If you are using Windows you will have, on your desktop, (the screen that you see with nothing running) an icon marked “Recycle Bin�. Every now and then you should empty this of anything that is in it. The files stored in here are things that you have deleted, but they are still on the hard disk (cupboard).
If there are programs that you no longer use then you need to click on “start�, “Control Panel� and then go to the icon which reads “add or remove software� click on anything that you no longer use and then click remove. You will see on the list how much space some programs use on the hard disk (cupboard).
Once you have done this then it is time to clean up the hard disk. First of all we will look at how a hard disk works. Physically it is like a few CDs stacked on top of each other with a gap between each. A moving head goes between the disks and reads them.
If you compare this to a writing book with a separate paper index you will understand how the data is written to the disk. When the PC is new, you write on the index “Windows XP� and then write the data into page 1 and 2 of the book. You then put Microsoft word onto the index and into the book on the next pages and so it goes on constantly writing into the book and changing the index.
When you are on page 102 in the book you use Microsoft word to write a long letter, the letter will take up 10 pages, but you only have time to write 3 at the moment so you save this and do something else. The next day you go back to writing the letter which is now on pages 102 to 104. In the time you have been away your other half has used the PC to write emails and put some photos on the system. When you come to save, you won’t see this, but he has used pages 105 to 109. You continue your letter and it is automatically continued on pages 110 to 117. This is what is called in computer terms as a fragmented file. It does not matter as the computer has changed the index so that the hard disk knows where the different parts of the letter are.
In reality files are scattered in pieces all over the hard disk in many little pieces. If you imagine how slow it would be to read a short story in the book where it was in 2000 bits on different pages and all you had was the index to help you, you will understand why the computer is slow.
Windows has a program to tidy all this up and will effectively move pages and rewrite bits to bring them all together. This is know as defragging.
To run a defrag you need to open the icon labeled “my computer� this is normally on your desktop but if not is inside the start button. When open you should see an icon marked “C drive�, C is the letter assigned to your hard disk (cupboard) automatically by windows. If you right click this icon a menu box will appear with Properties at the bottom, you need to left click on this. Another window will open showing a picture of your disk with the amount of used space on it. At the top there is a tab labeled “tools�, click this and then on the window that opens you will see the “defragment now� button.
If you have not done this before then the defrag will take ages. It is best to start it in the evening and leave it to run overnight. The next time will be much quicker.
In my opinion, you should do this once a month.
Housekeeping PCs for non techies.
Sue, It depends on what you mean by soft and hard (am I allowed to write that?). The best backup is a copy of the data that is held away from the PC. If you have a CD writer then copy the whole of your my documents folder to a CD and keep that labeled and separate from the PC, If you want to be really swish then get some CD-rw disks, these can be written and re-written, label them disk 1, 2 and 3 and then use them to backup every week/day/month or whatever suits you.
If you have not got a CD writer on the PC then buy yourself a USB memory stick for about €20, a 1Gb stick should be big enough and copy your my documents to that. You can then copy from the stick onto another PC if you want to be extra safe.
The reason that I say only backup "my documents" is that everything else should be program files and will re install should you have a problem.
I suspect your next question would be what about emails? Well MS Outlook is not so easy to backup, you can print a list of your address book but the received emails are a bit more difficult. I have a number of email addresses and forward any important ones to another address, that way emails to do with bookings can be held on a Yahoo email on the internet or on another PC in your house. I have Yahoo, tesco and wanadoo email addresses, they are all free, and if I really need to then I can forward them to Judes Gmail account on her PC upstairs.
If you have not got a CD writer on the PC then buy yourself a USB memory stick for about €20, a 1Gb stick should be big enough and copy your my documents to that. You can then copy from the stick onto another PC if you want to be extra safe.
The reason that I say only backup "my documents" is that everything else should be program files and will re install should you have a problem.
I suspect your next question would be what about emails? Well MS Outlook is not so easy to backup, you can print a list of your address book but the received emails are a bit more difficult. I have a number of email addresses and forward any important ones to another address, that way emails to do with bookings can be held on a Yahoo email on the internet or on another PC in your house. I have Yahoo, tesco and wanadoo email addresses, they are all free, and if I really need to then I can forward them to Judes Gmail account on her PC upstairs.