CLEAN UP OLD & UNUSED PROGRAMS
Yes, its
simple and easy, but still very important.
Programs that are installed over time begin to
clutter up your machine. Shareware, games,
applications….over months unused programs that
keep piling up on your computer can have the
effect of a backpacker carrying too much
weight on his back while trying to climb a
mountain. Its time to lighten the load!
STEP 1: Click Start
à
Settings
à
Control Panel
à
Add or Remove Programs
From here, it will show you a list of all the software
that is registered on your machine. From
here you can remove any programs you no longer
use. Scroll through the list of programs,
removing anything that you do not need. If
you are unsure about whether or not you need a
particular program, you should look it up to
find out what it is. Go to
www.google.com and type in the name of the
program and click “search”. This will help
you identify what the mysterious program is.
Some good rules of thumbs I follow: Programs
that are “Microsoft” I usually leave alone
(unless I know I don’t need it anymore).
Service Packs and HotFixes you should ALWAYS
leave installed. (these are helpful programs,
do not remove them). Weird programs that I
see like “Gator” or “Kazaa” I will always
remove. Old games, shareware….get rid of
them. You can always install them again
another day. In this example, I
have highlighted a program on my computer that
I rarely use (it tells you on the right hand
side how often its used). I don't use
this, so I can delete it. Don't be
sentimental with installed programs, just
delete the ones you don't need.
Once you do this, reboot your machine, and
then we will clean up the startup programs
You have completed
Phase II of the 5 Phase system. Now on to
phase III.
Phase II