Clean Start for your Computer in 2006 Exercise 2

Exercise 2.

Establishing new computer habits in 2006 will stop a few frustrating days spent in front of the computer trying to figure why it is so slow,why programs suddenly stop working and why you've been hit by a plague of pop-up ads. There are several easy steps you can take to help keep your computer clean.

Empty Your Cache: Pronounced 'cash' it is a storage place where your computer looks to find data or instructions that programs use over and over. this occurs every time you go on the Internet.

Cookies: are messages sent to your computer from the web server of the site you just visited. Your computer saves the message, and the next time you visit that website, the page loads automatically because it is saved in your cache.

The easiest way to empty your cache is using your Internet browser. At the top of the page, click on Tools go to the bottom of the menu and select Internet Options. In the pop-up window, go to the Temporary Internet files section. Click the buttons that say Delete Cookies and Delete Files.(select the box that says delete all offline content) and then hit 'OK'. This may take a long time if you haven't done this for a long time.

There is a history section at the bottom of the Internet Options window and you should click the Clear History button. Set the days to Keep Pages in the History for the number of days you want your computer to remember what websites you have visited. Keep it at zero days if you are sharing your computer and want some privacy.

Defragment: To keep you computer working smoothly, you should defragment your hard drive about once a month. You can compare this to cleaning out a filing cabinet. As you use your computer and programs files get moved and put in different spots. Defragmenting helps find all those moved bits of files on your computer and putting them in the right spots so when your computer goes to look for a file it knows where to look first and can find it faster. To defragment your computer, go to the Start button-All program-accessories-System Tools, and select the disk defragmenter. Depending on how long it has been since you have done this it may take awhile to finish.

Use your Anti-Spy Ware Programs: You should run your cleaning programs at least once a week or more often if you can. There are free download programs out there that do a good job. The number one free download is Lavasoft AdAware. There is also Windows AntiSpyware that you can download at www.microsoft.com/. Whatever method you chose, make sure to keep your computer clean and save yourself time and a lot of frustration over the next 12 months Happy New Year!
Free downloads at www.dsvs.org

Please E-mail me and let me know.

1) How long it took your computer to defragment.
2) Is this the first time you have used this part of the Windows Program?
3) Any other comments you may have.