Electronics & Computers Deals here!
Community Newsletter: Q&A: How do I get my PC back in shape?
- 5/10/07 8:43 PM
getting that little bit behaind your ear
by Borsia - 5/6/07 4:49 PM In reply to: cleanup by roswaldYes there is. Go to "My Computer" right click on the drive ,usually C, and go to properties. look at the pie chart of drive use. You would like to see at least 1/3 free. (more is better)click on the "drive cleanup" it will take a few minutes to run. put a check in the boxes that show any size numbers if they aren't already checked. hit OK and then YES. you will get back any used space that is collecting dust. Next go to the "tools" tab and run defrag (first make sure that there aren't any programs running and don't use the computer while it is defragging. Note* If you are running WIN98 you will probably have to run the defrag in safe mode. To get there reboot and hold down the F8 key when it is starting. A menu will pop up and select "safe mode"
When the caution screen comes up click OK or yes then follow the steps listed before. Do this on any other installed hard drives you might have.
Here is how to clean up!
by zee4 - 5/9/07 1:17 AM In reply to: Reply for Sandy H:, re: system cleanup by Watzman-Clean out the dust from inside the case.
You need compressed can of air, open the case and clean out the dust. Vacuum after words 
-http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
-Defragment the harddisk
Start -> All Programs -> accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter
-Clean out junk files and compress old files
Start -> All Programs -> accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Cleanup
-Repair and Fix registry:
Program I use is called "Registry Mechanic" you can google it. There are many other programs out there that do this. No need to use the optimize feature since that will make you dependent upon the program. I like this thing a lot since you only have to press scan and then repair button to fix your registry.
Additional thing you can do
-Download CPU-Z to find out what's in the case. This program will show you what kind of RAM, motherboard, CPU, BIOS you have in your computer. If you don't know call any pc tech shop and give them the type of ram and ask questions.
http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php
-You can also visit the manufacturer's website and go to support section to download any updates for your computer.
Three options, some more drastic than others (beware, wordy)
by ucphenom82 - 4/28/07 7:59 PM In reply to: How do I get my PC back in shape? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Sandy:
There are several ways to go about cleaning your computer, and some are more drastic than others. I'll go through the three I can think of (divided into sections), and start with my recommended course of action - reinstalling Windows.
SECTION 1: THE REINSTALL
First, save everything you would like to keep. This usually involves saving all of your documents, pictures, music, videos, et cetera onto portable media - CDs, DVDs, USB thumb drives, external hard drives, whatever. I listed the easy stuff, but think hard about what you want to keep, and there's probably a way to save it. Take your favorite websites for example. I use Firefox, so mine are saved in the folder "C:\Documents and Settings\Luke\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\default\jid3mzvk.slt" in the file named "bookmarks.html" and backed up in "bookmarks.html.sbsd.bak." That "jid3mzvk.slt" folder will probably be some other random name for you. That's just an example though, you might not want to save your favorites. If you're like me, your favorites tend to pile up and you stop visiting many of them. One last thing to check - if you don't have your Windows XP CD key, right-click on My Computer, go to Properties, and you should see it there. Be sure to write it down before moving on.
Second, stick in your Windows XP disk and install from scratch. This will erase everything you've got, so the first step is important! But it will be well worth it, wait until you see how quickly Windows will respond.
Third, start installing the good stuff! Windows comes very bare, which is nice for speed, but not so nice for usability. The very first thing I do is install Firefox, but the very next thing you should install is security software (I might argue that installing Firefox is a good first step in that process :)). I suggest you visit www.filehippo.com for this. Note that you can download the older versions of every piece of software they have. Here are some options for you, and I'll highlight my choices, which may or may not be the best ones:
Anti-Virus:
* AntiVir Personal 7.00.04.13
* Avast! Home Edition 4.7.986
* AVG Free Edition 7.5.467 <~~ my choice
Anti-Spyware:
* Ad-Aware 2007 beta 6 <~~ (I use older version)
* AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5.0.50 <~~ (on my XP desktop)
* Spybot Search and Destroy 1.4
* SpywareBlaster 3.5.1
* Windows Defender 1.1.1593 <~~ (on my Vista laptop)
Firewall:
* Comodo Firewall 2.4.18.184 <~~~~
* PeerGuardian 2.0 Beta 6c
* Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall 4.3.744
* Sygate Personal Firewall 5.6.2808
* ZoneAlarm Free 7.0.337.0 (Comodo gives me more control, otherwise I liked this)
Other Utilities:
* HijackThis 2.0.0 Beta <~~ (I use older version)
* CCleaner 1.39.502 <~~~~
Phew! Now that's finished, browse the site for other things you might want. For PDF files, I highly recommend Foxit Reader instead of Acrobat, but if you need in-browser PDF support, I recommend getting an older version of Acrobat Reader, like 6.0. After that, they just keep getting more and more bloated and slow. I also highly recommend OpenOffice.org 2.2.0 to replace Microsoft Office, the K-lite Codec Pack (includes the Quicktime and RealPlayer Alternatives, because the originals are bloat-ware), and 7-zip for all those archive formats.
And lastly, put all that stuff you saved back where it belongs. Now you are all set!
SECTION 2: JUST A THOROUGH CLEANSING
Well, if re-installation is too drastic or doesn't sound good to you, then skip to step 3 of section 1 and run the most important ones, being anti-virus and anti-spyware, and then CCleaner. If you do this just right, there is a chance you may be able to get your system running almost like new again. Most likely it won't be as good as the reinstall, however. Running anti-virus and anti-spyware should be pretty intuitive, and you might want to run some web-based ones as well. But CCleaner can do wonders if used correctly:
After you've installed it (I chose not to use the context menu and stuff; you can change it later under Options), click on 'Tools' in the sidebar, and start uninstalling ONLY the things that you recognize but no longer want. It would not be good if you uninstalled some strangely-named software that is critical to one of your more heavily-used pieces of software.
You should see Startup on the left as well, so next click on that and delete the entries for the things you don't want to start up with your computer. If your computer starts up slow, this is probably the main culprit. This method is much more preferable than the "msconfig" method some people may suggest, because that way still leaves the registry entries. I have only four items that startup with my desktop, NvCplDaemon (context menu for my monitor settings - my wife likes a different resolution), AVG antivirus, AVG Anti-Spyware, and COMODO Firewall Pro.
Then go up to Cleaner and run it, then go to (registry) Issues, Scan for them and fix them. It's always a good idea to back up the registry when changes are made, which CCleaner will ask if you'd like to do.
By now you should have sped up your computer considerably. For another small boost to performance, right-click on My Computer, go to Properties, click on the Advanced tab, and click on the Performance Settings button. You will probably have everything checked. I only have 3 things checked:
Show window contents while dragging (a personal preference)
Use common tasks in folders (the nice section on the left of every folder window)
Use visual styles on windows and buttons (for the XP look, as opposed to previous versions of Windows).
SECTION 3: *GULP* SWITCHING TO LINUX!
Okay, this is a big stretch so I'll try to keep it short. On the off chance you would be interested in an alternative operating system, as a Linux enthusiast I would be remiss if I didn't inform you of a good place to start. I made it sound scarier than it really is - you don't have to get rid of Windows to try Linux. In fact, you don't have to get rid of Windows to install Linux! You can get what is called a Live CD, and give Linux a try without changing anything on your computer at all. If you want to install, it will give you the option to install right next to Windows in the free hard drive space, and when you start the computer, it will give you the choice of which operating system to boot into.
Two years of age is really the sweet spot for Linux, where all your hardware is very likely supported. I recommend the Linux "flavor" (called a distribution or "distro" for short) named Ubuntu, which has been very quickly growing in popularity over the past year or two with its ease of use and large support community. They just released the latest version (7.04) a week ago. Here is a screenshot:
Ubuntu default desktop
If you don't like the look of that desktop (called Gnome), they offer another version - called Kubuntu - with a different "desktop environment" called KDE:
Kubuntu default desktop
Same system, different look. If you don't want to spend all that time and bandwidth downloading Ubuntu, they will ship you the Live CD of Ubuntu and/or Kubuntu completely free of charge. If you'd like to know more I'd be happy to elaborate further, and there is tons of info out there that you can refer to.
Sorry for the long post, but I hope you find this information useful and enlightening. Whatever you decide, good luck!
- Luke
XP CD key
by Sugien2 - 5/15/07 12:11 PM In reply to: Three options, some more drastic than others (beware, wordy) by ucphenom82your advice for "if you don't have your Windows XP CD key, right-click on My Computer, go to Properties, and you should see it there. Be sure to write it down before moving on" is 100% WRONG!!! the number listed there is NOT I repeat NOT!! the WinXP CD Key. There are lots of FREE programs that ***WILL!!** give you access to your CD Key but your advice (if they don't have th sticker on their tower or someplace else) will have this person stuck in the middle of the pond with NO paddles because they will NOT have a way to put their XP back on. Here is a hint: Before doling out advice to someone in desperate need TRY your OWN advice on your system first and that way the only person that will get messed up by following your advice is YOU! I am sorry but I just don't like someone giving out BAD!! advice that will get someone in trouble.
buy an external hard drive??????????
by jamesgseinkner - 4/28/07 8:42 PM In reply to: How do I get my PC back in shape? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
buy a 350 GIG exrernal firewire and or usb hard drive and transfer C drive .......................iI think this will solve some problems PLEASE TELL ME IF IM WRONG??????????????? MY E-MAIL ADDRESS IS jamesgseinkner@aol.com REGARDS JIM S.
Cleaning your computer..........
by Magnum 44 - 4/29/07 5:15 AM In reply to: How do I get my PC back in shape? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I sympathise with you, Sandy. I am not very technical either, but I have learned two things recently. Check and find out if You have Internet Explorer 7 on your Dell PC. It was on my Dell - 9 months old - and my pc got so slow I could not believe it. My provider told me how to find out if I had IE 7 (I can't remember how now) but I did have it, and they said GET RID, it is bad news. I got rid and insatlled IE 6, and everything was great !
next thing, go to Google and put in 'Windows Installer Cleanup' &you can down load it.
It means you can pick out things which are giving you problems (like in my case Skype was causing all sorts of problems, so I was able to remove that, together with 'Sonic Update Manager' which was a Pain in the .... Neither of these items appeared in the Add & Remove Programme, so I could not remove them, until WIC. Be careful, however, what you remove using this. If you are not sure, don't remove it!
Have a nice Day !
David
IE7
by shooter9mm - 5/15/07 2:57 PM In reply to: Cleaning your computer.......... by Magnum 44Great, everyone says dump IE7, what happens next, does IE6 magicly appear. How do I re-install it. Since we are both not techniphiles how did you do it. And thanks.........
Removing Internet Explorer 7
by waytron - 5/15/07 7:05 PM In reply to: IE7 by shooter9mmIf you have Windows XP, When you remove IE 7 it will revert back to IE6 automatically. Simply click on START > CONTROL PANEL - ADD and REMOVE PROGRAMS > Search down the list for Internet Explorer 7 and remove it. After removal you will have to restart your computer and it will be back to Internet Explorer 6.
IE7
by shooter9mm - 5/16/07 7:27 AM In reply to: Removing Internet Explorer 7 by waytronThank you, a simple answer to the uninformed. I hope this will clear up the black screen problem as in address bar and tool bar, thank you. It is like deep space is taking over, if it keeps up after this I will go to Firefox and see if it is an Explorer problem or my computer. It starts up normal and as soon as I click on something the bars little by little start turning black. Again thank you. and I will let you know if it helps.
Spring cleaning
by georgepink - 4/29/07 5:24 AM In reply to: How do I get my PC back in shape? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hey Sandy. Good idea to take the opportunity to 'clean up'. But first lets look at why the pc is slowing down. If you go to start, then run, then type msconfig you'll get to a relatively easy way to disable unneeded programs. Use the 'startup' tab, and unless you are absolutely sure of what you are disabling, stay away from the 'services' tab. When you disable these auto run programs, you are not actually deleting the programs <for that you need add/remove programs in control panel> but this will at least show you what is running that you didn't know about. Most of what you see in here, will not stop fully functional programs-rather 'quick start' programs and some even not so 'good natured' programs.
Once that is complete, make sure your antivirus is updated, then restart your computer in 'safe mode'. (do this by tapping the f8 key while booting). Once in safe mode, run a full antivirus scan. Once complete, reboot again and we'll get to the actual 'cleanup'.
Open up internet explorer and do a search for 'ccleaner'. This is a free program <takes very little space> and works wonders for what you want to do. Run ccleaner with defaults and see how much 'junk' it finds.
If you are getting pop ups and 'strange' web pages, there are a couple other 'free' programs that can help you:
-spybot search and destroy
-adaware has a free version
install, update, and run these two applications. take their suggestions for deleting. Now go back to ccleaner and run their registry cleaner-select backup before you delete any registry entries and reboot. Your pc should be running quite well after these changes alone. But, let's not stop there. Run both a scandisk and defrag <note: you may have to run the defrag in safe mode or turn off your antivirus for it to complete properly.>
You mentioned that your pc has 200 MB of memory. If that is what it shows in 'system properties' <right click on my computer and go to properties>, then your pc memory is being shared with your onboard video-and that is not enough for windows to run properly. While memory is still quite inexpensive, I would recommend upgrading that to about 1 gig of memory.
Now, let's examine what you've done if you've done all the above. You have cleaned off all unnecessary programs from starting automatically, you've gotten rid of web 'junk', you cleaned, at least at a high level, your registry, and removed adware and spyware, reorganized your hard drive with defrag, and upgraded your memory. Pat yourself on the back, as being a self employed system tech, I would have charged you around $180 or more to do this for you.
Member Question of the Week
by James A Franko - 4/29/07 6:53 AM In reply to: How do I get my PC back in shape? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Sandy,
Computers cleanups are more frequent than just a yearly spring clean as in your house. You did mentioned that you have 200mg of ram. Well, you almost have it right, you should have 256mg of ram would be a more accurate number (which is just alright). I would recommend increasing it to 512 or 1024mg (1GB). This in it self will help XP and your whole computer run faster. If you are not comfy enough do this installation yourself you could have one of your geekie friends do it or take it to a local computer store and let them install it for you.
To find out what is in your Dell, (assuming you're right-handed) single right click on the desktop icon "My Computer" and then single right click on "Properties". At the general tab you should see a listing of the components that Dell has installed for you. You will see things like Windows XP, Home or Professionl, Version number of windows and the Service Pack number if any. It will also tell you the manufacturer, the Processor speed and the amount of Ram that is in your computer. To check on your hard drive, close the current menu and double left click on "My Computer" then single right click on your "C: drive" and move your curser to the "Properties" and single right click it. The new menu will show you the information pretaining to your hard drive such as space used, space free and a total capacity of your hard drive. You may close this menu now. Armed with this knowledge you can proceed onward to cleaning up your computer.
This process is a little lengthy to do, but you only have to do it once. Go to the lower left corner of your screen to the "START" icon and single left click it. Move your curser up a little to "ALL PROGRAMS". Move your curser to the right and go to "ACCESSORIES", then move over to "SYSTEM TOOLS" and finally "DISK CLEANUP". Single right click "DISK CLEANUP" and move your curser down to "CREATE SHORTCUT". Single right click "CREATE SHORTCUT" and while your are there do the same to "DISK DEFRAGMENTER". You should have a "DISK CLEANUP (2)" and a "DISK DEFRAGMENTER (2)" at the bottom of this menu. We need for you to either "cut and paste" or "drag and drop" these newly created icons to you desktop. You can only move one icon at a time and you will have to go through the whole routine of Start/All Programs/Accessories/System Tools to get the other icon.
Once you have those icons on your desktop double left click "Disk Cleanup" and say "OK" to cleanup drive "C:" On the next menu I have all of the boxes checked (some people leave the Office setup files alone)and say "OK" to that request. Windows will ask you again if you want to delete these file and click "YES". In your case, the time it takes your Dell to delete these files might be a lengthly one. Just be patient.
You should now disable your screen saver before beginning to defragment your hard drive. Go to START/CONTROL PANEL and double left click "DISPLAY". Single click "SCREEN SAVER" and move the drop down up to and single left click (NONE). Close these menus up so all that is showing is your desktop.
Next step is the "Disk Defragmenter" icon. Double left click and the new menu will come up. Make sure that drive "C:" is highlighted and single left click Analyze. Your Dell will then analyze your hard drive. Once this is done you're see a bunch of Blue, Red, Green and White areas in the estimated space "before" defragmentation row. What you need is to get rid of all/most of the "RED" out. Kinda like that company that sells eye rinse, Gets The Red Out, lol. Single click on "Defragment". This will take some time, I've have friends and family that this has taken a couple of hours to finish. We are back to being patient and please let it finished on its own. Once this is done close up this menu screen and welcome to a faster and more effient computer.
Go back and turn "ON" your screen saver.
Once all of this is done you can go in and do a cleanup and defragmentation more on a timely fashion with those desktop icons staring at you to keep your Dell up to snuff. How often you this will depend, I do mine when "things" start to happen as in slowing down, hanging up or things just out of the "norm". Happy computing.
James
answer to sandy
by shwetasawhney - 5/5/07 12:28 AM In reply to: Member Question of the Week by James A Frankohi i think changing computer or reinstalling windows is a bad idea. rather its a typical suggestion. he can increase the space by increasing storage
Yearly Maintenance
by waytron - 4/29/07 7:24 AM In reply to: How do I get my PC back in shape? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Excellent question Sandy. Many computer users do not realize that just like your automobile, a computer needs routine maintenance to keep it in good working order. I would recommend maintenance a little more often than once per year, but a good spring cleaning is certainly better than nothing.
I think I have to start by saying that there is a fine line between a computer needing a little spring cleaning and actually being in need of repair. A computer that is starting to boot and run slowly could be a result of something as simple as some unsolicited spyware floating around, a virus infection or even a misbehaving program or driver. But it could also be an indication of something more serious such as a failing hard drive, especially if your computer is 4 or more years old. You indicated that your computer is about 2 years old, so I am going to assume, for now, that your hardware is in good working order.
If your computer has experience a major slowdown suddenly and there is nothing physically wrong like a bad hard drive, here is a quick list of the common, recent problems that I have run into. You may want to check a few of these before performing all of the steps listed below.
• Infected – Your computer is infected with Viruses, Spyware or other malware and needs to be scanned and cleaned. (See Below)
• Norton Antivirus Misbehaving – Norton can get out of sorts and cause all kinds of problems. I suggest uninstalling it to see if it is the cause of your problem. You can always reinstall it afterwards or install some other antivirus software.
• Google Desktop – Some computers experience a major slowdown when Google Desktop Search is installed. This program constantly indexes all of your files on your computer and can really slow thing down. Simply Uninstall.
• Internet Explorer 7 – Microsoft’s new Internet Explorer 7 can cause major problems on some computer. If your problems started after this was installed, try going back to IE 6 by uninstalling IE 7 through ADD and REMOVE PROGRAMS.
• Kodak Updater – Some versions of Kodak software has been known to cause a real slowdown. Uninstall or update from the Kodak website.
• Windows Update – Occasionally a Windows update can cause a problem. If the slow down started just after a Windows Update, remove the update.
Before I get going on actual maintenance procedures , BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP… I know, we all hear this all the time but it is especially important to backup prior to performing any service. So I will say it again. Backup everything that is important to you.
With that out of the way, let’s get started with what I would call “Yearly Maintenance”. I am basing this on Windows XP but is similar for other operating systems:
1. BACKUP - Backup up all your data. (Enough said)
2. SET RESTORE POINT – Before you start any maintenance, I always suggest setting a Windows Restore Point. This will give you a possible way back from a problem. No guarantees, but could help. Click on START > ALL PROGRAMS > ACCESSORIES > SYSTEM TOOLS > SYSTEM RESTORE > Select Create a Restore Point > Enter a Description like “Before Maintenance” > Click on CREATE > When complete, Click on CLOSE.
3. TAKE INVENTORY – Now is a good time to take an inventory of what you have and to write down some of your system parameters so that you have some data to compare next year or when something goes wrong. Check the following and Write it down. If you are handy with Excel, you can start a spreadsheet to track this information.
a. GENERAL INFO – Write Down your computer Make, model, serial number, when you purchased it and any upgrades or repairs you have made to it over the years. I would also make a list of all the programs that you use on a regular basis. This will help you later on when you are trying to decide what junk to remove.
b. DISK DRIVE – Take note of the total size of your hard drive as well as how much space you have used and have left. If your drive is almost full, this can account for a major slow down in system performance. Double Click on MY COMPUTER > Right Click on your C: Drive > Select PROPERTIES > Click on the GENERAL tab. You can also use this information over time to track the amount of data that you are creating to help plan for backups as well as to aid you in possible new computer decisions.
c. MEMORY – You had mentioned that you thought you might have 200mb of memory, this is probably incorrect because memory is usually installed in multiples of 128mb and on a 2 year old computer usually in multiples of 256mb. So you would typically have 256, 512, 768 or 1024 (1gig) and so on. Check the amount of installed memory by Right Clicking on MY COMPUTER > Select PROPERTIES. The type of processor and the amount of memory will be listed near the bottom of the GENERAL tab window. You may have to wait a moment for the information to appear. Note: The amount of memory listed can be off from what I mentioned above depending on the type of graphics adapter you have. Some video systems share the main memory thus showing less memory than expected. In any case, if you are running Windows XP and have less than 512mb of memory, I would strongly suggest upgrading your memory. It is fairly common for XP computers that are 2 or more years old to have only 256mb of memory. This might have been Ok at the time, but add Service Pack 2, 80+ Windows updates and resource draining Security software such as Norton and 256mb just does not cut it. In any case, write down the memory listed and compare this to what your original invoice stated. I have seen situations where a module can go bad and you are suddenly working with only half the memory.
d. PROCESSES – I like to take note of the total number of processes running on my computer. This gives me a benchmark to work with for future comparisons. Processes are all the little programs and services that are running in the background. To view Processes: Right Click a blank section of your task bar and select TASK MANAGER > Now Click on the PROCESSES tab. This will display a list of all the processes running on your computer at this time. Depending on your Computer and what you have installed, this number can range from about 22 to 75. Your ultimate goal is to reduce this number as much as possible, leaving only necessary processes running. But for now you are going to just write down the total number of processes running. NOTE: It is best to initially check processes after rebooting your computer and waiting about 10 minutes. This number can vary up and down depending on what the computer may be doing at that exact moment. Some programs could be requesting updates from the internet or maybe running a virus or spyware scan. If you are interested in learning more about some of these, simply enter the name of the process into a Google search.
e. TASK BAR – Being aware of the items on your task bar can help you stay on top of what is going on. Other than the standard notifications about the status of your network connection or letting you know that there are updates available for Windows, keeping an eye on the task bar may allow you to catch potential problems before they become a major issue. I can’t tell you how often I run across someone who has ignored a big red X through a Norton Antivirus Icon only to end up with a virus infected computer and later find out that Norton had expired or stopped working the previous year.
4. INSTALL OR UPDATE TOOLS – Now that you have taken some notes about your system we need to either download some tools that we will need or update the tools that you already have. You want to have all your tools installed and updated before starting the cleaning process. This is what you will need:
a. ANTIVIRUS – You will need one good Antivirus program. If you already have one installed then you will need to run its updater to make sure it has the most current virus definitions. If it has expired or is not working correctly, you can download a free program from Grisoft called AVG Free http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/. If you prefer to purchase one, I would recommend Nod32, Kaspersky, PC-Cillin, AVG, E-Trust or McAfee. Make sure you uninstall your old antivirus software before installing a new version.
b. FILE CLEANER – Cleaning out temporary junk files can be performed manually, but I prefer a little program call ATF and best of all it is free. http://www.majorgeeks.com/ATF_Cleaner_d4949.html
c. ANTISPYWARE – You are going to want to have 3 or 4 Antispyware type programs installed. You can purchase one such as Webroots Sp Sweeper which is good or you can download some free versions. I would suggest Grisoft AVG Antispyware (formerly Ewedo), Spybot, AdAware, Microsoft Defender. Many of these can be downloaded from www.download.com. Defender is at www.microsoft.com.
d. REGISTRY CLEANER – This is optional, if you happen to already have one installed, that is fine.
5. SCAN DISK FOR ERRORS – Click on START > MY COMPUTER > Right Click on your C: drive and select PROPERTIES > Select the TOOLS Tab > In the Error Checking window click on CHECK NOW > Check off both boxes > Restart your computer and the your drive will be checked for errors when the computer restarts. This can take a several hours.
6. RUN VIRUS SCAN – Now that you have all your tools installed and updated, I recommend disconnecting or turning off your internet connection before starting the process. Run a full virus scan using whatever software you have chosen to install.
7. UNINSTALL PROGRAMS – Go through your list of programs (START > ALL PROGRAMS) and look for any programs that you no longer use or have never used. It is best to leave any that you have questions about. When you find one that you no longer need, use the uninstaller listed for that program, if uninstall is not listed, write down the name of the program to remove later. Some programs will ask you to restart the computer after uninstalling. Go ahead and do this. It is a good idea to restart your computer even if you are not asked to do so.
8. ADD OR REMOVE PROGRAMS - Now you want to remove the programs that did not have an uninstaller listed. Click on START > CONTROL PANEL > ADD OR REMOVE PROGRAMS. Start going down through the list of installed programs and remove any that you no longer need or want. Again it is best to leave any that you are unsure of. Restart your computer after you uninstall each program, even if you are not asked to do so.
9. DELETE OTHER JUNK – Now is a good time to go through all your data in MY DOCUMENTS and delete any that you no longer need. You could also use this time to reorganize your files by moving individual files into meaningful folders. The same is true for email. If you are using Outlook or Outlook Express for email, then you might want to go through your emails and delete and reorganize.
10. DELETE TEMP FILES – You can delete all your temporary files manually by running DICKCLEAN and then going into Internet Explorer and deleting Internet Temp files, History and cookies. But I prefer to use ATF and let it do most of the work for you. NOTE: If you delete Cookies (Which I suggest at least once per year), you will loose some of your saved login names for some websites.
11. ANTISPYWARE SCANS – Next you want to run full scans with EACH of your Antispyware type programs and remove any problems that they find. You may have to restart your computer and scan again to remove some of the more stubborn problems. If you have multiple user accounts on your computer and depending on what software you are running you may need to run each scan while logged into each users account.
12. STARTUP PROGRAMS – There are a bunch of programs and services that are set to run whenever your computer starts. Some of them are necessary such as antivirus programs and Firewalls and then there are others that do not really need to be started like Quicktime and Realplayer. You can access some of the startup list by clicking on START > RUN > type msconfig in the run box > Click on the STARTUP tab > you will be presented with a list of startup items. You can uncheck the box for any item that you do not want to have start. If you want to lean more about each entry, simply enter the name into a Google search. Again if you are unsure of any entry leave it checked. You can always go back and recheck any items. Reboot your computer.
13. WINDOWS AND OFFICE UPDATES – Now that your computer should be nice and clean and running well, your should run Windows update and if you are using Microsoft Office, install updates for that too.
14. DEFRAG HARD DRIVE – Even though many claim that defragmenting in Windows XP is not required, I still like to run this after I have performed all the previous steps. START > ALL PROGRAMS > ACCESSORIES > SYSTEM TOOLS > DEFRAGMENTER.
As far as keeping you computer clean on a regular basis between yearly maintenance procedures, the main thing is to make sure all of your Antivirus and Antispyware software is always up-to-date, install all Windows Security Updates and delete your temporary files monthly. If you have any manual scanners such as AdAware or SpyBot, you need to run these monthly as well.
There are some all inclusive software packages such as Norton 360, Microsoft One Care and McAfee Total Care that can perform many of these tasks automatically for you, but if your computer is less than state of the Art and has limited memory, many of these can really slow your computer down to a crawl.
There are many other things you can do to tune and tweak your system for better performance but this is already getting too long so I will stop here. However, I should mention that there is nothing that compares to a complete reinstall of Windows for cleaning out the cobwebs. I personally do this about every 2 years.
Good Luck!
Dana
Wayland Computer
I forgot about cleaning out the Vents
by waytron - 4/30/07 3:35 AM In reply to: Yearly Maintenance by waytronI forgot to mention that during your spring cleaning, you really want to remove any dust that could be interfering with the proper cooling of your computer. Turn off your computer and unplug the power cord before cleaning. Remove the side cover and Vacuum out all vents and using a can of compressed air, blow out any dust that has accumulated on any heat sinks and fans inside. Note: You can damage the fans by spinning them too quickly with compressed air, so it is a good idea to stick a pencil in between the blades to keep them from spinning. Just don’t forget to remove the pencil before you turn your computer back on.
Dana
Wayland Computer
which software is the best to fix the register
by zirenlu - 5/7/07 7:06 AM In reply to: I forgot about cleaning out the Vents by waytronTo have good and reliable registry scan software is very important. I have 'RegistryFix' installed, it found many errors, but after repairing, some programs can't run any more. Do you know any better one?
Thanks,
Ziren
| Forum legend: | |
 |
Locked thread |
 |
Moderator |
 |
CNET staff |
 |
Samsung staff |
 |
Norton Authorized Support team |
 |
AVG staff |
 |
Windows Outreach team |
 |
Dell staff |
 |
Intel staff |
