The objective of good PC Maintenance is to keep the PC operating efficiently with minimal disruption. A part of that process is to keep the PC as free as possible of extraneous data. One way to do that is to run the disk cleanup utility that is a part of the Windows operating system. It removes "unnecessary" files from the PC and gives you for available disk space.

The disk cleanup program does not require administrative privileges and, therefore, can be run by any user. It is found under Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools. You can run it by double-clicking its icon. You can also run it from a command line or automate the process. For more information, check this Microsoft web page: "How to Automate the Disk Cleanup Tool in Windows XP" at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315246

Select what you wish to be processed by the disk cleanup from the following:

* Downloaded Program Files
* Temporary Internet
* Recycle Bin
* Temporary Remote Desktop Files
* Setup Log Files
* Offline Files
* Compress Old Files

(This compresses rather than deletes files. If you need them again, there will be a slight delay as they are decompressed. If you select this option, you will also have an option of the number of days the system will wait before it will compress an idle file.)

You may see other categories than these. You can highlight the item to see an explanation of the category.

As a general rule, always consider the impact of change to your system. Have a backup of all data that you may need. Review what is found in each of these categories to be sure that it is what you think it is. Once you are comfortable with what it is and that you can safely remove it, then run the disk cleanup. For years, I have been running the disk cleanup utility with ALL categories selected and have had no problem as a result. I encourage you to use this utility and to follow it with a disk defragmentation.

This article contains suggestions for the use of utility programs under the Windows operating system. They are based on years of use, but they may not be the right suggestions for you and your PC environment. Before you follow any technical suggestion, be sure that you have a current (and tested) backup of all system and data files and that you can restore the system if necessary. You are welcome to contact me if you encounter a problem, but I assume no responsibility for your actions and/or use of the information provided and disclaim any legal responsibility for any negative results of such actions.

Copyright 2006 by Tim Flynt. All rights reserved.