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Welcome to today's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Monday, April 9, 2001
In this Issue:
Today's Featured Computer Term: Registry
Today's Topic: How to Safely Remove Programs
Progressive Learning Series: Print a Color Document in Black and White
Today's Featured Website: Rails to Trails
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Today's Featured Computer Term: Registry
The Windows registry is a database used by the Windows operating system to store configuration information, such as the way the system is set up, or the assortment of components that make up the system. Configuration can refer to either hardware or software, or the combination of both. Think of the registry as an informant -- telling the computer what's attached, what options have been set up, and which applications will run at start up.
Most Windows applications write data to the Registry, at least during installation. So anytime you add or remove a program, the registry is changed.
You can edit the Registry directly by using the Registry Editor provided with the operating system. However, you must take great care because errors in the Registry could disable your computer. That means that you would probably have to reinstall Windows if there were any problems in the Registry.
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Today's Topic comes from a question sent in by Newsletter subscriber Mary:
Dear Ceil, I love this newsletter and all the great information that you're sending me. I learn something new in each one. I do have a question for you.
I inherited an old computer from my son. There are a lot of programs on it that I don't think I'll ever use. Since it doesn't have a very big hard disk, I'd like to remove them. My neighbor said there's a right way and a wrong way to accomplish this but he couldn't tell me how. Can you help?
Answer:
You're absolutely right - there is a right way and a wrong way to remove programs. A lot of programs leave entries in a file called the Registry, and unless you uninstall the programs, rather than just delete them, excess code gets left behind. That will leave a lot of unnecessary bits and pieces of files around.
When you want to remove a program, don't just delete the files that make up programs, follow these steps:
1. Click Start.
2. Choose Settings and then Control Panel.
3. In the Control Panel window, double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
4. Under "The following software can be automatically removed by Windows..." select the application you want to remove.
5. Click the Add/Remove button and follow the instructions to remove the application. It will show you dialog boxes to assist you in the process.
When you remove programs, the computer may ask you if you want to remove files called "DLLs". That stands for Dynamic Linked Library file. These can be used by other applications. The computer will tell you that the file is not being used by any other programs. If you want to be real safe though, just answer "No" to the question. Everything but those files will be removed.
In some cases, you may have to remove some remaining files manually. Once you've gone through the installation process above, you can safely remove what's left using the Windows Explorer program.
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Progressive Learning Series: Print a Color Document in Black and White
If you have a color document that you'd like to print in draft form, you can do that without using up all your color ink. Print the document in black and white.
To do so, click File to open the menu, click Print. Click the Properties button. A dialog box will appear with sheet tabs. Look for and click on the option saying Print in Grayscale.
On the printout, you'll still see shades, but you won't see any color.
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Today's Featured Website: Rails to Trails
"When railroads went bust over the past century, cities and towns found themselves with miles of land covered with weed-infested, litter-strewn, worthless and abandoned rail beds and tracks. Recently, an exciting new use has been made of this real estate: they've been converted into hiking/biking/rollerblading trails, the rails removed or topped by land, gravel or asphalt. Suddenly, there are neat places to set out and explore, and Railtrails.Org helps you do just that.
Click on the state you're interested in investigating, and you get a list of all the rail-to-trail locales, along with distance, type of surface and international symbols informing you about such things as wheelchair access, possibilities for fishing or cross-country skiing, and more. Better yet, the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy, the stewards of this site, have provided links to weather forecasts for the trails' locales, nearby bed-and-breakfasts, maps and tourism offices to make your jaunt an even more pleasant one. And any trail that has a Web site is duly noted and linked."
http://www.railtrails.org/ |
