The World of Windows

Modern Windows® PC’s are now quite powerful and more than capable of being used for sophisticated multitrack recording and audio editing.  However, most are not typically configured for optimal performance for the specific demands of digital audio. The following list of tips is offered as suggested optimizations you might try on your Windows® XP® or Vista® system to possibly improve the performance with your Line 6 TonePort®, POD®xt, POD® X3, GearBox® software, GearBox® Plug-In, as well as with other audio applications. It is important to note that many of the default Windows settings do offer some advantages, conveniences, and even security improvements for the general use of your computer. You should evaluate the trade- off of the security and conveniences some of these services offer to your non-audio  computing work before you go disabling all of them. It is a good idea to always back up your system and data before changing system settings. It is also wise to ke...

Before delving into any specific Windows or software configuration, it is very important to ensure that your hardware is correctly configured for optimal operation. Regardless of any changes you want to make in Vista, if your hardware is not configured properly its capabilities will not be correctly utilised, indeed serious problems may occur. While this chapter does not go into the complexities of how to build a PC, once you've built a PC or purchased a pre-built machine, you should firstly make sure that the hardware settings in the machine's BIOS are correct, and that the hardware is properly cooled. These topics are covered below. THE BIOS. The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is a program held on a small ROM chip on your motherboard. It provides the instructions for what your PC should do as soon as it turns on. Your BIOS is independent of your Operating System, which means it is not directly affected by the operating system you use, or which driver version you...

If you're not totally familiar with the various components of a modern PC, then this chapter will help you understand some of the common terminology used throughout the guide and what  each hardware component does in layman's terms. Note that I use a human body analogy to describe the function of C hardware components to hopefully clarify their functionality. Experienced PC users can skip this chapter. Bits and Bytes. You will often see the terms Bits, Bytes, Kilobytes, Megabytes and Gigabytes (or their abbreviations) being thrown around in guides such as this one. A Bit is the lowest form of computer information and  can take the value 0 or 1 (i.e. Off or On). All computer functionality is derived from the behavior of Bits. For our purposes, the main conversion factors you need to know are: 8 bits (b) = 1 Byte (B) 1,024 Bytes = 1 Kilobyte (KB) 1,024 Kilobytes (KB) = 1 Megabyte (MB) 1,024 Mega bytes (MB) = 1 Gigabyte (GB) Note in particular that the general con...

Backup and Recovery. Computers can store a great deal of information, and over time your PC may hold a lot of important, private, irreplaceable data such as digital photogra phs and movies, financial documents, emails, passwords and login details. It is of critical importance that you establish an appropriate method for regularly backing up this information, so that if your PC is stolen, damaged, or its data is corrupted or accidentally overwritten, that you do not lose all this valuable data permanently. Hence backing up is a vital and unavoidable part of sensible computing. In fact once you are sure that your system is completely free of malicious software, you should make at least one backup copy of all your important and irreplaceable documents before proceeding any further with this guide. This chapter not only covers various backup strategies and tools, it also covers a range of useful data recovery methods you can use to regain valuable information which ha s been lost thr...

System Protection. Windows Vista attempts to ensure that you don't accidentally delete your files or have them unintentionally altered without some form of backup. To that end, Vista's System Protection features, enabled by default, automatically back up previous versions of your files regularly. These backups are known as Shadow Copies, and they are automatically created on a daily basis for files which have been altered, as well as being created whenever you use the System Restore feature to create restore points, or when you use the automated Backup features of the Backup and Restore Center. To access the System Protection settings, go to Control Panel>System and click the System Protection link in  the left pane, or go to Start>Search Box and type " systempropertiesprotection" (without quotes) and press Enter. I recommend tha t all of these functions be enabled initially until you can get a better idea of the types of backup strategies you wish to use f...