{"id":712,"date":"2010-10-06T15:19:34","date_gmt":"2010-10-06T21:19:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thepizzy.net\/blog\/?p=712"},"modified":"2010-10-06T15:45:43","modified_gmt":"2010-10-06T21:45:43","slug":"5-easy-ways-to-clean-up-your-computer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thepizzy.net\/blog\/2010\/10\/5-easy-ways-to-clean-up-your-computer\/","title":{"rendered":"5 easy ways to clean up your computer"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"\"I get asked a lot by coworkers and friends about how to clean up a computer (either because it’s running slow, has spyware, or because they just can’t do anything on it any more). Below are 5 of the major cleanup methods I use to get their computer up and running again. Depending on the issue you want to resolve, I’ve broken up this post into some common categories…<\/p>\n

Free up some space<\/h1>\n

1.) Disk Cleanup<\/h2>\n
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Disk Cleanup via My Computer<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

Disk Cleanup removes temporary internet files, downloaded program files (used to install things like updates, that aren’t needed any more), other temporary files, recycle bin contents, cached thumbnails, error messages, and other unneeded files. In addition to deleting the files, it also compresses old files that haven’t been used in a long time, to free up some room on the disk for actively used files.<\/p>\n

To run Disk Cleanup:<\/p>\n

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  1. Go to your Start Menu, click All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup **OR** Open My Computer, right-click on the drive you wish to clean, choose Properties > click the Disk Cleanup button (like the Disk Cleanup image shows)<\/li>\n
  2. Once the program has calculated all the things it can cleanup, go through the “Files to Delete” section and Check those which you want deleted, Clear those you do not want to delete.\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. Once you’ve made your selections, click OK, then click Yes or “Delete Files” when prompted and it will handle the rest. \"\"<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    2.) Disk Defragmentation<\/h2>\n

    Running Disk Defragmenter will help speed up your system’s ability to find and read data from your hard drive. In the pre-XP days, this was a big deal, and when you ran the utility a progress graphic would appear showing you which bits were being moved to where as everything was organized. To run Disk Defragmenter you would have to know about the application, and either run it manually or set up a scheduled task for it. When Vista & Windows 7 were released, this process was automatically added as a scheduled task, and likely runs every Wednesday sometime late at night.<\/p>\n

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    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    If you’re on XP or lower, and want to run Disk Defragmenter:<\/p>\n

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    1. Click the Start Menu > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter **OR** Open a Run prompt, and type “dfrg.msc”\"\"<\/a><\/li>\n
    2. Choose the drive you want to defragment, then click Analyze.<\/li>\n
    3. Once it has finished processing, it will make a recommendation as to whether it needs to be defraged or not.<\/li>\n
    4. If it says it needs it, or if you just want to do it anyway, click the Defragment button, and let it do its thing.\n
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      1. As long as there is at least 15% free space on the drive, you can do this as many times as you think necessary – ultimately it will come close to putting all the colored bars together, and all the empty white space together – but it won’t always be perfect.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Removing Unwanted Programs<\/h1>\n

        3.) Control Panel’s “Add\/Remove Programs & Features”<\/h2>\n

        The safest way to remove programs from your computer that you either don’t want or need is with Windows XP’s Add\/Remove Programs or the Vista\/7\u00c2\u00a0 Equivalent “Programs & Features” icon in the Control Panel.<\/p>\n

        Knowing which programs to remove can be tricky if you aren’t familiar with what has been installed on your computer. Generally if it is a new computer, or one that has been subjected to Spyware infection, I tell people to remove anything that has these words in it that aren’t from big name software vendors that you trust (i.e. Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, etc):<\/p>\n