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Improving the Performance of Windows PCs
Before you start, it is a god idea to find out how
much space is used on your hard drive so you can make a comparison later:
Double click on the My Computer icon on desktop.
Right click on the icon for each hard drive and the chart will tell
you how much disk-space is used and how much free space remains.
(Windows 95 users - select the properties option from the dropdown menu.)
Right-click on each drive to bring up the menu that includes Properties
option. For earlier versions of Windows look for the Performance tab.
System Resources will tell you how well your computer is performing.
Click on Performance tab and see what the Sytem Resources are. The
ideal is 90%+ on a new machine without many programs running. Somewhere
over 70% should be OK for every day reasonable performance. Under 50%
and your resources are running low - some applications and utilities
may have difficulties. Symptoms of loss of performance are commonly
- losing Internet connection; PC will freeze up and "blue-screen";
slow to load programs; games won't work properly. Restarting your computer
occasionally will help if its had heavy use that day.
Write down performance information so you can compare after tune up.
( This can help you to spot where problems occur when you get a bot
more experience. For example, if you have done a complete clean-up and
your computer is still not performing well, it could be another problem
entirely - such as a shortage of RAM (memory), or lack of disk space
or even an unidentified virus).
Close this box and then right click on the My Computer icon on desktop.
Windows 98 gives you cleanup and tools options.
1 - Uninstall old applications (software programs)
Use the uninstall program that came with the program. (Typically, you
can find the Uninstall program by clicking on the Start button at the
lower left of your screen, then click on Programs. Highlight the name
of the application/program that you want to remove and look for an Uninstall
listing in the program folder and follow directions.)
OR
My Computer > Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs
NOTE: If you get messages asking whether you want to remove any shared
files that are no longer in use. The safest bet is to say NO, since
they may be used by other applications and uninstalling them may stop
the other applications from working.
Also get rid of Setup files you no longer need after you install software
- you can move them to a CD and store them in case you need to reinstall
them later on, rather than clog up your disk space. They take up a lot
of room.
Folders, documents & files
Go to the My Documents folder and look through your files and folder
for old and obsolete data, remove unwanted files...or save them onto
CDs and label them. You can also store frequently used files onto floppy
disks to save space. Get used to backing up useful documents regularly.
((While you are there, organise your documents into appropriately named
folders etc.)
Alternately, you can open Windows Explorer and use the delete function
under the File option at the top of the screen to remove items no longer
needed.
2 - Get rid of old, unwanted e-mail - make sure you delete anything
in deleted items folder.
3 - Clean Startup Programs (only if you are confident/advanced user)
Start > Run> type in msconfig >Click OK.
Click on the Startup tab to see what is in your startup tray and remove
the check in front of items you do not want to load when you start
your PC. (Remember - when in doubt, don't! It is better to leave items
you are unsure about than to remove them and find that they are needed.)
OR
To remove programs from the Start Up group, in versions below Windows
98,
Double Click the My Computer icon, then click on the Start Up Menu
to remove unwanted files.
For Windows 98, Double Click the My Computer icon to open it, double
click on the hard drive where Windows is installed. Click on the Windows
folder and then click on the Start Menu folder. Click on Programs,
then Startup. If you don't want your PC to load with a particular
program, just highlight it and click Remove. (This does not remove
the program from your computer, it just prevents the program from
loading automatically at Startup.) You can put items back again by
using the ADD function.
Do not remove anything that refers to SYSTEM type files.
If you are not sure which processes to remove, check out each one
at WinTasks
Process Library. If you are still nervous, leave this step out,
since a mistake here can cause major problems. You can proceed cautiously
removing one item at a time and seeing if everything still works OK.
Make a note of any you remove so you can find them more easily if
you change your mind.
4 - Clean out Windows temp directory
Delete all files from the Windows\temp directory that are more than
a week old.
Double click on My Computer icon > Open > Double click on the
icon for the hard drive (usually C) >
Double click on the Windows folder, then the Temp folder. Click on
View - Details.
Click on View > Arrange Icons > By Date. Using your mouse, select
files ending in the extension .tmp that is more than a week old and
then hit Delete. (Ctrl +Click to select individual items).
5 - Empty browser's cache
You can empty your browser's store of recently visited sites etc.
which can take up a large amount of space.To clear the cache -
Open an Internet Explorer window, then:
For Internet Explorer 3.x: Select View/Options. Under Temporary Internet
Files > Advanced tab of the dialog box that appears, click Settings.
In the dialog box, click Empty Folder.
For Internet Explorer 4.0: Select View/Internet Options. In the dialog
box, click the Delete Files button under Temporary Internet Files on
the General tab. (And tick Delete All Off-line content if this option
is offered).
For Internet Explorer 5.0 and 6.00 : Select Tools/Internet Options.
In the dialog box that appears, click the Delete Files button under
Temporary Internet Files on the General tab.. (And tick Delete All Off-line
content if this option is offered) Also Clear \History, and reset the
Days To Keep Pages In History to no more than say 7 days.
For Netscape Navigator 3.x: Select Options/Network Preferences. In
the Preferences dialog box, click Clear Disk Cache Now.
For Netscape Communicator: Select Edit/Preferences to bring up the
Preferences dialog box. Advanced, select Cache, and click Clear Disk
Cache.
Also you should clear the History files - Clear \ History, and reset
the Days To Keep Pages In History to no more than say 7 days when
this option is offered. This tells your computer not to remember where
you have been visiting longer than a week ago. You could cut this
down even more. I have mine set to 2 days which works fine for me.
If you store a lot of sites into Favourites, consider getting rid
of unwanted links here too. In Internet Explorer, use Favourites /
Manage Favourites to sort your sites into folders and get rid of obsolete
or unused links.
6 - Run a complete virus scan - make sure your AntiVirus is up to
date.
7- Run AdAware or other spyware remover.
8- Run ScanDisk:
Before running ScanDisk, be sure to close all applications, and turn
off screensaver.
To close all applications, hold down the CTRL key, the ALT key and
the Delete key at the same time. This will bring up the Close Program
window(Program Manager dialogue box).
Highlight each open program except Systray and Explorer and click
on End Task.
OR
Click Start and then Run and type in: scandisk You will have an option
of choosing Standard or a Thorough. If you have never done a scandisk
before, choose the Thorough option.
OR
Start >Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> ScanDisk.
9 - Defrag Hard drive - if you've had your computer a while and you
don't know what defrag is - then you need to!
You may need to close all running applications except Explorer and
defrag application - use the program manager to close unwanted applications
(Ctrl+Alt+Delete). Also switch off your screensaver.
Click Start -> Run and type in: defrag . Defrag will take awhile,
so do it just before you go to lunch or overnight.
OR
Start button, then Programs-> Accessories->System Tools->Disk
Defragmenter.
10 - Restart Computer after defrag
11 - Empty the Recycle Bin
Open the bin before you empty it and check its contents. Is there something
in the bin that you do not want to delete? Highlight it and click Restore.
Remember that once you empty the Recycle Bin, you cannot easily retrieve
those files.
12 - Last, but not least, CLEAN THE MOUSE!
1 - TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER
2 - Turn your mouse over and turn (or push) on the cover that holds
the ball in place. Remove the ball and wash it with soap or detergent
and water. Rinse and dry with a paper towel. Make sure it is absolutely
dry. DO NOT wash any other parts Leave to dry out overnight!
2 - Clean your mousepad the same way with a DAMP not wet cloth; do
not wet through. DRY THOROUGHLY.
3 - Look inside the mouse. Use tweezers to remove hair or dust and
gunk from the rollers. Clean the rollers using a damp cotton bud,
or an old soft toothbrush. You can use a camera blower brush if you
wish - they are not expensive.
4 - Replace the ball and close the cover.
Note: you can also clean your keyboard.
1 - TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER and unplug the keyboard.
2 - Use an old toothbrush, or coarse children's paintbrush to dust
between the keys - turn keyboard upside down over some old newspaper
if necessary.
3- Use a damp cloth with a little CIF (formerly JIF) to wipe away
gunk from around the keys and surround.
4 - If you need to remove any keys, gently prise them off with the
handle of a teaspoon or screwdriver. DO NOT FORCE THEM OFF - if they
do not come off easily, you risk damaging them.
AVOID REMOVING THE LARGER KEYS - E.G. THE RETURN KEY , SPACE BAR,
RIGHT SHIFT KEY, and other DOUBLE SIZE KEYS - they often have springs
underneath that can be fiddly to put back!
5 - Wipe again with a clean damp cloth, then polish with a soft
dry one. Make sure the keyboard is dry before reconnecting - leave
overnight in a warm room, or dry with a hairdryer on a gentle setting.
EVERYTHING MUST BE ABSOLUTELY DRY BEFORE RECONNECTING...!!!
Your PC should work a bit better now!
Note - USB devices can slow your system down - eg, if you connect
to the Internet by USB device, then consider getting a network card
instead. They are cheap and relatively easy to install. Ask your favourite
dealer.
Installing extra RAM is the quickest and most cost effective way to
improve your computer's performance. Check prices online and with your
favourite dealer
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