DELETE UNNEEDED FILES
Windows has two utilities for cleaning up your system. Disk Cleanup finds and deletes unnecessary files from your hard disk, freeing up overall disk space, and the Desktop Cleanup Wizard eliminates unused shortcut icons from your desktop.
Disk Cleanup recommends that you delete certain files to help you free up space on your hard disk. It might recommend, for example, that you empty your Recycle Bin, delete temporary internet files, and delete some leftover temporary files from your word processing program.
As an application operates, it sometimes creates temporary files, like scrap pieces of paper on which it jots down notes. When the application exits, these files are deleted automatically. However, if it terminates abnormally, the temporary files remain on your hard disk taking up space.
There are two ways to start Disk Cleanup. You can either go through the menu system or go through the Properties dialog box for the hard disk.
- Menu method: Select Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup. In the Disk Cleanup dialog box that appears, select the drive you want to clean up.
- Properties method: Open My Computer, right-click the drive and select Properties. On the General tab, click Disk Cleanup.
Either way, you end up in the Disk Cleanup dialog box, shown in Figure 5-3. A report appears for the selected drive showing which files Windows thinks can be safely deleted. Mark or clear the checkbox for each category of files that Windows presents, click OK, and then click Yes.
Repeat this process for each hard disk on your system if you have more than one.
