I’ll finish my “Spring Cleaning During the Summer” series by talking about what’s inside your computer, now that we’ve done our best to clean the outside.  If you’re like me, you’ve installed a lot of programs that you no longer use, and you probably also have a lot of junk on your computer that you don’t even know is there.  For example, when you open an attachment to an email, Windows is very helpful (sarcasm intended) when it saves a copy of that attachment in a temporary file.  If you aren’t regularly cleaning out that Temp folder, you’ll be very surprised all the junk that’s being stored there.  Here are a couple of suggestions on how to keep the junk off your hard drive.

Delete What You Don’t Need.  If you have programs you don’t use anymore, I recommend you not use the Uninstall Programs feature of Windows – it does a decent job, but I find that stray directories and registry entries are often left behind.  Instead, I use Revo Uninstaller (free, or $39.25 for more features), which does a fantastic job of thoroughly removing a program from your computer.  It uses the program’s own uninstall process to remove the basic files.  Then it does a deep cleaning of your registry and file structure, and gives you the ability to delete all the files and items it finds.  I run Revo Uninstaller at least every month or two, especially if I have installed new programs I don’t use or like during that time.

Keeping Up to Date.  It’s also important to regularly update the programs you do have, but it can be a pain to have to keep visiting all the software sites to see if an update is available.  Most programs have a “Check for Update” feature under the Help or About menu, but that can also be time-consuming.  Instead, check out UpdateStar ($34.95), a program that scans all of your software, and regularly reports back if there’s an updated version.  You can download many programs directly from UpdateStar – it’s an incredibly convenient way of updating your software.

Time for a Deep Clean.  I’ve mentioned CCleaner (Free) a bunch on this blog and in presentations, and there’s a reason for that – it is an amazing computer cleaner.  I will run CCleaner after running Revo Uninstaller, just in case it happened to miss a stray file – CCleaner has its own Registry Cleaner which will scan for obsolete or unneeded registry entries and get rid of them for good.  CCleaner will also empty your Recycle Bin, and remove files from those pesky hidden temporary files that get created whenever you open attachments to an email.  You can also use CCleaner to do a more thorough cleaning, to make sure that the empty space on your hard drive (otherwise known as the slack space) is completely wiped of any residual programs, documents, or other data.

Put Everything Together Again.  Sometimes files or parts of a program get a little separated from each other on your hard drive.  The closer things are on your hard drive, the faster and better your drive performs.  That’s why it’s important to “defragment” your hard drive on a regular basis. If you’re using Windows 7, you already have a defragger built in – just go to “Search Programs and Files” on the Start Menu, type in defrag, and the Disk Defragmenter window appears; you can then configure your schedule, or start the defrag process right then.  If you aren’t using Windows 7, then check out this page of ten disk defragmenter software programs.  One of my favorite tools, PerfectDisk, is listed at #2 – it’s a great option.

And that’s it!  I do all of these things once a month, and at the most once every two months, and my computer is in pretty good shape.  Try it for yourself.

A few weeks ago I started a series on spring-cleaning your computer, even though it’s summer.  This week, let’s take a look at your computer itself, and your monitor(s).

Desktop
One of the worst things that can get into your computer chassis is dust – it acts like insulation inside the box, and traps all of the heat generated by the CPU.  It also clogs the fan which is trying its best to keep things cool.  If you have pets or happen to be a smoker, keeping the chassis clean is even more important.

You’ll need a can of compressed air to do this.  Remove the cover from the side of your desktop case and get rid of as much dust as you can.  Make sure you blow air on the fans – the one on the outside of your box, as well as the fan on your graphics card.  You may be stirring up a lot of dust, so having a vacuum or dust buster handy is good, to make sure the dust doesn’t resettle back into your computer box.

Next, get a small bottle of mechanical oil lubricant – it can be 3-in-1 oil or something like WD-40.  Put a drop at the center of the fans on the back, to keep them moving smoothly.

Monitor(s)
It’s easy to get junk on your monitors, whether it’s dust, fingerprints, or something else that gets it dirty.  Use the can of compressed air to get rid of the dust that will blow away.  Next, you’ll want to use a dust-free cloth to wipe the monitor, using a cleaning solution.  You have a couple of options when choosing a cleaner – you can use a product called Audiovox Surface, which comes with a microfiber cloth and a large 200ml bottle of the screen cleaner.  You can also make your own screen cleaner, putting 1 part distilled water and 1 part white vinegar into a misting bottle.  Just spray some on the cloth and wipe carefully.

 

 

Sitting here in Dallas, the temperature pushing over the 100-degree mark for what seems like the umpteenth day in a row, I remember back to the days of Spring (which lasts about 4 weeks in Dallas), when the temperatures were cool and new beginning were imaginable.  It’s also the time when people start to clean all that stuff that got dirty over the past 9 months.   Although Spring is long past,  there’s no reason why we can’t give a good cleaning to our computer equipment.  So over the next few weeks, I’ll give some tips on how I clean my computer and related gadgets.  This week, we’ll talk about your keyboard and mouse.

You’ve read the stories – about how your computer keyboard probably holds more germs than a toilet seat, right?  Regardless of whether that’s true, it’s certainly the case that my various keyboards are full of junk – dust, food crumbs, dog hair, and other assorted detritus.  Here are some ways to clean out the crap in your keyboard:

  • First, make sure you’ve disconnected it from your computer (unless you’re using a laptop, of course – but make sure you unplug it before starting to clean).
  • Then just turn it upside down, to get all the loose stuff out.
  • Next, you might want to use a can of compressed air to blow between your keys.  You can pick up a can at most stores that sell computer supplies.
  • You may also want to invest in a computer vacuum blower; these devices run from $25 for a desktop device up to over $200 for something that will clean bigger equipment.  Some of these vacuum tools come with brush nozzles, to clean out debris that might be stuck between the keys.
  • If you have some heavy-duty crud in your keyboard, you’ll next want to take a cotton swab, coat it with alcohol (not a lot!), and work them in between the keys.
  • If you want to try a quick and easy fix, check out CyberClean, a goo-like product that flows between your keys and dirt sticks to it like a magnet.  It reminds me of a toy I used to play with as a kid – but cannot for the life of me remember its name.
  • If you’re thoroughly experienced with dismantling a keyboard, you might want to remove your keys so you can thoroughly scrub under them; but it is very easy to bend or break the keys, so I don’t always recommend this.
Mice are a lot easier to clean these days, unless you’re still using a mouse with a ball inside it.  Today’s computer mouse uses optics, so if you’re using a mouse with a ball, don’t even think about cleaning it – go out and buy yourself a new optical mouse from either Logitech or Microsoft.  You still need to clean the “feet” of the optical mouse – they still pick up a lot of junk.
That’s it for this week – next week we’ll tackle your CPU.