Deleting Unnecessary Files in Your PC

Deleting Unnecessary Files Often programs make changes to your AUTOEXEC or CONFIG files, and save the older version under filenames such as AUTOEXEC.OLD or CONFIG.BAK.

If you know you don't need these older files, consider deleting them. Don't delete AUTOEXEC.DOS or a CONFIG file ending in .DOS, .COM, or .EXE. If you have a plethora of AUTOEXEC and CONFIG files on your system, find out which one is the newest and move the others into a temporary folder you create just for this purpose. Leave them for a few weeks to see if your computer functions properly without them. If it does, delete 'em. Other files ending in .BAK, .TMP, .~MP, .PRV, .---, .001, .002 (etc), .LOG, .OLD, .*$, .$$$, .??, .??~, .^*, .SYD, .MP, etc. are often unneeded duplicates of other files (be particularly careful with the .PRV, .BAK, and .OLD files). Verify that they are unneeded (if they're over a month old, you most likely don't need them) and delete them. Use the Find Files function to locate these files: enter something like *.BAK to search these files out. You can always delete files ending with .GID or .FTS as these files are created every time you use Help and the Help Search function (.GID files are always hidden; you'll need to activate the "Show all files" option in Explorer to find these babies). .CNT are related files that provide you with tables of contents for certain Help files.



If you don't want them, get rid of the .CNT files on your machine. If you find the file WIN32S in \WINDOWS\SYSTEM, it's a leftover from when you upgraded from Win 3.x; you can safely delete it, just make sure you edit your SYSTEM.INI file to remove any references to it. Two other folders that can safely be deleted are MSCREATE.DIR and ~MSSETUP.T. If you back up the Registry a lot, you can safely lose the SYSTEM.1ST file. (When in doubt, leave the file alone.) And check to see if you have a folder in Program Files called Online Services. If you do, delete it. It's filled with old versions of AOL, CompuServe, and possibly Prodigy and MSN. Should you wish to sign up with any of these ISPs, contact them for current software, don't waste your time with what's in that folder. Check out your .TXT files; Windows tends to accumulate lots of garbage under that name, so if it isn't one of your documents, consider losing it.


If you use MSWord, look for .WBK files; these are backups for Word documents that you may not need. Word also creates ~$*.DOC files when a document isn't saved properly; if all your documents are OK, lose these files. To be on the safe side with any deletion, create a special folder and move all potential deletes into that folder.



Keep them there for a week or a month while you work with your PC. If you can start and restart your machine OK, and all your apps function properly, lose those files. Another kind of file that can usually be trashed are the .DIZ files, usually named FILE_ID.DIZ. This is a Description in Zip file, which just list the files in their particular ZIP archive. Once you unzip an archive, the accompanying DIZ files can be trashed. .GRP files are Program Manager Groups that, if no longer used, can be trashed. And don't keep unwatched .AVI or .WMV movie files around -- they suck up a tremendous amount of space. What exactly are some of these files? .TMP and. ~MP files are obviously temporary in nature, while .BAK files are backups for particular files (not entire disks). .GID files are Generated Index files created by Win Help, and .SYD files are backup files created by SYSEDIT.EXE (and can be safely deleted if you're sure you don't need them).


Go to EXT Search at kresch.com/exts/ext.htm to find out what any file extension means (Win ME users, the System Editor, or SYSEDIT, has been replaced by the System Configuration Utility, launched with the MSCONFIG command)

Check out your C:\TEMP or C:\WINDOWS\TEMP directories periodically. Files in this folder can often -- but not always -- be deleted

Never delete files with a date later than the last time you shut the computer down -- a good rule of thumb is if the file is over a week old, and you've restarted your computer more recently than that, then delete em. Users who turn off their computers without going through the shutdown procedure accumulate gobs of temporary files. Lose 'em, after you shut down all your other programs. One way to frequently clean out your TEMP folder is to add the line DEL C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\*.TMP>NU1 to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file (open AUTOEXEC.BAT in Notepad and make the changes there). Or add a line to your Start Menu Programs listing by right-clicking the taskbar, selecting Properties, clicking the Start Menu Programs tab, and the Add button. In the Command line, enter DELTREE /Y C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\ and click OK. Accept the defaults for the rest of the process. Once you're out, select Start, Programs, Startup, right-click "DELTREE," and select Properties. (Win 95 users, right-click Start, select Explore, navigate to the Programs/Startup folder, right-click DELTREE, and select Properties.) Click the "Program" tab, click "Close on exit," and click OK. Note: This procedure works, but if run from AUTOEXEC, could delete the files before WININIT.EXE has run, doing damage to your machine.


Better to run this from your Start Menu and avoid the potential for disaster. (Thanks to R.M. Duncan, a Microsoft MVP, for pointing this out to me.) A glitch in Windows Millennium (and exacerbated by Norton System Doctor) can create thousands of zero-byte .INF and .CPY files, all of which take up valuable system real estate and cause trouble with installation of other programs. Many of them have file names similar to OEM#####.INF. Find them by hunting for OEM*.INF in your hard drives and deletes all the zero-byte ones. A Knowledge Base article at support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;q281967& gives you more info. Clean out your Internet browser (or browsers) cache and history files frequently. The new versions of Windows have something called a Disk Cleanup Wizard that claims to handle this task for you, but it doesn't do much of a job. Handle it yourself. Need pointers? A later page of my site has instructions on cleaning browser caches. Although the Disk Cleanup Wizard doesn't handle browser caches particularly well, it does a better job with cleaning up other temporary files. Use it as a part of your regular maintenance routine; just don't think that it does the job on its own. You still have to scrub the virtual baseboards yourself. Its basic categories of Temporary Internet Files, Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Files, and Recycle Bin, are relatively self-explanatory and can usually be emptied with little forethought (except for the Recycle Bin, if you want to be doubly careful). The More Options tab uses the Add/Remove applet under Control Panel to hunt for other files that may not be of use. Go through your computer and hunt out programs that you haven't used lately. Decide whether or not you need those programs to stay on your hard drive.


Win 98/ME users; be aware that you have two large and possibly worthless files -- 30MB of Desktop Themes and 31MB of WebTV for Windows. These can easily be deleted to save space. Millennium users, you have a glitch that works hand-in-hand with Norton System Doctor to strew useless, zero-byte .INF and .CPY files throughout your hard drive. Both Microsoft and Symantec recommend hunting these files down and exterminating them. Find out more from Microsoft's Knowledge Base article at support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q281967. MS Office users tend to accumulate lots of unnecessary files beginning in _OFIDX or FFASTUN. These are indexes from Office's Fast Find feature (from Office 7.0 and Office 97, respectively). You can delete them, but Office will just recreate them. To stop Office from creating them, remove Fast Find from the Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup folder; you will, however, find that text searches are slower. Some of us end up with half a hundred unused screen savers clogging up our machines. That dancing baby was cute five years ago, but who wants to see him now? Sometimes screen savers can be deleted by going through the Add/Remove applet in Control Panel, but most don't give that option.


To hunt down unwanted screen savers, open the Windows/System folder and look for the corresponding *.scr file. (Switch to Details mode and click the Type column heading, so that all *.scr files appear together.) Ditch that file and the screen saver is gone for good. Windows XP includes an uninstall utility that makes it simple to remove unneeded or obsolete versions of a program. To uninstall a program installed with Windows XP, follow these steps. First, click the Start button and then click Control Panel to open the Control Panel window. In the Category view where you see a list of Control panel categories, click the Add or Remove Programs hyperlink to open the Add or Remove Programs dialog box. In the Classic view where you see individual Control panel icons, double-click the Add or Remove Programs icon. Click the Change or Remove Programs button on the left side of the Add or Remove dialog box to display the Currently Installed Programs list box. Click the program you want to remove in the Currently Installed Programs list box (when you click a program name, the description expands to include a Change/Remove button or separate Change and Remove buttons). Click the Change/Remove button or the Remove button if Change and Remove are separate. Click the OK button in the alert dialog box that appears to confirm your removal of the program. When the Uninstaller finishes removing the program, click the Close button to close the Add or Remove Programs dialog box and to return to the Control Panel window. Use the Windows XP uninstaller to get rid of any unwanted program that you've installed with the Add or Remove Programs Control Panel. Using this utility to remove a program (rather than just deleting the program folder) ensures that all vestiges of the program are removed from the system and that you get back every byte of storage space to which you're entitled. Okay, you've deleted a file, or a bunch of files, and you want them back. Windows won't give you much recourse in the programs bundled with the system, but in many cases, you can get those deleted files back. Files that you delete aren't really deleted until the system overwrites the physical data on the hard drive; depending on what you do with your computer, these files may be available for hours, days, or even weeks and months later. When you first delete a file, Windows simply removes your access to the file.


The first thing to do once you realize you've deleted a file that you want back is to stop using your computer. Don't save anything, don't turn it off, and don't even install a recovery program (yet) because you don't want the file to be overwritten. If you're going to use a recovery program, run it from a disk. If you delete a file to the Recycle Bin, the first thing to do is to go into the Bin and see if the file is still there. If it is, just right-click and restore it. That's not always going to be an option, but don't give up yet. You'll probably want to use a recovery program. Several are available, none for free, but if you want the data, you'll want to spend the bucks.

Maintaining Your PC Daily, Weekly, Monthly

Maintaining Your PC - Periodic Maintenance

Continuously. Keep an up-to-date antivirus program installed and running. Keep a firewall up and running. Keep your operating system updated. Business users, your PCs will likely have a good corporate antivirus utility installed, but many outfits depend on their employees to update their individual programs. Hone users often have utilities installed on their machines when they take them out of the box, but the drawback to these is that they're usually time-limited and won't update for free after their terms expire.

Either purchases the software and updates it regularly, or download a free antivirus program such as AVG or Antivirus and keep it updated. XP users have a no-frills firewall utility on their machines, but a freebie such as Zone Alarm or Agnitum is better; other Windows users need to install a firewall utility if they don't already have one. (Most corporations and businesses have some kind of firewalls up...most, but not all.) Updating your operating system is usually as simple as choosing Windows Update from your Start menu. Find out more about share- and freeware security software at my Antivirus, Security Programs, and Password Managers page.

Daily. Scan your disk quickly. Use ScanDisk or Norton's Disk Doctor to check for problems, cross-linked files, etc. If you like, you can put a program shortcut in your Startup folder so you automatically scan every time you start up Windows. At the end of every day, back up the files you've modified. Elsewhere on this site are instructions how to organize your data into neat folders and subfolders for easy backup.

Weekly/Biweekly. (Only the most powered-up power users need to do these on a weekly basis; the rest of us can get along doing it once every 2 weeks or so.) Back up your whole hard drive. See elsewhere on this site for backup info. Defrag your drive -- info on using Windows' Disk Defragmenter utility is available on this same page, or you might use Norton's Speed Disk or another defrags utility. Scan your drive thoroughly, using the scanner's slowest and most thorough settings.

Monthly. Good god, what else should I do? You should delete all files older than one week from your C:\WINDOWS\TEMP folder. You should also test your backup files by trying to restore a few files from various folders, preferably files that are expendable. If you can't restore them, your tape drive (or Zip drive, or CD drive) is faulty. After you've done this, update your virus definitions through your virus scanner's Web site, or use your virus scanner's built-in Update tool. Win 98/ME users, you can use the Disk Cleanup option (found under System Tools and also under My Computer -- right-click the drive you want, select Properties, and there it is) to get rid of various temp files, empty the Recycle Bin, and so on.

Once. Make emergency boot floppies (see here), and make sure your CD drivers are on there. If your virus scanner lets you make emergency boot floppies, do so as well. Write-protect all your boot floppies and store them somewhere safe from rain, sleet, family pets, and destructive children. Buy a surge suppressor, and not the $12 El Cheapo model from Junk Mart. Look for one with a UL 1449 rating of 330 volts and 240 joules at the minimum, and make sure it has enough outlets for your use. You might want to snag a surge suppressor with phone jacks to go between your wall outlet and your modem. Get a tape drive or some kind of high-capacity storage medium such as a Zip drive or CD-RW, and use it to back up your hard drive. Buy a good set of utilities such as Norton Utilities, On Track SystemSuite, or McAfee's Nuts Bolts, and a good virus scanner if it isn't included in your utilities package. Organize your data files (detailed elsewhere in this site) for easy access and backup.

Win 98/ME users can go through the Maintenance Wizard, found in System Tools, to schedule regular "tune-ups" of your system. Go through the Custom settings to see exactly what is available and what you want to mess with. There are a lot of options! The Express option sets things the way most non-power users need; if you find the Custom menu intimidating, go with Express instead.

ScanReg is a utility bundled with Win 98/ME that keeps copies of your Registry in case of error or system failure. It makes a new copy of the Registry every time you reboot the computer, keeping the last 5 copies in the C:\WINDOWS\SYSBCKUP\ directory. (Can't find the folder? its "hidden," so you'll need to enable the viewing of hidden files and directories in Windows Explorer through Tools, Folder Options, Advanced.) The file names are RB001.CAB, RB002.CAB, and so forth through the fifth file. If you don't shut down your computer very often, ScanReg doesn't get a chance to make recent copies of the Registry. You may want to consider adding the SCANREG/BACKUP command to your Scheduled Tasks. How to restore the Registry using ScanReg's files? Simple, just open a DOS prompt and type C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND -- when you get into this directory, type SCANREG\RESTORE and choose from the files available to you. Reboot to restart Windows with the restored Registry. If you want more control over what is restored, then use Windows' simple command-line utility called Extract to restore the files inside a CAB. The file is in the C:\Windows\Command directory, so you may need to type its full name of C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\EXTRACT before the PC will find it. Extract with no arguments provides a quick help screen that describes how to use it. If you just give it the name of a CAB file, Extract will show you the contents of the CAB.

The PC ToolBox

Sooner or later you'll need to pop the hood on the evil beast. (Or watch while a fearless guru friend does it for you.) When you do, you'll need the proper tools:

· two small screwdrivers, flat-head and Phillips-head, and make sure they aren't magnetized

· a Torx driver with a star-shaped head for getting hard drive screws

· tweezers with a good grip

· a small flashlight

· parts container, preferably with a lid

· needle-nose pliers

· an antistatic sheet or wrist-strap, especially if you're handling memory modules or adapter cards. In an emergency, you can cover your work surface with aluminum foil

· contact cleaning solution to remove the rust and crud from the metal contacts on expansion cards

· a can of compressed air for blowing out the accumulated crud

· a handheld vacuum cleaner for keeping your work environment clean -- just don't crack the PC case and use the vacuum in there!

· lint-free wipes and swabs -- forget the paper towels and Q-tips, they leave wisps of cotton or paper behind

· PC cleaning solution, for gently cleaning motherboards and various computer innards safely

· small brushes for getting into the nooks and crannies

· emergency boot disk with FDISK.EXE, SYS.COM, FORMAT.COM, and driver software for your SCSI adapter (if any) and CD-ROM drive, including MSCDEX.EXE

· a BIOS POST card (for more advanced users only) for when the Power On Self Test won't function properly and the beep codes don't reveal the problem. The POST card gives a numeric readout that details the problem.

· a DOS-based diagnostic program such as AMIDiag (don't forget the loop back plugs - loopback plugs are generally useful anyway)

· a hard-drive diagnostic/repair program such as GRC's SpinRite (recently updated)

· a DOS or Windows-based file system check and repair program such as Norton's Disk Doctor

· a DOS or Windows-based virus scanner; preferably both.

How to repair a Windows XP installation without formatting your computer and loosing your files

Repairing an installation of Windows XP will not wipe all of your files like formatting will. Formatting Windows XP cleans your computer of absolutely everything that you had on your computer, and therefore this fact alone makes repairing a good option to try when fixing an error. If you suspect that there is a problem with the Windows system files you can simply try to repair it before resorting to formatting.

What you will need to Repair a Windows XP installation:

1. An original Windows XP cd. The one you originally installed. (Not an OEM)
2. A COA sticker with a serial number that matches your installation.

How to Repair a Windows XP installation without formatting your computer:

1. First you must put your Windows XP CD in the drive.
2. Then restart your computer.
3. When it says press any key to boot from cd, Press any key on the keyboard. (Go to step 6)
4. If it doesn't ask you this then restart your computer again.
5. Go into the BIOS settings of your PC, usually by pressing the F1, F2, F10, or maybe the delete key. If you are not sure watch the screen at startup and it will say "To enter setup press.......". You have to be quick and press it. If you miss it restart again. Once you are in the bios you have to change the boot options. You have to make your cd rom the first boot option. Save and exit.
6. A blue screen will appear and you are on your way..
7. Press Enter to setup Windows XP now. Do not choose to Repair yet.
8. If there is a copy of Windows XP on your computer setup will find it.
9. See below where it says C:\windows "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" Make sure this is selected. It may say Windows XP home also.
10. 

Shrinking A Partition On Your Hard Drive

When you try to use the dos command feature in Windows Vista on occasions it will not work because it needs to be run as an administrator. Sometimes you might type a command in, and the dos command box either flashes on the screen or appears to do nothing at all.

How to run the cmd.exe as an administrator in Windows Vista? Go to the start menu and press on it. Type cmd into the search bar at the bottom. Do not press enter. Look up to the top of the star menu. You should see cmd.exe listed there. Right click on this. A menu will appear. Choose to Run as administrator. You can also go the long way by clicking Start | All Programs | Accessories, then right-click Command Prompt and choose Run as Administrator. Why do I have to run cmd as an administrator when I am already admin? Windows Vista does not care if you are admin or not. For certain things to work you will need to run as admin. However if you are an average user you will have to actually type in an administrator password to access certain prive ledges. See in the screenshots below. The first screenshot shows I am running cmd.exe as an administrator, and the second shows me running cmd as a normal user. How to always permanently run the cmd window as administrator? If you do not want to have to continually choose run as administrator every time you want to use the cmd window then can set this option as permanent. You must follow these steps to make this work. If you take the shortcut to cmd.exe in the start menu it will not work. You must choose Command Prompt in this case. Go to the start menu and press on it. Go to all programs. Then Accessories. You should see command prompt listed there. Right click on this. A menu will appear. Choose properties from the menu. The properties for that shortcut will appear. Go to the shortcut tab. Click on the Advanced button. The Advanced Properties will appear. Put a tick in the box next to Run as administrator. Press ok. Now see the screenshot below. My E: partition was 116mb and now it is 58.27mb. The data and files that was on there is gone. And now I have 58.17gb of free space. To use this free space we need to right click on that area and choose to create a new volume. We can also extend E: back out to 116mb by using the free space.

Intoduction To Hacking And Anti-Hacking

In previous articles, we've looked at protecting your online business in relation to credit card fraud and web site hacking, but another very important aspect of online security focuses on your most important tool - the computer you use to run your business.

Many of us involved in ecommerce choose to work from home - it's a comfortable environment, we can dress the way we want, save time and money in travel and be close to our loved ones. But if the computer you use to run your online business is the same one your children use for homework and general surfing, this is potentially a very dangerous situation. A recent security survey reported that 20% of home PC's are infected with viruses and over 80% contained spyware and adware. Frightening figures.

The following are a few anti-hacking tips that will help in keeping your business systems secure.

Don't ignore operating system updates

Practically every day, some new security flaw is found in the most critical aspect of your business - the operating system on which all your other software
runs. While it's a major pain in the butt to apply updates and patches so regularly, especially if you access the web via dialup, it's nonetheless of vital importance not to put off performing these tasks as part of regular maintenance. Don't wait to be alerted via mainstream media of problems that have been discovered - more often than not, these notifications will be delayed. As a part of your daily routine, it's wise to visit the software vendors' site and keep abreast of any critical security updates. In the case of Microsoft, you'll need to go to the Windows Update site.

Anti-virus software used *properly*

Install anti-virus software and ensure that it's regularly updated - this is of the utmost importance. Many times I have come across people who believe that because an anti-virus program is installed, they are protected, yet the last time the virus data file was updated was months or even years ago. Even missing one update could bring down your computer and the business you have struggled so long to build.

Also remember to password protect the settings on the software so no-one else can alter protection levels.

Firewall software

Anti-virus software isn't enough - it's also a good idea to install firewall software which will help prevent unauthorized incoming and outgoing communications from your computer while connected to the Internet. In most instances you wouldn't even be aware that these illegitimate probes and scans of your systems are occurring. Port scanning is *very* common and is carried out with a view to finding weaknesses in your system that can then be exploited.

If you are using Windows XP, then you're in luck as there's already an effective firewall included - but it's not enabled by default.

To activate the firewall in Windows XP:

- Go to "Start"
- Go to "Settings", then "Network connections"
- Select your Internet connection
- Click on "Properties"
- Click on "Advanced"
- Check the box in the "Internet Connection Firewall" section

Email software preview windows

Some viruses, called worms, can infect your system without you clicking on attachments - they can execute in the message preview window. Many worms can cause your sensitive information and documents to be transmitted to millions of people. While the preview window is a handy feature, it's safest to turn it off.

To turn off the preview window in Outlook Express:

- Select "View" on the Menu Bar
- Select "Layout"
- Uncheck "Show Preview Pane"

To turn off the preview window in Outlook:

- Select "View" on the Menu Bar
- Select "Preview Pane" if it's not already greyed out
- You may need to repeat this for each top level mail folder

Consider email filtering services

More and more people are turning to 3rd party solutions for filtering email of spam and viruses as their inboxes become inundated with junk. Email filtering can be very effective in dramatically reducing security risks before the mail even has a chance to be collected by your email software. It not only reduces the risk, but also the amount of time and bandwidth used in retrieving your mail. Learn more about these services in our anti-spam & email filtering guide.

Regularly remove spyware

If you and your familiar do a lot of surfing and downloading of shareware software, then it's likely you'll also accumulate your fair share of spyware. Spyware is a broad term applied to software applications that monitor your actions and report them to back to a company.

Some software companies use spyware that is incorporated into their software products to gather data about customers, which is often sold to other companies. An excellent free application for removing spyware can be downloaded from Spybot. Learn more about spyware

Not using it? - unplug it..

Disconnect your computer from the Internet when not in use. The longer you are connected to the Internet, the more opportunity you give for persons to gain unauthorized access. This is especially the case where your ISP provides you with a static IP, which usually occurs in broadband scenarios.

Audit your computer regularly

If your computer is used by others, carry out regular audits of the software on it and research any software that you discover that you haven't installed yourself. It's safest to make it a policy not to allow any software to be installed without your permission. Spybot again is a very effective tool for detecting and removing software that may be a security risk

Remember that your anti-virus software, firewalls and email filtering services should always be considered your last line of defense against software nasties - the first line of defense should be you.

Kid's *aren't* all computer whizzes

Monitor your children's computer usage carefully. They may seem to be "experts", but more often than not they will have very little idea of the ramifications of some of their actions whilst on the Internet. Close supervision is especially necessary in chat rooms as these are places where Script Kiddies and other undesirable elements of the online community are very active.

Password issues

If you must store usernames and passwords on your system, ensure they are contained in a document that is password protected. It is safest not to store any passwords on your computer. Don't let Windows "remember" passwords for you. Passwords should always be more than 8 characters long and contain a mixture of numbers and letters. Learn more about password security issues.

Logging out

Ensure that you log out of online services properly. Failure to do so can allow others who use your computer to gain access to those services and you can be blamed for their activities.

The fight against viruses, script kiddies and other online parasites isn't getting any easier for those of us involved with ecommerce; and as the years go by, more and more of our time and money will be spent on dealing with the darker side of the web.

We can only hope that in the future detection methods become so efficient and punishment becomes so harsh that these kinds of incidences stop occurring. But if the history of our species is any indicator - that's highly unlikely to happen.