-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.
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General discussion
How do I get my PC back in shape?
To my online virtual family of help, I'm in the spring cleaning mood and I've cleaned my house already, but now it's time to face the chore that I have been dreading for a long time. That is cleaning up my two-year old Dell computer with XP, which I think has 200MB of memory, but I'm not absolutely sure. I need to face the music and do this because it is getting slower and slower every time I attempt to use it. Programs take a long time to load and just booting up Windows takes an eternity. I'm not a technical person, but I'm a fast learner, so your assistance would be most grateful. I need some straightforward guidelines (not too technical if possible) on how I can clean up my computer to make it run faster, and once I clean it up--do whatever it takes to continually keep my computer in tip-top shape, so when the spring season comes around again, I'm not looking at a chore that I hate doing again. Thanks for your help.
Submitted by Sandy H. of Des Moines, Iowa
Answer voted most helpful by our members
Yearly Maintenance
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.
Also, 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.
Good Luck!
Dana
Wayland Computer
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-4_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=244923&messageID=2472924#2472924
Submitted by Dana H. (aka waytron)
If you have any additional advice or recommendations for Sandy, let's hear them. Click on the "Reply" link to post. Please be detailed as possible in your answer. Thanks!
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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
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your 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.
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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.
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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
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Great, 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.........
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If 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.
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Thank 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.
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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.
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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
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hi i think changing computer or reinstalling windows is a bad idea. rather its a typical suggestion. he can increase the space by increasing storage
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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
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I 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
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To 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
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I'm not so sure that your first sentence is accurate. I know of no reason that a register scanner is important. Sure, when you delete programs or add new versions, some leftover entries get left in there. But with the cost of disk space as it is today and the speed of the processors running today, scanning your Registry should be the least of your problems.
If you have a problem because of malware or a virus in your registry, then let the appropriate anti-virus program take care of the problem. Sometimes, there is damage both to your Registry and on your disk which the anti-virus program can delete or quaratine. The Registry fixer will only "repair" the Registry and the problem still exists.
Also you cannot be using an outdated Registry fixer, or you may not get the desired results, which I think is what you are getting. The Registry fixer has got to keep up with Microsoft's fixes in order to be efffective.
I used to use Norton's Registry scanner, and I ended up with unexplained problems from time to time. I have since re-installed XP and not ran a Register scanner and I have had no more problems.
If you are running the scanner for speed, my choice was to go into msconfig and clean up my startup files that so many vendors these days think they have a right to drop into my machine. I run Lavasoft's Ad-Aware once a week and periodically clean out my cookies and unused Internet files. End of problem.
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Your point is well made, but i think you may want to run winpatrol and also ccleaner which both are excellent in helping catch and work with the areas you mentioned. ccleaner cleans up the temp files and cookies with your choice to select as they allow in the program. i use regseeker and it does a nice job of cleaning, but no matter how much it does, i find that programs like registry mechanic find other things that regseeker did not. Advanced Windows Care is also amazing in that it covers many of the same areas, but catches things that the others do not. Not running a good registry cleaner may become an issue when the registry becomes corrupt or continues to house the trojans and malware that seems to stay there. True Norton does not get the job done and only slows the system down over all. AVG is i still think the best source for maintaining anti-virus control and of course a good firewall, comodo or zone alarm.
randy
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You made a good point that I completely missed about a corrupt registry. You also made a very good suggestion on what to use to correct the problem. I wasn't thinking there.
Being a S/W engineer I will try to edit a corrupted registry by hand (after backing it up, of course) - not for most folks! If that doesn't work, then I will do a System Restore. Depending upon the circumstances, it might be better to run the cleaner(s) that you suggested rather than resort to the System Restore.
Personally, I've had poor luck with registry cleaners and I prefer editing the registry myself or doing a System Restore, but your advise is excellent if you have faith in the software vendor. Nice commentary!
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You suggested taking inventory which i think is excellent for keeping records. The program i recommend to help with this is called Belarc Advisor which does a number of other valuable things and gives you a good picture of your system. Try it out.
randy
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Hi Randy. Saw your tip for inventory. I've had to do complete Destructive Recoveries and reinstall my XP, so took ages to do an inventory manually. This Belarc sounds like a good tip. Thanks. Will give it a go myself.
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Hi I am posting this because it is surely an offensive sugestion if someone recomends people blindly plunge the equivalent of a screwdriver onto a mainboard whithout possible serious concequences,I know this as a former electronics engineer trained ar the London Electronics College one of the first things your taught is that GRAPHITE PENCILS CONDUCT.so a warning about post 145 of 151 by Dana from Weyland Computers stating I QUOTE:" 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."
The post was placed by Waytron,
Please let me know what you think.
Skoda..
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Skoda is correct, pencil lead is conductive and should not be used. I apologize, I personally use a special plastic clamp that I made to hold the fan blades from spinning and in writing this, the first thing that came to mind, that everyone would have on hand, was a pencil. I should have been more specific such as suggesting a grease pencil, pen or maybe a #4 pencil (these are not as conductive). The main point should have been that spinning the fan with compressed air has been known to generate enough electricity to damage the fan or fan control circuitry and should be avoided.
Thank you for your comments
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Addendum 1.
I've often found that a quick review of programs installed (Control Panels, Add/Remove Programs) yields lots of programs that fall into one of four categories (a) I know what it is and I need it, (b) I don't know what it is, but I'm pretty sure I need it, (c) I know what it is and I no longer need it, and (d) I don't know what it is, and I'm pretty sure I don't need it.
If you know what it is and don't need it, remove it.
Addendum 2.
Prepare by downloading your cleaning tools and utilites and then do your work while UNPLUGGED from the network. When you're done, you should definitely connect through a hardware firewall (broadband routers typically have them).
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Dana and others,
Thank-you for the Spring Cleaning tips, I'll be running down your lists soon.
Meanwhile, I nearly lost everything about 2 months ago due to a bad disk area (was able to recover using the recovery console) and am still feeling particularly vulnerable.
Two years ago when I lost one of my (Raid 0 configured) disks, nothing could be recovered and I had to go to a reformat. That was a devastating hit. Previously as well, including a virus attack several years ago, I had my computer's config on what used to be called a "little" boot floppy, however the registry and bios in the broke computer were so corrupted the computer could not read that disk or any other disk enough to recover a basic config to ultimately build back my system.
Now a days with XP and my 3 year old Dell XPS computer, I'd like to find a sure fire way of at least building back my basic config so I can load back all of my backup data, but I've not found anything I feel I can trust enough that will guaranty I will be able to do that. Often many troubleshooting processes at Dell, MS, and elsewhere assume you can boot up to Windows and every major problem I've encountered with the operating system has always left me unable to do that.
Do you have a suggestion as to where I can find a good "backup" strategy that would include a reliable recovery from a corrupted BIOS and Registry before loading back my database?
Thanks,
Lowell Alves,
Fort Bragg, Ca.
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I started to reply to your question on backup and stopped after page 3. I decided that this is not really the proper place and it was getting to be larger than the original question here in this forum. There are so many factors that need to be taken into account when designing a good backup strategy. How important is the Data? Is the data replaceable? How much Data do you have? How often does your data change? How much do you create on a daily basis? Are the computer setting more important than the data? What hardware do you have on hand for backup purposes?
A backup plan could be as simple as paying $49 per year for www.carbonite,com and letting their system backup your data automatically whenever it changes, all right over the internet. OR as complex as having mirrored hard drives installed in your computer that gives you an exact duplicate copy of your entire hard drive at all times and then you backup to tape every night and keep a copy in your safety deposit box and rotate them daily. You also keep and store separate month end and year end copies.
I actually have a few customers that their laptop is so critical to them that they have purchased a second laptop that is kept as an exact duplicate, so if anything goes wrong, you just pick up the other one.
I personally backup my laptop automatically every night to my server in the basement and when I travel, I use drive image to make a copy of my entire hard drive before I leave. I don?t know what I would do if I lost my laptop, had it stolen from my hotel room, left it on a plane or dropped it getting into a cab. It would take me days just to get everything installed and working correctly. As we start to depend on our computers so much, online offices may start to really make sense, where everything is stored on line and all you need is a computer with an internet connection.
I would be happy to give you some suggestions if you want to send an email to dana(at)waylandcomputer.com with some details of your exact needs.
Dana
By the way, you mentioned Raid 0 on one of your computers. This is probably the least reliable way to set up your computer. If anything goes wrong with either drive, you lose everything on both drives.
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I have to agree with Dana! I think everything that should have been covered was! I installed on my computer IE 7 and since then my PC has slowed down, and I am thinking of uninstalling it. One thing a person should consider is defragmenting the hard drive. This can be done after you analyze the drive first. Good luck!
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I have not seen anyone mention that there are faster hard drives available that will give your system throughput a visible boost. The WD 10,000 RPM Raptor (74GB and 150GB, the 74GB available for a couple of years and the 150 GB just lately). I installed a 74 when I built my system about 18 months ago and there is little I can do to visibly increase system speed, e.g., defrag or registry tweak, et cetera. Since about 90% of my work is done on the Internet, my whole system is driven at Internet speed. The only increase in speed can be gained late at night (West Coast time). This being the case, I don't bother with disk analysis and defrag, registry cleaning and spyware removal except once or twice a week. Not because I need to, but because it makes me feel good. As soon as faster discs, e.g., solid state, become available and reliable, I'll probably acquire them. You can never have enough or fast enough memory (e.g., currently 2 gigs), and you can never have fast enough hard drives (but you can easily have enough capacity). I have run a system speed test a couple of times; this system rated in the top 10% of comparable systems. Since this system is already outdated with the introduction of multiple core/cpu systems, my only requirement is to keep it running at its current speed using as little time/effort as possible. Based on my experience to date, this seems to be a reasonable goal.
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"...You can delete all your temporary files manually by running DICKCLEAN and...."
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You stated that it would clean up everything. Would it also delete things during its reloading? I like the idea but cannot afford to lose any critical data.
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Thanks for providing a well written & easy to understand guide to computer maintenance! I've forwarded your missive to my parents who seem to have the worst time keeping their machine in good running shape regardless of the fact it is less than 2 years old! Hopefully with your guide they can take a proactive stance against the gremlins that apparently live in their computer! Kudos to you for keeping the guide on a layman's level...good job!!
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A few programs will probably do the trick for you.
The first one I would recommend in called Ccleaner, it's available at download.com. It cleans everything the causes your computer to slow down and will also clean any broken registry keys that you most likley have, also a main reason for slowing down. CCleaner is very easy to use and its free.
Next you should try Spybot S&D since spyware almost always recks your computer speed Spybot is essential. It will get rid of almost all unwanted and dangerous programs that you probably picked up somewhere on the net.This is free aswell and available from download.com.
The last program i recommend is Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition this will pick up everything that Spybot didn't, especially getting rid of all annoying adware.Its on download.com and free aswell.
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