Slow Computer? Backup your files before you set about Fixing your Slow Computer

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:32:18 EST

Prior to attempting to fix a slow computer, you must makecertain that the information on your computer will be protected. A few of theprocedures applied to fix a slow computer can cause existing but as yet hiddenproblems to surface, which may either keep Windows from starting or evenprevent your computer from starting.

However, before you can start with the process of cleaningand repairing your slow computer, you must first make sure your data files andother info is safe,

Pay attention to this word of advice! It is imperative thatyou make sure your data will be secure. Some of the procedures used to fix aslow computer may cause existing but as yet concealed problems to show up,which may either keep Windows from starting or even prevent your computer fromstarting.

The initial steps involve backing up your data files, buteven prior to that, you have to get your files ready. Make sure all yourcrucial data files are stored in one, easy-to-find location.

Windows generates a personal profile for every user account,which consists of a set of subfolders in the Documents and Settings folder.Your profile holds your personal files, usually your photos, music and videos.

After you have done your first backup, additional backing upand setting up a backup schedule is quick and easy and will take as little asten minutes a week. Besides, you will be able to let Windows do nearly all thework.

Your Outlook Express e-mail messages, Internet ExplorerFavorites and cookies, and information about your settings and preferences arealso stored in the My Documents folder. Move all data files stored elsewhereinto the My Documents folder to make backing up easier. You could for instancemove it to the "D" drive, where your other data files are stored.This is if either you have two hard dives or the one you have is partitioned.

Setting up a backup schedule after you have done your firstbackup, is quick and easy and will take as little as ten minutes a week and itwill be done automatically by Windows.

Windows includes Backup, which does the backups adequately,although you may need to install it if you are using XP Home edition. If youuse Windows XP Professional, the Windows Backup utility (Ntbackup.exe) shouldbe ready for use. If you use Windows XP Home Edition, you will need to installthe utility.

Insert your Windows XP CD into the drive and, if necessary,double-click the CD icon in My Computer. On the Welcome to Microsoft Windows XPscreen, click: Perform Additional Tasks. Click Browse this CD. In WindowsExplorer, double-click the Value Add folder, then Msft, and then Ntbackup.Double-click Ntbackup.msi to install the Backup utility.

To start Backup:

Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories,point to System Tools, and then click Backup to start the wizard. Click Next toskip past the opening page, choose Back up files and settings from the secondpage, and then click Next.

Decide what to back up

Don't check the All information on this computer to back upall the data on your computer. Think again prior to deciding on this option. Ifyou've installed heaps of software, your backup could add up to severalgigabytes. For most people, the My documents and settings option embodies abetter alternative. This option preserves your data files (including e-mailmessages and address books) and the personal settings stored in the WindowsRegistry.

If several people use your computer—as might be the case ona shared family PC—select Everyone's documents and settings. This option backsup personal files and preferences for every user with an account on thecomputer. If you know that you have data files stored outside your profile,click Let me choose what to back up.

Decide where to store your backup files:

On the Backup Type, Destination, and Name page, Windows asksyou to specify a backup location. Your computer's hard disk. The easiest butnot ideal backup location is a separate partition from the one you're backingup. If your hard disk is partitioned into drive C and drive D and your data ison drive C, you can safely back up to drive D. However, if this hard drive runsinto a problem you may have difficulty in restoring the backups.

Unfortunately, the Windows Backup utility can't save filesdirectly to a CD-RW or DVD-RW drive. You can backup to the following;

- A Flash memory stick or other removable media. This is anoption if you don't have multiple gigabytes to back up.

- A shared network drive. You're limited only by the amountof free space on the network shared drive.

- An external hard drive. External hard drives have droppedin price lately. Consider getting an 100 GB or larger drive and dedicating itfor use as a backup device.

- You may be able to find a website to which they will letyou backup for a nominal fee.

After you've chosen a backup location, enter a name for thefile, click Next to display the wizard's final page.

Setting up a Backup Schedule:

You can repeat the backup steps once each week and performregular backups, but it may be better to set up an automatic backup schedulefor Windows. When you get to the final page of the Backup Wizard, don't clickFinish. Click the Advanced button, and click Next to open the When to Back Uppage. Choose Later, and then click Set Schedule to open the Schedule Job dialogbox. You can set almost any schedule you want by looking at the optionsavailable in this dialog box.

After you click OK to save your changes, Windows runs thebackup automatically. Don’t forget to leave your computer on. You can back up 5GB of data in about 10 minutes. In addition, you don't need to worry aboutshutting down running programs, either, thanks to a feature called volumeshadow copy, the Backup utility can safely create a copy of any file, even ifit's currently in use.

Except for Windows backup, there are other options you canuse. In fact, just about any type of backup is better than doing nothing andhoping that your data will magically take care of itself. We copy our datafiles to DVD, because we can then delete older data files on the hard drive,which take up a lot of space. It also comes in handy if you need a certain fileagain for, say, a reprint.

Now that you have done the backup of your files, you can startwith the process of fixing your slow computer.

To really speed up your slow computer you need to:

- Remove unused applications.

- Clean your browser’s history, temp data and your Favoriteor Bookmark list.

- Optimize the Windows Registry

- Scan for and remove threats like viruses, malware etc.

- Make the boot process considerably faster.

- Kill all those superfluous startup applications.

- Free your PC’s memory whenever possible.

- Schedule your cleanup programs to run automatically.

- Place all your data files together in one easy to uselocation.

- Defrag and organize your disks so that your most usedfiles are in the fast lane.

- Optimize, tune and tweak your PC for optimal speed andstability.

I have researched and tested several products over a periodof several months and in order for me to get our slow PC’s performance up tospeed again, I made use of not less than 17 different products, each of whichis designed to do a certain task on the computer. Eventually we ended up using11 of these apps (all freeware) on a regular basis, which keeps our PC’sperforming clean and error free. Read more here...

In forthcoming articles, I’ll explain to you step bystep, how to get rid of unnecessary startup programs, how to clear outforgotten programs, unused, unnecessary and junk files and how to clean andstreamline the Windows registry.

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Slow Computer? Backup your files before you set about Fixing your Slow Computer