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By following a few simple
guidelines, you can maintain your computer and keep it running
smoothly. This article discusses how to use the tools available
in Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) and Windows Vista to more
efficiently maintain your computer and safeguard your privacy
when you're online.
By freeing disk space, you can
improve the performance of your computer. The Disk Cleanup tool
helps you free up space on your hard disk. The utility
identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables
you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the
identified files.
Use Disk Cleanup to:
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Remove
temporary Internet files. |
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Remove
downloaded program files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls
and Java applets). |
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Empty the
Recycle Bin. |
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Remove
Windows temporary files. |
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Remove
optional Windows components that you don't use. |
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Remove
installed programs that you no longer use. |
Tip:
Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of
space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster
access later.
To use Disk Cleanup
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1. |
Click Start, point
to All Programs, point to Accessories, point
to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup.
If several drives are available, you might be prompted to
specify which drive you want to clean.
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2. |
In the Disk Cleanup for
dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to
delete list.
Choose the
files that you want to delete.
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3. |
Clear the check boxes for
files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK. |
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4. |
When prompted to confirm
that you want to delete the specified files, click Yes. |
After a few minutes, the
process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes,
leaving your computer cleaner and performing better.
Disk fragmentation slows the
overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented,
the computer must search the hard disk when the file is opened
to piece it back together. The response time can be
significantly longer.
Disk Defragmenter is a Windows
utility that consolidates fragmented files and folders on your
computer's hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the
disk. With your files stored neatly end-to-end, without
fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up.
When to run Disk
Defragmenter
In addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular
intervals—monthly is optimal—there are other times you should
run it too, such as when:
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You add a
large number of files. |
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Your free
disk space totals 15 percent or less. |
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You
install new programs or a new version of Windows. |
To use Disk Defragmenter:
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1. |
Click Start, point
to All Programs, point to Accessories, point
to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
Click
Analyze to start the Disk Defragmenter.
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In the Disk
Defragmenter dialog box, click the drives that you want
to defragment, and then click the Analyze button.
After the disk is analyzed, a dialog box appears, letting
you know whether you should defragment the analyzed drives.
Tip:
You should analyze a volume before defragmenting it to get
an estimate of how long the defragmentation process will
take. |
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To defragment the selected
drive or drives, click the Defragment button. Note:
In Windows Vista, there is no graphical user interface to
demonstrate the progress—but your hard drive is still being
defragmented. After
the defragmentation is complete, Disk Defragmenter displays
the results. |
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To display detailed
information about the defragmented disk or partition, click
View Report. |
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To close the View
Report dialog box, click Close. |
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To close the Disk
Defragmenter utility, click the Close button on the
title bar of the window. |
In addition to running Disk
Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of
your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored
on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.
As you use your hard drive, it
can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk
performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file
saving) difficult, or even impossible. The Error Checking
utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file
system errors to see whether certain files or folders are
misplaced.
If you use your computer daily,
you should run this utility once a week to help prevent data
loss.
To run the Error Checking
utility:
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1. |
Close all open files. |
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2. |
Click Start, and
then click My Computer. |
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In the My Computer window,
right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad
sectors, and then click Properties. |
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In the Properties
dialog box, click the Tools tab. |
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Click the Check Now
button. |
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In the Check Disk
dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of
bad sectors check box, and then click Start.
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If bad sectors are found,
choose to fix them. |
Tip:
Only select the "Automatically fix file system errors" check box
if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.
Spyware collects personal
information without letting you know and without asking for
permission. From the Web sites you visit to usernames and
passwords, spyware can put you and your confidential information
at risk. In addition to privacy concerns, spyware can hamper
your computer's performance. To combat spyware, you might want
to consider using Microsoft Windows Defender, which is
included in Windows Vista, and is available as a
free download for Microsoft XP SP2. Alternatively, there are
other free anti-spyware software programs available.
If you're using Windows Vista,
you can use ReadyBoost to speed up your system. A new concept in
adding memory to a system, it allows you to use non-volatile
flash memory—like a USB flash drive or a memory card—to improve
performance without having to add additional memory.
Learn more.
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