D & C for your PC (Dusting and Cleaning)

Has your computer been running a little slow lately?  It might be time for a little D & C for your PC!  That’s right, even a computer needs maintenance to run its optimum level.  Here are a few tips to unclog the computer, get rid of unwanted files, and have your PC purring in no time.

Get rid of dust!  The computer itself can gather dust over time, which will make it slow down and even break down  – and it usually happens at the worst possible time.  The fan (which keeps the computer from overheating) can be a dust magnet.  Time to get out the canned air – sut down your computer, open up the case, and blow the dust off.  BTW, there are vacuums made specifically for this task, but i have found the canned air works best.  Of course you could also hire someone to do this for you.

Delete unwanted files!  If you have not done so in a while it might be time to check your temporary folder for files.  If there are any, time to delete them.  At one time I had over 500 temp files on my PC. When I deleted them, my computer started running faster.  To delete temp files you go to your Desktop, and open My Computer, right-click your C: drive, select Properties and click the Disk Cleanup button.  Make sure you only check the box marked “Temporary Files” before deleting.

Empty your Recycle Bin!  Your computer may be set to empty the bin at certain intervals however, when you delete a file, it doesn’t disappear right away.  It goes to the Recycle Bin to be retrieved for whatever period of time you set it to.  Items stored in the bin can take up space until you are prompted by Windows to permanently delete thes files.  You can change the settings so the recycle bin takes up less space on your computer (the default is set at 10%) and you can also manueally empty the bin.

While you are at it, clean up Internet Explorer’s history and cache.  You can do this from the start Menu – go to Settings, Controls Panel, Internet Options, and delete those Temporary Internet Files and Clear History. 

Toss your cookies!  If you are frequent browser, you can eliminate unwanted cookies from your cookie folder on your hard drive by deleting the cookies from sites you don’t visit on a regular basis. Here are some tools you can use for Automatic Cleanups (in case you don’t want to do them manually). 

CleanIt version 2.0 from Skylark Industries is an easy-to-use utility that locates and deletes files in your temporary folder.  Here’s the link: 
http://www.skylarkutilities.com/clean-it/home.html.

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool.  It removes unused files from your system – allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space.  It also cleans traces of our online activities such as your Internet history.  But the best part is that it’s fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware!   Get it at: http://www.ccleaner.com/.

If you prefer a commercial product that does more than some of the shareware applications, I recommend Spring Cleaning for Windows.  From deleting duplicates to archiving programs, Spring Cleaning puts a suite of easy-to-use tools and one-click solutions at your fingertips.  With Spring Cleaning for Windows you can find and toss duplicates and other unneeded files, remove internet files that expose your online activities, Monitor program installatiohns automatically, transfer programs preferences, settings and all, to a new PC, Backup and Restore any program.  Check it out at: http://www.allume.com/win/springcleaning/.

And finally, if you don’t want to do all this yourself you can hire an expert to do this for you.  The main thing is to plan to D & C your PC and increase your productivity immediately.

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