Even if Surfing and Emailing are about all you do with your PC, it could still be a real mess. Perhaps you have noticed a gradual slowing that may very well be increasing.

Chances are, it's not your internet connection. It's your computer.

Adjusting some of the basic settings on your computer can help it to work less on things you probably didn't even know it was working on.

As you already know, searching the internet for help with your slow running computer or slow internet connection will present you with a multitude of software utilities you can buy to help your pc run faster.

Some of these programs are quite good actually, but before you go spending your money on quick fixes, why not take a little time to learn what you can do to help keep your computer running at its best possible performance?

Are you tired of depending on others to clean up your computer for you?

Maybe you've already had a friend, neighbor, colleague, etc. "fix" your computer.
A lot of people do, but it will only last for so long.

Every Computer User should be able to do their own basic maintenance.
With the right information, you are cabable of doing it yourself.

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A Good Share Of The Content Of This Lens Has Been Extracted From
"Computer Tweaks For Non-Geeks"
(Easy Tweaks For Your Windows XP Computer).
This Publication Is Also Available in a Printable PDF Format.

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You may not even be aware of how your computer is set up.
Most people don't really care as long as it continues to work.
It doesn't really even matter until it begins to slow, lock up or crash.
By the time you start thinking about looking for help,
there's a good chance you've already got real problems.
Adjusting some of the basic settings on your computer can help it to work less on things you probably didn't even know it was working on.

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Microsoft Windows likes to help you out with frequent updates.
What this amounts to is Security Fixes and Patches and Updates that they insist should be downloaded and installed on a regular basis.
If you don't let Windows have its way with this, it can really give you fits.
The best way to handle this (unfortunately) is to just let the Windows updates download and install when they want to.

To set your Windows Updates to Automatic:
 ~Click your Start button.
 ~Click Control Panel.
 ~Double Click Automatic Updates.
 ~Check the Automatic Button.
 ~Click Apply.
 ~Click OK.

This can be pretty inconvenient if you're PC is not always on and not always connected to the internet.
If you don't want to be fiddling with this when it wants you to, you can check the other boxes to download and/or install them when you choose.

You just don't want to put it off for too long.

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The Windows Disk Cleanup utility does a pretty good job.
Your Computer's Hard Disk is the Disk that gets Cleaned Up.
This is also referred to as the Hard Drive.
It's the same thing.
This is where information is stored on your computer.
Over time, your hard drive tends to accumulate a lot of useless garbage on it.
To answer any questions about why it does, let's just say the answer is . . . It Just Does.
Furthermore. it's up to you to manage this data.
Fortunately, the Disk Cleanup Utility does make this pretty easy.
It will do a lot in a fairly short amount of time.

It will clear . . .
 ~Downloaded Program Files
 ~Temporary Internet Files
 ~Offline Web Pages
 ~Recycle Bin
 ~Setup Log Files
 ~Temporary Files
 ~WebClient/Publisher Temporary Files

It will also Compress Old Files and Catalog Files For Content Indexing.
You can perform any or all of this with a single cleaning.

To run disk cleanup:
 ~Click your Start button.
 ~Mouse over All Programs, Accessories, System Tools.
 ~Click Disk Cleanup.
 ~Select the drive you want to clean up. (Typically C:)
 ~Click OK.
 ~Wait for your drive to be analyzed.
 ~Select the actions you want to perform.
 ~Click OK.

(The "More Options" Tab here is for more advanced users.)
Depending on when you last ran this, it might take a while.
Don't cancel it. Let it do its job.

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