Keeping your system clean is as important as anything you can do to achieve optimal performance from your computer. A cluttered computer can be one of the biggest hindrances when it comes to system functionality. So if you find it takes more time to open and run a program than it should, this article will offer a few beginner's tips for cleaning out Windows XP.
Contributed by Michael Lowry Rating: / 3 May 07, 2008
I wrote an article recently on ASP Free discussing a few simple ways to make your system run faster using the Task Manager on Windows XP. Most of the methods offered a temporary fix for when you are running multiple programs at once and need to prioritize your time in some way. However, doing a complete overhaul of your system can provide numerous long term benefits. The only thing you need to determine is whether your system actually needs cleaning (hint: it does).
It's hard to find someone with a computer who doesn't use it on some sort of regular basis, whether it be at work or at home. It's hard to find someone without a computer period. And even minimal use can result in some old files creating a backlog in your system. The point is, a quick dust up can never hurt. Still not convinced? Here are some of the pros and a few of the cons (just a few) of cleaning up XP on your computer.
Pros
First of all, there's the obvious issue of speed. A clean system will run faster than one cluttered with useless programs and old data. Then there's efficiency. How long does it take you to find the program or file you want to run after searching through the vast layers of your start menu, or worse, the Windows search tool? It can also save you money by creating more space on your hard drive, instead of having to go out and get a new one. The fact is you will have a lot less to worry about if you know there isn't some rogue virus hiding in the deepest depths of your system. The chances of a sudden crash or loss of data decrease dramatically with a tidy system.
Cons
If you're like me (lazy), then you'll probably want to know how long this is going to take. Naturally, that depends on the mess you've made in your system, but even the smallest mess will take at least an hour to completely clean. As for a large mess, well let's just say you'd better have easy access to a fridge and a toilet. Then there's the fact that you may not know how to use all the tools needed to clean your computer. Don't worry though, at least for this article. The techniques I discuss are unbelievably basic, but essential. Hopefully it won't be too much of a chore, at least not yet.
The most efficient way to clean your computer is in sections. In this article, I will be going over how to tidy up the programs on XP. After all, what do you use your computer for? To run various programs. Hence, we will be going over this first. I will also discuss how to control the data constantly flowing through your system. This will most likely be completed in another article, however.
Before we get started, I'd like to go over a few precautions you should take before doing any computer maintenance whatsoever. In case you don't know, cleaning your system will involve everything from adding, deleting, moving, and renaming items. If done haphazardly, an unintended consequence may occur, such as deleting a critical system file or an important set of data. Think of how you felt when your mom accidentally threw away your best stash while cleaning your room – not the stash!
First of all, for God's sake, don't delete anything unless you know what it is. If you can't quite tell whether it's important or not, just move it to a different directory. Then, when you restart and the program needs it, you can just move it back from where you last put it. In fact, before you do anything, you might want to make a backup of your entire system. This way, if you slip up in a way that would normally make you want to jump out the window, you still have your backup.
In concordance with what I said about backing up the system, you should probably gather all the original discs of the programs you intend to keep. You can use them either as a backup or a reference in case you need the software key for whatever reason.
When you do delete programs, the safest way to do so is either through the uninstall option provided with the program or the Add/Remove Programs feature in the Control Panel. Deleting the main folder of a program almost never removes an entire program. If a new icon appears on the desktop one day (what the hell?), make sure you check its properties and find out what it is before you go deleting it.
Indeed, a lot of this is common sense, but you can't be too careful. You should actually break out the notepad and write down each step you take along the way. You'll thank me when you have to retrace your steps to find out where you went wrong. In fact, you're going to need it anyway for the next section. Uh oh!
In order to get rid of all your unused programs, you must first figure out which programs you do use (all of them, not just the ones you use the most) and write them down. You can either do this from memory or start taking a week's worth of inventory (a typical week, not one where you have the week off and you only use the computer 3 or 4 times). Then you need to figure out all the programs that are actually on your computer and make a separate list.
When searching the desktop, be sure to check all the icons on the screen and in the taskbar and system tray in the lower right corner. After this, you can check the Start menu and look under All Programs and the Add/Remove Programs feature in the Control Panel. Finally, under My Computer, click on Local Disk (C:) and then Program Files. Write down any programs you have not already.
The next thing to do, as I'm sure you've already guessed, is compare the two lists and make sure they are congruous (add any programs you forgot you need to the list of 'used' programs).. If they are not and you have more than a few unused programs, then obviously you need to take the next step, which is removing them from your system.
Once you have figured out which programs you want to remove, you can do so in one of the following ways, some of which I have already mentioned:
Uninstall Program
Most programs usually come with this feature installed as a separate program located within the same menu option.
Click the Start menu and navigate through the All Programs option until you find the program.
'Uninstall program' should be clearly labeled within the menu option. Click it.
Run the program and follow all necessary instructions.
If you cannot find the uninstall option in the start menu, try searching through the program's folder in the Program Files folder that I mentioned earlier. The option may have been placed there instead. If not, you can also check the 'Help' or 'ReadMe' file for another nonstandard removal method.
Control Panel
This section involves using the Add or Remove Programs feature that I mentioned earlier in the article.
Go into the Start menu and select Control Panel.
Double click the Add or Remove Programs feature and search through the dialog box for the program you wish to remove. Click it.
Additional information should appear along with at least one of these buttons: Change (adds or removes certain features of the program), Remove (uninstalls the program), and Change/Remove (combination of both). Remember: you want to remove the program.
This method will help you “manually” remove all remnants of a program when they are scattered thoroughly throughout your system. It involves two major steps. The first is locating and removing the program:
Right click on the shortcut icon of the program or its location within the Start menu under All Programs and select Properties.
Copy the contents of the Target field into a blank document for future reference.
Click on Find Target and make a log of all the program names within that folder.
Delete the files related to the program you are trying to remove. Usually the entire folder is related to that program, but if you're not sure, just move the file to another location for future reference and security.
The next step involves scouring through the Registry:
Click Start and then Run.
Next to where it says Open: type regedit and click OK.
The Registry Editor should have two windows (left and right). Click on My Computer in the left window so that it is highlighted and press Ctrl+F. This will open the Find dialog box.
Next to Find what: type in the name of the program from the previous step (just the program name and its file extension, e.g. .exe or .dll) and leave all of the boxes checked under Look at.
Click Find Next. If it finds a match, the tree in the left window will be expanded to show its location and the right window will have the file's data.
After examining the data to see if it's important, delete it.
Press F3 to find where else the program name is hiding. If there is another match, repeat step six.
Repeat this process for each program you found in the previous step where you located the program.
When you're done, close the Registry Editor.
Don't forget to delete the shortcut on your desktop and in the Start menu under All Programs. Just right click and select Delete.
The last way to clean programs out of your system is to use third party software, but seeing as there are several options out there that I haven't tried, I don't want to make a recommendation only to find out that there are indeed better options. But if you're dying for an example, you might want to try Your Uninstaller! and see how that works.
I hope this article has given you some better insight into the importance of keeping your system neat and tidy. Until next time...
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