by Marc Zimmerman

Created on: August 11, 2009   Last Updated: August 12, 2009

When we first buy a computer, whether it be a $500 laptop with the bare minimums for your needs, or a $3,000 gaming computer, it runs smoothly and has almost a completely clean hard drive. But, as a person installs programs such as Microsoft Word, and internet security, or perhaps games to play, the available hard drive space decreases, as each program must be installed into the hard drive in order to remain on the computer. In all honesty, a computer is never completely clean, no matter how many add-on programs you use to delete unnecessary files.

Every time you log onto the internet, and browse around, temporary internet files are stored in your computer, such as passwords for email accounts or browser history. If you're looking to gain a couple megabytes (MB), you can simply delete all of your temporary files and cookies by clicking on "Tools" and selecting "Internet Options." However simple this may be, the default system programs that come with a Windows computer are not always effective.

I personally use CCleaner, a freeware add-on program that installs an icon onto my desktop, and whenever I wish to fix registry problems with my computer, or run the analyzer and cleaner, I simply click on the icon and select which option I want; CCleaner does the rest for me, providing detailed results. Another helpful program that comes standard with all Windows computers is Disk Defragmenter, which cleans up (almost) all unnecessary and unused files on your hard drive, and files belonging to programs that are no longer installed on your computer. It can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 10 hours, depending on how "clogged up" your system is, but it is about 90% effective in removing old files, and can free up to a couple gigabytes (GB). Last but not least, Disk Cleanup is a simple tool (that is also standard to Windows computers) that lets you choose what you want to delete, from system error memory dump files to temporary internet files.

You also may wish to delete the hibernation option for your computer, if you never use it, which will free up around 3GB. Computers, although very complicated, are not that hard to fix if you know what to look for, so don't be afraid to try out what Windows has to offer, or perhaps pay money for a better program. I personally use Disk Defragmentor, Disk Cleanup, and CCleanup to tackle the task of freeing up disk space. But, be warned, do not delete files from the recovery portion of your computer unless you know exactly what you're doing, as those files are kept on reserve in the event of a system crash, in which System Recovery would need to run. If these simple tools just don't quite cut it, then I would suggest installing extra memory (RAM) into your computer, which can be done by your local computer doctor, or yourself. I would recommend at least 2GB for a computer used for tasks such as photo/video editing, gaming, and business.

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