6. MS Windows spring cleaning

Please note that some of the operations itemised below can be dangerous. Risky and safe operations are indicated in each section. If in doubt, ask your question on the Handbag technology forum specifying your operating system and the problem you wish to solve. Follow the steps carefully. Some steps are safe and don't require any special computer knowledge.

This section is meant to be newbie-friendly and as easy to follow as possible. Almost everything you need to carry out these steps is included with Windows.

6.1 Delete Internet temporary files and cookies

Safe operation

For Internet Explorer 5 and above, clear out temporary files and delete cookies.

1. Open Internet Explorer and click on Tools
2. Click on Internet Options
3. On the General Tab, in the middle of the screen, click on Delete Files
4. You may also want to check the box "Delete all offline content"
5. Click on OK and wait for the hourglass icon to stop after it deletes the temporary Internet files
6. You can now click on Delete Cookies and click OK to delete cookies that websites have placed on your hard drive.

6.2 Delete Internet history

Safe operation

To clear the Internet History in Internet Explorer:

1. Open Internet Explorer and click on Tools
2. Click on Internet Options
3. On the General Tab, in the middle of the screen, click on Clear History
4. Click OK

To clear the Internet History in Netscape Communicator:

1. Click Edit menu > Preferences > Category - Advanced > Cache. The Disk Cache setting will tell you how much is allocated on the hard drive.
2. Click the "Clear Disk Cache" option to delete temp files for Netscape. The Disk Cache Folder tells you where it's located.

6.3 Tune the caching options of Internet Explorer

Safe operation

Set the size and options of Internet Explorer's cache and check for newer version of web pages automatically instead of every time the page is loaded.

Caution: it is highly recommended you upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer first.

1. Click Start. Click Settings. Click Control Panel.
2. Double Click Internet Options
3. Click Settings
4. Set check for newer versions of stored pages to automatically. (default behaviour for Internet Explorer 5.0 and later)
5. Set the amount of disk space to use to 25 Mb
6. Click Ok.

25 Mb of cache space is reasonable for users on dial-up connections. However, if you are on a broadband Internet connection you will be fine with a small cache - set it to 10 Mb.

6.4 Useless files that can be safely deleted

Proceed with great care in certain sections!

Recycling bin

Fairly safe if you delete files or folders you recognise: mp3 files, personal documents, etc.

By default, this option is unchecked, because many people like to keep deleted files in the Recycle Bin so they can restore a deleted file if necessary. But cleaning out the bin once in a while is a useful idea, even if you've set your Recycle Bin to hold only a few megabytes' worth of deleted files.

Windows 98 uninstallation information

When you install Windows 98, you are given the option of saving uninstall information in case you want to revert to your previous Windows version. These files occupy 50MB to 100MB of disk space, and you can use Disk Cleanup to get rid of them if you wish. Be aware, however, that you can no longer revert to your earlier version of Windows once you do.

Temporary files

Safe operation

To clean up temporary files on your computer in Windows 98 or higher:

1. Click Start, Programs (or All Programs), Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup
2. Choose the correct drive usually C:\
3. Check the boxes in the itemize and delete the files

Other temporary files

Fairly safe, but skip if unsure

You can find/delete temporary files created by applications and Windows by clicking on the Start button, choose, Find - Files or Folders.

1. Named: *.tmp,  *.*
2. Look in: C:\
3. Click "Find Now"

This will find all the temp files that are on your hard drive. You can highlight all the files it finds & delete them. However, some may still be in use by the app or Windows so it's a good idea to do this right after you reboot your computer & before you open any applications. If the file is in use by Windows it won't allow you to delete it; just skip that file & highlight all the others (you may have to repeat this a number of times to get all).

Temporary setup files

Safe operation

When you install a program, the installer typically creates setup files in the Windows\Temp or Winnt\Temp (depending on your Windows version) directory but doesn't usually clean them out automatically. These files can occupy several megabytes of disk space. You can go to the location and delete the content of the folder manually.

Downloaded program files

Safe operation

In the Windows\Downloaded Program Files folder you'll find Java applets and ActiveX controls that your browser has downloaded from the Web. Even a few Web sessions can produce several megabytes of these files.

Files NOT to delete

Anything in your SYSBCKUP and be very careful about files and folders in Windows or Winnt directory.

If in doubt:

• If you're not sure if something should be deleted, try moving it to another directory first to see if it makes a difference or better still leave it.
• Check the file's date - if it's recent, most likely it's still being used.
• For information on removing a particular application, read the application's help files and documentation.

6.5 Getting rid of unused programs

Safe, if you know your programs and you have the setup CD to reinstall the removed program at a later date if you decided you need it

Getting rid of old and unused programs is a great way to make room on your hard drive.

Caution: before you do so, check that you've got the original installation disk should you want to reinstall the program in the future.

1. Open Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel
2. Click Change or Remove Programs, then click the program you want to change or remove
3. To remove a program, click Remove

Caution: When you click Change/Remove, some programs may be uninstalled with no further prompting.

To add or remove a Windows component

Caution: before you do so, check that you've got the original Windows installation disk should you wish to reinstall the program in the future. It may be required.

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel
2. Open Add/Remove Programs
3. Click Add/Remove Windows Components
4. Follow the instructions in the Windows Components wizard

Maintainer's note: I cannot help mentioning at this point the wonderful 98lite and 2000/XPlite from litepc.com. It allows you to remove many, many Windows components that Microsoft doesn't normally let you touch. Note: it is not free, and is dangerous if you do not know exactly what you are doing.

6.6 Recognising useless processes taking up memory and processor time

Risky operation, skip if you are unsure

Caution: this can be a dangerous operation so skip this section unless you're confident enough or you are an advanced user.

The only way to free up memory is to close applications or processes that are running. The applications you're running should be pretty obvious and if you've got XP or 2000 then you can itemize the current processes running on your machine through the Task Manager. You can find more information on the usefulness (or not) of programs and services, and removal procedures when recommended, at the Task itemize page at answersthatwork.com. Again, use with caution.

Also recommended is Startup Control Panel, which lists everything set to start along with Windows. It's fairly safe to use because anything you disable but discover you need can be re-enabled just as easily.

6.7 Use scan disk and defragmentation

Safe operation, to be done once a month or so

The Scan Disk

The Scan Disk utility works to preserve data integrity of your hard drive. The files are stored on your hard drive in data groups called "clusters", sometimes these clusters can become "cross linked" with other clusters belonging to other files, or they can simply become "lost" from the rest of its fellow clusters.

1. Click on Start, then Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, then Scan Disk
2. Click "Check now"

Always choose to do a "Thorough" scan and choose to "Automatically fix errors"

The Defrag utility

With the use of your files and programs over time, they tend to move location on your hard disk. Sometimes the individual clusters that make up a single file can become separated (fragmented). With increased fragmentation comes weaker performance of your computer, because it takes longer for your processor to access a single file. The longer and harder your processor must work the shorter the life of your computer. The Defrag utility corrects the problem of separated file fragments, by placing all of the data clusters that belong together next to each other.

1. Click on Start, then Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, then Disk Defragmenter
2. Choose the drive C:\ (check other drives as well)
3. Click on "Defragment now"

Note: If the defrag utility stops and restarts after completing a few percent of the defrag, it's because something is running in the background. It's best to defrag in Safe Mode, that way you're sure it will run and complete without problems. This is a common problem when defragmenting.

As an alternative to defragging in Safe Mode, you could fix the defrag utility provided with Windows 95 and 98 by updating it to the version provided with Windows ME. This new version of the defrag utility doesn't suffer from the above problem. Read this article at Al Fasoldt's Technofile for a detailed explanation.