Quick overview:
Summer is approaching and spring cleaning has left its mark: The home is clean again and the car is shiny! But your computer looks like...? Don't worry, Windows-Tweaks has 3 great tips to get your XP and Vista computer running smoothly and cleanly again! [By Sandro Villinger]
Tip 1: Defragment!
Over time, your hard disk becomes completely disorganized due to program installations (and uninstallations!), new files, moving and deleting files. After just a few weeks, the data is chaotically scattered all over the hard disk - experts call this phenomenon "fragmentation". Microsoft itself therefore offers the so-called "Defragmentation". While the Vista version does a pretty good job, you can forget about the XP defragmentation right away. We recommend the TuneUp Utilities 2008 defragmentation in both cases:
- Install the TuneUp Utilities 2008 (download links here)if you have not already done so! Now start the program by double-clicking on
- Click now on "TuneUp Drive Defrag".
- Now place a checkmark in front of the drive you want to defragment, such as
Please note that the greatest increase in performance is achieved if you defragment the drive on which Windows and all your programs are installed. This is often the "C: drive" (marked with a Windows symbol in Vista). Now click on
to start the defragmentation! The process can take between 30 seconds and an hour (!), depending on the state of your hard disk. At the end, click on 
!
Tip 2: Clean out the registry
In the registry database, Windows XP and Vista store information about all processes and programs on your computer: settings, file types, policies, driver information, program configurations and much more! This database often consists of hundreds of thousands of entries, so-called "keys" and "values". The more programs you install, the larger the database becomes! Since Windows accesses dozens of registry values with every click (!) in Windows, you should always ensure that your registry database is clean. TuneUp can also help here:
- Install and start TuneUp Utilities 2008 as described in step 1 of the first tip. Click on
. - Now close all open programs. If possible, also close all programs that are visible in the notification area of the taskbar:
To do this, right-click on the icons and select "Exit", "Exit" or "Close". Attention: Only close any firewalls and anti-virus programs when you are not connected to the Internet!
- Now that as many programs as possible are closed, TuneUp can better optimize the registry database. The reason: There are no longer dozens of programs accessing the database and blocking TuneUp's access!
Click now on
and
.
- The screen will darken and you may have to wait 1-2 minutes for the registry database optimization to complete.
Tip 3: End user accounts cleanly(XP)
If you restart XP, shut it down or simply log off, the registry database is often not closed properly. This can lead to errors in the long term or prevent shutdown. Microsoft itself now offers the appropriate program:
- Open the website "User Profile Hive Cleanup" and download the program. Then double-click on
- Confirm one after the other with
, 
, , and ! Then click on 
! A service is now installed that ensures that your user accounts are logged out cleanly!
Best regards,
Sandro Villinger
On Windows Tweaks you will find time-saving tech guides for PC, software & Microsoft. For a stress-free digital everyday life. Already we have been "tweaking" Windows since 1998 and just won't stop!
