CLEAN AND TUNE
Please read the following paragraphs carefully before doing any cleaning or tune ups. Also this is written for Windows XP but applies to other versions of Windows as well with minor modifications. I'll note theses were needed.
With daily use your computer likes to save stuff, lots of stuff. Not only are theses files an intrusion on your privacy, they also have a detrimental effect on performance. It's good to clean theses files up on a regular basis. If your the average computer user a monthly clean up will be fine, a power user may want to do these weekly. Using this section requires some basic computer skills and to fully benefit from these clean ups you will need utilities other then what comes with Windows. Some of theses programs can be downloaded for free and others will cost, in either case I will provide the links as needed.
As you may have noticed this page is called "Clean and Tune" not just "Clean". So after we get your system cleaned up we will cover the "Tune" in the next section. In the "Tune" section we will cover virtual memory, services, start up items, internet explorer settings, etc.
So lets get started with the clean up...
0. Back Up. Back up all user created files, game saves, pictures, e-mails, etc.
1. Run a check disk on all hard drives and partitions. It's not always necessary to run the "bad sector check" when doing a defrag. Running the bad sector check every few months will be fine, unless your aware of a problem with your drive. All hard drives develop bad sectors over there life, some even right out of the factory. So finding a few every now and then shouldn't be viewed as abnormal. If you always find bad sectors or a large numbers of them it may be time to look into that new, bigger hard drive and be sure to back up daily. This is called scandisk in Windows 98/ME.
2. Manually delete the contents of the Windows Temp folder and the Temporary Internet folder Located at C:/Windows/Temp and C:/Documents and Settings/*user name*/Local Settings/Temporary Internet Files. The Temporary Internet folder is located at C:Windows/Temporary Internet Files in Windows 98/ME.
3. Run a disk cleanup program. The gisc clean up included with Windows is a start, but is not nearly complete. A third party cleaning utility like McAfee Quick Clean can do a deeper cleaning but is still not complete. For the utmost in disk cleaning a program like Evidence Eliminator is required. Not only can it clean up all of the hidden logs and hidden internet files on your hard drive that others don't, it can also wipe your free space so deleted files can not be recovered.
4. Clean the registry. Microsoft doesn't include a registry cleaner with Windows but a good program called RegCleaner is highly recommended.
5. Run a spy-ware scan. I recommend Ad-Aware but there are other fine programs that work just as well. Be sure to update often.
6. Run a virus scan. I recommend McAfee, but there are other fine programs that work just as well. Be sure to update often.
7. Defrag that hard drive. Windows built in defrag program is fine for the job. The third party pay programs don't really work any better. Some have usefully features for defragging over a network.
And now the tune...
1. Tame Internet Explorer. First lets stop IE from saving so many temp files. If you have a dial-up 10 Megs should be more then enough, if your running on a broadband connection then drop it down to 1 Meg. To adjust the Temporary Files open the Control Panel, open Internet Options, click the Settings button under Temporary Internet Files, use the slider to adjust the disk space and then click OK. Now before you close the Internet Properties dialog box, go ahead and set your History to 0 so it will be deleted very time you close IE.
2. Tame Your Start Up. Use MSCONFIG to see what's starting up with Windows and remove anything that doesn't you don't need, want, or even knew was there.
3. Tame Your Windows Services. Check out Black Viper's website for a list of services you can safety be disable. This is only for Windows 2000/XP.
4. Mange your Swap File. You should have your swap file set at 2 - 3 times of what your physical ram is. Experiment a bit to see what is best for your PC.
5. Updates your OS and drivers. Run Windows updates and check the manufactures of your hardware for new drivers.
There it is that's the easy way to clean and tune your PC. Do this on a regular basis to keep your PC running at top speed.
Have a question about a clean or tune? E-mail me @ GameJunky@Insightbb.com