BAMJAC HelpDesk

System Tune Up (for Windows XP/2000 computers) in 9 Easy Steps

Note: Before trying any of the steps below, close any programs in use and save any necessary work. After you have finished performing the steps, please reboot your computer. If you have any problems with these steps, or are unsure if you are following them correctly, skip the section that you are attempting to complete and do not make any changes.

For a more comprehensive system tune up, bring your computer into the shop and let our experienced technicians take a look at it. We have many other ways to get the most out of your PC.

Step #1:   Use the Disk Cleanup utility

• Double-click My Computer , right-click the hard disk on which you want to free space, which is typically your C: drive.
• Click Properties , and then click Disk Cleanup on the General tab.
• On the Disk Cleanup tab, click to select the check boxes of the files that you want to remove (be sure to put a check mark beside of all Temporary Files), click OK , click Yes , and then click OK .

Or if you prefer, you can choose to remove some files from the disk manually:

• Click Start
• Click Search
• Click All files and folders
• In the " All or part of the file name field ", type: *.TMP
• For the " Look in " drop down box, select your Local Hard Drive(C:)
• Click Find
• Delete any of the results listed
• You may repeat this process for other files such as:
  *.CHK
  

Step #2:   Remove Unnecessary Startup Items

• Right click on the Start button
• Click Open or Open All Users
• Open the Programs folder
• Open the Startup folder
• Delete any items that you do not need running when Windows starts

Step #3:   Remove Unused Programs

Over time you may find that you have applications installed that you do not use or you have never used. Removing these applications will free disk space on your computer and reduce clutter. Remember, if you are unsure as to whether you need a program on your computer, do not remove it.
To remove unnecessary programs:

• Click Start , Control Panel
• Double click Add/Remove Programs
• Scroll through this list and find any programs that you are sure do not need (if in doubt leave it!)
• Highlight the unneeded program
• Click the Change/Remove button
• Be sure to also manually remove Spyware on this list

Step #4:   Scan for Viruses

In this day and age you have to have an anti-virus program running at all times. I do not recommend Norton. The anti-virus program itself is not bad. Norton was a very good product until Symantec took it over, however, it has gone downhill since then. If you have Norton Internet Security on your system, Attempt to remove it. This will be easier said than done, and most likely cannot be done. You may want to consider wiping your hard drive clean and reinstalling Windows. I recommend a program called Avast, by Alwil inc. The program is free for personal use, all you have to do is register it with your e-mail address once a year, and it is completely free. The program runs in the background, updates itself, and consumes very little system resources.

• If you don't already have Avast, download it!
• For first time installs, the program will ask if you want to run a boot sector scan, do that and let it restart the computer and scan before Windows loads.
• If you already have Avast Installed:
  • Open Avast AntiVirus (double click the blue shield)
  • right click on the application and select, 'schedule boot-time scan'
  • Select 'scan all local disks'
  • let computer restart.

Step #5:   Scan for Spyware

• Download Adaware SE Personal Edition
  • download the program.
  • run the installation file.
  • update defintions.
  • run program at least once a week.
• Download Spybot Search & Destroy
  • download the program.
  • run the installation file.
  • update defintions.
  • run program at least once a week.

Step #6:   Clear Browser Cache

For Internet Explorer users (You should be using Mozilla Firefox). But for those that insist on using IE. Be sure that you update to IE 7, now conviently part of Windows Update, Thanks Bill! Then do the following.

• Click Start --> Settings --> Control Panel
• Double click the Internet Options icon
• Choose the General tab
• Click the button: Delete Cookies and then click OK
• Click the button: Delete Files
• Check the box that says Delete all offline content
• Click OK
  

Step #7:   Make Sure Your Hardware is Operating Correctly

• Click Start --> Settings --> Control Panel
• Double click the System icon
• Click the Hardware tab
• Click the Device Manager button
• Click View and click Devices by type
  

Device Manager will allow you to see the hardware that is currently installed on your system. When you open Device Manager you will see a listing of hardware categories. If these items are all installed correctly, you will see plus signs next to each category and they will not be expanded. If you notice that you have hardware that has a yellow exclamation point icon next to the name of the device, then the device is either not installed correctly or it has a resource conflict with another device. If you see any listings for " Unknown Devices ", this indicates hardware that has no drivers installed for it. If you notice that it appears that some of your devices are not correctly installed, please contact your computer's manufacturer for assistance.

Step #8:   Run Disk Error Checking

Disk Error Checking has the ability to check the disk surface of the hard drive and fix damaged files. It is recommended that you use this utility when you do not need to use your computer for an extended period of time. Scanning will run more quickly and with less interruption if performed while in Safe Mode. However, Safe Mode it is not necessarily required.

To Enter Safe Mode:

• Restart your computer
• As soon as your computer begins starting back up, hold down the F8 or sometimes the Shift key
• Once Windows loads, you will notice that the words "Safe Mode" are displayed on your desktop
• A window may pop-up informing you that you are using Safe Mode, click Ok
• Note: To exit Safe Mode (once done with steps below), simply restart your computer

To perform Disk Error Checking

• Double-click My Computer , and then right-click the hard disk drive that you want to check, typically the C: drive
• Click Properties , and then click Tools
• Under Error-checking , click Check Now
• Click to put check marks beside the Automatically fix file system errors and Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors option boxes (Note: Uncheck these options for a quicker but less thorough scan)
• Click Start

Step #9:   Run Disk Defragmenter

Disk Defragmenter moves files around the hard drive so that they can be accessed more quickly. It is recommended that you use this utility when you do not need to use your computer for an extended period of time. Defragmenting will run more quickly and with less interruption if performed while in Safe Mode. However, Safe Mode it is not necessarily required.

To Enter Safe Mode:

• Restart your computer
• As soon as your computer begins starting back up, hold down the Shift key
• Once Windows loads, you will notice that the words "Safe Mode" are displayed on your desktop
• A window may pop-up informing you that you are using Safe Mode, click Ok
• Note: To exit Safe Mode (once done with steps below), simply restart your computer

To run Disk Defragmenter

• Double click the My Computer icon on your desktop
• Right-click the local disk volume that you want to defragment, typically C:
• Click Properties .
• On the Tools tab, click Defragment Now. Optionally you may wish to click the Analyze and the View Report buttons for more technical details. Click Defragment.
  

Bamjac Computers

1201 E Oakland Ave.

Bloomington, IL 61701

309.287.9501 (MJ)