How to Perform Maintenance for Windows Vista

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: The first stage in the process involves programs that begin when Vista is first started

   These are referred to in Vista as "startup items"
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   Step 2: many people are not aware that when a program is installed

   Click on the button and move your cursor to the "start search" field and click to bring up the typing cursor.
   
   Type "System Configuration" then press the "enter"(return) key on your keyboard. , Select the "startup" tab if it is not already selected and take a minute to scan the list.
   
   Some of these programs may not look familiar, but some should.
   
   Take a good look at the "Startup item"
   
   "manufacturer"
   
   "command"
   
   and the "location" of the list. ,, Once you have selected the programs which you wish to remove from the startup, click "apply". , Select "Restart" and wait for your computer to restart. (You can check the box if you do not wish to be asked this question if you decide to do this again in the future) , and the files that are acquired when you visit a website.
   
   These files are called "temporary internet files"
   
   but are more commonly known as cookies.
   
   Cookies are used to help quicken your internet browsing experience by keeping files that you will be using the next time that you visit the site, however these files add up over time and can cause your computer to operate slower over time as they accumulate. ,, are located and find the one labeled "tools".
   
   It is sometimes replaced by a wrench depending on your browser and configuration. , It will open a window with checked boxes beside a description of what they represent. *Note Internet explorer uses buttons instead. , Browsing history is a list of all of the websites you have visited.
   
   Download history is an archive of all of the files that you have downloaded from the browser.
   
   Cookies are the files that are saved on your computer when you visit a website to make opening that page faster in the future.
   
   Passwords are any passwords that you have requested your browser to remember for certain sites.
   
   Form data is anything that you have filled into a text box, such as your name. , Internet explorer is a bit different, it allows you to delete them all individually, or to delete them all at once by clicking the button at the bottom.
   
   If a popup comes up and asks you yes or no, select yes. , Because of the way that windows places files and data on the hard drive, these files get to be quite a mess and because things are harder to locate, it takes your computer longer to find what it is looking for.
   
   Also, since a hard drive is a spinning disk, data can be retrieved faster if it is closer to the inside of the spinning disk.
   
   Fortunately, windows has a built in program to sort all of this out. ,, This will open a new window. ,, *Note when choosing a time, it is best to choose a time when the computer will be on, but you will not be using it, since the process will consume system resources and anything that you are doing will run slower.
   
   Click "Ok" to return to the previous window. , This will allow you to select when hard drives you wish to sort, if you have more than one hard drive, or partition.
   
   If you only have one hard drive, then it should already be selected, and you can click "Ok" to return to the previous Window. , This step can take anywhere from about a minute to many hours depending on how often you defragment, how many files there are, and the speed of your hard drive and computer.
   
   If this is your first time running this program, it is recommended that you leave your computer on overnight to allow it enough time to finish, because this process can take many hours. , Your computer should be running more efficiently, and in most cases you will notice a boost in your computer's performance after finishing these steps, enjoy!
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   Step 3: sometimes the application will start with Vista itself

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   Step 4: and not only cause your computer to load slower initially

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   Step 5: but you can also have more running than you likely want using your system's resources when your computer is on.

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   Step 6: Move your cursor to the Windows start button located on the taskbar (The default of Windows is the bottom left).

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   Step 7: This will open up a new window in which there are several tabs at the top.

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   Step 8: THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP

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   Step 9: AND ONE THAT SHOULD BE DONE WITH EXTREME CAUTION

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    Step 10: ONLY DO THIS STEP IF YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT YOU KNOW WHAT THE APPLICATION IS

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    Step 11: AND THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO REMOVE IT FROM THE LIST OF PROGRAMS THAT START WITH YOUR COMPUTER

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    Step 12: I CANNOT EMPHASIZE THIS ENOUGH.

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    Step 13: Once you have found one that you wish to remove

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    Step 14: click on the box with the check mark

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    Step 15: which will remove the check from the box.

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    Step 16: Click "Ok" at the bottom of the window and a popup window should prompt you to restart your computer.

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    Step 17: The next part involves your internet browser (Internet explorer

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    Step 18: Mozilla Firefox

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    Step 19: Google Chrome

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    Step 20: Opera Browser etc.)

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    Step 21: Open any internet browsers that you use.

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    Step 22: Move your cursor to the top of the window

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    Step 23: where File

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    Step 24: Select "Clear private data" (Firefox)

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    Step 25: "Delete browsing history" (Internet Explorer)

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    Step 26: "Clear browsing data" (Google Chrome).

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    Step 27: Deselect and of the check marks that you do not wish to save.

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    Step 28: Click the button at the bottom "Clear private data now" (Firefox)

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    Step 29: "Clear browsing data" (Chrome).

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    Step 30: The final part of this guide involves the way in which windows stores data.

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    Step 31: As in the first stage

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    Step 32: go to the start search text field

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    Step 33: located in your windows start menu (the icon on the bottom left).

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    Step 34: Type "Disk defragmenter" and press enter(return).

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    Step 35: Since this is a process that should be completed on a regular basis

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    Step 36: click the checkbox to have windows do this at at set time

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    Step 37: that can be modified to run daily

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    Step 38: weekly

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    Step 39: or monthly

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    Step 40: and at any time that you wish.

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    Step 41: Click the first button "Modify Schedule" if you selected the checkbox

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    Step 42: this will give you the option of changing when and how often the computer sorts it's files.

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    Step 43: Click the "Select Volumes" button.

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    Step 44: Click "Defragment now" and wait until it is finished.

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    Step 45: That's it!

Detailed Guide

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