How to Clean the Hard Disk
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2006-04-19 11:34:37.232765-04:00
Cleanup Time
A hard disk is like a closet. You need to buy the biggest one you can afford because it will always fill up more quickly than you expect. Just like a closet, a hard disk can become a huge, tangled mess in no time. Your computer uses your hard disk like a scratch pad where it keeps vital information as it processes data. If your hard disk becomes too full, your computer will not have any room to work and will slow to a crawl. Prevent this slowdown by doing a little cleaning up and clearing out.
Empty the Trash
The first and easiest thing that you can do to clean up your hard disk is to empty the Recycle Bin. If you are using a Mac, empty the Trash. The Recycle Bin is a temporary storage place for deleted files. You can often gain quite a bit of extra space simply by right clicking on it and choosing the Empty Recycle Bin option. Remember that once you empty the recycle bin, you will not be able to retrieve any of the files because they are now permanently deleted. In Windows 98/Me/XP you can also empty the Recycle Bin from the disk Cleanup utility that we will talk about next. It is, however, a good habit to occasionally empty the Recycle Bin even when you don't do a full disk cleanup.
Windows 98/Me/XP Cleanup
If you are using Windows 98, Me or XP, the cleanup job is easy. Microsoft has included a disk cleanup utility that works quite well. Just click on the Start button, choose (All) Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, then Disk Cleanup. You will be presented with a screen that shows you exactly which files are no longer needed and exactly how much room they are taking up on your hard disk. Click on what you want to delete, and Windows will remove those items when you click on OK.
Removing Old Programs
The Windows 98/ Me/XP Disk Cleanup screen also has a tab labeled More Options. This will take you to the Add/Remove Programs screen where you will be able to remove unwanted programs. In Windows 95, you can use the Add/Remove Programs option in the Control Panel to do the same thing. If the program you want to delete is not listed on the Add/Remove Program screen, you will have to remove it manually. When you install a program, often files are scattered in many different areas. Therefore the best way to remove a program is to purchase an uninstall program such as those offered by Symantec and McAfee. When you purchase an uninstaller, make sure that you buy the version that is specifically written for your operating system.
When uninstalling programs, it is always smart to first back up any important data on your hard disk. Also, remove one program at a time. Remove a program, make sure that everything is still working properly, then go back and delete the next program. No matter which operating system you use, you must occasionally go through the documents that you have created, like letters, spreadsheets, pictures, etc., to weed out unnecessary files. Delete any file you will not need in the future. If you are hesitant about deleting a file, you can copy it to a CD or floppy disk, delete it from your hard disk, and keep the disk as an archival copy. If you are using Windows 98/Me/XP, your cleanup is now completed.
So always keep your recycle bin empty and keep those temp files deleted. Remember, a clean computer is a happy computer!
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