Over time, your computer may get slower. From temporary files to auxiliary files left behind after program uninstalls to duplicate files left when programs are updated or reinstalled, there are countless unneeded files clogging your PC’s hard disk. Follow these simple tips to keep your computer running faster.

Cleaning the Temp folder:

All of your temporary files are stored in C:/Windows/Temp. Since they are one-time use files, you can safely delete all of them from the folder.

There may be anywhere from a few to very many files in the folder. Select them all and either hit the “Delete” key on your keyboard or right click on one of the files and select Delete

Searching for *.tmp files:

In addition to the Temp folder, temporary files are sometimes stored in other places on your hard drive, such as software files used for installation. To remove these temp files, go to the Start menu and select Search. Select All files and folders and type into the “All or part of file” box: *.tmp and hit Search. When the search is complete, select all.tmp files and delete.

Disk Cleanup

To rid your hard drive of any other unneeded, outdated, or duplicate files, run the Disk Cleanup by going to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools and selecting Disk Cleanup. It takes a few minutes to complete.

Defragmenting your hard drive:

To cap off your file purge, defragmenting your hard drive will further optimize speed and clean up gaps in your hard drive left by the files deleted previously. To use the Disk Defragmenter:

¢ Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools and select Disk Defragment.
¢ In the Disk Defragmenter window, select the Defragment option.

It starts by analyzing the file configuration and then compacting the files.

It is suggested that while utilizing your disk defragmenter, all other programs are closed and you leave your computer idle. Since the process can take up to several hours on a computer that has not been fragmented recently, it is also suggested to let the defragmenter run overnight.

After this purge, your PC should run more smoothly, lag or stall less, and overall performance should show anywhere from a slight to significant increase in optimization. If you would rather download a registry cleaner to speed up your computer, you will save a lot of time. It will also provide regular maintenance and prevent future registry errors.

Article created by Jake Ruston.