PC Tips 1 (Windows XP)

Clear Those Files

One of the ways you can improve system performance and security is keeping your hard drive clean. By "clean" I mean clearing those places on your PC that store records of where you have been on the internet, for example, Internet Explorer's temporary internet files. Once you have cleared these sorts of files you will leave a lot less for internet snoops to keep track of you with. Another kind of file which you should remove regularly is leftover code from installations and uninstallations of various programs particularly those with no or poor uninstallers such as Symantec's line of Norton programs and just plain old spy/malware. One of the best disk cleaning programs is CCleaner Not only is CCleaner thorough, it is also fast, simple to use and free!

** A note on CCleaner: CCleaner will install the Yahoo! toolbar unless you uncheck the Add CCleaner Yahoo Toolbar and use CCleaner from your browser box during the installation process**

Actually, you don't have to buy a disk cleaner or download CCleaner in order to free up disk space and erase your internet history. Windows comes with a little disk utility that removes excess/leftover files/code. Just go to Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools and click on Disk Cleanup. Let it do it's thing and then press OK. It's that simple! The other way you can clear away some of your excess files is to go to Start>Control Panel>Internet Options> Go down to the middle of the window>Select Delete Cookies... then Delete Files... Just that last step, although not enough on its own, will go a long way to securing your online privacy and improving your browser's and your PCs performance.

Internet Tech News

Mini-Tip:

Before you install a program, especially a big program, defragment your disk to make sure the program sets up on contiguous space and does not wind up spread out over unconnected sectors. When programs' codes spread out they load more slowly and are sometimes less efficient.

Tip #2

How To Get Norton Off Your System

I don't mean to knock Symantechere but if there's one thing I have learned from my time (volunteering) in internet forums and personal use it's just how difficult and time-consuming uninstalling Norton can be. It gets in everywhere. Norton has actually become sysnonymous with difficult uninstalls. The problem has gotten so bad that Symantec had to come up with a removal tool which you can download to your computer to help you remove Norton.
I have used the Norton Removal tool and it worked pretty well. I recommend it if you don't want to go through the steps listed here. A few people have reported problems using the Norton Removal, however, so if you want to be sure, use this removal method. It takes longer but it's thorough.

You probably should print these steps off before you start.

Please follow these steps.

For *each* Norton/Symantec product on your PC:

Close your Norton/Symantec program

Go to Start >> Control Panel >> Add/Remove Programs.
Scroll down to your Norton/Symantec program
Click Change >> Remove All.
Upon completion of the Remove All process, you will be asked to restart your PC. Do so.
Now go to Start >> My Computer >> Local Disk (C:) >> Program Files. Right click on each Symantec or Norton folder (of the Norton/Symantec product you are removing) and select Delete.
Restart your PC.
Go back in to Program Files. Except now go to the Common Files folder at or near the top of the Program Files window. Delete every Symantec or Norton folder (of the Norton/Symantec product you are removing) there.
Restart your PC.
Go to Start >> Search >> All Files and Folders >> More advanced options. Check each option except for Case sensitive
Now type Norton in the search box. Delete each Norton folder (of the Norton/Symantec product you are removing) from the search results (Again, right click, choose Delete)
Restart your PC.
Repeat step 6 except type Symantec in the search box.
Now let's go into the Registry. Be Careful here. First thing to do is back up the Registry. You can do it manually using the simple method of System Restore. Here's how to set a restore point. Here's how to use System Restore to undo damage to the Registry.
Or you might just want to use ERUNT, a simple and free registry back up utility.
I'll be saying more about the Registry later. But suffice it to say that the presence of uninstalled security software in the Registry can conflict with newly installed security software and cause system freezes. So can folders of "uninstalled" programs for that matter.

Once again, go to Start, but this time click on Run. Type in regedit
** Please note: Deletion of a program's Registry keys renders that program inoperable.
If you have more than one Symantec product on your PC but do not want to remove all your Symantec products then delete only those Registry keys which are clearly marked as those of the Symantec product you wish to remove.
If the key is not clearly marked as that of the Symantec product you are removing then leave it. **
Go to the top of the Regedit window. Click the + next to HKEY_CURRENT_USER to open the section (Hive). Go down the thread until you see Software. Click on Software and scroll down the thread until you see Symantec. Right click on Symantec and choose Delete.
From there go down to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and repeat step 9.
Restart your PC.
Again, go to Start, click on Run. Type in regedit
Click (+) next to HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
Click (+) next to Software.
Click (+) next to Microsoft.
Click (+) next to Windows.
Click (+) next to CurrentVersion.
Select the Run folder.
Right-click and delete each Symantec and NAV (Norton Antivirus) entry you see (if present).
Go To HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and do the same thing.
Restart your PC.

Note, there is more we could do in the Registry but for now these steps are sufficient.

* Update *

I was a little hesitant about adding additional steps in the registry when I first put this procedure up on the net. I didn't want users to spend too much time in the Registry given how dangerous a mistake there can be.
But upon further reflection, I think adding one more step to this procedure does not really constitute any more of a risk for users than following (carefully!!) the steps I outlined above.The benefit of taking another step to remove Norton from your Registry outweighs any possible risk to your system should you make a mistake which you shouldn't, if you follow my instructions to the letter.

The additional step I want you to take is to go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT is the top section (Hive) of the five sections in the Registry.

It's on top of HKEY_CURRENT_USER which is on top of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

Click on the little + to open the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT hive.

Scroll way down until you get to the Symantec entries. Right click on each Symantec entry and hit Delete.

* Do not delete any entry that is not explicitly listed as Symantec. *

Restart your PC.

Last Step

If you don't already have it on your PC, download CCleaner. It's a good little disk cleaner that gets rid of leftover program files.

** A note on CCleaner: CCleaner will install the Yahoo! toolbar unless you uncheck the Add CCleaner Yahoo Toolbar and use CCleaner from your browser box during the installation process.**

Upon completion of installation, open CCleaner and hit the Run Cleaner button in the lower right of the CCLeaner window.

After CCleaner has finished, keep CCLeaner open and click on the blue square icon on the left panel with the word Registry under it. Hit Scan for Issues. When its done click on Fix Selected Issues in the lower right hand corner of the program window. Follow each prompt clicking on "yes" for "Do you want to backup changes to the registry?". Then click Save to save the backup to disk. Then click on the Fix All Selected Issues button. Click on OK when asked "Are you sure you want to Fix all selected Issues?".

Click Close and restart your PC.

**Please note that CCLeaner will disable Yahoo Sitebuilder. Download a new copy of Sitebuilder over your disabled Sitebuilder to re-enable it.

Alternatively, use EasyCleaner or the built in Windows (XP) disk cleaner - go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup.

Recommended also is the Windows Live OneCare scan. Scroll down to the Fix specific PC issues heading and select Full Service Scan > click on Customize (middle of the window) > uncheck Comprehensive Scan > under Performance, uncheck Disk fragmentation scan > , under Network safety, uncheck Open Ports Scan and click Next.

If you can afford it, I heartily recommend Registry First Aid 6.0 - download a trial here or Registry First Aid Platinum - download a trial here - as another useful tool to cleanup leftover Norton entries in the registry.
Please note though that the trial version will not fix every errant registry entry it finds.

Tip #3

General Guidelines for Uninstalling Programs

After you uninstall a program, run a good registry utility like Registry First Aid 5.0 - Download a trial here - and a disk cleaner like CCleaner.

** A note on CCleaner: CCleaner will install the Yahoo! toolbar unless you uncheck the Add CCleaner Yahoo Toolbar and use CCleaner from your browser box during the installation process**

Disk cleaners are handy little utilities that scan your disk for, and remove, leftover, redundant and orphaned files. Once you've cleared your disk of excess files, defrag your disk so as to return your system to peak performance
If you don't have a third party defragger, use the resident defragger in Windows. Go to Start>Accesssories>System Tools>Disk Defragmenter.
The disk defragger that comes with Windows is probably sufficient for most users. However, if you download and store on your disk a lot of music, movies, games, photos and/or install and uninstall a lot of programs, you should probably use a third party defragger like Diskeeper Home, Diskeeper Pro or PerfectDisk.
The three of them are considered among the very best stand-alone defragmenters.

Page Menu Tip #4

How To Uninstall a Program

Removing a program from your system can be a less than straightforward affair. The program's files can be corrupt or missing (like the install.log file). Some programs, like Norton, get deeper than most into your system and require extra steps to remove from your system. Some programs' uninstallers are poorly written or non-existent, or worse still, are designed to be difficult to remove from your system. It is frustrating to be stuck with a program on your system that defies the simple and otherwise routine steps for uninstallation. For intermediate and even some advanced users the temptation is to remove it manually, to hack away at the program by deleting its folder(s) from Program Files, Documents and Settings and the Registry and this method can be useful, but sometimes it can backfire. Some programs lodge themselves into sensitive parts of your system, for instance the swapfile or Master File Table (MFT) and become required for these sensitive system areas to function. Simply removing the programs' files from these parts of your system by deletion can disable these sensitive areas and render your system inoperable. That is why it is preferable to always go through Add/Remove programs first when uninstalling a program. Add/Remove programs is the Windows system uninstall program. Always check there or All Programs first if you want to remove a program. Some programs register their uninstallers in the All Programs Menu which is a very responsible gesture on the part of the programs' designers. Some software programs tie in their uninstallers with the Windows uninstaller in Add/Remove, for example Symantec's programs. If the program does not come with an uninstaller then Windows uninstaller does the job for you. The hack away or manual deletion method is best attempted after you try the Windows uninstaller first. Windows uninstaller or the program's own uninstaller (sometimes) is your best first bet since these two uninstallers, particularly windows' stand a much higher chance of removing the program safely from your system.

If you have been unsuccessful in your attempts to uninstall a program and find yourself with parts of it leftover in your system, you have three options:

1) Reinstall the program and then uninstall it normally through Add/Remove Programs. This is a good way to get rid of programs you have tried to remove manually by hacking away at them (manual deletion)in Program Files etc.

2) use the procedure I outlined above for getting rid of Norton

3) If the program's files are damaged or corrupted you may still be able to salvage an uninstall of that program finding and double-clicking on its own uninstall file located in its folder in Program Files.
For example, if you want to remove Spy Sweeper, look for the file unins000.exe for Kaspersky it's Uninstall (with a logo) and for CCLeaner it's uninst and so on, and double click on it.

I think one of the most important steps in any uninstall routine is to restart your PC after you have removed a program from any part of your system. Why? Because when your system reboots (restarts), it resets itself. It finds and establishes optimal settings for itself taking into account changes made to the system before the reboot. Windows rewrites, reconfigures and updates itself to reflect these changes and to work normally with any changes made to your system before the reboot.

Failure to reboot during an uninstall process can stall an uninstall process. For example, you can find yourself presented with a window telling you that deletion of a file is impossible (for various Windows related reasons). That's because Windows has not registered the changes to the file that you have already made and it will not register these changes until the next reboot. So Windows may well think that the file you are trying to delete is still being used by another program or by Windows itself.

With a reboot, however, Windows will now see that the program is no longer in use or is corrupted or damaged and is not part of your software or hardware setup and will allow you to delete it.

With this in mind I will now show you a standard uninstall method which should be good enough for most programs.

First, go to Start>Control Panel Add/Remove Programs.
Scroll down to the program you want to uninstall.
Select Remove or Change/Remove for some programs. If you are presented with change/remove option, you should see a window giving you three options. Select Remove All.
Restart your PC.
Second, go to Start>My Computer>Program files.
Look for the folder of the program you just uninstalled.
Delete it.
Restart your Computer.
This third step is optional and meant for more advanced (or daring) users.

back up

Go to Start>Run. Type regedit Open the HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder.
Go down to Software Now look for the name of the uninstalled program. Delete the Key.
Do the same thing in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
Restart your Computer.

If you are a little more gung-ho than the average user you can remove it from Add/Remove Programs (if present). Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall and find the folder for the application. Delete the folder.

If the program has a service attached to it navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services, locate and delete the service.

Quick tip: Once you have installed a program from the web you can go ahead and delete the .zip or .exe file.

Tip #5

Registry Cleaners

Registry First Aid 5.0 which is always improving - Download a trial here - , and the registry cleaner in CCleaner (linked above)which is free. These two are my favorites because they are perfect for beginners. Both of these utilities have good and safe default settings. Both of them create a registry backup and both scan for corrections automatically. CCLeaner is really good at cleaning up old and orphaned uninstaller issues. I have never had a problem using either Registry First Aid or CCLeaner's registry cleaner. In fact, I usually get a boost in my PC's performance after using them, which I recommend you do once every couple of weeks or so. If you install and/or uninstall a lot of programs you should use them more regularly say once a week maybe.
If you are a more advanced user you will like Registry First Aid because you can adjust it to scan for keywords and specific entries, in keys, values, strings, and data.
Another recommended registry utility is jv16 PowerTools by Macecraft.It's really a system suite. It's a little too complicated and involved for beginners and even some intermediate users but if you are an advanced or power user I recommend it for the large degree of control it gives you over the registry and hard drive. If you don't mind taking the time out to read it you can get the free 80 page handbook that comes with it. It's very informative and easy to read. Check it out even if you aren't that computer savvy. There is a free older version of jv16 PowerTools which is worth downloading and tinkering with.
Macecraft also makes two other registry cleaners which are very good and much simpler to use than jv.16 Power Tools, RegSupreme and RegSupreme Professional. Both are fast and effective.
Each of these Macecraft programs is reasonably priced. Jv.16 Power Tools is only $30.00. RegSupreme is $13.00 and RegSupreme Professional is $17.00 which, in my opinion, is a good deal.

There are also a number of other free Registry utilities out there and a couple of them are pretty good. TweakNow is simple and safe but does not scan as thoroughly as the commercial version. RegSeeker is pretty good and also easy to use. Eusing Free Registry Cleaner is worth a look.

Remember with all theses registry utilities to use the registry back up function which is usually set for automatic.

I should say here, there are a number of critics of registry utilities and some of them make some pretty good points, the strongest of which, in my opinion, is the lack of any hard data in support of the benefits of using these utilities. The other, less convincing argument, (again, in my opinion,) of these critics is their reports of registry utilities actually doing harm to users' PCs. I take issue with both these criticisms not because they are wrong per se, but because they do not match the experience I have had using these utilities or the reviews I have read of them, nor do they correspond with experiences of other people I know who have used them.

Take for instance in CNET's computer help forums, which I used to frequent, where RegSeeker and CCleaner were very popular. Both utilities were considered standard issue as far as PC maintenance was concerned. People recommended these utilities to each other all the time. I never heard of anyone having any problems with either of them.

I have been using Registry First Aid for more than a couple years now and I know for a fact that it improves my system's performance. Do I have a body of data to support my opinion of RFA? No. But who does? Most people know when something works for them and they stick with that product. They shouldn't have to prepare a statistical analysis and case study to justify their happiness with the product. I know RFA improves my system performance. Period.

That isn't to say there aren't some badly designed registry utilities that can harm your system. I'm sure there are. I know, however, which ones work for me and others or are consistently rated highly. It is those registry utilities that I recommend without hesitation.

It is you, however, the consumer who must be vigilant here just the same as though you were buying a pair of glasses or a used car. Read a variety of reviews of these (and all) utilities and download a trial of the one you are interested in and use its backup the registry before scanning feature which should be set for automatic by default. If the registry program has no backup feature, uninstall it and move on.

If you are in any doubt about a given registry utility, or about working in the registry either directly through Regedit or through a software program, then don't open Regedit, don't buy the utility, or any similar utility for that matter. The rule of thumb with the registry is "if it ain't broke.... And that's a good rule.

I think if there is a "problem" with registry apps and optimization suites and utilities as a whole, it's that they can be overused, their value overstated. If we're not careful we will "overoptimize" our systems. Excessive use of a optimization utility can pose every bit the hazard to a system that outright neglect can. The software utilities business has grown into a huge billion dollar industry and part of that, in my opinion, is due to the aggressive, semi-scare tactics used by some of the companies that make and market them.

The truth is that your average PC is not in danger of crashing. It doesn't crash frequently. Nor does its owner need to think (a lot) about pre-empting a crash by investing in an optimization utility. My rule of thumb with these programs is "less is more". What I'm trying to say here is get yourself a good optimization suite or utility but don't overuse it.

Tip #6

Page Menu

System Suites

You can also get good registry cleaners in System Suites as they are called. Here too, with System Suites, I think the registry utilities are much improved. System Suites have come a long way in the last couple of years. They've gotten smarter and safer to use. Some even come with an "Advanced Mode" and a "Basic" or "Beginner Mode". There are a number now that I recommend which I would not have recommended 18 months ago. The nice thing about system suites is their All in One capability. Just like internet security suites, system suites are a simple "buy once" option for consumers/PC owners. The knock on these system suites has been that the individual features in the system suites are better on their own than they are in the suites. And as with the criticism of security suites I a) don't really know what that means and b) have never seen the individual components of these suites perform any better on their own.
These days system suites do almost everything. A number of them offer security software programs as well as a long list of features designed to make PC maintenance a breeze. They do disk cleanup, erase internet history, shred documents, diagnose hardware problems, have system optimization programs and sometimes even include bootable recovery disks. The one in SystemWorks saved my bacon once!

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