Spring Clean Your PC

By Jason Skidmore

Probably the most important tool any of us use is our computer. It is what we rely on to get projects done and make them look good. Over time computers tend to get dirty on the outside and the inside. It is important for the life and speed of your computer to regularly clean both the computer and the operating system you are working with. Most of us use Windows 7 for our operating system, so that is what this blog will be about. Here is a list of things you can do to help give your computer a good spring cleaning.

1. Clean your hardware-Make sure your computer is off and unplugged. Once it is unplugged (desktop) or the battery is taken out (laptop) hold the power key to take any charge out of the components within the laptop. Release any static electricity in you by touching something that is grounded. Some items that are essential to cleaning your PC are; compressed air, a q-tip, and an old tooth brush. The compressed air is really the only thing I use, but the other ones can come in handy if your computer is really dirty on the outside. Desktops are usually easy to access the innards while laptops require you to look up the computer instruction manual for information on how to take it apart. Most laptops have some covers you can take off the back to access the RAM, hard drive, and processor. The main component that I check for cleaning is the processor. It is also probably the most vulnerable component in the system so I take extra precaution in messing with it. I usually just take the heat sink off the processor which usually exposes a thin sheet of build up around the end of the heat sink. This is the air intake and where most lint and dust is caught. It is important to uncover the heat sink so air can flow freely. Computers are susceptible to overheating if this gets clogged and cannot move air through the system.

2. Manage your cables-This just takes time and consideration. Laptop cables are much easier to manage than are desktop cables. I usually keep all my cables that are mobile (e.g. phone cables, hard drive cables, adapters, head phones, etc..) in a pouch with rubber bands around them. My desktop came with a cable management solution built in. It just has some clips built in that hold the cables and keep them from dangling everywhere. You can accomplish the same thing with some bigger binder clips.

3. Update your system-This is probably the most important thing to do. Go to Windows update in the control panel and make sure that your system is up to date. If you have the automatic updates turned off I recommend turning them on for both security and operational reasons. Once your computer is completely up to date move on to getting rid of un-needed programs.

4. Uninstall unnecessary programs-Many of us require a multitude of programs in order to get stuff done. Our computers however have programs preinstalled and we sometimes install programs that just aren't necessary and take up space. You can either use something like the built in uninstaller or an uninstaller like Revo Uninstaller. Only get rid of programs that are truly unnecessary or your will find yourself reinstalling them later.

5. Hard drive space-You can download a program like WinDirStat or Disk Space Fan in order to see a breakdown of what is taking up all your space. The operating system takes up the most space. File management is key here. You want to delete any duplicate files you may have. This includes work files, school files, music, videos, pictures, etc... There are programs that will do this for you (if you trust them). I have used Duplicate Cleaner in the past and it worked rather well for me. You can also do it the old fashioned way and just go through every file and make sure it doesn't have a duplicate. The main file hog I have noticed architecturally speaking is Revit saving a file for every window that is open in Revit. This is usually unnecessary and you can delete all of the files that are labeled something like (myfile.0001.rvt) Usually the main file you want to keep just simply contains the name without any numbers behind it. Make sure you are only deleting files that are unnecessary and not losing any work. If you do delete an important file it should be in the recycling bin for a while and you can restore it at any time. Which brings up another point. The files are not completed deleted until you empty the recycling bin. Do this by right clicking the recycling bin and then clicking empty.

6. Backup your newly refreshed PC-The built in backup software on Windows 7 is great and I have it set to back up weekly. You can also back up to the cloud. I have all my school work saved on Dropbox which allows me to access it anywhere. It also keeps them backed up incase my computers decide to get sick.

7. This is not usually necessary, but is the best way to completely refresh your PC. Do a clean install after backing up all your files and programs.

Enjoy your faster, smoother, clutter free PC!!!