PC Computer Clean-Up/iBook Power Issue
Hi -
Yes, I do remember your parents’ computer. There are a few things you can do to help improve it – but at this point the machine is a bit antiquated and all the efforts may be for naught.
The first thing to do is to uninstall any programs that aren’t needed any longer. You can do so by accessing the ‘Add/Remove Programs’ control panel (start->settings->control panel). Go through the list and uninstall anything you recognize as not needing. Also remove any security software (AVG, Norton, McAfee, Avast, Windows Defender, ClamAV, etc).
The second thing to do would be to download and run this program:
http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner
It’s called CCleaner, and it can automate some of the cleanup process. You should run both the Cleaner and Registry options on the left – allow CCleaner to fix, delete or repair anything it wants.
After that, run Defraggler, also made by the same company:
http://www.piriform.com/defraggler
After that, check to see if the system has improved at all.
And finally, reinstall your security software. I recommend this program:
http://microsoft.com/security_essentials
It’s free from Microsoft and works very well.
If the laptop isn’t just ‘dead’ (it does happen), you can try only a few things:
1) Make sure the charger is actually working. Does the light on the end of the charger come on when it’s plugged in? Is it either orange or green?
2) Make sure the battery has some juice in it. There’s a small round button on the bottom of the battery. If you press that, you should see a small bank of green lights come on. If you don’t see any lights, or just one small light flashing, the battery is completely dead and isn’t being charged properly.
3) If 1 and 2 seem okay, then it’s possible the laptops power management chip is confused and needs to be reset. Here’s how:
• If the computer is on, turn it off. • Reset the power manager by simultaneously pressing and then releasing Shift-Control-Option-Power on the keyboard. Do not press the fn (Function) key while using this combination of keystrokes. • Wait 5 seconds. • Press the Power button to restart the iBook computer.
If you don’t get ANY life out of it at this point, it could still be a defective memory chip or wireless card – but I wouldn’t be too optimistic.
Let me know how you make out and if you need anything else.
Best,
hunter
On Nov 16, 2010, at 12:49 PM, Kara wrote:
> Hi Hunter, > > Remember my parents’ desk top Dell in their home office? Well, they still have it and it still works, believe it or not. They haven’t used it in about six months, but now want me to clean it up a bit so they can have two home computers. My dad says it works, but seems very slow. I remember seeing you “clean up” computer hard drives, so I wondered if that might be something I could easily do myself for them. Can you explain it to me? > > Also, I gave my brother my old laptop (the white iBook) and he has been using it with no trouble for a while now. It wouldn’t turn on when he tried to use it last week, and Derek says he has tried all the simple solutions…taking out the battery, etc. Any recommendations of how we might be able to salvage it for a bit longer? They aren’t in the market for a new laptop right now, but I would be willing to pay for this one to be fixed for them. Just wondered if you think its possible. > > Hope all is well. > > Thanks, > > Kara