How to Delete Certain Stuff Off of Your Hard Drive
It's easy for your computer's hard drive to become cluttered with files you no longer need, from old text documents to video files you no longer watch. You can keep your system clean and organized by deleting certain files. There are two separate ways to delete files with the Windows 7 or Windows Vista operating system. You can either manually delete individual files and folders, or remove entire programs all at once with the program removal feature.
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Instructions
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Manually Deleting Files
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Locate the specific file or folder you want to delete from your computer's hard drive.
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Right-click the file or folder and select "Delete." If you are using Windows Vista, you may be prompted to click "Continue" with certain folders and programs.
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Click "Yes" to confirm you want to delete the data. Navigate back to the computer's desktop.
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Right-click the Recycle Bin icon, and select "Empty Recycle Bin" to finish deleting the data.
Removing Programs
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Access the Start menu and click the "Control Panel" link. Click the "Uninstall a Program" link located underneath the "Programs" heading.
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Scroll through the list of programs, and locate the specific software you want to delete from your hard drive. Click the entry for the program, and then click the "Uninstall" button.
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Click "Continue" if you are using Windows Vista. Click "Yes" to confirm you want to uninstall the program. Click "OK" once the process is finished.
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Repeat the process with any other programs you need to remove.
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Tips & Warnings
If you have the Control Panel set to the "Classic View," setting, click the "Programs and Features" icon.
In Windows XP, choose "Add/Remove Programs" instead of "Uninstall a Program" in the Control Panel.
Emptying the recycle bin doesn't permanently delete the files from your system. The data is instead marked by your operating system as available to be overwritten by other data at a later time. Anyone with a file recovery tool can potentially restore the data you have deleted. If you are removing sensitive or personal information from your hard drive, you may want to download and use a file shredding program that actually overwrites the data after it is deleted.
References
Resources
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