Help cleaning up my PC

[James51234]

Hi all,

Firstly I know very little about computers, so any help will be appreciated.

Ok, my problem is that my pc is very cluttered with files and programmes that came installed on my pc when I bought it. These programmes and files are things like photo impact 10, ulead video studio 8, New DJ etc...(things I never use..) and also there are lots of random files about AOL free trials, MSN apps and explorer, and lots of packard bell rubbish (etc...) every where on my HD, and I can't seem to get rid of them all.

Basically, I bought my pc (Packard Bell) and it came with loads of useless junk and annoying files, and I would just like to clean it up, so only the programmes I want are on there and I end up with a nice clean HD.

Thanks very much!!

(PS. I have checked in ad and remove programmes, and many of the programmes and files I want to remove are not listed)

 

[superdave1984]

They may not actually be installed yet, just hanging around waiting for you to click the icon and start the install. You can either go into My Computer and start deleting folders or if you really want to start clean, format and reinstall your OS using your XP or Vista CD, not the recovery CD that came with your computer. The recovery CD will have all the same junk on it so it will be exactly as it was the day you got it.

 

[motoxer4533]

You can go to Start > Control Panel > Add Remove Programs. Then go through the list, and remove the ones you don't use.

Also, if programs start up when you start your computer, and you don't want them to, you can change this.

Go to Start > Run > and type in "msconfig" (without the quotes).
Then, go to the Startup Tab in the dialog box that pops up. Go through the list, and you might find things like: msmsgs, jusched, or aim6 (if you have AOL Instant Messenger). You can simply uncheck the ones you don't want to start up, hit apply, and restart your computer.

This will help load times when getting onto your desktop, because the computer doesn't have to start so many things at once.

** If you don't know what something is, don't mess with it. Either Google what it is, or ask here - you don't want to disable something that Windows needs to start up.


Hope this helps some.

 

[BlueHeaven]

If you open the Run dialog box (ie Start-->Run) type msconfig then go to start up, you can sift thru want is being started when windows loads, a lot of times with pre-build pc's there's a ton of crap being run in the background slowing you down. You can uncheck anything you think you don't want, you really can't screw up too much by doing this, and most of the time its pretty obvious what it is thats being started. Apply and restart.

 

[motoxer4533]

Yep... read my post above...

 

[BlueHeaven]

Yep... read my post above...

We both wrote at the same time, guess you just posted half a second before me

 

[motoxer4533]

Yea, great minds think alike I guess.

 

[Nick]

We both wrote at the same time, guess you just posted half a second before me

3 mins lol,

download: TuneUp Software International - Download
run all the variuos apps on there, may makea slight difference in performace though its not great

defrag your hard drive: My computer, right click Local Disk C:, click the tools tab, defragment now, on the window that opens click defragment,

as said before: start, run, type msconfig in the dialog box, startup tab, and disable all your programs,

disk cleanup: my computer, right click Local Disk C:, disk cleanup, check all the boxes as that stuff is never needed, if you've never done that before that maybe that can clear upto 5GBs

again as said before: start, control panel, add or remove programs and look through the list at stuff you don't need

hope that helps

 

[Sodaen]

1. Press Start (start menu)
2. Press Run
3. Type "msconfig" in the text-box.
4. Press Enter
5. Click the Startup tab.
6. You see a list of programs that start on boot, remove mostly anything that doesn't have "C:\Windows\" under the Command list.
7. Keep unchecking all this crap, look at it again, make sure all the junk is gone. Reboot your computer and I guarantee a lightning fast increase in speed.

This is to remove the files from startup operation process but not removing it entirely. It will make your computer much faster, as this is the problem with most slow computers.

 

[Nick]

none of the apps on that list are actually important just click disable all