Computer Tune-up (Windows PCs)

The Hard Drive

  1. If low on disc space (this mostly applies to older PCs running Win95 and Win98)
    The default Windows recycle bin setting is 10% of hard drive. That's quite a lot, Eg. 50Mb for a 5Gb drive. Set it at one or two percent. Delete stuff in 'temp' folders, such as c:\windows\temp, when no programs are running. Delete any C:\filename.CHK files - created after your machine crashes and it does a startup 'scandisk'. Run disc cleanup (Windows ME, 2k, XP)
  2. If you will never remove Internet Explorer, then remove its 'uninstall' feature (not 2k/XP). Go to Control Panel > Add/Remove programs > highlight 'Microsoft Internet Explorer' and click the 'add/remove' button. In the next box, click the 'advanced' button to remove the uninstall data. This will free up about 9Mb of hard drive. You could also get rid of old games or programs that you don't use.
  3. Reduce the web cache under browser preferences in Internet Options.
  4. Remove unwanted Windows 'Themes' and especially any large wallpaper bitmap (*.bmp) files that you might have saved (in c:\windows).
  5. MP3 music files and some picture files (.bmp again) can be very large and run away with disc space. Also any temporary files generated by a scanner. Locations vary but they will often be very large files.
  6. Dump the (filename).tmp files, especially after using 'Word'. When you open a Word document, the program will write a temporary file back to the doc source drive.
  7. Expert tweak: If you have a second HDD drive on its own IDE port and the first is becoming full, put the Windows 'swap file' (aka 'paging file') on the second drive. First defrag (see below) your second drive. Right click 'My Computer' icon > properties > performance > virtual memory. Select the 'let me specify my own...' and select the other drive. Set the upper and lower values to the same value - twice your physical RAM size. You will be asked to restart. Restart again and the swap file will have moved. Now start a defrag on the C: drive and make a pot of tea.
  8. Windows XP - If you dare risk it, reduce the amount of disc space allocated to software rollbacks. Press (Win) + (pause) > System Restore > settings for each drive. Best to do this only if everything has been running smoothly long enough for a rollback not to be needed.
  1. Dump the Waste
    Use the Windows cleanup utility: (Start menu > Programs > Accessories > System tools > disk cleanup). If you use Win 95 or NT, empty the recycle bin manually.
  2. There's some more junk that it might not empty in the Internet Explorer cache. Go to Control Panel > Internet Options. Then click 'delete files' and you might like to 'delete cookies' too, although they are useful to keep, if you use such as ebay or sites where you log in.
  3. Run Scandisk. To do this, a lazy person might fully boot up the PC and then pull the plug out (Win 95 and Win98 only). Next time it comes on, it does a good scandisk, which will correct minor technical problems in the disc file system. A much better way is to run it from Programs > Accessories > System tools. Or open windows explorer 'properties' on that drive and use the tools. In XP, it will tell you that it will do it on the next startup.
  4. Defragment the hard drive regularly, especially if you save and delete large files like video clips. As data is added or removed from the hard disc, it becomes scattered into small disjointed lumps. Defrag keeps it together and can speed up the computer if it has not been done for a while. Like Scandisk, defrag is in the System Tools folder. If you have not defragged before, run scandisk first then leave defrag running and go and make make a pot of tea.

    It can be a very slow process on the first occasion. NT users don't have any defrag installed. Diskeeper is an excellent defrag program from Executive Software (only Diskeeper Lite is free) and the Windows 2000/XP defrag is a cut down version of it. It works well on all Windows flavours and beats the spots off the old Win 95 or Win 98 Defrags. A regular defrag does not take very long, perhaps five minutes, so do it often.
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