Making Your PC Take Care of Itself - the Easy Way!

However, the methods described in that article weren't completely free, as it involved buying Iobit's Advanced SystemCare software license. So, here's a guide for those who are willing to dig deeper into the settings of their operating system to get an optimized Vista-PC to work with, for free!

This guide is divided into several steps to make it easier to continue following it after some necessary computer reboots. The steps are as follows:

1. Comfortability - Clean up the User Interface!
2. Updates - Keep your Vista up-to-date
   
3. Security - Make sure you're safe against viruses!
   
4. Drivers - Keep your hardware running!
5. Programs & Features - Save disk space!
   
6. Services - Don't have anything useless eating your resources!
7. Disk Cleanup - get rid of the trashes!
   
8. Registry - Don't let it get messy!
9. Defragment - Get it all nicely together!
10. Schedule - Deja Vu for your PC!

So, let's get started!

Step 1. Comfortability

The first thing that hurts my eyes when I start a freshly installed Vista-PC is the amount of useless stuff it forces on to the screen:

Welcome Center: Never has anything useful or interesting in it, so just un-check the box at the bottom left corner that says "Run at startup", and close it. It won't bother you anymore.

Sidebar: A nuisance with nothing to offer. You have the clock in its own place  at the end of the taskbar, you don't need it in the other corner too. Neither do you need your computer loading you pictures to the sidebar constantly, and you're damn lucky if you ever find anything really useful for the sidebar anyway. Let's close it permanently! You should be able to find the sidebar-icon in the taskbar; it shouldn't be hard to find, as it has a screen with a bunch of useless stuff coming out from it, just like the taskbar makes your screen look! So, right click that icon and choose "Exit". In the resulting dialog, un-check the box that says "Start Sidebar when Windows starts" and click "Exit Sidebar". Ahh... better...

Quick Launch for Desktop and Flip 3D: Seriously, whose great idea was this? Or flip 3d, for that matter... Quick Launch should be dedicated for shortcuts to the programs you use the most, so that they're easy to access. If you do this right, you'll never have to look at your desktop while working! So, let's drag&drop these two shortcuts to the Recycle Bin.

From now on, when you have a program you use a lot, make a quick launch shortcut for it by right clicking its icon on the desktop or the start menu and choosing "Add to Quick Launch". Then delete the icon from the desktop, as you won't be needing it anymore.

The next thing to do would be doubling the taskbar, to get more room for your quick launch and open applications. To do this, right click on the task bar and un-check "Lock the Taskbar". Now grab the upper edge of the taskbar with your mouse, and drag it up until the size of the taskbar doubles. Now just right click the task bar again and lock it.

Now, let's customize the taskbar and start menu. Right click on the taskbar and select "Properties". This opens a dialog where you can customize what is shown in the taskbar and the start menu.By default, you should be viewing the Taskbar-tab now. I like to keep most of these on their defaults, but I just un-check the checkbox that says "Group similar taskbar buttons", just to get an easy access to every window I have open. When you're done with these, go to the Start Menu-tab. Here you can choose between the classic start menu and the new Vista start menu, as well as choose whether or not to display recently opened files and programs in the start menu. Explore these settings by clicking the "Customize" button and modify them as you wish.

For example, I choose to show the Control Panel, Computer and Personal Folder as a menu and hide the Games Explorer and music-, pictures- and documents-folder. This makes the Start menu a lot more compact and more comfortable to use. When you've made your changes, click "OK".

Now go to the Notification Area-tab. Here you can choose which items to show in the notification area. I like to keep it all visible there, so I simply un-check the box that says "Hide inactive icons". Now let's go to the Toolbars-tab. One thing I really love in Vista is the "Windows Media Player"-toolbar, because it makes it very convenient to listen to music with your Vista PC, as it makes the media player go to the end of the taskbar when minimized, instead of staying among the other applications, where you might unintentionally click it. So I just check the box next to it and the "Quick Launch" and then press "Apply" and "OK".

That's pretty much it for the User Interface-cleaning. The last thing you might want to do, though, is to disable User Account Control, just to get rid of all those annoying permission dialogs. To do this, just go to

Start Menu -> Control Panel -> User Accounts

Click the text that says "Turn User Account Control on or off", now click "Continue" on the last annoying dialog you'll see. Now all you have to do is to un-check the box that says "Use User Account Control... blah blah.." and click "OK". This change will Require you to restart your computer. Do that now, and then get back here and jump right into Step 2!

Step 2. Updates

Now that you restarted your computer, you probably noticed a notification warning about the UAC-settings. To get rid of this, you can either turn off the Security Center notifications only, or completely disable display of its notification area icon. If you wish to do this, click on the notification to open Security Center. On the left there should be text saying "Change the way Security Center alerts me". Click on it and choose the option that best suits you. I choose to disable both the notifications and the icon.

Now that you're already in the Security Center, you can easily get to Windows Update by clicking on its link on top of the list on the left. If you're not in the Security Center, you can find Windows Update in Start Menu, in the "All Programs"-list.

When having the Windows Update open, click the text on the left that says "Check for updates" to find the newest updates for your Windows Vista. After the search has finished, you can view the available updates by clicking the text on the right that says "View available updates". The important updates should already be selected, but you might want to also include hardware drivers in the installation. Choose the drivers you want to have included in the installation. Note: the drivers in Windows Update aren't always the newest ones available, especially for video cards!

When you've made your choices, click the "Install" button and wait for Windows Update to download and install the updates. This may take a while, depending on the file size of the updates, as well as your connection speed, so you might want to do something else for a moment now. I'd recommend making a cup of coffee and a bowl of noodles and watching an episode or two of the Simpsons, Family Guy or American Dad.

When the Updates are installed, it will most probably tell you to restart your computer again. Do that, and get back here to continue to Step 3!

Step 3. Security

Now what you need is security for internet browsing. The best, free way to get it is to download and install Avast! Home Edition. You can get it here.

While downloading the installer, you should register your copy to get the license key for it. The registration is completely free and you can do it here. The license key is then e-mailed to you.

After registering and downloading the installer, install the program with "Typical" settings. After installing, it will tell you to restart the computer again. Do that and get back here.

After restarting, you should see the "Welcome to avast! Home Edition!" dialog. Click "OK" to that.

You should see two new icons in the notification area of the taskbar. A sphere with a "i" on it and a sphere with an "a" on it. The one with the "i" is the icon of the Virus Recovery Database and the one with the "a" is the icon of the main antivirus application. We'll just get rid of the one  with "i", just because we don't need to have two icons for basically the same program. Right click the one with the "i" and choose "Merge with main avast! icon".

Now you should only have the sphere with the "a" there. Right click on it and choose "About avast!...". This will open a dialog with your license information. Click the button that says "License key...", check your e-mail for your key and enter it to the registration-dialog. Press "OK" to activate your license and "OK" again to close the "About avast!..." screen.

Now, right click on the "a"-icon again and choose "Program Settings..." to open the "avast! settings..." dialog. Set the settings as follows: (if something's not mentioned here, leave it as default)

Appearance:

     un-check "Animate tray icon when scanning", so it won't draw too much attention at any point.

Sounds:

     check "Disable avast! sounds", for the same reason as above.

Update (Basic):

     set both options to "Automatic"

Troubleshooting:

     check "Check for full screen applications (e.g. games) before displaying popups".

Now click "OK".

You might also want to remove the "avast! Antivirus" shortcut from the desktop.

Congratulations! You now have a working antivirus!

Step 4. Drivers

This step is exactly the same as the Step 2 in my previous article

The next thing you need to do, is to download RadarSync, the free driver updater. Just go to RadarSync

website and click the button that says "Start Download". When the download has finished, start the installer.

On the first screen, click "Accept" to install RadarSync, but in the next screens when it asks about PC Confidential and Registry Power Cleaner, just click "Decline", because you really don't need these once you get Iobit's Software up and running. Also, uncheck the checkboxes in the last screen, or it will change your browser's starting page and add some screensaver advertising shortcuts to your desktop.

After unchecking those, just click "Accept" and wait for the installer to download and install RadarSync. When it says it's done, click "Finish". The program will start automatically and show a small window with the RadarSync's logo and a "Continue" button. Click that button, and it will show the main program window.

Here, you just need to click the big "Start Now!" button, and the program will scan your computer and find any needed driver updates for it. After the scan, the program will show you a list of available driver updates. Just click the button that says "Download all items" and then go to watch some movie or something, as this will probably take some time, depending on your internet connection speed. I would recommend the movie "K-PAX", a great story about a man who makes his psychiatrist doubt his own mind, and should make each one of us ask "what if?"

When the downloads have finished, click on the text "ready for install" next to each to remove it from the list and start the installer. Follow the steps of each of the installers. Each installer will probably tell you to restart your computer, but I'd say you don't have to do that until you've installed every one of them. Do that then, and then get back here and we'll move on!

Step 5. Programs & Features

Also this step is the same as one found in my previous article, but it's still necessary, so I've included it here too.

Go to:

Start Menu -> Control Panel -> Programs and Features

Here you can uninstall all the programs you don't need to have on your computer. Taking care of this now will save you from a lot of trouble later, when you really want or need to get something new installed. Just browse through the list of installed programs and when you spot a program you never need, select it and click on the "Uninstall" button on top of the list. Then just follow the uninstaller instructions.

You might also want to look at the windows features and turn some of them off. You can do this by clicking the text on the left that says "Turn Windows features on or off". This will open a new window with a list of currently installed and available Windows features. Move your mouse over these features to see a short description of each, and decide whether or not you necessarily need them. If you don't just un-check the box next to it. When you're done, just press "OK" and wait for the changes to be made. Sometimes, this may require you to reboot your computer. If so, do it, and then get back here to follow the rest of the guide!

Step 6. Services

Now it's time to get rid of useless services running on the background. To do this, open the service manager by holding the Windows-key and pressing R, then writing "services.msc" and pressing ENTER.

You can also do this by entering "services.msc" to the start menu search box.

Now, you can disable a service by double-clicking it and changing its startup type to "disabled".

Disable the following services:

• DFS Replication
• Distributed Link Tracking Client
• IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules
• IPsec Policy Agent
• KtmRm for Distributed Transaction Coordinator
• Offline Files
• Remote Registry
• Tablet PC Input Service (Unless you're using a tablet PC, like I am)
  
• Windows Error Reporting Service

Also, take a look at the rest of the services and determine by their descriptions whether or not you need them running. If you're sure you don't need it, disable it.

Step 7. Disk Cleanup

Now open the run command again (Win+R) or go to the start menu search and write "cleanmgr /sageset:1" and press ENTER.

This will open the Disk Cleanup Settings. Choose what you want your disk cleanup to clean; I choose them all. Then press "OK"

Now go to the run command or the search box again, write "cleanmgr /sagerun:1" and press ENTER to start the cleanup. The first time will take a few moments because of the old file compression, but later on, this should be a very fast process and it will be scheduled to happen automatically.

Step 8. Registry

Now you need to download Wise Registry Cleaner free edition. To do this, click this link.

Install the program without creating those useless shortcuts it asks about in the end and remember to remove the mark from the checkbox where it says "Download Wise Disk Cleaner now", while leaving the one where it says "Launch Wise Registry Cleaner". Press "Finish", and the program will start. It will ask you about the language you wish to use, and for this tutorial I recommend you choose English.

When the program starts, it will ask you about upgrading to PRO-version. Click "no". In the next dialog check the box where it says "Don't show this window again" and press "yes". It will now create a restore point and report to you when it's done. Press "OK".

Now go to:

Options -> Options

In the General-tab un-check the following

• Create Log
• Show balloon hints
• Auto get promote message

and choose "No Hints (Fastest)"

In the Auto Run-tab choose "Automatic" and "Only safe entries" and un-check "Show log when the program exits".

Click "OK" to close the Options-dialog and press "Scan" in the upper left corner to scan and fix the registry, after which the program will automatically close. Time to move on.

Step 9. Defragment

This step is also in my earlier guide. You need to download Iobit's SmartDefrag, the free, automated defragmenter with set-it-aand-forget-it functionality. Just go to Iobit website and scroll down until you see the button that says "Download freeware now". This will take you to CNET's download.com page, where you just click "Download Now" to start the download.

When the download finishes, install the defragmenter and start it.

In the program's main window, click the button that says "Options". Check all the boxes that have the word "(Recommended)" after them, as well as the one that says "Automatically check for updates".

Now click the button on the left that says "Schedule". This will take you to the schedule configuration. Check the boxes next to each of the hard drives listed, as well as the one where it says "Enable schedule" and from the drop-down menu choose "Defrag and Optimize". This will schedule automatic defragmenting to be performed once every two weeks, which should be just fine.

Now click the button on the left that says "Auto Defrag", which takes you to a screen where you can configure the automatic defragging performed on the background all the time when the computer is on. Just click the button that says "Recommended", and it should set everything just as it is best for your computer.

The last thing in this step would be a full defragment and optimization of all disks. For this, go to the main screen by clicking the button that says "Defrag Now". Check the boxes next to all drives listed and choose "Defrag and Optimize" from the drop-down menu. Now just click "Start" and it will start defragmenting.

Now, this also may take some time, so perhaps it's time for another movie? My recommendation this time would be "Wanted", a story of an anxious office worker who learns that he's really the son of the world's best assassin and possesses super-human killing and fighting abilities. Not really a good movie story-wise, but a perfect choice when you just want to enjoy some action.

When the defragmenting finishes, you'll see a report window, and you can just close it and also the program itself (it will keep running on the background, keeping your files in shape!), and we can move on to the last step.

Step 10. Schedule

Now we'll schedule the disk and registry cleaning to be made daily.

Go to the run command (Win+R) or the start menu search box and write "taskschd.msc /s" and press ENTER to start the Task Scheduler. On the left, click "Creat Basic Task..."

This will open the Task Wizard. In the first screen, write a name for your task, for example "Daily Disk Clean" and then press "Next".

In the next screen choose "Daily" and press "Next". Set the time you wish your task to take place in and press "Next" again.

Now choose "Start a Program" as the action and press "Next". Set the following:

Program: C:WindowsSystem32cleanmgr.exe /sagerun:1

and press "Next". Now press "Finish" and that's it! Your computer is now scheduled to clean the disk every day!

Now make another task and in the program set this:
C:Program FilesWise Registry Cleaner 3WiseRegistryCleaner.exe

Congratulations, your PC is now configured to stay in shape, for free!

Note: said to work with XP, verified to work under Vista.

So, to change this do following:

1) Open "run" and typ "regedit".

2) Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE --> SOFTWARE --> Microsoft --> Windows --> CurrentVersion (select this one, not expand).

3) Find "ProgramFilesDir" and change the value to what you want. First my was "C:/Program Files", then I changed it to "D:/Program".

Note: You might have to change the "ProgramFilesPath" too.

Known problems: When opening certain files, it might say "can't find D:/Program/Something.dll" or simular. This is because the path is D:/, but the file lies in C:/.

Fix: Move or copy the files from C:/ to D:/.

There are many places on the internet where you can get registry cleaners.  Some people give them away as free downloads, and other people sell them.  If you are looking for a good registry cleaner, you have found the right resource.  With our registry cleaners, you will be able to repair your pc in no time.

Good registry cleaners consist of the ability to clear and clean out hidden unused files.  These files consist of shortcuts, dll files, registry files, cache files, temporary internet files and much more.  A registry cleaner will only keep on your computer what is actually being used.  If there are outdated files and drivers, a registry cleaner will clean and repair these files and even offer updates so that your computer speed will actually increase, from its previous state.  It will do everything that is necessary to get your computer running the way it should be.

If you purchase a registry cleaner, you will be able to get updates that you need for the cleaner, so that whenever the software becomes outdated, you will be rest assured that you will always have the best running cleaner on the market.  There is no better product on the market today, than a registry cleaner.  Spyware removers, adware and anti -virus software, will not speed up the performance of your computer like a registry cleaner will.  It is always advisable to have these pieces of software installed, but if you want more speed, then get a registry cleaner to restore your computer to its original functioning capacity.

There are many places on the internet where you can get registry cleaners.  Some people give them away as free downloads, and other people sell them.  If you are looking for a good registry cleaner, you have found the right resource.  With our registry cleaners, you will be able to repair your pc in no time.

Good registry cleaners consist of the ability to clear and clean out hidden unused files.  These files consist of shortcuts, dll files, registry files, cache files, temporary internet files and much more.  A registry cleaner will only keep on your computer what is actually being used.  If there are outdated files and drivers, a registry cleaner will clean and repair these files and even offer updates so that your computer speed will actually increase, from its previous state.  It will do everything that is necessary to get your computer running the way it should be.

If you purchase a registry cleaner, you will be able to get updates that you need for the cleaner, so that whenever the software becomes outdated, you will be rest assured that you will always have the best running cleaner on the market.  There is no better product on the market today, than a registry cleaner.  Spyware removers, adware and anti -virus software, will not speed up the performance of your computer like a registry cleaner will.  It is always advisable to have these pieces of software installed, but if you want more speed, then get a registry cleaner to restore your computer to its original functioning capacity.

Sometime regular computer registry cleaners do not do the trick and we need to take alternative measures. Computer defragmentors are only meant to do one set of tasks based on one single algorithm for your computer. A professional registry cleaner can perform many tasks that a regular cleaner will not do. For example, a professional registry cleaner can clear out your hard drive of files that a normal PC cleaner would not detect. An example of this would be temporary internet files, cached files, recycle bin contents, dll files and other files that are not normally accessed. It will also remove old file links and things that are taking up unnecessary space on your computer and that are also using memory, therefor slowing down your computer.

If you find you are having these problems and some of these things you have never attempted to clean on your computer, you may need to get a professional registry cleaner. Many places you can get a free trial scan and a free download. These free downloads will only usually detect problems with your computer and will not repair them, however.

Here you will be able to find valuable information on registry cleaners. You will also be able to test drive a cleaner and see if it will work for you. There is plenty of valuable information that will help you decide what is best for you when choosing a registry cleaner. You can end your tireless search because this place will give you everything you need to make a good decision when it comes to pc repair and fixing your computer. You will never have to struggle with a messy, unorganized computer again after you download and install your own registry cleaner.

Open Control panel and select Folder Options. Select the view tab and check the box next to Remember each folder's view settings. You may think your work is done here,but,alas this is Windows we are dealing with here.Nothing is ever that simple.

Xp is set to remember the settings for only the last four hundred folders that you have visited. In order to rectify this you will have to edit the Windows Registry. A word of warning here. Making changes to the registry can render your Windows installation unusable,so if you do not have your XP disc to hand then proceed with extreme caution. However,having said that,if you follow the instructions exactly then everything will be hunky-dory.

Select Start,Run,and enter regedit in the box that appears. Navigate to HKey_Current_User/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Shell. Right click on Shell and select New DWORD value.A box will appear in the window to the right.Into this box type following exactly as written below:

BagMRUSize

Now right click on your new entry and select modify. Change the number format to decimal and enter 500000 into the value data box to the left.Then click ok.

Now do exactly the same to the registry folder ShellNoRoam.It will be directly below the Shell folder you have just edited.Do not be tempted to set the DWORD values too high as this will result in XP remembering nothing at all. 500000 should be more than adequate and works perfectly.

Close down the Registry Editor and relax. Now you can leave a folder safe in the knowledge that the precious pics of your kids will be exactly as you left them,unlike the children themselves who can get as dirty as a coal miner in the five seconds that you have your back turned.

None of these services is an alternative to a virus protection program on your PC but it is always good to check and double check your system using sites like these if you have any concerns over the health of your computer.

Here I will outline a few simple, free and easy-to-use programs that will help counteract this deterioration.

1. Defragment your hard-drive. It is said time and time again, and for good reason. Defragmenting your hard-drive will drastically improve your pc's speed. Defragmenting your hard-drive puts all your data back together, merging all the bits of each file scattered across the disk back together again. You don't even need to install an external program to do this. Go to >My Computer >Right-Click on your hard-drive (s) >management >defragment. This will take anywhere between 1 to 3 hours to complete, depending on the capacity of your hard-disk but is well worth the wait.
2. Download, and install "free registry defrag." This is a two-click use program. Once installed, run, and then select "analyze your registry." After two or three minutes, it will advise you as to what action to take, either that your registry is fine, and does not need defragging, or that it does. If it does, select the second button to compact your registry. By closing the various holes, and removing redundant data, your pc will be able to move through the registry faster, and consequently BE faster.
3. Download and install "Reg Cleaner." This allows you a greater level of control over how you deal with redundant data in the registry, and allows you to see exactly what programs have entries in your registry. Clean out any entries for programs that no longer exist on your system. You can either do this manually, or use a built in search function.
4. Reduce the number of programs that load up at system start-up. Use Spybot SnD to examine what programs are starting with your system. Clean out as many as possible for a faster boot time. It is advised to leave anti-virus and firewall software free to boot up at system start-up, otherwise you can expose your system to malicious programs and scripts.
5. Consider overclocking your system. If you are using an NForce system, try using NTune, otherwise look on the web. There are many applications which can do this safely and automatically, although some computers cannot be overclocked.

When you want to speed up your PC there are several effective tips and steps you can follow.

Five common tips to speed up your PC are altering your network settings, purchasing hardware specifically designed to increase speed, purchasing software programs to maximize speed, tweaking your computer yourself, and by simply removing your spyware.

1. To speed up your PC, use a disk cleanup utility. It's available in most Windows. Disk cleanup utility can clear your computer of any unnecessary files. Files that are old compress files, temporary files, and located in the recycle bin are deleted through the cleanup utility process.
2. The second step to speed up your PC is to uninstall unnecessary or unused software on your computer. Old unused software utilizes the system resources which forces the computer to run slower. Uninstalling these type of software will instantly increase the speed of your personal computer.
3. The third step to speed up your PC is to increase your memory size. Increasing your memory size automatically improves the speed and performance of your PC.
4. The fourth step to speed up your PC is to use firewall. Using firewall will allow you to control both incoming and outcoming internet traffic on your PC that can be causing it to function slow.
5. The fifth step to speed up your personal computer and internet connection is to eliminate all Index.dat files. These files slow down your computer's speed when you are surfing the internet. Deleting the Index.dat files will give your computer the space it needs to function quickly. The seventh step to speed up your personal computer is to use a proxy.

Using a proxy is a simple method to speed up your internet access up to 30%. A proxy gives you the ability to surf through a server. It eliminates the need for slow bandwidth access because they are pre-loaded.

By the way, you have to create Windows Registry backup to change it.

Creating registry backup:

1. Press Start and select Run. Type REGEDIT and press Enter. In new window select File/Export.
2. In new window enter your registry backup name (for example: today's date). Select where you want to save and after that select ALL. Press Save.

Okay. We have registry backup. It is time to change the name.

1. Press Start and select Run. Type REGEDIT and press Enter.
2. In new window select HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, CLSID, {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} and ShellFolder.
3. On the right side of Registry Editor window double-click CllForAttributes. In new window find Value Data. Enter 0. Press OK.
4. Now double-click Attributes. Now Edit Binary Value should open. Hold ctrl+shift and start pressing right on the keyboard until 40 01 00 20 will be highlighted. Change them into 50 01 00 20 and press OK. Now you can close all windows.
5. Right-click on the recycle bin and select rename. Now type any name you want.