I'm going to provide tips for getting the most out of a Windows based computer, and hopefully demystifying the process just a bit. But, as the title implies, these tips aren't for the faint of heart.

This "Geek Tweak" relates to freeing up just a little more of your systems resources, so that you can get work done, faster.

If you will press the "Windows" and "Pause/Break" keys simultaneously, you will see a simple window labeled "System Properties."

Click on the top-right tab "Performance" and you can see, among other things, how much of your system resources are available. As you open and close programs and files this number will continue to go down, so the best time to do this is just after turning your computer on.

Simply stated: the higher the percentage available, the faster programs will run and the lower the chance you have of your system crashing.

After a fresh boot, my "System Resources" are at 95% and that's about as high as you can get.

What can you do to free up more of your resources?

Go to "Control Panel" choose "Fonts" and then consider getting rid of some!

Most of us have accumulated many more fonts than we need, with programs often installing them behind our backs! After a few years it's not uncommon to end up with hundreds of fonts. These tend to waste system resources, and how many do you really use, anyway?

Simple double-click any font title to view it, and if you don't think you'll really need it, delete it! It will go to the Recycle Bin anyway, so you can always get it back if you change your mind a minute later.

NOTE: Only consider removing fonts where the icon displays a blue "TT" for TrueType. If the icon next to the font is a red "A" then leave it alone as it's probably needed by your system.

Also, if you do have a large number, then I'd suggest only deleting a few (maybe ten) at a time. That way, if the next time you start your computer and find that it really did need one of them, you can quickly figure out which one!

Finally, if you're uncomfortable or unsure about making modifications to your system, then don't!

Published: March 28, 2000

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.