How to Maintain Your PC: Back To Basics

Don't get caught up in the speed of your PC or the advances in your operating system. Keeping your system working fast and efficient is as easy as using tools that have been around for 20 years.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A Windows PC

1. A quick shot of where to locate the wizards In Windows XP you can find a number of system wizards under the "System Tools" menu. Get there by clicking on "Start", "All Programs", "Accessories", and then "System Tools". Here you will find The Disk Cleanup, Disk Defragment, and Scheduled Tasks wizards. They will help you maintain your system.
2. Start by using the "Disk Cleanup" wizard. This will check your entire system for files that are not being used, were only used once, or are in your Recycle Bin. It might surprise you how much is on your hard drive when you run it. It may take a couple of minutes for the wizard to give you all of the details of what can be removed, so be patient. If you have never run this utility it can take a while. A progress bar will show you what is happening. If you look at the image you will see that I was able to save over 3Gb of space while writing this article.
3. Wow! My HDD looks like junk Next, run the Disk Defragment tool. It will take the files that are scattered all over your hard drive and make them more easily accessible to your operating system. It will speed up the amount of time it takes to open files, web pages, etc. Once the utility is open, just click on "Analyze" and the system will tell you if you need to defrag. Just click the defrag button and the system will do its work.
4. Use the Schedule Tasks wizard to set a time and date for your Disk Cleanup to run. In the same menu from earlier, select "Scheduled Tasks" and then double-click "Add Scheduled Task". Click on "Next" and then scroll down to find the "Disk Cleanup" option. Click on "Next" and select how frequently you want the task to run. Tell the system how often you want to run the tool and at what time/day. It will ask for your username and password for the account you login with. YOU HAVE TO ENTER THIS INFORMATION. The tool will not run without it.
5. Reboot your system at least once a week. This will clear out all of the minor processes and tasks you have put on the system and allow it to "think" a little more clearly.

Tips & Warnings

• Always keep your system on a power strip.
• Keep your virus scan up to date.
• Use compressed air to keep your keyboard and fans clean.
• Never visit an internet site if you are afraid of its content.
• Do not click on "OK" unless you are absolutely sure you should.