Software and tips to help you restore a hard drive and recover data from fixed and removable disks.
Hard Disk
Maintenance
Maintenance
Hard Disk Drive Maintenance
There's no need to go to the garage and get your tools. Hard disk maintenance amounts to keeping the installed operating system and associated software clean and unfragmented. I've broken down hard drive maintenance into two distinct sections: active and preventative. Let's take a look at each of them.
Active Maintenance - Cleaning Things Up
1. The Internet is a wonderful resource, but it can also be the cause of most, or at least many, of the problems we encounter on our computers every day. Let me explain.
When we surf the web, we end up with various components of web pages stored in a folder, the temporary Internet cache. This cache can become quite large, depending on the size set in your browser, and it should be cleared occasionally.
Other junk files that build up on your hard drive include temporary and duplicate files created by the operating system and various application software, files that have been sent to the recycle bin, chkdsk file fragments, etc.
Over a few weeks these "junk" files can build up to the point that there are literally hundreds of megabytes of them. They're just sitting there, doing nothing. Well, actually they are doing something they're slowing down your system. Your hard drive has to wade through more and more junk to find what it's looking for. Windows has a disk cleanup utility under Start menu/Accessories/System Tools that can remove lots of this stuff. There are even better freeware utilities for this purpose.
2. The Windows registry, essentially a huge configuration file, can become bloated with leftovers of uninstalled programs, drivers, etc. It needs a good cleaning, too. Unfortunately, Windows doesn't have a registry cleaner, so you'll need to look elsewhere. Again, there are some fine freeware versions.
3. Unused software programs should be removed, thus freeing up disk space and clutter. Although most programs come with their own uninstallers, including Windows, they usually don't remove all they should. You can find freeware uninstallers that are designed to get rid of everything a program places on your system.
4. Another problem is desktop clutter. Too many shortcuts on the desktop will make Windows load more slowly. Remove some of your icons manually or go to Control Panel/Display/Desktop/Customize Desktop and click Clean the Desktop.
5. Most people have far too many background applications and services running. These also severely slow Windows load times and consume precious system resources, making the computer run slower. Windows has a command line utility called "msconfig" but again, there are better freeware utilities that can prevent these background nuisances from running.
6. If your system is really, really slow and doing weird things, you could have a virus or spyware. Restart your computer, hit the F8 key until the option screen comes up and choose Safe Mode with Networking. Safe mode will often keep the malware from starting up and running, making it easier to remove. If you don't have up-to-date antispyware/antivirus software on your computer, this is the time to download, install and run it.
7. Once all this house cleaning has been done it's time to defragment the remaining programs and files. Windows has its own disk defragmenter located under Start menu/ Accessories/System Tools, but there are better free ones available.
Preventative Maintenance - Being Prepared
1. I'll include up-to-date anti-virus/anti-spyware software in this section also, because of its ability to prevent some very nasty things from happening to your computer. There are some free offerings that do a pretty good job. I personally like a high quality, commercial, all-in-one program that updates and scans automatically at preset times with no user intervention. It's definitely worth paying for to keep your computer safe.
2. If you don't have your data backed up you're going to regret it at some point. Most people have their documents, spreadsheets, photos, music, etc. stored in the My Documents Folder. At the very least back up this data to a removable drive.
3. Even if you have factory Restore Disks or a Windows CD you'll wish you had made a recovery CD of your own that contains a snapshot of your entire system. If disaster strikes, you can restore your computer so that everything is just like it was before things went so badly wrong.
Ok, I've given you all these tips, now you need the software to get started. Here are my choices:
PC Tools Spyware Doctor with Antivirus and Avanquest Fix-it Utilities 9 Professional.
Active Maintenance - Cleaning Things Up
1. The Internet is a wonderful resource, but it can also be the cause of most, or at least many, of the problems we encounter on our computers every day. Let me explain.
When we surf the web, we end up with various components of web pages stored in a folder, the temporary Internet cache. This cache can become quite large, depending on the size set in your browser, and it should be cleared occasionally.
Other junk files that build up on your hard drive include temporary and duplicate files created by the operating system and various application software, files that have been sent to the recycle bin, chkdsk file fragments, etc.
Over a few weeks these "junk" files can build up to the point that there are literally hundreds of megabytes of them. They're just sitting there, doing nothing. Well, actually they are doing something they're slowing down your system. Your hard drive has to wade through more and more junk to find what it's looking for. Windows has a disk cleanup utility under Start menu/Accessories/System Tools that can remove lots of this stuff. There are even better freeware utilities for this purpose.
2. The Windows registry, essentially a huge configuration file, can become bloated with leftovers of uninstalled programs, drivers, etc. It needs a good cleaning, too. Unfortunately, Windows doesn't have a registry cleaner, so you'll need to look elsewhere. Again, there are some fine freeware versions.
3. Unused software programs should be removed, thus freeing up disk space and clutter. Although most programs come with their own uninstallers, including Windows, they usually don't remove all they should. You can find freeware uninstallers that are designed to get rid of everything a program places on your system.
4. Another problem is desktop clutter. Too many shortcuts on the desktop will make Windows load more slowly. Remove some of your icons manually or go to Control Panel/Display/Desktop/Customize Desktop and click Clean the Desktop.
5. Most people have far too many background applications and services running. These also severely slow Windows load times and consume precious system resources, making the computer run slower. Windows has a command line utility called "msconfig" but again, there are better freeware utilities that can prevent these background nuisances from running.
6. If your system is really, really slow and doing weird things, you could have a virus or spyware. Restart your computer, hit the F8 key until the option screen comes up and choose Safe Mode with Networking. Safe mode will often keep the malware from starting up and running, making it easier to remove. If you don't have up-to-date antispyware/antivirus software on your computer, this is the time to download, install and run it.
7. Once all this house cleaning has been done it's time to defragment the remaining programs and files. Windows has its own disk defragmenter located under Start menu/ Accessories/System Tools, but there are better free ones available.
Preventative Maintenance - Being Prepared
1. I'll include up-to-date anti-virus/anti-spyware software in this section also, because of its ability to prevent some very nasty things from happening to your computer. There are some free offerings that do a pretty good job. I personally like a high quality, commercial, all-in-one program that updates and scans automatically at preset times with no user intervention. It's definitely worth paying for to keep your computer safe.
2. If you don't have your data backed up you're going to regret it at some point. Most people have their documents, spreadsheets, photos, music, etc. stored in the My Documents Folder. At the very least back up this data to a removable drive.
3. Even if you have factory Restore Disks or a Windows CD you'll wish you had made a recovery CD of your own that contains a snapshot of your entire system. If disaster strikes, you can restore your computer so that everything is just like it was before things went so badly wrong.
Ok, I've given you all these tips, now you need the software to get started. Here are my choices:
PC Tools Spyware Doctor with Antivirus and Avanquest Fix-it Utilities 9 Professional.
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