In my last article, I went over how to clean out your old programs in XP, which is a very crucial step toward maximizing your computer's performance. This article will follow up with another important step in XP maintenance, namely deleting and organizing your data. It's a hefty task, but I think you can handle it. So join me and let's get started.
Contributed by Michael Lowry Rating: / 2 May 14, 2008
Data is a lot like bad news; you just can't seem to avoid it. The fact is, all programs come with data files when they are installed on your computer, and using the program creates more data. However, unlike bad news, it's easy to toss out the bad data and never have it bother you again. The key is figuring out what data is bad data. Okay, that may be a bit harsh – let's call it useless data (you hear that cat? you're not bad, you're just useless and it's time to throw you away). Whatever word you use, it's easy to see how an unkempt mass of data can slow down your computer.
For example, programs often create a lot of temporary files that for whatever reason remain on your system and thus, must be evaluated for termination. In order to do this, you must first search for temporary folders and then the specific file types within them. But before you do this, exit all applications so you know that they aren't creating temporary files while you're trying to delete them. For the same reason, if you're on a network, make sure no one is using any shared files. Once this is done, you can take the following steps to locate temporary folders:
Open the Start menu and click Search.
In the left window, click All Files and Folders.
In the box that says All or Part of the File Name, type temp. Keep in mind, this is just the first search. You can go back and use different variations, such as tmp.
Click on the down arrow next to More Advanced Options and in the drop-down list labeled Type of File, select Folder.
Make sure the first three boxes labeled Search System Folders, Search Hidden Files and Folders, and Search Subfolders are checked.
Click Search and examine the results. Note that folders like Templates or systemprofile are not what we're looking for. We are looking for folders like Temporary Internet Files, InstallTemp, or TempPE.
Delete all files you deem useless. Make sure you use caution and delete the files within the folder and not the folder itself until you know it is completely useless.
Well that's how you can find temporary folders. In the next section, I'll show you how to locate specific temporary file types, among other things. So stay tuned.
Once again we are back in the Search feature looking for temporary files. Perhaps you are still looking through your temporary folders. Either way, it's file time, so get ready. In order to find the temporary ones, it's important to know their most distinguishing features, and I'm not talking about their huge...well you get the point. Keep your eye out for the following:
the .tmp extension – this is the best indication of a temporary file
the .bak extension – these are backup files, but if they are old, you can probably get rid of them
the .old extension – these are old, unneeded files that have been renamed via a program update
a file with a tilde ~ as the first character
zero file length – when a file has nothing in it and has no characters
Another way to clean out useless data is to use the Disk Cleanup feature. A lot of people are already familiar with this tool. It is not the be-all-end-all of hard drive cleansers, but it is an easy way to free up some space and I think it's appropriate to go over at this point. It can help remove temporary programs created from various programs, Internet usage, and Windows itself. It also goes through the Recycle Bin, Setup log files, and downloaded program files (controls and applets that were part of the various web pages you visited). The following is a brief guide to Disk Cleanup:
Click Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Cleanup. Choose the hard drive you want it to scan (if you have multiple hard drives, otherwise it will immediately begin scanning).
In the dialog box that appears, check the boxes of the categories you wish to delete. A description of the highlighted item will appear in the lower half of the box. These files will be deleted for good, so choose wisely.
Click OK and Yes to continue.
As you can see from the Disk Cleanup, there are many other types of useless data besides temporary files, and duplicate data would be a prime example. If you think about it, why would you want an extra copy of the same file that isn't a backup? The most common duplicates will come from audio files, graphics files, database files, and the like. Usually this happens because you mistakenly copy a file instead of moving it or forget to delete the copies you did intend to make.
Whatever the reason, XP does not offer a tool like Disk Cleanup that helps find and erase duplicates. You most likely will have to acquire a third party application, like System Mechanic, but most of the good ones cost money. So if you feel you are in a dire duplicate situation, you may want to research some of these options.
The next section will go over how you can organize the data you choose to keep so that future cleanup is smooth and breezy.
If you think cleaning out your system is a hassle, I don't blame you. But there is a way to make it easier. I'm talking about organization. And if you don't believe me, I have a needle that I lost in a haystack a while back that I need back. Can you help me out? But seriously, you will suffer if you fail to organize your data. Your hard drive will indeed become the proverbial haystack. But don't worry, I think you'll find that data organization will get your creative juices flowing. And I promise that will be my last cliché.
Organizing your data is a task that largely falls upon you. By the time you're done, your system will reflect your personality in much in the same way that your home does. I will be merely offering some tips to guide you through this process. After all, you have to learn grammar before you can start writing.
My first tip involves hard drives and how to allocate your data on them. This assumes that you have multiple hard drives. The benefit of this is that you can designate data to one drive (usually D:) and programs to another (usually C:). With all your data on one drive, you don't have to go filtering through all your programs for the data you want to back up.
If you don't have multiple hard drives, you can always install another one physically. But that costs money! Okay, you can also partition the single hard drive you have so that Windows sees it as more than one hard drive. This can be done through third party software, like Partition Magic. They will guide you through this process better than I can. But this costs money too! Waaah! All right, fine. I see the cheapness is strong in you, Luke.
Come with me to the next section and I'll show you how to organize your one measly hard drive into a well-oiled machine. Uh oh, a cliché. I hope no one noticed it.
With one hard drive, your best bet in terms of organizing data is the folder. You have an unlimited supply (which is always good) and you can keep stuff in them. The trick is to use them in a way that best reflects how you work.
For example, you can have one for each project you're working on or one for each application you use. You can even take multiple finished projects (like articles) and put them all in the same folder. If you're working on a really big project, like a novel, you might have one folder for the novel and folders within it for the chapters (with multiple versions of each chapter within each folder, to say nothing of any notes on the chapters). However you decide to work it out, the key thing is to group together the things that belong together, and separate the things that don't belong together from each other.
Anyway, the Root Directory is where you want to begin this folder making adventure. The root directory is the top of a drive's hierarchy (the root directory for the C: drive is C:). Only the most important folders should be in the root directory.
Go into Windows Explorer by right clicking the Start menu and selecting Explore. Then click on the C: drive (for example) in the left window and make sure only relevant folders are in there. Feel free to move, rename, or delete folders when appropriate. You can also create a new folder by right clicking any blank area in the right window and choosing New -> Folder.
Double clicking on any one folder will take you inside that folder and to the next level of the root directory hierarchy. Again, move files to where you think they belong in your systems hierarchy. All data is not equal in the world of XP.
Finally, no article about data organization would be complete without a helpful reminder to back up and archive. It's important to remember to back up all data you feel might be significant in the future. I mentioned this in my last article as a safety precaution, but it's always good to err on the side of caution, even if it does mean more work.
Basically, archiving is copying your data to some sort of storage medium (CD, DVD, Zip Disk, etc.) before you delete it. Backing up data is generally the same thing, except that backups are short term copies of data you still need on your system.
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