5 Things about Windows Musicians Must Know

Get the most out of Windows when you’re making music

by Craig Anderton

Windows is a very powerful operating system, but the price of that power is the process of learning how to get the most out of it. If you’re new to Windows, or switching from the Mac, here are five essential aspects of Windows you need to know.

System Restore

Unlike the Mac’s tightly controlled hardware environment, there are endless permutations and combinations of motherboards, graphics cards, memory, software, and the like that make up a Windows machine. Although Windows has become pretty much “plug-and-play,” rogue plug-ins, poorly written drivers, and other issues can be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back.

System restore takes a “snapshot” of the system so you can restore your computer to a previous state; to access it, click on System in the Control Panel, then click on System Protection (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1: System Protection is where you create restore points, and choose a restore point for restoring your computer’s system.

This doesn’t affect data or documents, only your system. For example, before installing some shareware program of dubious origin, set a system restore point. If it hoses your system (or for that matter has spyware), you can return your computer to its state prior to installation. Most programs will set a restore point automatically when installing, but don’t count on it—setting a system restore point may not be needed often, if at all. But when it is, you’ll be glad to have one.

The Task Manager

The Task Manager shows all the processes running on your computer, how much memory and CPU they take, and a brief description (Fig. 2). Right-click on the Taskbar, and select Start Task Manager to open this utility.

Fig. 2: The Task Manager shows what’s happening with your silicon pet brain.

Perhaps more importantly, it can let you end a task so that it doesn’t run. When you open the Task Manager, odds are you’ll see a bunch of processes running that you don’t really need, like iTuneshelper.exe. Click on a process to highlight it, then click on End Process. If you end a process that your computer really needed, simply restart and it will start up again.

Another use is that if a program freezes, you can often end it from the Task Manager, then open it again without having to re-boot your computer—a definite time-saver. And if you see a running program called something like “Destructive Spyware” (well, the name wouldn’t be that obvious, but you get my point) right-click on it to find the file location. If a file seems suspicious, enter the name into a search engine. It may something innocuous, like a graphics card control panel, or it may be something that’s worth uninstalling.

Backup and Restore

There’s a technical term for people who have data that don’t want to lose, but haven’t made a backup: gambler. Or maybe just “naïve and trusting.” The average hard drive will probably last at least three years, but that means that some will last a lot longer—and some will die within days, weeks, or months.

You can find a variety of commercial backup programs, but there’s a backup and restore function built into Windows. Type “backup” into the search box, and Windows will show you the way. You can also create a System Image that’s essentially a clone of your system (and external hard drives if you want), as well as a System Repair disc so you can at least boot up if your hard drive explodes.

The Windows backup utility differs from commercial programs in that they latterare often intelligent enough to do “incremental backups”—in other words, they only back up what’s been changed since the last backup, which saves time. But having backup built into Windows means you have no excuse to say “my computer crashed, and all my hard work is gone!!”

Make a Date with Updates

There are two philosophies about updating: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix and leave a working system alone; the other is to grab every update you possibly can. Since you now have your system backed up and know how to do a system restore, you don’t need to fear updates and there are good reasons for updating (Fig. 3)

Fig. 3: You can access Microsoft Update from the Control Panel, or just type system update into the Start button’s search box.

One is security. If your computer even thinks about going on the internet, you want the latest patches and security updates. However, that’s not all. Go to Microsoft Update and make sure you have all the latest patches, and it’s also crucial to update your graphics card drivers (yes, they make a big difference with audio). But when you update your graphics drivers, don’t install any extras, like a so-called “HD Audio Driver” (it may really compromise performance), or add-ons that overclock your graphics card for higher frame rates with the ever-popular “Let’s Kill Stuff” video game franchise, or provide “an enhanced gaming experience.” You’re not playing games, you’re making music.

A rule of thumb is if your computer has drivers, those drivers may have updates. Also check for drivers for your audio interface, printer...anything. But there are two cautions: First, if you get a pop-up notifying you to install an update, go to the site itself. For example, if you see a box that says you need to update Adobe Flash player, go to the Adobe site and download it from there. Some hackers have been known to create pop-ups that look legit, but take you someplace nefarious. Second, avoid sites that claim to offer drivers and software that will do wonderful things, like scan for viruses. If you can’t get drivers from the manufacturer’s site, stay away.

Turn Off Virus Protection When Installing Programs

Those ever-vigilant virus protection programs get picky about anything that messes with the system, which an installation of a legitimate program might do. As a result, an installation might not be completed properly, and you may not be aware there’s a problem. If you’ve downloaded something, disconnect your computer from the internet, turn off virus protection, and start the installation. If you have to be connected to the web to install (e.g., for verification of ownership, or to check your version), it’s okay to disable virus protection temporarily as long as you go only to the trusted site that provides the download, the re-enable protection when done.

If You Have 64-Bit Windows, Try to Keep Everything 64 Bit

That means your programs, drivers, plug-ins...everything. Microsoft deserves kudos for their attention to backward compatibility, and letting 32- and 64-bit programs live in the same system is very considerate. (I still have a paint program from 1995 that works fine.) Some software (like Cakewalk SONAR) includes “bridging” technology so you can use most 32- bit plug-ins with 64-bit software, and there are also the BitBridge and Jbridge accessory programs to add bridging to other programs. But it’s best to stay in the 64-bit family as much as possible for maximum stability. Bridging is inherently tricky, and there’s a reason why many current 64-bit DAWs shut out the option to use 32-bit plug-ins.

And there’s your basic Windows survival guide. Windows machines can be very powerful and cost-effective, but you’ll always get the best results if you have at least a working knowledge of what goes on “under the hood.”

Craig Anderton is Editor Emeritus of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), andSound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.