Technique for Maintenance of Windows File System's, Registry, and How to Clean Local Hard Disk Drives for Free
By Brett.Tesol
Why should I clean my system?
If you are running Windows of any type, you really need to consider a scheduled maintenance of your system. Windows is famous for running to a grind after being on a computer for a while, but a lot of this is more due to poor maintenance than the system itself. As users use Windows, they generally install and un-install a lot of files along the way. Some programs do not remove all the files or their registry entries when they are un-installed, which leaves Windows looking for things that do not exist. Furthermore, as files are removed and added, they get broken and mixed up.
The easiest way to explain why this (fragmentation) is a problem, is to compare it to a library. If you enter a library and all the books are in one piece and nicely ordered, you will find what you want quickly. But, if I have left parts of books behind, broken books into pieces and thrown them in a jumbled mess all over the library (your hard disk), then you would spend a lot longer looking for what you need. This is how Windows is when your files get fragmented, and this is why you should de-fragment regularly.
How to de-fragment a Hard Disk
Most versions of Windows actually come with their very own de-fragment utility, as Microsoft is completely aware that this is a major problem with the Fat32 and NTFS file systems. These file systems suffer from major fragmentation issues that really affect the performance of your machine and can result in data loss. It was rumored that this would change with Windows 7, Microsoft introducing a new file system, however it never came to light and so Windows users NEED to de-fragment their Hard-disks regularly. One way you can do this on mist Windows systems is to:
- Open up 'My Computer'.
- Then you need to right-click on the local disk (probably drive C, but you can do this for other partitions) volume and then click the 'Properties' option (usually at the bottom of the pop-up panel).
- Then, you should see a 'Tools' tab at the top, click it and then select De-fragment Now. It may also be worth occasionally running a disk check before de-fragmenting, to fix any errors.
- When the menu opens, you just click on 'De-fragment'.
However, there are many free utilities, some of which can be set-up to do this for you automatically in the background while you work. Lots of free de-fragmenting tools can be downloaded from:
I personally rate Smart Defrag, Auslogics Disk Defrag and Defraggler .. all do an excellent job and have some nifty additional features. These are excellent utilities and completely free!
How to clean your system
For Windows, it is important to do a spring clean. This generally means removing unnecessary files (like temporary files), removing invalid registry entries and it is also recommended to do a privacy sweep, removing files that record everything you have been doing. Removing these unnecessary files will free up hard-disk space and also help keep your system running at full speed.
To do this, it is best to use a system cleaner. There are many free options and it isn't really worth paying for one, as the free options are very good. I recommend using one of these, but you can search for your own too and even combine two or three from the list.
- Comodo System Cleaner
- Advanced System Care - Free
- Eusing Free Registry Cleaner
- CCleaner
- Auslogics Registry Cleaner
The first two do a better job of performing an overall cleanup. These can all be downloaded for free from here.
I hope this hub helps you to speed up your PC.
© Copyright 2012. Brett.Tesol - Full terms available on Brett.Tesol's profile page (click the blue link for profile, failure to read the Copyright Contract could be expensive. The act of copying this work means that you accept the full terms of the contract, regardless of whether or not you have read it).
Some other Hubs you may find useful are:
How to Create and Adjust internal and external HDD Partitions ... EASILY!
How to Transfer a Website - Part 1
My First Time ... Buying a Website
Comments
This is great information, However, can I uninstall xp and then install 2000 without losing any of my programs?
Thanks for the Votes Alocsin and good spot! lol ... those F's and G's are just too close!
Excellent recommendations. Voting this Up and Useful but check your "degrag a hard disk."
Hi Phil,
Most of the time that is all you need, if you are not a heavy user. Sometimes the occasional file clean-up will help too.
Thanks for the comment.
I defrag monthly and do a registry scan a little less frequently.
Thanks Brett, we shall look into your recommendation.
Hi Moiragallaga,
Pleased you found it helpful. Slow computers drive me made, so I like programs that help keep things clean and fast. Comodo System Cleaner has an automatic feature, as do a couple of the defrag programs. This means that when your computer is idle, they will do a bit of spring cleaning.
Hope the help you too!
Very useful hub Brett. Those are important reminders for ensuring our PCs are in optimum performance. I have very little patience so I easily get frustrated when my PC starts slowing down, your advice is most helpful so it can help me avoid resorting to "percussive" maintenance :)
Hey Reynold.
Thank you for your comment, I'm pleased it was helpful. I have also had a read of your hub.
cheers for stopping by.
This is really excellent . I have to do much of this alll the time as something is really wrong with my computer. I defrag daily in order to get it up and running. I do some of the other stuff too. I enjoyed this very much. You have this laid out beautifully and it is easy to understand. Keep up the great HUBS. I must give this an “Up ONE and Useful.” I'm always your fan! RJ
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Brett.Tesol 9 months ago
Hi platinumOwl4,
Unless there is an 'upgrade' addition for 2000 that does not format the hard-disk and overwrite all files, then by installing 2000 you will lose all of your programs. What you may want to try is partition you hard-disk and install 2000 on a separate partition. However, you will need to install a boot-manager to be able to load either system. If you are unfamiliar with this, have a look at my Linux hub, as it may be a nice alternative to XP or Windows ...