how to tune up (weekly) a computer

February 27, 2006 7:47 AM

Useful download program to tune up computer weekly

I have downloaded PCRescue and run it. Typically, it records the many things that need to be fixed, say, 18, and then fixes 2 and tells me I must subscribe to fix the remainder. Many tuneup programs seem to do this (is it a scam?), and I am looking for a program I can run to tuneup my computer (Dell, some 6 years old) weeklyh. I do havez Registry First Aid and run that weekly, but are there other things that need fixing that a program can handle? I can not use a CD because at this point my CD slot not working and I don't want to invest in my old machine.

posted by Postroad to Computers & Internet (12 answers total)

Sounds like a waste of time and money to me. Just regularly do your windows updates, use anti-virus software, maybe run ad-aware and spybot occasionally and just enjoy your computer. If you really want to go wild, download that new (free) windows live thing. Defrag occasionally. Leave the registry alone.

...and a new CD/DVD burner costs peanuts at Tiger Direct.


Good luck.
posted by bim at 8:25 AM on February 27, 2006

I use CCleaner and RegSeeker. They are both free and great.
posted by pmbuko at 8:34 AM on February 27, 2006

if there's something going on that requires the registry be cleaned every week you've got more serious problems at hand
posted by tiamat at 9:01 AM on February 27, 2006

Hitman Pro works well for me. It downloads, updates, and runs all the free spyware and adware programs automatically.
posted by underwater at 9:36 AM on February 27, 2006

For Defragging your hard drive I would recommend Diskeeper.
posted by daHIFI at 12:17 PM on February 27, 2006

Or you can use the defrag and discleanup that comes with windows XP. It's under system tools.

...and note that I assumed earlier that emptying your recycle bin and clearing out your browser cache and such nightly was a given. That's primarily what CCCleaner is duplicating. And if you use firefox, you can set it to automatically clear out your cache when you close your browser.

Happy computing.
posted by bim at 12:46 PM on February 27, 2006

CCleaner does also clear out temp files too, which would be more analagous to XP's disk cleanup utility. It's a little more thorough, to the point where you might want to deselect some things (e.g., you're probably better off having your browser clear it's own cache when it closes, and you might not want it clearing your cookies).
posted by Pryde at 1:28 PM on February 27, 2006

Somewhat related: what about the value of programs like The Ultimate Troubleshooter to monitor background tasks?

Is it a good idea to run something like that?
posted by mlis at 1:58 PM on February 27, 2006

Why on earth would you want to clean out your browser's cache regularly? That is the entire point of having a cache -- to store files so that you don't have to retrieve them again. The cache has a built-in size to prevent it from growing out of control, so I fail to see the point of regularly/manually deleting it. That's just needless busywork. If it's using too much space then reduce the size, and if you don't like the idea of storing things then disable it. But for god's sake don't have it enabled just so you have to sit there and empty it constantly. That's silly. Just let it be.
posted by Rhomboid at 2:51 PM on February 27, 2006

RIF -- Reading is Fundamental. Read what I said.

1)Setting firefox to automatically delete the cache and such when it closes (like at the end of the day) does not translate into having to "sit there and empty it constantly." I'd say it takes a fraction of a second. Fraction...of...a...second. Automatic. Big whip.

2)Why do I need a copy of yesterday's news or yesterday's mefi or yesterday's a million other old things sitting in my cache? That's not going to save me any time. And why would I be paying for high speed internet if loading a new page was such a slow and tedious chore? It's silly not to let firefox delete it. But by all means, save it for posterity if you prefer.
posted by bim at 5:30 PM on February 27, 2006

I'm not saying you should enable the cache. Try reading what *I* said. If you don't think you need the disk cache then just disable it. Firefox also has a second in-memory cache that will serve you just fine. But enabling the disk cache and then constantly deleting it is what is terribly counter-productive. The whole point of the cache is that you spend some time and I/O saving every object to disk, with the expectation that you will later make that time back by being able to use that saved copy. If you're just going to delete the cache at the end of every session then you shouldn't bother creating it. You're just going to needlessly fragment your hard drive and slow down the browser.

Things aren't "saved for posterity" because there is a fixed size for the cache. It automatically deteles things based on age so that the specified size is maintained. And I don't know how fast your connection is but I can guarantee that it's faster to read a graphic file from the hard disk than it is to fetch it from a remote server over the internet.

You seem to overlook the many static parts of a website that don't change. Even metafilter that is mostly dynamic has javascript, stylesheets, and some graphics that all can be cached. Most sites have tons of graphics that can be cached.
posted by Rhomboid at 8:50 PM on February 27, 2006

You are making a mountain out of a molehill.

If you need to do the schoolyard thing and constantly try to prove that yours is bigger than everyone else's, that's kind of sad. But some folks need that.

Knock yourself out, dude. Hope you feel better soon.
posted by bim at 3:49 AM on February 28, 2006