scared of Disk Cleanup

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I have owned my very first computer now for about six months. No real
problems with it but I feel it's time to do some maintenance. People around
me are very wary of doing Disk Clean up as they don't trust Windows'
interpretation of files you are no longer using. Here's an example: I
de-installed Photoshop Elements 1.0 recently so I could put the new version
in (I got the CD sent to me as a birthday gift) and got a lot of prompts
saying "do you want to delete whatever" so I hit yes thinking it was a
leftover from what I was getting rid of. Then another came up, and another
and another and I ended up choosing about 3 and then decided to go for "No To
All" as I was becoming less confident about what these things were and so
decided to play it safe.

My hope is that if I use Disk Clean Up, it will, say see the above example,
know that they were just a bunch of leftover files assocoiated with software
I have uninstalled, then delete them. These are really obvous things which
I'm happy for it to manage but should I be worried about using it?

I can't really save my files and afford to mess the software I've installed
as some software I really like got installed by Dell without sending me the
disks to reinstall them if I really needed to start from scratch.

What do you guys all think?
 
mikejc said:
I have owned my very first computer now for about six months. No real
problems with it but I feel it's time to do some maintenance. People around
me are very wary of doing Disk Clean up as they don't trust Windows'
interpretation of files you are no longer using. Here's an example: I
de-installed Photoshop Elements 1.0 recently so I could put the new version
in (I got the CD sent to me as a birthday gift) and got a lot of prompts
saying "do you want to delete whatever" so I hit yes thinking it was a
leftover from what I was getting rid of. Then another came up, and another
and another and I ended up choosing about 3 and then decided to go for "No To
All" as I was becoming less confident about what these things were and so
decided to play it safe.

My hope is that if I use Disk Clean Up, it will, say see the above example,
know that they were just a bunch of leftover files assocoiated with software
I have uninstalled, then delete them. These are really obvous things which
I'm happy for it to manage but should I be worried about using it?

I can't really save my files and afford to mess the software I've installed
as some software I really like got installed by Dell without sending me the
disks to reinstall them if I really needed to start from scratch.

What do you guys all think?
Click to expand...

Disk Cleanup can be controlled/limited by unselecting the various
options that the program displays.

As a general rule, it should always be safe to allow it to remove:
- Temporary files
- Temporary Internet files
- Offline web pages
- Temporary PC Health files
These are all temporary items that tend to accumulate more and more
files with the passage of time. A periodic cleanout is just normal
housekeeping.

It should usually be safe to allow it to remove
- Recycle bin
but you should give that some consideration before doing so, as there
may be something in the Recycle Bin that you might want to undelete.
As a general rule I do not let Disk Cleanup empty the Recycle Bin.
Instead I do this manually every week or so, and I review the files to
make sure there is nothing being deleted that I might want to recover.

I do not use the "Compress old files" option because the disk space
saved is not a concern to me.

The other items in Disk Cleanup I do not use, again because the disk
space is not a concern and they are not items that grow in size over
time.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."
 
First things first: Congratulations on your very first computer. Welcome
to an amazing new world that keeps getting better.

Now is the time to develop good habits that will keep you on course to a
satisfying experience.

Step #1: You absolutely must learn to protect yourself while on the
internet. It takes seconds for some scum to install malicious software
on your computer that will make your life miserable. Be extremely
cautious about where you go on the internet, what you click on and what
you download. And read this:

"Help Protect Your PC With Security Essentials"
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/windowsxp/Default.mspx

Step #2: You absolutely must get into the habit of backing up. With a
recent backup you can be sure that you will never lose the information
you have stored on your computer. Backing up can become a pretty
complicated affair, but don't be deterred. Start simple and work your
way up to something more sophisticated. Here's a pretty good place to start:

"Windows XP Backup Made Easy"
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/bott_03july14.mspx

Step #3: Do not try any manoeuver on your PC until you have prepared
yourself. That means read...read about what you are going to try before
you try it. Take advantage of XP's Help and Support Center, Microsoft's
web site and of course the internet. Become handy with internet searches
and you'll never feel helpless. Of course, some of what you'll read will
seem like pure geek. Don't worry, there's more than enough material at
an introductory level to give you all the confidence you'll need.

Step #4: Get into the habit of doing things the 'right way', i.e., the
way they are supposed to get done, without using shortcuts or tricks,
and never do anything you don't understand.

Follow the above four steps and you will avoid most of the problems that
new users have with their computers. Now I'll get to your specific
questions:

Every responsible company that builds Windows computers includes a way
to restore the software to the way it was when it left the factory. Dell
is no different. You have one or more of the following: 1) a set of CDs
that contain all the software that was on your computer when you bought
it; 2) a set of so-called Recovery CDs which will, in a few short steps,
erase your hard disk and reinstall all the software that was on your
computer when you bought it; and/or 3) a so-called Recovery Partition on
the hard disk that does the same thing as the Recovery CDs. The
documentation that came with your computer will tell you what you have
and how to use it. If you have lost the documentation, call Dell.

The people you've been talking to about the Disk Cleanup Wizard
obviously know very little about it. You should learn what it's all
about yourself. Read about the Disk Cleanup Wizard in the Help and
Support Center. For more information, look here:

"Description of the Disk Cleanup Tool in Windows XP"
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310312

and here:

Disk Cleanup Utility
http://www.theeldergeek.com/disk_cleanup_utility.htm

and/or search the internet for the words: Windows XP Disk Cleanup Wizard.
 
Don't be scared, be petrified! Twice I've used Disk Cleanup and twice it has
destroyed most of the files.
 
Cap''''''''n Bazza said:
Don't be scared, be petrified! Twice I've used Disk Cleanup and
twice it has destroyed most of the files.
Click to expand...

Something else is wrong with your machine/configuration/etc. Disk Cleanup
does not normally destroy anything you do not tell it to.
If "something" destroyed most of your files - did it get into your backups?
 
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