Halo Maps Forum

Before you even begin to make maps for Halo, you have to ensure that your computer is stable before doing so, because if it crashes on you while you do your stuff, or it hangs on you while you are modelling, then you will be wasting a lot of effort, and the process of restoring everything back to normal can be tricky and time-consuming (like reinstalling the operating system, redownloading all the maps you have etc.)

There are many reasons for your computer being slow/unstable, of which reasons include (but not limited to):

Viruses and spyware taking up the resources of your computer
(probably most well known. Viruses and spyware are quite huge resource hogs, and other than causing tons of system errors, they can also cause a lot of system instability)

A very fragmented hard drive
(files that are constantly being written and read by the computer usually end up getting written to many areas on the hard drive, therefore increasing substantially the time required to access them and thus, lag)

A lot of temporary files on your computer
(They take up a lot of hard drive space which the computer needs for normal operation)

An improper updating/ operating system installation process
(eg. you shut down the computer in the middle of it installing updates / installing the operating system, therefore causing file corruption and instability)

Too many unnecessary and unneeded programs on the computer
(Same as temporary files, they take up space required for a computer's normal operation)

A cluttered Windows registry
(the Windows registry acts like a logbook of a computer's programs. When you install a software on your computer, it "registers" itself in the Registry so that it can function poperly. However, when uninstalling a program, sometimes the uninstaller may not "unregister" the program from the registry properly, resulting in unnecessary registry "keys". Over time, as you install and uninstall programs from your computer, the registry grows in size and becomes cluttered with unnecessary keys which slow down read/write times.)

There are ways to solve these problems, however:
Viruses and spyware
-any good antivirus and antispyware programs, like Spybot Search and Destroy or Trend Micro etc.
-do scans with these programs often, and update them every few days so that they can detect the latest viruses and spyware and remove them.
-A good utility I would recommend is Trinity Rescue Kit. It also does the job, and the best part is, it is bootable, meaning that you can use it to boot up your ailing computer if it can't start and you can start fixing problems immediately after booting. Only disadvantage is, you have to burn it to disk, and you need some familiarity with its command-line interface (the commands that you should use are in the online user manual at Trinity's website, so take some time to know the commands before use).

A very fragmented hard drive
-run Disk Defragmenter (it is a defragmentation program that comes with Windows, so look for it.)
-do a full defrag once a month for best results (the defrag process usually takes hours, but the results are usually worth the time)
-If you want, you can download other free defrag software (eg. Defraggler), or buy one (like Diskeeper) if you find Disk Defragmenter not so effective.

A lot of temporary files on your computer
-run Disk Cleanup (also comes with Windows. Look for it.)
-or, you can use CCleaner too (but you'll have to download it though)

An improper updating/ operating system installation process
-uninstall and reinstall the update/operating system, while making sure you don't power down the computer either accidentally or intentionally (unless the update tells you to)

Too many unnecessary and unneeded programs on the computer
-Go to Control Panel --> Programs (or something like that)
-Look through the list of programs, and uninstall those that you don't need

A cluttered Windows registry
-Download CCleaner (http://www.ccleaner.com/)
-Follow the on-screen instructions
-Run CCleaner (as admin if you are on Vista), then go to Registry
-Click "Scan for issues", and when the list of problems comes out, select all and click "fix selected issues"
-You will have to repeat this process from step 4 again and again untill there are no problems displayed, as fixing a registry key may lead to another problem that requires another round of fixing.
-Google, download and install Registry Life
-Again, follow the on-screen instructions.
-Once installation is complete, run Registry Life and go to Main Functions --> Registry Cleanup.
-Follow on-screen instructions and let Registry Life do its job of fixing up errors in your registry.
-Re-check the registry's logical structure (ie. registry integrity) by checking the main screen. Any problems, redo the previuos step until its all done.
-Go to Main Functions --> Registy Optimisation and follow on-screen instructions. This time, Registry Life will defragment your registry.
-When its done with optimisation, Registry Life will tell you to restart your computer. Do so, and you're done with your registry work.
(at least for now....you will have to do the above steps every month to ensure that your registry is in tip-top condition)

Also, do update your computer using Windows update regularly, as these updates usually make your computer more stable and fix errors.
Reinstalling the operating system/formatting your hard drive/doing a system restore should only be used as a last resort, when whatever you do just doesn't work.
Edited by sargejohnson on Feb 27, 2010 at 11:17 PM