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Cleaning your pc.

Now and then it is really necessary to clean up your PC. Especially if you often download and remove programs.

This operation always leaves traces that, over time, can slowdown your PC.

For all a little more clearly, I will gradually drop procedures.

Now we're starting to clean up, I want to emphasize the following: Backup your files !

In other words, make a backup of your important files. Don't forget your email addresses, contacts, your favorites, drivers, etc....

The only tool that we will use is Ccleaner. How to install and use this tool can be found in Tools

Close all unnecessary programs (MSN, Yahoo messenger, ....)

Print this procedure, your browser, you can also close.

All done? A few hour too spare ?

Lets start then .........

1. Temporary files.

Run Ccleaner, check for updates and run both procedures (cleaning and scanning).

2. Checking the harddisk for errors.

XP:

  • Open My Computer by double-clicking on the icon on the desktop.
  • Right-click on the drive letter that you wish to check for errors (usually C:) and click on the Properties menu item.
  • Choose the "Tools" tab and click on the Check Now... button.
  • Two options are available in the next window:
  • Click Start.
  • Allow the Error Checking program to run its course until complete.
  • Restart the PC if prompted to do so.
  • Automatically fix file system errors will correct many file system errors detected. This is highly recommended.
  • Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors will perform a search for areas of the hard drive that may be damaged or unusable. If found, this tool will mark those areas as "bad" and prevent your computer from using them in the future. This is a very useful feature but may extend the scan time as much as a few hours.

VISTA:

  • Click 'Start' and click 'Computer'.
  • Under 'Hard Disk Drives', right-click the hard disk that you want to check and then click 'Properties'.
  • Click the 'Tools' tab.
  • Under 'Error-checking', click the 'Check Now' button.
  • Select the 'Automatically fix file system errors' check box.
  • Click the 'Start' button. NOTE: Depending upon the size of your hard disk, the checking process may take several minutes. For best results, do not use your computer for any other tasks while it is checking for errors.

WINDOWS 7:

  • Click Start and open Computer.
  • Right-click the drive you want to check and click Properties on the context menu.
  • On the General tab, make note of the type of file system you have. It should say FAT32 or NTFS.
  • Click the Tools tab.
  • Under "Error-checking" click "Check Now."
  • Click "Start" in the error-checking dialogue box to begin the scan you've specified. You will have to restart your computer before the scan will run. The scan actually takes place before Windows loads during startup. A utility called CHKDSK.EXE does the error-checking work.
  • There are two options you can check or uncheck to modify how the error-checking process goes. Each involves a trade-off of time for thoroughness.
  • When "Automatically fix file system errors" is checked, Windows 7 will attempt to correct any logical errors that it finds. Unchecking this box means Windows will simply report any errors it finds. It's best to leave this option checked, as it adds only a little time to the error-checking process and actually fixes things!
  • When "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors" is checked, error-checking can take a lot longer. Several hours may be required to thoroughly test every sector of a large hard drive. Windows does not actually "recover" bad sectors; it marks them as "unusable" so that no data will be written to them. Unusable sectors are typically a negligible fraction of a hard drive's total capacity.

3. Defragmentation of the HD.

Goto start > Run and typ: defrag C: ( C: is your harddrive with Windows on it.) Click on [Enter].

4. Update the Software.

Go to Secunia Online (OSI) and let the Secunia Online Software Inspector (OSI) scan your computer.

The Secunia Online Software Inspector scans the computer for programs that are not updated and therefore a potential vulnerabilities for malware.

Check the "Enable Thorough inspection system before you start scanning.. This allows OSI also find those programs not installed in the default location.

If an up-to-date program is found, it will be marked in red as "insecure" and you are able to get through the 'download' link to download the latest version.

5. Managing the Startups.

  • Click on Start
  • Click Run (Vista: use Search)
  • Typ "msconfig"
  • Press "Enter"
  • Click on tab "Startup"
  • In Windows XP, all of Windows' essential programs are loaded through something called "Windows Services." This means that most of the startup items you see in XP are completely optional and can be turned off. However, a good rule of thumb is to disable only those programs that you recognize and don't need to have running all the time. When in doubt, leave it on.

You can get some advice and info at Bleeping Computer Startup List.

Nota :

MSN (Windows Live Messenger) is a bit of a different:

  • Open MSN (Windows Live Messenger)
  • Extra > Options > Select Login
  • Remove marks under "Windows Live Messenger startup on login Windows"

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