Cleaning your computer

By Ken Cox

Clutter. Dust bunnies. Chaos. Confusion. No, I'm not describing your house but your personal computer. Fortunately, you're in the mood for spring cleaning. It only takes an hour to clear out your PC's digital debris and restore a Windows machine to its peak performance. Shall we get to it?

We'll start outside the computer, so switch the PC off and the vacuum cleaner on. Use the crevice tool to suck the hoary dust that clings to the fan at the back of the machine. Pass the wand along the top of the monitor and then go after the crumbs taking refuge among the keyboard keys. When the vacuuming is done, wipe the keyboard and mouse with a damp cloth. Eyeglass cleaner is great for avoiding streaks on the monitor screen. Be gentle with laptop screens or you could scratch the plastic.

Unless you've treated yourself to wireless connections, you're likely facing an ugly tangle of wires snaking out of the PC. Don't tempt fate by securing them neatly with those nifty plastic cable ties from the electronics store. Ignore my advice and, in a couple of days, you'll almost certainly face the heartbreak of cutting away your fine work to change or move a peripheral. Boring old tin ties are a better bundling option.

Okay, fire up the PC, log in, and let's work on the operating system and disk drive. Does it take you hours to find a shortcut because your desktop is hopelessly crammed with them? If in doubt, throw it out. Drag the deadwood to the Recycle bin. If you're nervous about deleting some, create a folder on the desktop and name it 'Old Icons'. Drop questionable icons into the folder. If you rescue shortcuts only as you actually need them, you can dump the whole folder next year.

Sneaky websites may have enticed you to download a useful "free" program or screensaver but without telling you these are also installing rogue software and toolbars that track your keystrokes as well as the websites you visit. These spies generate annoying pop-up advertisements and report your habits across the Internet. To get rid of them, you need a specialty program from www.lavasoftusa.com. Or, go to www.microsoft.com/athome and install Microsoft's free anti spyware package. This is a good time to make sure your anti-virus software is current. If you're unprotected (yikes!), browse right now to www.free.grisoft.com for a tool that is free for non-commercial, home use.

We all have unused software cluttering our PCs, but don't start deleting files and folders in a spring fever frenzy. Installation programs scatter files and settings throughout the machine, but they also keep track of what they put and where. Use the Add/Remove tool in the Control Panel to be sure the software cleans up after itself.

As you surf the web, Internet Explorer puts copies of webpages and graphics on your hard drive. Sweep away the accumulation by going to the browser's Tools menu and clicking Internet Options. Be careful wiping out cookies. If you delete the wrong ones, be prepared to retype user IDs and passwords on your next visit to your favourite sites.

By now, your Recycle Bin is probably bulging. Review the contents, hold your breath, and empty it. The final touch is running the defragmenter (Accessories>Tools>Disk Defragmenter) while you take a nap. This boosts your disk drive's performance by storing related chunks of files together. It's the speed difference between getting dressed with all your clothes in one closet versus having them scattered throughout the house.

That tidy-up felt good didn't it? To rework an old quip, "Whenever I get the urge to houseclean my PC, I finish the task quickly. Then I can lie down because I feel so much better."