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I have decided to do this section for people who may be new on the Internet, and want some advice on keeping their computers running smoothly. There are several things that can create problems for the computer if they are not attended to on a regular basis. Among these are:
This is probably the most important thing you can do for smooth running of Netscape. A "Disk Cache" is a place, (sub-directory) of Netscape where Netscape "saves" a little part of every page you access on the internet. Included in this cache, are text and pictures. When left to just grow as it wishes, this directory can eventually fill the entire Hard Drive! If you have a lot of programs on your Hard Drive, and it is almost full, if you allow this Directory to grow too much, then Netscape runs out of room on the hard drive to write things and you will begin to get error messages, or Netscape will just keep shutting down on you. So.. the thing to do to delete this cache from time to time, is to go to the Menu Bar in Netscape, at the top of the page, and click on "Options". Then from the options menu, click on "Network Preferences". When the next window comes up, click on "Clear Disk Cache Now". You will then hear your Hard Drive erasing the cache directory. If this is the first time you have done this, you will be surprised how much is erased. When the process is completed, click on "Cancel" at the bottom of that window. At this time, please note that there is also a provision to erase the "Memory Cache".. you need not bother doing this, because everytime you shut down your computer, this cache is automatically erased... Try to do this at least once per week!! If you are a "Heavy" internet user, do it every day. It harms nothing, and helps to keep your system running faster and smoother.
This is yet another file where Netscape stores information that is of no use to us. This file MUST be erased while Netscape is NOT RUNNING.. If you attempt to erase this file while Netscape IS running, you will get an "Access Denied" message. To delete this file, which, by the way ALSO grows to a humongous size if allowed to, you must either go to your File Manager, or delete this file through DOS. The file, even if extremely big, takes only a blink of an eye to erase; (unlike the disk cache).. So, don't think it didn't get erased. If you are someone who has never done either of these things before, you may want to check out how much space you have on your Hard Drive before and after you do these two things.. You WILL be surprised by how much these two files were taking up for nothing.
Now that you have deleted the Cache and the Netscape.hst files, you need to "Defragment" your Hard Drive.... The way a Hard Drive works, is by writing information to each empty space as it gets to one. Everytime you write something to your Hard Drive, the information goes on to the drive in "pieces" as it finds empty spaces. By Defragmenting the drive, you force the computer to re-arrange all the information in your different files and directories so that all the files are now together, instead of scattered around in pieces. This makes the drive access speed much faster, and eliminates a LOT of wear and tear on the Hard Drive. A lot of Hard Drive "crashes' can be eliminated by keeping the drive de-fragmented. Virtually all operating systems have a means to do this de-fragmenting built into them. In a Windows System, simply exit Windows, and at the C:\ prompt, type in "defrag" and hit the Enter key. A screen will come up, and prompt you to continue. In most computers, this doesn't take very long. The first time you do it, however, it will likely take a bit of time, since the drive will have information scattered all over it. Once you do this the first time, tyr to do it AT LEAST once every two weeks. It will only take a few minutes if you do it regularly. You may not notice a huge difference in speed, but rest assured, your Hard Drive will be MUCH better off by your doing this.
A lot of people simply go out, get a computer, get hooked up to an Internet Provider, and begin to enjoy the amazing things that are out on the World Wide Web.. Unfortunately, there are MANY people out there who have the ability to make "viruses" and send them out on the web like "messages in bottles".. What this means, is that at ANY time you may pick up a virus on your computer from several possible sources. E Mail is one place where viruses may be picked up very easily. Some people have viruses on their computers, and are totally unaware of their existence. These people could send you an E Mail, and next thing you know.. you have this terrible problem with your system, and have no idea what is causing it..then, it is too late, and several things can happen to your system, the worst of which is destroying your computer!! A good Virus Check Program will make a "Boot Disk" from your system, as you have it set up, and then compare this boot sector everytime you start your computer, and notify you of anything infecting your system files.. Another way you can get viruses is by downloading anything from the Internet. This includes pictures, programs, and anything else you may decide you want to take from the Internet. SO.... Be smart, and go out and get yourself a GOOD Virus Check program!! It may well save you MANY times its cost..
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This Page Up-dated May 7, 1997