors and the camaraderie that can develop between riders on any given  trip and certainly over the riding months. 

Click above for full article on Forbes website!

We have rides for both Leisure Riders and Trail Riders

Biking is organized at the Mill through The Hershey’s Mill Bike Club. It is for riders of all levels who enjoy cycling on the many scenic trails and country roads in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Since 2019, thanks to Jeff’s research and scheduling we added a variety of trail rides.  We have tried to structure our rides for the “Leisure riders” and “Trail Riders”.  Many of our rides allow Trail Riders with extensions so that they can have a longer workout.  Leisure riders can stay within their comfort zone in mileage and speed.  We now also have several riders with “electric assisted bikes”.

More riders means more fun more options.

Do you know someone not on our list that rides and may want to hear about our group?

Do you know experienced bikers willing to be co-leaders in our rides?

If so, please have them use the contact form below and we will follow up with them.

Alternatively, if you get their permission for us to call, simply provide us their contact information.

 

Bike Rides Scheduled for 2024 Season

HM-2024-Bike-Schedule.doc

Need a good Bike Helmet?

Best-Bike-Helmets-of-2023-Consumer-Reports

Have a Request for the HMSC ? 

Please download a HMSC Request form on the right.

Fill it out and submit it to Jack Bradley (or any other member of the HMSC).

 

You can download it in PDF form and simply use a pen/pencil to fill it out

  • Have Sport Leader sign 

    • Scan and email completed form or simply drop paper copy in their mailbox

If you prefer and are comfortable with Microsofts Word program, download a blank form in .Docx format.

    • fill out on your computer replacing place-holder X’s with your text.

    • Have Sport Leader sign

      • Scan and email completed form or simply drop paper copy in their mailbox

Download Form (PDF)
PDF will be opened in a new Browser Window
Download Form (Word)
Word Document will be found in your Browsers Download Folder

Bike Club Feedback form

If you have any questions, concerns or issues that you would like to bring to the attention of the Bike Club, please give us as much detail as possible…

If you would like to join the email distribution list, please fill in name, email and street address (used to validate HM residency).

The Bike Club day to day operation is run by Jeff Smith.

Thank you!

Basic Computer Maintenance

Don Trauger – Kennett

I’ve written about this subject several times over the years and I feel it’s important enough to stress the fact that it needs to be done
on a regular basis, typically once a month. You can’t expect computers to run forever without some attention to maintenance. Even if you
never have performed this procedure, now is the time to do it. All the steps are safe and it will keep your computer in good shape. You
don’t have to understand the subject or even have much interest in it. If you can take the time to follow along and click the mouse, you
can perform the necessary maintenance.

Windows XP and Windows Vista provide a utility to clean up unneeded and unwanted files that are stored on your hard disk. It’s called
Disk Cleanup located in System Tools. To start this procedure click Start, move to All Programs, Accessories (click it for Vista),
System Tools (click it for Vista), click Disk Cleanup, and click OK (XP only). After a wait period (XP only) place a checkmark by clicking
on all the empty boxes without a checkmark. Next, click the More Options tab (XP only) and under System Restore, click Clean up, click Yes,
then click OK. Finally, click Yes again. For Vista users just click on OK. You now have completed a basic cleanup of your hard disk.

There’s another item that is part of basic maintenance. It’s called Disk Defragmenter and it is also located in System Tools. For Windows XP
users only, click on Disk Defragmenter and when the window opens click the (C:) disk, then click the Defragment button. The idea behind this
operation is to align the files on the hard disk so the computer will start up faster and open your programs more quickly. This will take a while
but you should end up with almost all blue at the left side of the graph. You may see some green bars mixed in and some white spaces which are fine.
You should not see red bars. I recommend that you run Disk Defragmenter twice in a row for the best results. Close the program when it completes.
Again, I’ll mention this is safe to do.

For Windows Vista users Disk Defragmenter is also in System Tools. Click Disk Defragmenter then uncheck (click) “Run on a schedule”. After
“Analyzing disks” completes click the Defragment now button. In the pop-up window place a checkmark, if necessary, in the box next to (C:) then
click OK. Lastly, click OK on the main Disk Defragment window when the program completes. For both XP and Vista users ignore messages that may say
you do not need to defragment the disk. These messages are misleading and really don’t indicate the true state of the hard disk.

Finally, to complete basic maintenance click Start, click Run (XP only) and in the Open: field type chkdsk C: /f Vista users should click Start,
click on Start Search then type chkdsk C: /f and press the Enter key. NOTE: there is a space between chkdsk and C: and between C: and /f.
Click OK (XP only) and you should see a window pop up. For both XP and Vista users type the letter y in the pop-up window and press the Enter key.
Next restart the computer and during the startup you will see a screen that indicates various tests and corrections. After it completes the computer
will start normally although this particular startup will be slower than normal. Subsequent starts should show a faster starting computer.

There you have it. Help in maintaining your computer is just around the corner at the PC Club meetings. We meet the second Tuesday of every month
at 7:00 PM upstairs in the Community Center.

Internet Explorer Problems

 By Don Trauger – Kennett 

The Technology Tips article in the January 2014 issue of the Guide & Digest showed how to reset the three most popular browsers. Resetting cares for problems when attempting to browse web sites. However, not all problems can be corrected when using the reset feature.

Browsers are a target for malware when indicated by problems of unwanted pop-up windows, toolbars or redirection to an unknown web site. A reset of a browser won’t correct problems when they are created by malware. If you find that you have 1 or more of the above mentioned problems, then you should perform full scans of your computer with my recommended Malwarebytes and Bitdefender programs. Malwarebytes is especially useful when it comes to removing unwanted programs.

Toolbars may escape Malwarebytes detection because many are considered legitimate add-on programs. In my opinion, any toolbar is a vector for 3rd party intervention into your computer. Toolbars are programs that are installed in a browser and reside at the top of each browser window just below the main address field. Unwanted programs, such as toolbars, are often installed without your knowledge by browsing a site and clicking an ad or other link on the page.To uninstall these pesky add-ons, go to the Control Panel and click Add/Remove Programs in Windows XP or Programs & Features in other Windows versions. Review the list of programs and uninstall anything that says toolbar. There are many different names for toolbars. Highlight the toolbar you want to uninstall then click Remove for XP, or right click the item and click uninstall, or click uninstall at the top of the page for other Windows versions.

After an infection you may have to restore your home page. A home page is described as the page you normally see when you start a browser such as Internet Explorer. If you have scanned your computer for malware and have removed any toolbars, start Internet Explorer and carefully type in the address for your home page. Then press the Enter key on the keyboard. If the page looks normal to you then go to the Control Panel and click Internet Options. When the window opens, highlight anything that appears in the field and press the Delete key on your keyboard. Next, press the Use current button just below the field and click the OK button. This should make a permanent change to Internet Explorer. The other 2 browsers, Firefox and Chrome, were covered in this respect in the January 2014 issue.

To reread the January 2014 issue dealing with resetting Internet Explorer, go to our web site www.hersheysmill.org and move your mouse to Resources > Tech Tips, then click on
Computer Internet & eMail Tips then click on Internet Browser – Solving Problems. Hint: When arriving at our site, scroll down so that the main menu is near the top of the window. This will allow you to read the drop-down menu items easily.

The PC Club meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 7 PM, upstairs in the Ardmore room of the Community Center. We will also try to answer any problems that you may be experiencing.

Windows 8 and 8.1 Hibernation File Setting

                  By Don Trauger – Kennett                                                

 

Windows has always offered a Hibernation feature in their operating systems. Its purpose is to save all of the contents that are in RAM (memory) to a file that is stored on the hard drive when you shut down the computer. All that Windows needs to do when you power up is read that one file instead of hundreds and restore the contents back into RAM. The upside is that it results in a much faster start. The possible downside is that if you had a problem with Windows or a program then you will still have that problem when you power up. In a normal shutdown without using Hibernation, RAM is cleared and that sometimes solves problems such as freezes. Clicking Restart on the shutdown menu also clears RAM.

With Windows 8 and 8.1, the Hibernation feature works somewhat differently. When you shut down the computer it enters Hibernation automatically. However, it’s not quite the same Hibernation as described above. It’s a partial (Hybrid) Hibernation where Windows and device drivers are stored in Hibernation but your programs and your user session is not stored. This Hybrid Hibernation feature results in a faster booting system than if everything was stored in hibernation.

Most new computers have this Hybrid Hibernation feature already activated when you start your computer. You can check this by right clicking the Windows Start button (lower left corner of the Desktop screen), click Control Panel, click the down arrow next to Category near the upper right and choose large icons. This allows you to view all of the Control Panel items. Click Power Options. Click “Choose what the power buttons do” on the left. You should see a grayed out section at the bottom labeled “Shutdown settings”. The Windows default should show “Turn on fast startup” (recommended) and Sleep as being checked. Fast startup is the Hybrid Hibernation feature. If it isn’t checked, click “Change settings that are currently unavailable” near the top of the window. When you click it all of the items now become available to check or uncheck. The Hibernation item is the full Hibernation where it stores everything in RAM when you shutdown. If checked it will appear on the shutdown menu. Sleep keeps your session alive in RAM so a mouse click or keyboard key tap will bring the computer “awake” again. The lock feature should be unchecked as it’s not needed in normal use. When finished making changes click the “Save changes” button at the bottom.

The directions above are for Windows 8.1. If you still have Windows 8 you absolutely should download and install version 8.1 from the Windows Store tile icon. However, with Windows 8, you can open the Control Panel on the All apps screen and proceed from there.

Now for an important setting change. I’ve discovered in some situations that Windows does not have the proper size set up for the Hibernation file. This can result in the computer freezing on boot because all of the data may not be stored or available on demand. I highly recommend you make this following change even if the computer boots normally.

Right click the Start button, click Command Prompt (Admin). A black window will open. At the blinking cursor type: powercfg /h /size 100. Note there are spaces before the slashes and “100”. Press the Enter key. You will see a large number appear in the window. This represents the total amount of RAM memory in your computer. I have seen stability and faster startups return to Windows 8 and 8.1 computers after this simple change is implemented.

Come see Hibernation demonstrated at our PC Club meeting. It’s held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 PM upstairs in the Ardmore room of the Community Center. It’s open to all and no membership is required.

Windows 10 Health Check (May 2020)

 

Technology Tips – Published May 2020 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

 

Give Your Windows 10 PC a Health Check

In these trying times it’s important to keep your computer in good working condition. You may  never know when it might be needed to provide vital support for you.

Before proceeding with the following information close all open windows and programs. 

The first attempt to revive a balky computer is to do a Restart, not a Shutdown. Click the white 4 pane Windows icon at the lower left corner of the screen then click the “Power” icon just above that icon then click “Restart”. This operation will refresh the memory in the computer and may fix the problem you were experiencing. In fact you should do this every few days or so to remove unneeded bits of memory that are not being released and no longer serve any purpose. After a Restart wait a few minutes for the computer to initialize then shut it down if you are done.

Windows 10 can provide many diagnostic tools to check the health of your computer. Type “windows security” (no quotes) in the “Type here to search” box. At the top of the pop-up window click on “Windows Security”. You should see green checks on all the icons except for “Device Performance & Health” and “Family Options”. Click “Device Performance & Health”. Under “Health Report” you should see about 3 or 4 items and they should have green checks. If an item has a  yellow triangle mark, click it to learn more. Further down the page you can watch a short video on this subject by clicking “Learn more about Device performance & health”.

Another good tool is “Reliability History”. It scores your computer on a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being the best score. Type “reliability history” in the “Type here to search” box and click it at the top of the page. You can view technical details under the “Action” column for any days that have red or yellow indications of problems. The more days that have problems, the lower the score as shown by the graph line at the top.

Windows 10 also has 23 fix-it tools to correct specific problems. Type “control panel” in the “Type here to search” box then click it at the top of the window. In the next window you will see various categories. In the upper right portion of the window look for “View by:” and click the little down arrow to select the view “Large icons”. Next click “Troubleshooting”. Select the main category rather than the sub categories that most closely relates to your problem. All 23 fix-it tools can be viewed by clicking “View all” at  the upper left in the main Troubleshooting window.

Other tools that can be invoked are commands to check and repair corrupted files and Windows system problems. Right click the Windows 4 pane icon then click either Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin). Type “chkdsk c: /f” (No quotes) and press the Enter key. Answer with a “Y” press Enter and restart the computer. A “/r” instead of “/f” provides a more in depth check of the drive. Another command to use is “sfc /scannow” to repair Windows system issues. If the sfc command fails to fix all of the issues use the following command: “DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth” (no quotes).

All of these tools are safe to run so you won’t damage your system. The last 2 commands can be very effective in the event the previous information didn’t work. I’ll cover this information at our May PC Club meeting if the Community Center has been opened. We meet on the 3rd Tuesday at 7 PM.