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Old 01-10-2006, 10:40 AM   #6 (permalink)
oshwyn5
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Dallas , Tx
Posts: 1,435
OS: DOS,Win95,98,ME,XP, Fedora


Quote:
Originally Posted by grassi
hello, i decided to use these forum suggestions to clean up computer(tweak). However Im very computer illiterate, as i go through xp tips and tricks i will need help? I never know what is okay to delete? 1st Prefetch folder do i need anything in this? Dont understand theory behind prefetch folder? Please go easy. Although i can find it. 2nd deleting old restore pts Is this ok. I hear restore pts and get nervous? I recently made new restore pt with tetonbob after getting rid of smittvariant fraud. But i know there has been a few other attempts to restore, so there should be old restore pts located in my computer.

1st Prefetch folder do i need anything in this?
The prefetch folder is a list of what loads at startup and what programs and files you frequently use and exactly where on the hard drive they are each located. When windows starts loading, it uses this information so that while one item is busy using the cpu to load and configure things windows can grab the next items which will be loading and put them into RAM or at least swap file so that it takes less time to load them. Windows also uses the executive software diskkeeper lite tool as its defrag and disk manager. Thus it uses this information to determine what should go where. When it defrags the drive it puts things you use a lot in faster access locations than those you do not use. It compresses things you have never used to save space. Finally it uses this data to "optimize " your hard drive in the background. Moving things you are using to faster locations whenever it sees you are not using the hard drive so that you will not have to defrag as frequently. Now under normal circumstances; windows constantly updates this and it is rebuilt completely every thirty days or so. You can delete the contents,and they will gradually be rebuilt; but for the first several starts after you do it will boot more slowly and you should not defrag until it finishes or it will slow things down. Note that if you seriously alter your startup items list or uninstall a bunch of things you should delete the contents so that windows will begin rebuilding it now rather than wait thirty days to determine you are not using those things . Just go to start/ run and type prefetch and hit enter. Go to edit/ select all/ file/ delete

2nd deleting old restore pts Is this ok
Yes, this is fine. System restore is not a magic time machine and you really do not need more than the last one. Basically system restore works by creating a record of how big and how many ones and zeros are in each file in certain areas (windows system files, the hive files used to build the registry) . IT does not monitor every file on your computer, just certain vital ones. If any of them are changed, it creates a restore point and saves a copy of the original file before it is altered or replaced. This is so that if you install something and it puts in an invalid dll file or changes a windows system file so that windows cannot work, you can restore the one that was there. But if you have updated windows at windows update and it replaced a dll with a security hole with a new one and you have no problems, there is no reason to keep the original one around in a restore point. Also, often older system restore points will not work any more any how. So it is perfectly fine and actually good practice to periodically run disk cleanup and choose the more options to clean up old restore points. Note that if you turn off system restore and restart your computer all the old restore points should be removed automatically. Reenabling system restore and creating a new restore point just inventories things and creates a baseline to track changes relative to.

I dont know hdd
HDD is Hard Disk Drive, your C: in most cases, although it is possible to split (partition) one physical hard disk drive into several logical partitions (C: D: E: etc) either when windows is first installed or with partitioning tools like partition magic. If you had your drive partitioned, you would want to run disk cleanup on each partition. Likewise you would run scandisk(checkdisk in xp) and defrag on each partition.

I have spy bot and adaware but i thought they just clean spyware viruses and hackers etc
Yes, the primary purpose of these tools is to detect certain specific threats (Adware, Spyware, specific trojans) which are not normally detected and removed by major antivirus companies products. In reality you need one or both of these anti spyware tools, an anti trojan such as A squared trojan remover (Free) or ewido, and an antivirus like avast (free) or norton or mcafee etc.
Also , many of these tools have hidden features. Spybot for example if you click on mode/ advanced has a whole range of tools from a secure shredder (which not only deletes a file but writes random numbers over it to ensure no one can ever recover it ) the ability to lock your internet explorer settings, view and control startup items and much more.
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