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Computers have a similar life to that of a household, the more you use them the more they get cluttered and dusty.
Therefore, from time to time, your computer will require some form of housekeeping. Simply put, housekeeping is a set of routine tasks you should perform on a regular basis, which will help keep your computer running efficiently, and help clear out all unwanted files. If they build up over time, these files will slow down your computer’s performance. In Part 1 of this article, Limephsion will focus on the Windows PC.
You may be surprised to find that your computer has a number of tools built-in already that can assist you with your routine housekeeping. Applications such as Disk Defragmenter and Disk Cleanup can be found from Start Menu->Programs->Accessories->System Tools.
Disk Defragmenter: If you use your computer daily, your hard disk will have any number of files written to it, from when you add, change or delete a document to installing and removing an application. This data has to reside on the hard disk, and these files are not always written contiguously, making the job of your hard disk to read the files, less efficient. Disk Defragmenter, runs a check or your hard disk and sorts all the data into contiguous blocks, making it easier and more efficient to read, thus speeding up overall access to files and applications. Disk Defragmenter should be run monthly as a matter of course.
Disk Cleanup: Every time you install an application, download something from the Internet or receive a software update, files are copied to a temporary directory on your hard disk. This can use up valuable space with data you no longer need. Disk Cleanup helps to remove this unwanted data by scanning your hard disk and providing you with a list of items to remove. iOpening recommends Disk Cleanup should be run monthly, or whenever you have installed a number of new applications.
When surfing the Internet, each website you visit will load temporary files and images on your computer to make viewing the site faster. This is normal. However, when you leave the site, these files do not get deleted and can still reside on your computer. There are options to limit the amount of space these files take up on the hard disk.
Within Internet Explorer (or any other browser) you will find the ability to remove these files (Tools->Internet Options-Browsing History) and it is iOpening’s recommendation that you include this as part of your monthly housekeeping routine. This process will also remove any “cookies” used by websites to remember information about you and your preferences.
Finally, as we all rely heavily on email to run our businesses and personal life, it is also necessary to conduct routine housekeeping and maintenance. There are a number of ways to ensuring a healthy email system (Tools->Mailbox Cleanup).
Ensure you empty your delete items folder periodically and remove large attachments in emails that you receive. You can still keep the body of the message by doing this. Archive your sent items and older emails, which will reduce the overall size of your mailbox. You can also use the compact feature built into to Microsoft Outlook, which can achieve a similar result.