 |
» |
|
|
|
As the workhorse of your PC, your hard drive naturally needs periodic fine-tuning. This upkeep does not require an enormous amount of time. Every three months or so, just follow the four simple steps outlined below to organise and streamline your hard drive so it can maintain optimal health.
Step one: Remove clutter
Start this “purge process” by taking a look at the shortcut icons on your desktop. Because it takes time for your PC to find these icons when it boots up, delete them or turn them off if you don’t need easy access to them.
Next, if you don’t need all those individual files on your desktop, start categorising them into folders, and go through the contents of old folders to delete any duplicate or unnecessary files.
Lastly, if you’ve never used a particular software program that came with your PC or haven’t used it in over a year, consider getting rid of it. To delete a software program:
1. Click Start, and go to Settings.
2. Point to Control Panel, and double-click Add/Remove programs.
3. Click the software program you want to delete.
4. Click the Change/Remove button, and follow the instructions on the screen to start the removal process.
Alternatively, you can use the “Uninstall” feature that comes with the software program you’d like to delete. However you choose to remove the program, empty your PC’s Recycle Bin after the removal has taken place.
Step two: Clear out the cache
Every time you visit a new website, content is automatically stored in your “Temporary Internet files” folder, otherwise known as a cache. These files slow down hard drive speed by taking up valuable storage space.
The “Tools” function provided by Microsoft® Internet Explorer allows you to delete these files. To clear out the browser cache in Internet Explorer:
1. Click Tools and then Internet Options.
2. Under Temporary Internet Files, click Delete files.
Step three: Clean up even more
Disk Cleanup, a handy tool that comes with Windows® XP, allows you to easily sort through and delete unused and temporary files, freeing space on your hard drive and speeding up its operation. To access Disk Cleanup:
1. Click Start, and point to Programs.
2. Point to Accessories and then to System Tools.
3. Click Disk Cleanup.
4. Choose the drive you want to scan from the drop-down menu, and click OK. Wait while Disk Cleanup calculates how much space is available for cleanup. This step may take a few minutes.
5. Click the “Disk Cleanup” tab and then the checkbox(es) next to the type(s) of files you want to delete.
6. Click OK to start the cleanup process. Depending on the amount of files you want to delete, this may take several minutes.
Step four:Defragment your hard drive
Disk Defragmenter, another utility included in Windows XP, reorganises data on your hard drive and moves the files you use most to the beginning of your hard drive, so they load faster and your PC runs more efficiently.
To start “defragging“:
1. Click Start, and point to Programs.
2. Point to Accessories and then to System Tools.
3. Click Disk Defragmenter.
4. Once Disk Defragmenter tool appears, click the “Analyze” button, which will show you how much time you’ll need for defragging.
To further increase your hard drive’s free space, delete even more files that you don’t use or move your files to another drive or device such as the HP 300GB Personal Media Drive.
If you organise and clean up your PC’s hard drive as described, it will be the well-oiled machine it should be – and remain healthy and run smoothly for years to come!
Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
|
|
|
|
Printable version
