The months click by, and the older you get, the faster they click by. You do different things every month, like clockwork. You turn a page on the calendar. You reconcile your checkbook with the bank statement. You pay your mortgage or rent.
Related Links:
Disable Automatic Defragmentation in Windows Vista Now, add a few tasks to your monthly routine and your computer system will remain clean and tidy:
Clean up your desktop: The dreaded “icon creep” can result in more icons on your desktop today than there was a month ago. Identify the ones you don’t need and delete them.
Archive project data: If you’re a project-oriented type of person, you probably finished up a few projects this past month. Why not archive the data associated with those projects so that it no longer clutters your hard drive?
Eliminate spyware: Spyware is a growing plague on many computer systems. Spyware started as a way for unethical marketers to track what you do with your computer. Not cool. Now it has grown to include all sorts of pop-ups that sprout like crabgrass on your monitor. Very uncool. Your pop-up blocker may suppress the symptoms, but the underlying problem — spyware — is still there.
Examine your startup files: Every time your computer starts, it automatically starts some programs. You may not know about this. If something changes the programs that run at startup, you may not know about the change, either. Unless, of course, you check to see what’s running automatically. Then, on a monthly basis, check out your startup files to make sure no surprises are lurking there.
Defragment your hard drive: One thing you really benefit from every month is defragmenting your hard drive. As you add, change, rearrange, and delete files, information stored on the hard drive can become discombobulated. Information is stored in bits and pieces here and there so that Windows has to grab data from all over your hard drive when you open a file. That slows down the system. You can knock things back into whack by defragmenting your hard drive, which essentially puts pieces of individual files back together. When done, Windows can more easily and quickly access your files. Want to find out more about defragmenting? (Nod your head. Good.) .
Defragment your hard drive at the end of the day. You can leave the program running while you run home to decompress from the day. Now that your system is cleaner and tidier and your bank account is reconciled, aren’t you glad that the month is over? Now you get to start all over again.
Clean up your desktop: The dreaded “icon creep” can result in more icons on your desktop today than there was a month ago. Identify the ones you don’t need and delete them.
Archive project data: If you’re a project-oriented type of person, you probably finished up a few projects this past month. Why not archive the data associated with those projects so that it no longer clutters your hard drive?
Eliminate spyware: Spyware is a growing plague on many computer systems. Spyware started as a way for unethical marketers to track what you do with your computer. Not cool. Now it has grown to include all sorts of pop-ups that sprout like crabgrass on your monitor. Very uncool. Your pop-up blocker may suppress the symptoms, but the underlying problem — spyware — is still there.
Examine your startup files: Every time your computer starts, it automatically starts some programs. You may not know about this. If something changes the programs that run at startup, you may not know about the change, either. Unless, of course, you check to see what’s running automatically. Then, on a monthly basis, check out your startup files to make sure no surprises are lurking there.
Related Links:
Defragment your hard drive: One thing you really benefit from every month is defragmenting your hard drive. As you add, change, rearrange, and delete files, information stored on the hard drive can become discombobulated. Information is stored in bits and pieces here and there so that Windows has to grab data from all over your hard drive when you open a file. That slows down the system. You can knock things back into whack by defragmenting your hard drive, which essentially puts pieces of individual files back together. When done, Windows can more easily and quickly access your files. Want to find out more about defragmenting? (Nod your head. Good.) .
Defragment your hard drive at the end of the day. You can leave the program running while you run home to decompress from the day. Now that your system is cleaner and tidier and your bank account is reconciled, aren’t you glad that the month is over? Now you get to start all over again.
Related Links:
Disable Automatic Defragmentation in Windows Vista