SolveYourProblem
Article Series: PC Tuneup
Help Me Keep My PC Running Smoothly
How
to Clean Up Your PC Hard Disk Drive
In this article, you will find information
and guidance on how to clean out your computer’s hard disk
drive. When I say “clean out”, I mean clean up; you
can delete unneeded files to help keep your personal computer
up to speed. Here, you will learn how to check and clean up your system
tray. (The system tray can be found in the lower right hand
corner of your computer’s screen. It is usually right next
to your clock.) You can remove any icons you don’t need, too!
Did
you know that simply removing unwanted/unneeded icons and
their applets could also make your personal computer run
more quickly, with fewer problems? Actually, this should be
the first task you perform when doing maintenance. It is the
easiest and will help your computer! Basically, if your personal
computer seems to be freezing or you keep getting “illegal
operations” messages, simply removing unneeded icons can be
the beginning stage to restoring your computer’s original settings.
For the most part, every application on your personal computer
will end up placing an icon in your computer’s system tray.
Most applications install an icon in the system tray. These
icons are pretty useful in redirecting your personal computer
to the programs that you need to use. The only bad thing is
that these icons also use some of the memory your personal
computer uses. They also tend to use some of the juice your
computer can use to direct other applications.
Basically, the more icons you click on, the more applications
your computer is running. This means that the computer is using
precious memory space and power. The more applets that are
used at the same time, the more time it takes your personal
computer to work. In order to compensate for the lost time,
your computer will then search for other means to speed up
the process and anything it does will basically cause a buildup
of information. This information can really build up over time
and unless it is removed, can eventually lead to your computer
having some serious problems.
The best way to avoid these problems is to apply a simple
tune up method to remove any unwanted clutter from the systems
tray. This is actually a fairly simple task, so please don’t
be scared to do it all by yourself! So we'll spend a minute
showing you how to get rid of this clutter. The procedure described
below is written primarily for those using Windows 98 SE and/or
ME/2000/XP. For the most part, these are the main Windows programs
on the market today.
Before
you begin the process of removing unwanted/unneeded icons
from your system tray, you will want to print out these
instructions. If you do not print the instructions first,
you will be completely lost if and when you should need to
restart your computer. (Which is common when removing and re-programming
your personal computer.) Basically, you can use these instructions
as a template for the entire process. If you have to keep looking
back at the web page, you are more likely to get lost! Save
yourself a lot of trouble and back up the knowledge with a
paper copy.
With that said, the following will help you to remove the
said icons and, hopefully, get your computer back up to speed:
- Click on “Start”
- Click on “Programs”
- Click on “Accessories”
- Click on “System Tools”
- Click on “System Information”
- Click
on "Tools"
- Click on System “Configuration”
- Click
on "Startup" (far right location)
Next, it is best that you check some of the basic items, including:
- System Tray
- Scan Registry
- Task Monitor
- Load QM
- Load Power Profile (have a 2)
- Anything associated with your video card
In case you should run into any problems, there are basic
troubleshooting tasks you can easily perform, including:
- Restart (be sure that you are in “safe mode”)
- Re-check everything that you unchecked (to save time, enable
the checkbox for everything)
- Restart
- Uncheck items not listed above
- Restart
- Repeat until all that you don’t need is unchecked
Don’t worry if your personal computer doesn't start correctly
after going through these steps the very first time. Just restart
your personal computer in a safe mode and run through the entire
application again. You can also undo any of the changes, if
you feel this is not helping your computer run more smoothly
and move on to the next task.
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2008
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