Keeping a Windows XP computer healthy and happy doesn't need to involve complex routines. In this article, you'll learn about some simple utilities you can use on a regular basis.
Check a drive for errors
Disks can sometimes develop errors in the way the files are stored, and those errors can affect system performance. Disk errors sometimes manifest themselves in odd ways--everything from missing files to out-of-memory errors.
There are two types of disk errors: physical and logical. A physical error is a bad spot on the disk, usually caused by physical trauma such as dropping the computer while it's running. A logical error, which is much more common, is an error in the table of contents of the disk's storage system. The Check Disk utility in Windows XP can fix both types.
To check a disk for errors:
- Open the My Computer window.
- Right-click the hard disk (or one of them, if you have multiple) and select Properties.
- On the Tools tab, click Check Now to open the Check Disk dialog box.
- There are two options available:
- Automatically fix file system errors: If you mark this, Check Disk fixes any problems it finds rather than prompt you about each one. Beginners should mark this; advanced users who are curious about what errors are found should not.
- Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors: If you mark this, Check Disk does both a logical and a physical test. Because each physical test takes a long time (an hour or more in some cases) and because physical errors are less common, most people use this option only occasionally (once every few months or so) or only if a disk read or write error has occurred.
Click Start to begin the check. If you didn't mark the Automatically fix file system errors checkbox, and if any errors are discovered during the check, a dialog box appears asking whether you want to fix them. Click Yes to fix each error.
Defragment the file system
When you initially write a file to disk, it's stored in one contiguous mass, but as you edit the file, the file can become fragmented (that is, pieces are stored in nonadjacent spots). As you can imagine, it takes longer to open a fragmented file than an unfragmented one, because the hard disk's read and write head must hop around on the disk, picking up the pieces of the file. That's why defragmenting a hard disk improves its performance. By rearranging the files stored on it so that each file is stored in a contiguous area, defragmenting a hard disk improves performance
Tip: Defragmenting takes a long time, so you might want to begin it before you go to bed or go out for the evening and let the program run while you're away. If you choose to defragment while you are at your desk, don't use your computer while it's being defragmented, because every time the content of the hard disk changes, it has to start all over again. Disable your screensaver and antivirus program before running the defragmenter to minimize restarts due to hard disk changes.
To defragment a disk:
- Select Start > All Programs, Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter. The Disk Defragmenter dialog box appears.
- Select the drive you want to defragment, and then do one of the following:
Click Defragment to start defragmenting the drive now.
Click Analyze to check how badly the drive needs to be defragmented.
If you do the latter, a recommendation appears after a minute or two. From there, you can select whether to defragment.
Delete unneeded files
As an application operates, it sometimes creates temporary files, like scrap pieces of paper on which it jots down notes. When the application exits, these files are deleted automatically. However, if it terminates abnormally, the temporary files remain on your hard disk taking up space.
Windows has two utilities for cleaning up your system.
- Disk Cleanup finds and deletes unnecessary files from your hard disk, freeing up overall disk space.
- The Desktop Cleanup Wizard eliminates unused shortcut icons from your desktop.
Either way, you end up in the Disk Cleanup dialog box. A report appears for the selected drive showing which files Windows thinks can be safely deleted. Mark or clear the checkbox for each category of files that Windows presents, click OK, and then click Yes.
Every 60 days, a reminder appears in your system tray prompting you to run Desktop Cleanup. If you see such a reminder, you can click it to run the program. Otherwise, you can run it manually:
- Right-click the desktop and select Properties.
- On the Desktop tab, click Customize Desktop. The Desktop Items dialog box appears.
- On the General tab, click Clean Desktop Now. The Desktop Cleanup Wizard starts.
- Click Next to continue, and then on the Shortcuts screen, mark or clear the checkboxes for each desktop shortcut. Next to each shortcut is the date on which it was last used; items that have never been used are marked by default.
- Click Next, and then Finish. You're done.
When you finish, a new folder icon appears on the desktop called Unused Desktop Shortcuts. It contains the removed icons. You can open this folder at any time and drag one of the icons back to the desktop.
For more information
- Visit the HP Learning Center to take a class on maintaining your Microsoft Windows XP computer, becoming a Windows XP Power user, and other computing topics.
