A LAPTOP BEST CARED FOR

A few simple free tasks can greatly keep your computer clean of unnecessary files that are taking up valuable space and hindering peak performance of your machine. Regular maintenance is vital to the longevity of your hard drive. These annoying files come from all over. They range from incoming Internet connections to local actions performed by your own computer. This article will examine the simplicity of these simple tasks and their importance. It is also the hope that this information may prove useful for the beginning computer user to even the more experienced who may have forgot the simple tools available at a keystroke.

The Disk Cleanup is one of the most important tools available to you. It is the eyes and ears of all files coming in and created within and it assigns them to their categories. The categories that files are allocated to are Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Internet Files, Recycle Bin, Temporary Files, WebClient/Publisher Temporary Files, Compress old files, Catalog files for the Content Indexer and there are other categories as well. Upon program activation in System Tools it will scan the files and give you a category breakdown of the amount of files that are in each. Just “check” the categories desired to be cleaned up and clean it up. Doing this daily is highly advisable. This tool is a mainstay common feature in most all systems built. Also available is the option to set up a schedule to automatically execute Disk Cleanup. This is a good back up in case you forget to perform your cleanup regularly. For this reason see the screen shots to the right and look up your Task Schedular. Just set up your desired schedule and let Windows do the rest.

There are other available free disk cleaning software available on the Internet. These are relatively small programs and take a few minutes at best to download. One such program is CCleaner. Being a routine cleaner your on-board Disk Cleanup will only clean up your basic unwanted files. Deeper cleaning may be wanted in which CCleaner and other like products may come in handy. These types of software dig a little deeper into your reservoir. Yet more powerful cleaners are available for purchase. Any way you go performing your cleanup is a necessary part of your computer’s health.

Hard disks are not infallible. They are subject to corruption and certain protocols which can render the entire system substandard if proper maintenance is not done regularly. As you move, delete, add to or omit from a file or program on your system that previously allocated space on your drive has now changed. If the file is now smaller that space now has availability which will quickly be consumed by all or most likely a partial file(s). If your file is now larger that space can no longer hold it in it’s entirety and must now allocate bits and pieces off to other available spaces. This is fine and normal as it’s the function of the computer system. However, this process of exchanged and moved information eventually hinders the performance of your machine. Time lags and inefficiencies accompany each proceeding time the system accesses that program or file. Your Disk Defragmenter is every bit as important as your Disk Cleanup utility. This process, when accessed, will analyze a snapshot of your hard drive and assess whether a defragmenting process needs to take place. Again, as with the Disk Cleanup utilize the Disk Defragmenter often for a happy and healthy computer.

This program is a miracle in itself. It literally moves files around into it’s best possible position to maximize efficiency. This usually takes several minutes and must be done undisturbed. You won’t gain any extra space on your drive but you will have efficiency in your programs that you harbor on said drive. This author certainly cannot stress enough these two utilities. The accompanying photos detail the screens you will note along the way.

Invest some time in your Power Options found in your Control Panel. These options deal with your system’s power usage especially when not in use yet turned on. This can not only save on wear and tear of your internal workings of your computer it will also ensure longevity of your display screen. Most screens are open to certain “burns” in the screen when constant characters or colors are inflicted over a great period of time. Considering that many modern laptop screens can run upwards of $200 it would be well worth it to learn and execute your custom Power Options.

Be safe on the Internet. Use common sense and rely on your instincts to guide you in correct paths on the information superhighway. Be respectful and mindful of your computer. It should have equal attention that you give your vehicle - if not more. If you offer your hardware daily attention it will prove an asset to you for years to come.