Forum Home
Press F1
Thread ID: 7033	2000-12-24 05:35:00	I would appreciate some input from proffessional IT people.	Guest (0)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
7725	2000-12-24 05:35:00	Over the last 2-3 years I have spent all my spare time learning everything I can about how the hardware operates in a PC and how Win 98 interacts with the hardware/software that is installed by various routines into the PC in the normal course of using it. This has allowed me to advance to the stage that I can take a misbehaving Windows PC and in all but one case recently revive it and improve its performance and stability. I have a fairly good grasp of the Registry structure and how to modify it and have enough DOS to get to windows erventually one way or another. I have a good grasp of Networking Win 95/98 and am very comfortable with the Internet and its foibles. I have come to the stage that I now have to find out how to build little tools to automate various routines I carry out with windows to clean out the dross that accumulates with time as well as tools to tweak performance settings for use with gaming, voice recognition, CD burning etc. For instance I wish to build a little program/.bat file?? to move a folder from C:/Windows to the desktop then run a little .reg file to rewrite 2 registry keys then reboot the PC then delete the folder you originally moved to the desktop. Another would be to write settings into Config.sys, MSDos.sys and System.ini after scanning these files and comparing them to an exclusion list, search the registry for specific keys and rewrite them based on what their existing setting is then and then open the startup tab in the System Config tool and disable standard startup items after enabling selective startup then reboot the PC. . Overwriting parts of a hardware driver set with different but compatible files then rewriting a .cfg or ini file in a game folder then rebooting the PC. I hope you get my drift! My question is, What programming languages is it best for me to learn with regard to this type of system tweaking in the way I have described? I want to be able to build something that can be downloaded and used by other people easily and is easily reversed if the user experiences problems. Basic, C+, Java or something else entirely? Or all of them maybe? I still have no firm direction re. PC,s but I already know that I love building and tweaking them to perform what the user requires to the machines best ability. At the moment I spend hours digging round in the windows interface altering/modifying settings that are the same for every machine. If I could build the auto tweaking tools for some of these tasks I want it would save all this hassle for me and the user who waits hours for you to do something he does not comprehend at all. I use a lot of freeware/shareware tools obtained on the net and find that a lot of them do not quite do everything I want/expect so am determined to learn how to build tools myself. I have one further question for all you professional PC users out there and that is related to the other aspect of PC's I have enjoyed learning so far and that is Networking. Is there any value to just learning TCP/IP on its own or is it still required as basic skills to understand all networking protocols inside/out to work in the corporate networking sector in this country? Thank you every one for any input. I expect to move from my career in TV at the end of the year into the IT sector if I can muscle my way in with an abundance of knowledge to work with so please - I can do with all the help re. these questions that I can get. Merry Xmas to all who have helped me over the last year and indeed all the participants in these forums!! I have found this forum to be interesting and a great source of knowledge about everyday computing and its all due to what everybody has contributed. It is a very valuable local resource ands its success is directly attributable to all who are involved in its ongoing growth. I look forward to an ongoing relationship with both the magazine and the website. I would like to congratulate one contributor to the magazine in particular as I feel his input re. computer security has been the most enlightening and comprehensible presentation of the facts about PC security that I have read anywhere in the world this year. A rowsing cheer for Geoff Palmer and you keep digging and informing us of your findings mate! As the internet becomes more heavily integrated into our everyday lives - invisibly - our security and privacy are slowly being eroded away. The work/research you are doing re. security is of the utmost importance and I fervently hope you continue with finding and desseminating the facts and that you are not subjected to subtle pressures to cease and desist from bringing us the innocent end users the truth with regards to this field in computing.	Guest (0)
1