Since i have gotten so much help here with cars i want to give somthing back so since im good with computers i wrote this to help out. This is a post to improve your computers performance. If you have never cleaned up you computer and have used it for a while you should see an improvement. Some of these programs may get upgraded and somethings may look differant but the instaructions should still work. Good luck!
(Do this at your own risk. I have never had any issues with these programs but that doesnt mean you wont. Your browsing speed maybe be slow at first after running this clean up because your computer will need to cache the files agian for sites you visit often, but you should see an improvment of the overall speed of your computer.)
I have only run these programs on a windows XP machine and have not tried them on vista or 7. Check their website the see compatability. Most of the time the program wont install unless it is compatable but you never know.
Here is what i usually do to clean a computer up (PC only). I tent to do it once a month, you may want to do it more depending on your internet usage.
Down load these 4 programs, all free and clean of bad software. Some times programs that "clean" your computer have adware or spyware themselves. Always research before you download any programs.
Ad-Aware 2008 -http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-2008/3000-8022_4-10045910.html
Just click on the "Download now" button under "Ad-Aware Anniversary Edition 8.0.7"
Spybot - Search & Destroy - http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
Click on the blue cube to the right of "Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.6.2" then chose the "Hosted by Safer-Networking" download link. While installing i dont install the "Tea Timer" feature.
CCleaner - http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/
Click on the "Download Latest Version" to the right of the web page
Defraggler - http://www.filehippo.com/download_defraggler/
Click on the "Download Latest Version" to the right of the web page
Install them, spybot might compain about you haveing Ad-Aware installed but i have never had a problem running them together or at the same time.
These programs should be run when no other program is running. Like Internet browser or somthing that will be saving data while running.
Ccleaner - Run this first, Deletes temporary files. These files are from web browsing, temp install files, temp program files, ect. There should not be anything you need in these files, they are just files that don't get deleted, like old post-its
. You will need to close any internet browsers to run this program.
once open and "Cleaner" is selected on the left side of the window (picture of a broom), you can the "Analyze" button at the bottom right-hand corner.
Once finished you can click on the "Run Cleaner" button. It may take a few minutes depending on how many files it have to clean up.
Ad-Aware 2008 - Scans for adware and spyware.
Update it by clicking on the "Web Update" on the left side of the window and selecting "update".
Once updated perform a Click on "Scan" on the left side of the window. You will be given a few choices of the type of scan. Do a "Full scan" since this is the first time you have used it. Later on you can use the "Smart Scan" which is quicker but scans in less places (still works).
Once its dune scaning look throught the "Critial Objects" and "Privacy Objects" tabs. select all of them and click on the "remove" button. You will have to do that for both tabs.
Spybot Search & Destroy - Scans for adware and spyware.
Click on the "Search For Updates" Button. A new window should pop-up that will let you select where you want to download from, usually i use "XTeq (germany)" because i have had some issues where other would freez while downloading, click "Continue". I Usually select all the updates, even the "english help" ones. Then click "Download". It will tell you to apply "immunization" after but i usually don't do it, i have read of some errors but it is very uncommon.
Click "Check For Problems" this will run the scan that may take a while. Once it is finished select all the iteams that come up and click "Fix Selected Problems". If there is a program that it can't delet because it is currently running, say yes to running Spybot S&D at the start up. Then reboot and it will scan your computer again before it loads your desktop.
Defraggler - run this last. May take a long time depending on the size of hard drive and the speed of the computer. Files on a hard drive are not always in one whole piece, they are broken up into fragments and scattered around on your hard drive, this program puts the fragments together. this will make them load quicker since your hard drive doesn't have to go looking all over the place for the fragments.
Open this program up and select your C drive on the top section of the window.
The middle window will show you a "picture" of how the files are on your hard drive. fragmented ones are in red, whole files are in blue, brown ones are ones that cant be moves (some system files). You will only be able to see the colors after you Analyze the drive. To do so just click on the Analyze button. This gives you a visual of how fragmented the drive is.
It maybe best to do this at night if you have alot of fragmented files. Once you have selected your C drive by highlighting it in the top window click on Defrag on the bottom left corner of the window. It will analyze the drive (if you didn't chose to analyze it before) and then it will start to defrag. I have noticed that on computers that have to done this in a while, it may take 2-3 defrags before you see no defragemented files.
hope this helps!
(Do this at your own risk. I have never had any issues with these programs but that doesnt mean you wont. Your browsing speed maybe be slow at first after running this clean up because your computer will need to cache the files agian for sites you visit often, but you should see an improvment of the overall speed of your computer.)
I have only run these programs on a windows XP machine and have not tried them on vista or 7. Check their website the see compatability. Most of the time the program wont install unless it is compatable but you never know.
Here is what i usually do to clean a computer up (PC only). I tent to do it once a month, you may want to do it more depending on your internet usage.
Down load these 4 programs, all free and clean of bad software. Some times programs that "clean" your computer have adware or spyware themselves. Always research before you download any programs.
Ad-Aware 2008 -http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-2008/3000-8022_4-10045910.html
Just click on the "Download now" button under "Ad-Aware Anniversary Edition 8.0.7"
Spybot - Search & Destroy - http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
Click on the blue cube to the right of "Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.6.2" then chose the "Hosted by Safer-Networking" download link. While installing i dont install the "Tea Timer" feature.
CCleaner - http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/
Click on the "Download Latest Version" to the right of the web page
Defraggler - http://www.filehippo.com/download_defraggler/
Click on the "Download Latest Version" to the right of the web page
Install them, spybot might compain about you haveing Ad-Aware installed but i have never had a problem running them together or at the same time.
These programs should be run when no other program is running. Like Internet browser or somthing that will be saving data while running.
Ccleaner - Run this first, Deletes temporary files. These files are from web browsing, temp install files, temp program files, ect. There should not be anything you need in these files, they are just files that don't get deleted, like old post-its
. You will need to close any internet browsers to run this program. once open and "Cleaner" is selected on the left side of the window (picture of a broom), you can the "Analyze" button at the bottom right-hand corner.
Once finished you can click on the "Run Cleaner" button. It may take a few minutes depending on how many files it have to clean up.
Ad-Aware 2008 - Scans for adware and spyware.
Update it by clicking on the "Web Update" on the left side of the window and selecting "update".
Once updated perform a Click on "Scan" on the left side of the window. You will be given a few choices of the type of scan. Do a "Full scan" since this is the first time you have used it. Later on you can use the "Smart Scan" which is quicker but scans in less places (still works).
Once its dune scaning look throught the "Critial Objects" and "Privacy Objects" tabs. select all of them and click on the "remove" button. You will have to do that for both tabs.
Spybot Search & Destroy - Scans for adware and spyware.
Click on the "Search For Updates" Button. A new window should pop-up that will let you select where you want to download from, usually i use "XTeq (germany)" because i have had some issues where other would freez while downloading, click "Continue". I Usually select all the updates, even the "english help" ones. Then click "Download". It will tell you to apply "immunization" after but i usually don't do it, i have read of some errors but it is very uncommon.
Click "Check For Problems" this will run the scan that may take a while. Once it is finished select all the iteams that come up and click "Fix Selected Problems". If there is a program that it can't delet because it is currently running, say yes to running Spybot S&D at the start up. Then reboot and it will scan your computer again before it loads your desktop.
Defraggler - run this last. May take a long time depending on the size of hard drive and the speed of the computer. Files on a hard drive are not always in one whole piece, they are broken up into fragments and scattered around on your hard drive, this program puts the fragments together. this will make them load quicker since your hard drive doesn't have to go looking all over the place for the fragments.
Open this program up and select your C drive on the top section of the window.
The middle window will show you a "picture" of how the files are on your hard drive. fragmented ones are in red, whole files are in blue, brown ones are ones that cant be moves (some system files). You will only be able to see the colors after you Analyze the drive. To do so just click on the Analyze button. This gives you a visual of how fragmented the drive is.
It maybe best to do this at night if you have alot of fragmented files. Once you have selected your C drive by highlighting it in the top window click on Defrag on the bottom left corner of the window. It will analyze the drive (if you didn't chose to analyze it before) and then it will start to defrag. I have noticed that on computers that have to done this in a while, it may take 2-3 defrags before you see no defragemented files.
hope this helps!
