Mouse Clix

By: Hobie Lunin

More about Cleanup

I continue to hear from people who ask how to "clean-up" their computer systems. They feel that there is "stuff" in it that they do not need. Here is more information about that.

Start by checking your hard drive to see how close you may be to using all the capacity. Click on My Computer and then right click on your main drive, usually "C.” Left click Properties and have a look at the graphical depiction of the capacity of the drive. You should have at least 10% Free Space. While you are there click on Disk Cleanup. This will remove all your Temporary Internet Files (it is OK to remove these) as well as any installation files no longer needed. It will empty your Recycle Bin as well (if checked), so that you may want to look inside that folder before hand to see if there is anything you may want to Restore. This program tells you specifically how much space you will save in the process.

Next, I suggest that you look for programs that are installed that you are no longer using. Sometimes your kids or grandkids have installed these and they are no longer around to use them. Click on Start then Settings and then Control Panel. Click on Add/Remove programs and have a look at the list of installed programs that can be removed from that utility. To remove any program, highlight it by clicking on it and then clicking the Add/Remove button on the lower right. This will uninstall the program. The removal process may stop and tell you that there are shared files that it is going to remove. If it indicates that it is OK to remove the file, go ahead. If you are not sure, just tell it to skip that file. All programs consist of a large number of files that are orchestrated to work together to make the program perform its many functions. Because some basic files are the same as in other programs, during the installation process, duplication is avoided and the files are "shared " between two applications. Thus the message when you go to uninstall any program sharing a file.

Next, check the desktop and remove icons of programs that are no longer used frequently. To be on the safe side, only consider icons that have the little black and white arrow in them. This indicates that only the icon will be removed and not the program. Before removing any icon that does not have the "shortcut arrow,” make sure you really do not need the program.

Then, I recommend running Scandisk and Disk Defragmenter. These are also located in the System Tools Folder. Scan Disk checks for disk errors. These can be either physical defects, which make portions of the drive unreliable for storing data, or file errors that occur because of an error storing the data. Part of a file may be lost, or space may not have been released when a file was deleted. Follow the instructions in the program. If this is the first time you have ever performed this diagnostic, click on "Thorough" so the program will check the unused portion of your disk as well as the areas where files already exist. Also, make sure that "Automatically Fix Errors" is checked before you start the run

Before you start, make sure there is no other program running and also go to your Display files and turn off the screen saver. If you leave the screen saver on, it will start the Defrag process over again when it turns on. If you do not want to turn it off, you will have to jiggle the mouse occasionally during the defrag process. A disk becomes fragmented over time because of the random method the hard drive uses to deposit and then delete files that you save. Over time, the disk access process slows down, as your drive has to look for all the file segments that are spread around the disk. Defragmenter gathers all the fragments together, allowing speedier access. This Defrag process can take up to an hour or more depending upon the size of your drive.

Next, I look through all applications in which you regularly save files and open them up. To delete any file while you are in the application, click on File, then Open. Highlight any file by clicking on it and then right click on it and left click on Delete in the pop-up menu that will appear.

Lastly, go to Start, Programs and see if there still some programs there that you want to remove that were not in the Add/Remove programs utility we discussed earlier. Look to see, when you point at the program, whether there is an indication of an Uninstall feature. If there is, use it.

If there are still files that you want to remove but you were not able to, I suggest you purchase software that removes unwanted programs similar to Norton's Clean Sweep. I do not recommend uninstalling by deleting all the files manually as you may accidentally delete a file that is being shared by another program. If you accidentally do this, you will notice, when you go to use the program, there will be a message that a file is missing. If you have that unfortunate experience, see if you can get that file from a friend. Look in their computer by using the Find utility and then copy it to a floppy. Load it in to your computer and drag and drop it into the folder in the program where it belonged. Alternatively, bring it to a tech!

Have one more look at your "C" drive and see if you have increased your capacity and check whether the computer is running a bit faster.

Hobie Lunin can be reached at mouseclix2@yahoo.com. Article archive is at http://mouseclix.tripod.com.