How to clean PC?

[big_man]

my friend has installed far too much crap on his computer and has slowed it down so much its almost unusable and often just crashes,

Is the best plan just to save neccessary files and format it?

[plotloss]

Yes.

Alternative to try first if this is a 9x machine is try running the command scanreg /fix. What this does is rebuild your registry and its quite possible if he is forever installing/uninstalling software that he has hosed his registry quite badly.

Matt.

[big_man]

thanks matt

[CarZee]

Think there's something in Norton Systemworks called CleanSweep, which is for this purpose.. likely to be more reliable than scanreg or suchlike dodgy unsupported mucusoft rubbish.

personally though, I'd go for a rebuild..

[plotloss]

Do I take it that you work in the majority with Sun/Unix kit then CarZ?

Matt.

[mondeoman]

Ummmm - wots a 9x machine...... and wots likely to happen if you do runs scanreg / fix??

[CarZee]

quote:Do I take it that you work in the majority with Sun/Unix kit then CarZ?

I can dream.. I have the wherewithall, but I'm stuck with MS cack for now..

I just like to bite the hand that feeds me..

[plotloss]

quote:
Ummmm - wots a 9x machine...... and wots likely to happen if you do runs scanreg / fix??

Either Windows 95, 95OSR2, 98, 98SE or Windows Me.

What Scanreg does is rebuild the registry from an internal windows file (the name of which escapes me) what happens is that if the machine fails before an install completes is that the registry is not fully updated and things start slowly but surely failing and rebooting. The Scanreg command just completes these incomplete keys as and when it can and removes all orphan registry keys etc.

[mondeoman]

Cheers - I can have a go at mine tonight then as well.......