Some simple computer maintenance to keep your computer running well.

Transcription

1 PC Tune-up for Windows XP Some simple computer maintenance to keep your computer running well. When you use your computer often, preventive maintenance is necessary. This is the same concept as for your house, car, etc. Many computer users ignore this routine and ask why my computer is running slow and perform badly? These are some basic tools that are essential for your PC: 1 Disk Cleanup 2 Disk Defragmenter 3 Windows Update 4 Anti Virus/Anti Spyware Disk Cleanup Use this tool to remove unnecessary files and free up space on your hard drive. Things that you can remove: 1 Temporary internet files 2 Empty recycle bin 3 Windows temporary files 4 Past downloaded files 5 Past installation temporary files 6 Compress old files Steps to perform Disk Cleanup: 1. Click on Start All Programs Accessories System Tools Disk Cleanup Budiman - 2/24/2006 Portland Community College, 1

2 2. If you have more than one hard drive, you will see the following window. Select the drive you want to clean up using the drop-down arrow. You can only perform 1 drive at a time. Click OK to proceed. This window will come up, asking you to wait while Disk Cleanup is checking all possible unnecessary files in your PC. 3. Put the check mark on which item on the list you want to cleanup. You can see how much space you can free up from each item. Click OK to proceed. Total amount of space you can free up based on your selected item 4. Click Yes to do Disk Cleanup. 5. There will be NO indication when you are finished using Disk Cleanup. Budiman - 2/26/2006 Portland Community College, 2

3 Temporary Internet Files, Cookies and History As you surf the internet, files and cookies are being stored in your Temporary Internet Files folder on your hard drive so that the next time you view those sites, they will load faster. Shortcuts to those previous sites are also stored in the History folder. Over time, these files take up a lot of disk space on your computer. Emptying your Temporary Internet Files and History folders at least once a month is recommended. Even if you run Disk Cleanup, only files are deleted, not cookies or shortcuts. For Internet Explorer Steps to empty your Temporary Internet Files, Cookies and History: 1. Open Internet Explorer 2. Click Tools Internet Options 3. Click the Delete Files button, under the General tab. Check the box Delete all offline content, then click OK. 4. Click the Settings button (to the right of the Delete Files button) to see which sites you have visited are storing cookies on your computer. 5. Click View Files button. Cookies are display in the window. 6. Click Edit Select All 7. Press the Delete key on your keyboard. 8. Click Yes on Are you sure you want to delete the selected Cookie(s)? 9. Close the window using the X button in the right hand corner of the window. 10. Click OK to close the Settings window. 11. Click the Clear History button (right below the Settings button). 12. Click Yes on Are you sure you want Windows to delete your history of visited Web sites? 13. Click OK button to close the Internet Options window Budiman - 2/24/2006 Portland Community College, 3

4 For Mozilla Browser Steps to empty your History, Cookies and Cache: 1. Open Mozilla. Click on Edit Preferences icon 2. Click to Navigator History on the left side. You may need to click on the + to the left of Navigator to see all your choices. Click on Clear History button. 3. Click to Privacy & Security Cookies. Click Cookie Manager, then click Remove All Cookies button. Click Close button to exit the Cookie Manager window. 4. Click to Advanced Cache. Click on Clear Cache button. 5. Click OK button to exit Preferences window For Mozilla Firefox Steps to empty your History and Cache: 1. Click on Tools Options Privacy icon (second icon on the top) 2. In History tab, click Clear Browsing History Now button. 3. In Cache tab, click Clear Cache Now button. 2 3 Disk Defragmenter Use this tool to analyze local volumes, and to locate and consolidate fragmented files and folders. As the operating system moves files around on the hard drive, files become fragmented, making the system works harder in searching for them. This causes slowness and a decrease in performance. Budiman - 2/24/2006 Portland Community College, 4

5 It is recommended to have a minimum of 15% of free space to keep your PC running at optimum performance. You must be the computer administrator to run this tool. Steps to perform Disk Defragmenter: 1. Make sure you are on the desktop and don t have any application open or running. It will take some time to run Disk Defragmenter, and you may not use your computer while running this tool. Click on Start All Programs Accessories System Tools Disk Defragmenter 2. Select the drive, then click Analyze button. Budiman - 2/24/2006 Portland Community College, 5

6 A. This screen will show up if you need to defragment the hard drive. Click the Defragment button. B. This screen will show up if you do not need to defragment the hard drive. Clicking the Defragment button is optional. A B A or B 3. The defrag process will take a while, especially if you have never performed this utility before. Progress bar 4. When the Disk Defragmentation process is finished, click the X button in the right hand corner of the window. Finished result is shown here. Budiman - 2/24/2006 Portland Community College, 6

7 Windows/Driver Update (Internet Connection Required) Windows Update: Depending on the setting you choose, Windows can automatically downloads and installs any high-priority updates that your computer needs, or you can set it to notify you as these updates become available. Driver Update: Current drivers help the hardware devices on your computer to perform at their best with your operating system. They will be available at your respective hardware manufacturer/vendors websites. Steps to perform Windows/Driver Update: 1. Double-click on the Internet Explorer icon Tools Windows Update. You may also go directly to the Microsoft update website: You can choose between Express (Recommended) or Custom (you can select optional). Windows will then connect and check your computer for the latest update. 2. The windows/driver update is divided into three categories: Critical, High Priority, and Optional. Select (put check mark) and click on Install Updates to download the windows/driver update. The Critical update is shown in red text. A B C A. Critical: you must install this update to fix windows/driver. B. High Priority: it is recommended that you install this high-priority update. C. Optional: It is an additional feature or a fix that is not absolutely necessary. Budiman - 2/24/2006 Portland Community College, 7

8 3. The following screen shows that updates are being downloaded and installed. You will be asked to restart your computer when finished installing. Anti-Virus/AntiSpyware (Internet Connection Required) To help protect your computer from the latest viruses and other security threats, it is recommended that you update your Anti Virus/Anti Spyware often. Examples of Anti Virus/Anti Spyware: Norton Antivirus McAfee VirusScan AVG Anti-Virus Pro Sophos Anti-Virus SpyBot S&D Ad-Aware SE Hijack This Anti virus software will continually update signatures to keep up with professional programmers hired by adware developers (ComputerWorld Oct p.27). To check your file or folder or drive for viruses (you need to have Anti-Virus software installed in your computer): 1. Open "Windows Explorer", right-click on the drive you want to check. Click on Floppy (A:) drive (or any other drive..."c:", "zip"...), and select "Scan with (the name of your anti-virus software) Anti-Virus". Anti-virus software will automatically perform the scanning. 2. Your virus protection software will give you a summary and should alert you of any viruses. Depending on how your virus scan software is set up, you will be given a choice of cleaning up or deleting any infected files. For other virus related questions, contact the IT Helpdesk ( ) Budiman - 2/24/2006 Portland Community College, 8

9 Some screenshots of Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware Update: AVG Web Update Norton Live Update Ad-Aware Web Update Budiman - 2/24/2006 Portland Community College, 9