Keep it Organized

This month was very busy for me, and I wasn’t able to keep up with my regular schedule. So, before you start throwing full wine bottles at your computer screen, let me offer this as a cop out: Saturday Special!

People often don't realize the physical limitations of a computer. The hard disk, the main storage area of your computer, is a physical spinning disk, similar to a CD (operational word being similar here. No trolling!). The information is read and transmitted to your system via moving heads, essentially little boxes that sit on the disk and move back and forth, physically reading and writing information on your drive. As Windows reads, writes and changes files on your drive, it places the information in organized areas called sectors.

Sometimes, though, a file won't completely fit into a sector, and it will be broken into smaller chunks and placed in separate areas on the drive. If the information on your drive is scattered and unorganized like this, it takes longer for the drive heads to read the information you are trying to access. This can significantly slow down computer performance, almost to the point of unusability if it gets bad enough. It also will shorten the life span of your drive; like any other mechanical part (say, the engine of a car), the heads and drive can only take so much use in their lifetime. That is why keeping the contents of your hard disk organized is essential to optimum performance and computer efficiency.

Defragmenting your hard drive on a regular basis is key. Windows includes a defragmenting tool, but it's not terribly efficient or specific in the information it details. Piriform hit the nail on the head again with their defragmentation tool Defraggler. This defrag tool will defrag your hard drive, individual files, or even the free space of your drive. Available as another free download, this tool is essential in keeping your hard drive organized and efficient.

One of the most useful features of Defraggler is its ability to defragment freespace. Freespace is just that- free space. There is no information stored here, and if there is, it's unreadable to the disk. (I'll cover how computers delete information in another post). Defragging freespace prevents chunks of open information from spreading all over your drive; fragmented freespace can be just as unhealthy as fragged files. Defragging the freespace, then defragging the contents of the drive, is the optimum way to organize a drive.

If you're performing a significant system clean and are doing other things to the drive, such as cleaning and deleting old files, it's important that you clean the system first, then defrag it. Doing the opposite will leave you with 'holes' in your drive; information that had been left neat and organized with no gaps is now Swiss cheese, effectively undoing all of the work you did in defragging it.

Like cleaning old files, it's difficult to pinpoint exactly when or how often users should defrag a drive. In the research I've done, the general consensus for average computer users is once every couple of months. Light system loads probably need to be defragged on a semi-annual basis… ish. Likewise, I know several computer pros who defrag their systems daily, or even several times a day. If you're unsure how often you should defrag, contact a system analyst, or visit a tech site geared towards the average computer user, such as pcworld.com or howtogeek.com.

The length of time it takes a drive varies, depending on how badly fragmented it is in the first place. Your best bet will probably be to defrag overnight; an average defrag will probably run for one or two hours. Also, it's important that you aren't running any other programs when you're defragging (or cleaning, or anything else). These programs consume a significant amount of resources, and checking your email while defragging your drive will tax your system, as well as decrease the effectiveness of the defrag. So, defrag your drive and take your kids out to a ballgame. Or a walk in the park. Or something that gets you off your lazy butt.

On a separate note, I'd like to point out that this blog isn't a plug for Piriform. The software the company distributes is available for free, and I don't benefit from mentioning their products at all.  Yes, there are many other products in existence that would be just as effective. I am not by any means cautioning against these; rather, Piriform is a trustworthy company that offers quality software, and has garnered significant acceptance in the computing world. I've had no problems with any of their free programs, It's too bad that they don't offer their products in an open source format… wink, wink, anyone?

'Keep it Organized' is part two in a seven-part series discussing computer performance and maintenance.

Keep it Clean

Originally, I had planned to release these as one post. Space limitations, a lack of time and length comments from my readers, however, have caused me to change my mind. Each section has been expanded and will be released on my regular, two-week schedule.

It's astonishing how much junk can build up on a PC. Old metadata files, system and internet browser temp files, prefetch data, cookies- need I continue? Depending on your system usage, it's easy to build up multiple gigabytes of stored information that is doing little more than taking up space on the hard drive. All of this excess data will take up free space on your drive and slow your computer down; because of the physical limitations of your hard disk, bloating your drive with junk files will slow down your computer's capabilities and shorten the lifespan of your drive. Regularly cleaning out these files is necessary to maintain a speedy, optimized system.

Windows has a Disk Cleanup tool that tries to accomplish this, but don't waste your time with it. Instead, use CCleaner from Piriform. Available as a free download (who doesn't love free?), CCleaner will delete internet browser files, temp metadata files, system logs, prefetch data, and more. It even gives security buffs and paranoid nuts the option to wipe the free space on the drive, increasing security and making it more difficult to retrieve lost data. In addition, CCleaner will scan your registry for errors and invalid entries and delete them. While this doesn't save a lot of space on your drive, it boosts the efficiency of your file system and keeps your computer from making a log of unneccessary files.

There's no scientific formula for determining when to clean out old files. I know this can be frustrating for users looking for a quick, no-bull answer (myself included), but the truth is the answer depends heavily on how much you use your computer. The cubicled office jock should probably clean out their system on a regular basis; every one or two weeks should do the trick. More sparing users, like my mother, probably don't have to worry about this very often, and can think of it as a spring cleaning-esque chore.

Running CCleaner won't take too long, unless you select the 'Wipe Free Space' option. Take a quick coffee break while you run this application. It can also be done overnight, though taking two minutes out of your day probably won't hurt that much. If you're that pressed for time, hire a secretary. Keep in mind, though, that you will be permanently deleting these files; while they are by no means essential to your computer's ability to function, it will mean re-entering information like passwords and online form entries again (unless you choose not to delete these. Smart cleaner, you).


'Keep it Clean' is part one in a seven-part series discussing computer performance and maintenance. 

7 Steps to a Clean Computer

A computer is a complex machine; like any other machine, it must be maintained and kept in good working order to function properly and effectively. As a computer systems analyst for Fear Nothing Productions, the professional arm of my sad existence, it is my job to maintain computers, networks, and other technical arrays that are found in a typical working environment, such as a small or home business office.

Many people don't realize the amount of work that is required to properly maintain a typical office array. Computers are feisty, spunky little demons, and have a tendency to want run away if you don't keep them in check. Every aspect of a PC needs to be regularly cleaned and maintained. In reality, it's a laundry list of chores that not many people enjoy doing, or even know how to. Disks need to be wiped and defragmented. Junk files needs to be deleted. Registries need to be scrubbed and checked for errors. File systems need to be debugged. Boot times need to be examined and optimized. Startup programs need to be kept in check. The list goes on and on and, frankly, the typical office Joe or housewife Sally won't have a clue where to begin.

Despite all that, maintaining a computer is easier than it sounds. All it takes is some common sense, a few useful tools, and a couple hours to kill on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Sounds up to the challenge? No? Well then, I'll stop by and fix you up for $75. Sound good?

I didn't think so. With that in mind, in the upcoming weeks I will discuss how to properly clean and maintain computer systems, as well as deal with common fallacies relating to PC operation and maintenance.