If you regularly use a Windows-based computer (as opposed to a Mac computer), you should do some routine cleaning to prevent things like cookies, spyware, adware, malware, and viruses from getting stored on your computer. Since your computer automatically keeps a copy of every document you’ve opened, every Web page you’ve visited, every picture you’ve viewed, etc., these copies actually gobble up storage space on your computer. This is why your computer begins to slow down over time.
In short, you should clean these files off your computer at least weekly, even daily, or even after every time you use your machine. Routine cleaning will help keep your computer speedy while also protecting your identity. Here’s how…
Cleaning Up Your Microsoft Internet Explorer Browser
Here’s the first thing you can do, especially if you have Internet Explorer versions 6-8:
- Open your Internet browser, such as Internet Explorer.
- At the top of the screen, click on Tools.
- A menu will drop down. Search for and click on Internet Options.
- A window will open that says Internet Options at the top.
- In the middle of the window, where you see Browsing History, click the box that says “Delete browsing history on exit.”
- Next, click on the Delete button.
- Another window will open. If you have Internet Explorer 7 or 8, you will probably see “Preserve favorites website data” with a check box next to it. Un-check this box.
- Below this, you will see this list of options with check boxes next to them:
-Temporary Internet Files
-Cookies
-History
-Form data
-Passwords
-InPrivate Filtering data
- Click on each of the boxes, which will make a check in each box.
- Click Delete.
- Another window will open that says Delete Browsing History. This is assembling the files that have accumulated and deleting them.
- This window will automatically disappear once the computer is done cleaning.
- At the bottom of the window that is still open (The Internet Options window), click OK to close the window.
This is the first step towards cleaning your computer, speeding it up a bit, and protecting your identity. But you’re not completely out of the woods yet! Try this step next:
How to Speed Up a Computer with Microsoft Vista: Using Disk Cleanup
Unfortunately, you can’t completely erase the records of everything you’ve done. However, you can compress it, free up some more space on your computer, and get that computer running faster. In general, here’s how to compress those old records (Please note that depending on how old your computer is and what version of Windows is on it, this may differ.):
- On most machines with Windows, you see a Start image in the lower left hand corner of your screen once the computer is on. Click on this with your mouse.
- Click on All Programs.
- Look for Accessories.
- Move your mouse over to System Tools and then click on Disk Cleanup.
- A small window will pop up that says, “Select the drive you want to clean up.” It should automatically show you the C drive (C:). Click “OK” or press the Enter key on your keyboard.
- A new window will pop up that says, “Disk cleanup is calculating how much space you will be able to free on (C:). This will take a few minutes to complete.” Here’s where you need to be patient. If you’ve never done this before, this may as long as 20-30 minutes to complete, or even longer if your computer is much older. It’s at this point where the computer is calculating how much space it can save, how many files can be compressed, etc.
- Eventually, another window will pop up with a list of boxes.
- It’s usually all right to check ALL the boxes so you can maximize space! If you have questions or doubts, consult the Microsoft site. Doing this will clean and compress a lot of things, all or most of which you won’t or don’t need. In addition, this window will show you how much disk space you will gain!
- Click “OK” or press the Enter key on your keyboard.
- Yet another window will pop up and ask if you’re sure you want to do this. Click “OK” or press the Enter key on your keyboard.
- This may take a while, but when it’s done cleaning and compressing, the window will disappear.
If you’ve never done this before, you may want to re-start your computer once this cleaning is completed. You should then see things move more quickly on your computer. Try doing this weekly or even daily, especially after you have been on the Internet!
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