Cleanup Procedures to get better PC performance

I routinely do a registry cleanup to get rid of any redundant settings. The registry is the brains of windows and a badly clogged registry can not oly slow your pc down but affect the running of some applications.

A recent cleanup of my wifes pc fixed an AOL signon problem she had had for months.

The other thing I would suggest is clearing temporary internet files and cookies.

There was a checklist called "ultimate preventative maintenance checklist" on TechRepublic. I used it a lot - it could stand to be updated, but it is a good place to start. Look in the downloads.
https://www.techrepublic.com.com/5138-6249-729238.html?tag=search

Beyond keeping the software clean, take the time to check the system fans and air vents.

Stopping dust from building up before it causes a problem is very worthwhile.

On the software side, I would add cleaning out the Temporary Internet files and the Windows\Temp folder before running chkdsk and defrag.

Chas

Spyware is the most common antagonist in my work. It can cause so many different "issues" that affects performance that I make spyware audits a regular thing.

The two most common are Ad-Aware and Spybot. They can both be downloaded from download.com. Make sure before you use them to check for updates - as they come packaged pretty outdated. also make sure that you are scanning all of your drives.

CAVEAT TO REGISTRY CLEANERS - BACUP REGISTRY FIRST - EVERY TIME!!!!! I cannot stress this enough. all you have to do is click on start - run - regedit and you're in the registry. ONE WRONG MOVE AND YOU'VE CRASHED YOUR COMPUTER. To aleviate this concern, just click on File, Export - then export is to a disk in case you crash out - you can restore the registry from disk.

These are great suggestions for maintenance and optimization procedures. If you're interested, here are some additional items that might be worth checking out:

"Quick tips for troubleshooting a slow PC"
(https://www.techrepublic.com.com/5100-6255_11-5031256.html)
"Try these solutions for speeding up a slow PC if the usual fixes (running Disk Cleanup, running Scandisk, defragmenting the hard drive, and checking the system resources) don't work...."

"Five lesser-known problems that can slow down a PC"
(https://www.techrepublic.com.com/5100-6270-1059630.html)
"When you've checked for common problems and the PC is still slow, where do you look next? The problem could lie in one of several less commonly checked areas."

"Regularly scheduled hard disk maintenance for your XP users" (This one requires a TechProGuild membership.)
https://www.techrepublic.com.com/5100-6346_11-1056054.html
Get a brief overview of Windows XP?s Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter and see how to configure Scheduled Tasks to run these utilities. Also included is a VBS script you can use to distribute the tasks created by Scheduled Tasks to all the Windows XP Professional systems on your network.

"Batch file: Automate Chkdsk and Defrag on XP machines"
https://www.techrepublic.com.com/5138-6288-729266.html
Save time running Chkdsk and Defrag with this batch file from TechRepublic IS technician Ted Laun.

And finally, on the basis of the suggestion here that our Ultimate Preventive Maintenance Checklist could use a little dusting off :), we just launched another discussion soliciting suggestions for additional items and improvements (https://www.techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=5&threadID=155449). Once we gather enough feedback and recommendations, we'll update the checklist and republish it.

Thanks to everyone who has participated in this discussion!

Jody Gilbert
TechRepublic editor

You will need to do disk cleanup for files that no longer be used. Normally these files are in temporary folder. There are also leftovers from installation/uninstallation processes.

You need to check also for unused application known as spyware. They tend to fill your hard drive.

I would also check my registry and clean it up.

All the processes are simple and there are tools to do all in one click. Norton System Works is one example, but not the only one. There are also free utilities.

I start by removing spyware and/or viruses. Two really nice spyware tools are SpyBot Search and Destroy and AdAware. They are both free tools and can get 99% of the spyware out there. Secondly if no antivirus is installed, I like to use AVG available at http://www.Grisoft.com .

Cleaning up the Temp folders on the hard drive is next. Depending on the Operating System, there will be a few of them. In windows 98/ME/XP delete all the contents of the c:\windows\temp folder and in 2000 c:\winnt\temp. Also in 2000/XP you will need to clean out the users temp folder. It is located in c:\documents and settings\username\local settings\temp. The local settings folder may not be visible but you can make it viewable by going to Tools/Folder Options/View and select Show Hidden Files and Folders.

Next you will need to clean out all the temporary internet files. You can right click on the IE ocon on the desktop and select properties and delete all internet files there.

Lastly, I like to clean up the registry. Go to Start menu, then Run and type regedit and click on ok. This will bring up the registry editor. The 2 major places to clean are some of the startup items. The keys to remove/review are located in HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Run and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Run there are a few other runs in there that you can review and remove subkeys if you like. Be careful what you remove, you won't keep your computer from booting, but you can delete startup items.

I hope this is of some help, as it keeps my network and all my friends machines running smoothly. I can stress the importance of antivirus and spyware tools. They will keep you clean for the most part.

Blayne Beham
Network Admin
Inter-Americas Insurance

I use System Mechanic on a regular basis as it can clean the registry, eliminate .temp and .bak files, clean your Internet tracks,etc all in one easy step.
Never had a problem with a program not working after using this utility.

I have two partitions on my machine - OS and Data. I then install my basic software (XP, Office, WinRar, Real, etc) and configure all the software according to my needs. Then I image the OS and keep the image on my data partition. Every week, I just reimage my OS partition and I am good as new. I don't have to worry about spyware, adware, etc and most important, I have a backup in case some pesky virus decides to wipe out my C drive.

. Then
I use ghost to create an image of my machine after

1. Remove spyware. This is no doubt the #1 slowdown that many users don't even know they have. If your PCs are not locked down to prevent installing screensavers, download "helpers", etc. etc. than undoubtedly your users have spyware slowing down their PCs.

2. Do the usual Scandisk, Defrag, etc. once a month or so. Also, you may want to install the free program PAGEDEFRAG from www.sysinternals.com. Install it once, (less than 40k) and your pagefile and registry will automatically defrag on each reboot. Once they are fixed the first time, each reboot usually is only delayed a few seconds to get the files back in shape.

3. Don't ignore that modern CPUs (P4, etc.) will slow down to prevent overheating. Check your current CPU speed and make sure it is what you expect. If not, check for cooling problems, bad BIOS settings, etc. A 3Ghz processor slowed down to 200Mhz to prevent overheating will certainly bog down system performance!