II. Beginner1.
Download CCleaner and run it. This program will scan for problems you may have with your registry...cleaning up unused files, browsing history and other areas of your computer...improving performance.
Note: You may not want to install the Yahoo! Toolbar that comes with this download (be sure to check out the different builds). Also, make sure you just use the default settings of CCleaner...not the Advanced Settings...unless you know what you are doing or are directed to by one of our Malware Removal Specialists. For more information about CCleaner, click here.Some people run the
Analyze feature of the
Cleaner scan first to see what is going to be removed; it's your choice. Before you actually run the Cleaner, you might want to take a look at the
Cleaner Settings to make sure you won't be removing anything you may want to keep. Temporary Internet Files are typically removed, but you may want to keep your
Cookies, History, Recently Typed URL's, or Autocomplete Form History. If you wish to keep any of these items, simply uncheck them. Keep in mind that
CCleaner is set to empty the Recycle Bin, so...if there are any files in there you might want, you should uncheck it. The entire Advanced section should be unchecked if you're not fully confident in your knowledge of those items. Removing something such as
Old Prefetch data can actually impede performance and the speed of applications, and you may want to keep many of the things included in the
Advanced section, such as
Hotfix uninstallers, which you will need in the case of having to remove a problematic hotfix. Advanced users may want to read
this thread (taken from the official forum) to learn about adding more programs to be cleaned.
Run the
Registry scan on the left-side menu, right under
Cleaner. Save a copy of the
registry entires when it asks you to, and make sure you save it somewhere safe, so you can find it later if you need to. This way, if CCleaner removes anything you wanted to keep, your registry will be backed up. It's suggested that you run the Issues scan a couple of times to properly clean up the registry. If you're familiar with the various programs installed on your computer, you can use the
Tools feature to remove old programs, such as outdated versions of Java or expired trial software. Make note of any programs you don't recognize, so you can either research them yourself, or ask others for advice. By following all of these steps, you will free up some extra space and speed up your computer's performance a bit.
2. The next step is to clean up your
Desktop. Create a new folder and put
all of your pictures and documents in it. Also, make one for
.exe files you might have, or for the icons you rarely...or never use.
Organization is your friend!3. Next, use the Windows Defragmenter to defragment your hard drive. To find it, just go to
Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter. Click on the disk you want to defrag
(for this tutorial, we will assume it's drive C) and click
Defragment. You can click
Analyze and it will scan your drive and let you know whether you need to defrag or not. For this tutorial, I recommend that you do. Go
here to learn how defragmenters work.
4. Go to
Start > Run and when the
Run window opens, type in
msconfig and click
OK. Go over to the
Startup tab on the far right.
Uncheck everything that doesn't need to start up when you load Windows. Examples are
QuickTime,
MSN Messenger, and
RealPlayer. Just make sure you don't uncheck your security software! Click on
Apply, then
Close, and restart your computer.