RCS Technology Basics: Keeping It Clean with Computer Maintenance

RoofersCoffeeShop.com is writing a series dedicated to helping you get online.

By now you have had your computer for a while. You are communicating with clients and vendors over e-mail and you are finding all sorts of updated manufacturer information on their web sites.  But you also notice your computer is acting funny. Is your computer is randomly locking up or running a lot slower than it used to? You run your virus software and everything comes out clean though. So what gives? This month we'll talk about a few simple things you can do that might help.

The easiest way to keep your computer happy is through a regular maintenance routine to clean things up. Here are some suggested maintenance items to clean up your computer. 

First try deleting unused programs from the hard drive and empty your Recycle Bin. Go to your Control Panel and double click your "Change or Remove Programs" icon. Remove anything you don't use or just installed to see what it was and then forgot about. This will probably require a reboot after each program removal, just follow the on-screen instructions. 

While you are at the Control Panel, click on "Internet Options" and then the button under the General tab that says "Delete". When you hit it, a box opens up. Check the boxes for Temporary Internet files and History. Click okay and it will erase all the extra stored Internet files. Now right-click your Recycle Bin on your desktop and empty its contents. Your hard-drive feels better already.

Visit the Windows Update site regularly to make sure you have all the recent security fixes. You can go to update.microsoft.com. If you have not been there in a while (or ever) this might take some time and require several reboots to get all that good stuff downloaded and installed.

Run the "Disk Clean-up" to cleanup your program registry, delete excess files, and defragment your hard drive. If you own a program that does the cleanup better than the one that comes free with  Windows, by all means, use that instead.  The "Disk Clean-up" is under Start, Programs, Accessories, and System Tools. Next go back to Start, Programs, Accessories and then to System Tools and click on "Disk Defragmenter".

When we delete stuff from the hard drive, it leaves a hole where it was and then the drive runs slower as it tries to operate in that mess. Defragmenting cleans up the mess. This will probably take a while (like an hour or so) if you haven't done it in a while (or ever), but if you do it once a week, it will not be such a chore at all. 

Your computer should be running smoother and faster. Like most things your computer just needed a good cleaning. Just add in some of this routine maintenance to your weekly system-wide virus scan and your good to go.  It should only take forever the first time you run it. If all of this is still over your head call in an expert, a 12-year old kid.