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Drive(s)

Most people realize that they have to defragment their Hard Drives periodically or disk performance will suffer. Windows' built-in
defragmenter does an adequate job of defragmenting most files, but it has it's limitations. Certain system files (including the registry) won't be defragmented. Also, with this utility running, you can't use your system for anything else. This program is actually a 'light'

version of Diskeeper, which also comes in commercial flavors starting at about $30.00. For that price you get more efficient and complete defragmentation which can work in real-time, utilizing unused CPU cycles (so it doesn't slow your system down).

Clean the Registry

The last thing I generally do when optimizing a system is to clean / optimize the registry. This removes references to obsolete objects and redundant entries, and repairs broken links. Again, this is accomplished with a utility. Remember to back up the registry first by using the File->Export menu option in the registry editor (regedit). The best type of utility for cleaning the registry is one that can defragment as well as clean it, something like RegistryBooster 2009, which costs about $30.00 (a free scan is available from the web site). The best free utility I've tested is CCleander. This freeware tool also improves privacy by removing trace evidence of internet usage.

All of these optimization steps either require a utility or can be made easier with one. You can acquire free utilities or commercial variants. With commercial offerings you generally get technical support and sometimes more comprehensive functions than you do with free software. For the do-it-yourself type, the free software offers great opportunities to increase your knowledge about your computer system while you work to improve its efficiency and value.

Learn more about this author, Joe Poniatowski.
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