PC Tune Up: Start With The Basics!

In this article, you will find information and guidance on how to clean out your computer's hard disk drive. When I say "clean out", I mean clean up; you can delete unneeded files to help keep your personal computer up to speed. Here, you will learn how to check and clean up your system tray. (The system tray can be found in the lower right hand corner of your computer's screen. It is usually right next to your clock.) You can remove any icons you don't need, too!

Did you know that simply removing unwanted/unneeded icons and their applets could also make your personal computer run more quickly, with fewer problems? Actually, this should be the first task you perform when doing maintenance. It is the easiest and will help your computer! Basically, if your personal computer seems to be freezing or you keep getting "illegal operations" messages, simply removing unneeded icons can be the beginning stage to restoring your computer's original settings.

For the most part, every application on your personal computer will end up placing an icon in your computer's system tray. Most applications install an icon in the system tray. These icons are pretty useful in redirecting your personal computer to the programs that you need to use. The only bad thing is that these icons also use some of the memory your personal computer uses. They also tend to use some of the juice your computer can use to direct other applications.

Basically, the more icons you click on, the more applications your computer is running. This means that the computer is using precious memory space and power. The more applets that are used at the same time, the more time it takes your personal computer to work. In order to compensate for the lost time, your computer will then search for other means to speed up the process and anything it does will basically cause a buildup of information. This information can really build up over time and unless it is removed, can eventually lead to your computer having some serious problems.

The best way to avoid these problems is to apply a simple tune up method to remove any unwanted clutter from the systems tray. This is actually a fairly simple task, so please don't be scared to do it all by yourself! So we'll spend a minute showing you how to get rid of this clutter. The procedure described below is written primarily for those using Windows 98 SE and/or ME/2000/XP. For the most part, these are the main Windows programs on the market today.

Before you begin the process of removing unwanted/unneeded icons from your system tray, you will want to print out these instructions. If you First and if you do not print the instructions, you will be completely lost if and when you should need to restart your computer. (Which is common when removing and re-programming your personal computer.) Basically, you can use these instructions as a template for the entire process. If you have to keep looking back at the web page, you are more likely to get lost! Save yourself a lot of trouble and back up the knowledge with a paper copy.

With that said, the following will help you to remove the said icons and, hopefully, get your computer back up to speed:

Click on "Start"

Click on "Programs"

Click on "Accessories"

Click on "System Tools"

Click on "System Information"

Click on "Tools"

Click on System "Configuration"

Click on "Startup" (far right location)

Next, it is best that you check some of the basic items, including:

System Tray

Scan Registry

Task Monitor

Load QM

Load Power Profile (have a 2)

Anything associated with your video card

In case you should run into any problems, there are basic troubleshooting tasks you can easily perform, including:

Restart (be sure that you are in "safe mode")

Re-check everything that you unchecked (to save time, enable the checkbox for everything)

Restart

Uncheck items not listed above

Restart

Repeat until all that you don't need is unchecked

Don't worry if your personal computer doesn't start correctly after going through these steps the very first time. Just restart your personal computer in a safe mode and run through the entire application again. You can also undo any of the changes, if you feel this is not helping your computer run more smoothly and move on to the next task.