Description:
Computers running the Windows XP operating
system are fairly stable but still need routine “tune ups” to keep them running
efficiently. Over time, data on hard disks get fragmented and the hard drive
fills up with various temporary files. These temporary files are not needed,
but when they accumulate they tend to make the system slow down as the operating
system has to search through unneeded data to find what it is looking for. It
is also important to perform periodic checks of hard disk media to ensure that
cross-linked file entries are corrected, sectors that are going bad are marked,
and data moved to safe locations.
There are two built-in
tools in the Windows XP operating system that will help you
speed up your computer and help it operate more efficiently.
Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmentation (often referred to as
"Defrag") will help clean out unneeded files and and organize
the files on your hard drive so that they are more efficiently
accessed when needed.
The following
instructions will help you run these utilities manually, but you
can automate this process
so that it runs on a scheduled basis. Running these
utilities regularly will help keep your computer tuned up
without you having to remember to do these tasks.
So let's get started.
First we will do a disk cleanup to get the unwanted files off
the hard drive, then we will do a defrag to organize everything
and make your hard drive work more efficiently. It is
important to run these utilities in this order.
Disk
Cleanup Procedures:
-
Open "My Computer" by
either double-clicking on the My Computer icon on the
desktop, or selecting it from the list after clicking on the
Start button.
-
Right Click (click right mouse button while
hovering over icon) on the C: drive icon and select
Properties from the menu.
-
Click the Disk Cleanup button on the
General tab.
-
The Disk Cleanup utility will begin
to run and calculate unused files and other items that
will be cleaned up. This may take several
minutes, so be patient. If it never moves past
this step, this is a known issue and can be easily fixed
by using the
instructions located here.
-
When the Disk Cleanup for C: window
appears, place checkmarks in any item that includes the
word "Temporary" as well as the Recycle Bin and anything
else that you see that you want to cleanup. Do NOT
place a checkmark in Compress Old Files. Also, do
not place a checkmark to remove Office Setup Files - you
may need those when applying Office patches - unless you
want to have to put in the Office CD every time you
install an update.
-
Click the OK button to start
the cleanup process. Click Yes when asked
"Are you sure you want to perform these actions?"
-
The process will now run and finish.
Disk
Defragmentation Procedures:
Note:
Before you begin, your hard drive must have at least 15%
free space for this process to run. If it doesn't,
then delete unwanted files. You can safely archive
documents to another location or save them onto CD-ROM.
Do NOT delete any operating system files or files
that you are not sure of.
-
If the hard drive
Properties window is still open from the previous step,
select the Tools tab. If not, open "My Computer"
by either double-clicking on the My Computer icon on the
desktop, or selecting it from the list after clicking on
the Start button, then select the Tools tab.
-
Click on the Defragment Now...
button
-
Select the drive you want to perform the
maintenance on and then click the Defragment button to
start the defragmentation process.
-
The defrag process will start and
display progress, then automatically alert you when the
process is finished.
-
When defrag is finished, click the Close
button,
"X" out of the disk defragmentor, then click the OK button
on the disk drive Properties page to close out the process.
Your hard drive is now all cleaned up and
defragmented. You should notice a significant
difference in performance and overall speed. See the
links below for automating this process so that your hard
drive is maintained regularly.
Link: M.S. Article on Running Disk Cleanup
Link: M.S. Article on Running Defrag
