Spring Cleanup and Your Computer

4 Simple and yes, FREE tasks

We failed to mention this on the air, but the only thing these tasks will cost you is your time. You don't have to purchase or download any software to perform these tasks, and even beginner computer users will be able to perform these tasks with ease.

#1.) Clean up Desktop Icons

This is something we see all the time when computers are brought in to the shop for repair—we call it desktopiconitis. Users that suffer from desktopiconitis tend to have headaches, mild nausea, and a nervous twitch that develops from trying to find a certain shortcut or document in a vast sea of icons on their desktop.

But why should I clean up my desktop icons?

• First of all, your sanity is at stake. The more icons you put on your desktop, the harder it is to find that one icon you're looking for.
• Second, the more desktop icons you have on your computer, the more memory resources are used. Think of it this way: any time you see the desktop—whether you started up your PC, minimized your windows, or selected the "show desktop" option (in the Quick Launch Toolbar), your PC has to redraw all of the icons on the desktop.

We've all heard of Mr. Way Too Many Icons on the Desktop. Do you really want to suffer through this?

#2.) Clean up the Start Menu

This is another headache saver, and resource saver. Your Windows Start menu gets easily cluttered as soon as you start installing programs on your PC. In most cases, anytime you install a new application, you'll have a new folder in your Start Menu. This is another redraw issue with your computer when you open the Start Menu. The more unorganized shortcuts and folders you have in there, the longer it will take to redraw all that information. If you stack everything into a smaller list of folders, you will see a lot snappier performance out of your Start Menu.

Here's the thing. You can easily reduce clutter by manually organizing this list of programs. Right-clicking insidethe Start Menu and selecting "Explore" will bring you to a folder view of the Start Menu, which allows you to create/rename/delete folders, reorganize content, etc. You can also drag things around in the Start Menu itself by clicking and dragging the desired folders and items.

#3.) Clean up Temp Folders

You might not even know these exist in your computer's files, but they do. Temporary files fill up from program installations and from your internet browsing; and they are rarely needed, if at all. You can safely browse through your hard drive and delete anything in a folder called "Temp" or "Temporary Internet Files".

#4.) Clean up the INSIDE of your Computer

This is another thing that many of us don't think about very often, but the physical inside of your computer collects dust over time, especially if your PC tower sits on the floor. You can easily remedy this by purchasing cans of compressed air, or using an air compressor and blowing out the inside of your computer.

Your computer is built to run efficiently at room temperature, but collected dust can and will cause heat to build up inside the tower; which will have adverse effects on your hardware over time.

While this can be done very easily and safely, it is extremely important to remember these key points before attempting this:

• ALWAYS make sure your computer is turned OFF
  Remember, dust conducts electricity—you could harm yourself and your components in your computer if you attempt to blow out your computer with it powered on. To ensure safety, it's best to completely unplug your computer tower. You might want to bring it outdoors to blow it out—if your computer is extremely dusty, that'll save you the mess indoors.
• Avoid Blowing Air Directly on Fans
  While it may look "neat", you don't want to make those fans spin by blowing air on them. Doing this can cause extra wear on the fan bearings, losing time off the life expectancy of the fans and motors.