Hi there Cam,
Hmmm tough question. Yes - there are lots and lots of free tools around - unfortunately there are almost as many dodgey ones out there as there are good ones!
It is a tough one because if you are going to allow someone (or a program) to start cleaning up - then you will have to give them access to the very heart of your machine. This means that you really had better trust whatever program you are using, or you could find that they have done something nasty to your computer.
Personally I think the best way to clean up your computer is to do it yourself - it does not take long, and you can use tools that come with your computer. Here is my top 5 simple steps to computer Nirvana - apply monthly or more frequently if desired...
NOTE- I am assuming that you are using a windows computer. If you are using Linux or a Mac, most of the following won't apply to you. The good news is - that it is probably not needed either!
1) Keep your operating system up to date. If you are using Windows, be sure to manually run "Windows Update" every now and then. There are optional updates that you may want that are not covered in the standard "automatic updates". Use the "custom" option when updating to see all the available updates.
NOTE: I generally stay clear of "hardware updates" unless you have a problem that you are trying to fix.
2) Do a manual Anti-virus scan. You should have an anti-virus program of some sort - first update it, then run a manual scan to scan your entire hard drive. This can pick up bits and pieces that the automatic scanner may miss. Be prepared for a long wait as these scans can take some time!
3) Run an "anti-spyware" scan. There are many free programs available on the internet. A couple that I use reguarly are:
There are many good programs out there - so if you have a favorite and you are reading this - why not post it and share
REMEMBER: as with any scanning software, you need to use a process of first updating the software, then doing a scan.
Spybot Search and Destroy has an "immunize" feature that I use sometimes use - it basically has a list of suspect websites and adds them to your computer's list of untrusted sites. Not a bad one.
4) Clean up your disk space. This is simple on most windows machines - just use the disk cleanup tool. Use something like: "Start", point to "All Programs", point to "Accessories", point to "System Tools", and then click "Disk Cleanup". This will clear out temporary files and other unwanted stuff.
5) Disable unused system tray programs. This is the trickiest part, and the part where you have the most to gain in most computer systems. Basically what we are trying to do is reduce the number of programs running in the background, while your computer is idle. Many producers of software will make parts of their system load every time windows starts -regardless of if you are using that program or not! This makes your computer slower to boot, and slower to run over time.
The basic theory here is to identify programs that you do not need running all the time, and turn them off. They will still load properly when you call them manually - they just don't run all the time. For example - if you have a camera that you plug in occasionally to download pictures, most camera software is designed to run in the background and check if you plug in your camera. When you plug it in a window pops up to ask if you want to download images! You can actually turn this off, and then just run the camera program when you want to download images yourself
I usually follow the steps below:
a) expand the icons next to the time, in the "system tray". Hover your mouse over the icons one by one. The name of the program should "pop up" - you are looking to pick a program that you do not absolutely need running all the time. For example, camera or printer management tools, display settings, google desktop etc.. You will want to keep stuff like your virus scanner.
b) Right click (or sometimes left click) on them and see if you can access a "settings" or "options" or "load at startup" menu. What you want to do disable the load on startup. NOTE: just clicking on quit or exit will not usually work, as the program will just load up again next time you start.
c) The above steps should fix most programs. If you want to get rid of something that is rude and doesn't have a "disable" option, you will need to use something like "MSCONFIG" or a registry editor like REGEDIT. Take care there - I am not going to go in to detail here and now as these things can get you in trouble if you don't know what you are doing !
6) Scan your disk for errors. This operation will look for errors on your hard disk. It is good to do, and will give you advanced warning of impending hardware failure. If you find errors please take note - this is usually a sign that your hard disk is deteriorating! I would start backing up pretty reguarly, as you never know when your computer will just give up and head to digital heaven... to do a scan :
a) Close all open files.
b) Click Start, and then click My Computer.
c) In the My Computer window, right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.
d) In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.
e) Click the Check Now button.
f) In the Check Disk dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.
6) Here is the ever popular defragmenter! This is really a tweak in performance rather than a big step up - but it is worth doing every now and then. Again, you will have to leave you machine for a while to let this run. Click on Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
I hope that helps, I will mention your question on the radio this week, let me know how you get on!
Cheers,
RG
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