I like to clean up my hard drive

  • Thread starter Thread starter johnny
  • Start date Start date
J

johnny

Does anyone have suggestions for cleaning up the hard
drive of duplicte files that won't crash the system?
There's old dll,dat,htm, etc. that are just taking up
space. I just roamed around the net to try a few free
programs and wiped out files that I must have needed.
Luckily I backed up to a separate drive and got back on
line.
I guess what I would like to do is start off fresh with a
clean drive. I'm not sure of the steps involved.
Johnny
 
Johnny;
Clean Installation
Disconnect all peripherals (camera, printer, scanner, etc)
Disconnect any ZIP drive
Disconnect network/modem cable.
Go to BIOS and set CDROM as boot device before hard drive.
Insert Windows XP CD and reboot.
At "Press any key to boot to CDROM" quickly press a key and follow the
prompts for a Clean installation:
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg_clean.asp
If you are installing using Windows XP Upgrade, insert qualifying
media in Step 4b.
Delete all partitions in step 5 if you desire to erase all data on the
hard drive.
Partitioning and formatting will be done automatically.
All data will be destroyed, back-up important data first.

Enable or install firewall BEFORE connecting network cable.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=283673

Install ALL Critical Windows Updates:
Start/All Programs/Windows Update

After you are finished, you will need to load the appropriate drivers.

If your computer was shipped with Windows XP, these procedures may or
may not apply.
Check your manual or contact the computer manufacturer for more
details.
 
Many of the duplicated files that you see on your hard disk are duplicated
for a reason. And many other files that look like duplicates are not really
duplicates. Unfortunately, there is no substitute for knowledge and your own
good judgement here. You need to develop an understanding of what these
files do before you can decide whether you really need them. There is no
magic bullet. But you can shoot yourself in the foot if you're not careful.

Before you consider 'starting off fresh', think of the work that will
involve: formatting your hard disk, re-installing, re-configuring and
updating all your software...that's something you do when your system is
hosed and there's no other way out.

Tom Swift
 
Thanks for the help. I'll try to study up a bit on the
files in question. I was really hoping for the magic
bullet though:)
Thanks again,
johnny
 
I've got the whole system backed up on another drive and
thanks for the step by step.
I have xp pro full ver.. I'm sure it'll take the day. I'll
have to schedule this one for a long sit down.
Thanks so much again.
Johnny
 
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