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Windows Disk Cleanup Utility
Go to My Computer right click on the C drive, choose Properties-click the Disk Cleanup Button, go to this link for a picture and more information and screen shot Disk Cleanup
Recycle Bin
Every week or so you should empty your Recycling Bin. You do not gain the mega bites back until you Empty the Bin, you could have a lot of mega bits of files. Here's a picture of it. This helps, if you have a small harddrive and limited space. If you delete something you are not sure about deleting, send it to the bin, if you have problems go back to the bin and Restore the file. Once you empty the bin, the files are gone for good and space is freed up on your system.
Windows Temp files
You can delete the .tmp files in the Start-Programs-Windows Explorer-C:\ Drive(or whatever is your main drive)-Windows-Temp Folder- you can hold down the Ctrl key and click on each .tmp file and delete them or go to Edit-Select All, Right Click on a Blue Highlighted File-Choose Delete, they will go to the Recycle Bin, so until you Empty the bin that space will not be freed up. Here is a picture of it. Some programs running in the TaskBar, store Temp files while they are running, if you can't Delete a file, close those programs, one that I run is United Devices, it has a file named dfxxx.temp, I exit the program, clean the Temp file, then start it up again.
Your Browser Cache
Clean out your Browser Cache file, my son had over 120 megs in his cache file, the Browser loads pages of visited sites that you go to in a Temporary File. In Internet Explorer, go to Tools-Internet Options-General Tab-Delete files button in the Temporary Internet Files Section-Check the Off-line Files Box to. ( link to a picture of it )
Uninstall programs you never use ( Go to my Uninstall Software Page for more Information )
Go to the Add/Remove Program ( link to a picture of it ) in your Control panel and Uninstall what you never use. I would run something like Norton WinDoctor ( link to a picture of it ) after Uninstalling, to clean up any left over entries. Also while you are in Add/Remove, open the Windows Setup Tab ( link to a picture of it ) and go through those categories and Uninstall what you do not use.
Clean out your My Documents file
Go to Start-Settings-Taskbar&StartMenu ( picture )-click on the Start Menu Programs tab-click the Clear button. Whenever you are working on a word processor file or a graphics file, etc, Windows puts a copy of it in the Documents folder for easier access, if you saved it, it is still in the program or file that you saved it to, this is a short cut or copy of it.
Delete Background Pictures .bmp
Right click on your desktop, go to Customize my desktop, click on the background tab ( link to a picture of it ). click on the Browse Button, scroll to the end, delete any .bmp pictures you will never use. These will go to the Recycle Bin, so you want gain the space until you Empty the Recycle Bin or if you change your mind you can restore it.
Cookies
If you would like to stop Cookies from being placed on your Computer, go into your Browsers Security Section and set your preferences to Disable Cookies, in IE, go to Tools-Internet Options-Security Tab-Click on Internet-Click Custom Button-Check Disable under Cookies-Click the OK Button-Click Apply. Cookies store information for the site you visit and are generally OK. Some are Spy Ware, but you can remove them by using Adaware, a very small program to download, I run it once a week to remove any unwanted Cookies or Spyware.
Screen area, I have heard that if you set your Screen Area to 1024 X 768 and go to 32 bit Colors and set the refresh rate to the highest your card will allow, Settings Tab-Advanced Button-Adapter Tab.
A. It is easier on your eyes and it is easier for your Computer to refresh this size. I set mine to these settings and have noticed that my eyes are less tired and hey, a lot bigger area to look at, I also went to View-Text Size in IE and set the Text size to Larger. I alwise used 800 X 600 at 16 bits before, it takes a little time to get use to the bigger size, but now, I Like It !!!
Some Background Pictures need to be run with Active Desktop, that means, View my Active Desktop as a web page, will be checked in the Web Tab and some programs will have info in the Box below. If you are having Shut Down problems, change your Background Picture and Uncheck the, View my Active Desktop as a web page Box and Remove any info in the Box below it. I would also Remove the Programs that are listed in that Box. I use a small program to Display Holiday Lights on my Desktop at Christmas, I have to have it Checked and the Info in the box while I use it, after I'm done, I Uncheck it and Remove the Info. While using it, I have to use Ctrl-Alt-Delete-ShutDown, to Shut Down the Computer at times, to avoid a Blue Screen, but hey it is Free and I know what is giving me the Blue Screen and how to avoid it , so what the hey.
Screen Saver, you do not need to run a Screen Saver any more, it just gets in my way while I'm Gaming or etc, On the first Monitors it was used so you didn't imprint something on to the Monitor, but with the new Monitors that is not a concern.
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