Windows

One good tool is CloneMaster, a terrific way to find all sorts of duplicates--true dupes, same-name files in different directories, and zero-length files. It also guides you through backing them up and deleting them. The program's expensive at $30, but you can try it for free, and it just may suit your needs.

Quick definition: Ohnosecond: Similar to nanosecond but shorter. It's that miniscule fraction of time in which you realize you've just deleted your entire \Windows directory.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed after opening Window Explorer and looking at the mass of files, you're not alone. Matt asks pithy questions: Do you ever wonder where Windows puts all its files? Or where your own files should go? Again, he answers his own questions (not unusual considering he works from his home office) in "Welcome to Your Hard Drive." And again, don't be dismayed by the age of this article. It's a gem.

Our Answer Line editor, Lincoln Spector, also doles out advice about getting rid of files on your drive. Read his short piece, "To Delete or Not to Delete?"

Two Cool Utilities
For $15, RegCompact does a terrific job of tightening up your Registry by removing any fragmented space. The more compact your registry, the faster your PC runs.

If you like fiddling with and deleting files manually, here's something for you. It's the Comparator, a handy, free utility that compares two folders, allowing you to find missing or newer files and easily copy, delete, or synchronize them.

One other piece of software that I have been testing lately is Tune-Up utilities from the article posted Analyze your PC with Dr. Hardware 2003
See this thread
http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-6270_11-5077512.html

For most of what you want to do, I recommend System Suite from V-Com.

http://www.v-com.com/product/ss_ind.html

For defraging your hard drive, you might give either Disk Keeper from Executive Software:
http://www.executive.com/products/productsr.asp

Or, VOPT XP from Golden Bow:
http://www.vopt.com/VoptXP.htm

As far as freeing RAM goes, I have not seen any problems in XP like there is in W9X.
If you are running out of RAM, it would be a better investment to add RAM rather than installing a memory manager.

The XP marine screen saver is a reduced function version of the program Serene Screen that is available from:
http://www.serenescreen.com/

There are also a number of aquarium screen savers available from web searches.
You might want to start at www.nonags.com

Chas

This question was closed by the author