How to clean up your computer once and for all. How to tidy up your system registry and speed up your computer

The topic of maintaining order on your computer desktop can be called eternal. For the vast majority of users, the desktop is “cluttered” with shortcuts with enviable regularity.

Sometimes, you can’t really see the splash screen image behind them. And even after establishing some order, after a few days you can observe the same picture.


It's good if these are really just shortcuts. Quite often on desktops you can find all kinds of audio and video files, the simultaneous presence of both a shortcut and boot file etc. Besides the unaesthetic appearance this can have a negative, “inhibiting” effect on the operation of the computer. The fact is that the desktop folder is located on the system drive, and if you save in it large files, then this, accordingly, reduces the volume system disk and does not allow the system to “breathe more freely.”
Therefore, I recommend that you check the size of your desktop on your computer. Normal size is considered to be about 100Kb, since this indicates that only shortcuts are really located here. If during the scan you find a significantly larger volume, then urgently clean up and move all large files to more suitable sections.


If you find that files downloaded from the Internet end up on your desktop, then you need to check your browser settings and move the “downloads” folder from the system drive.
So, we have considered the technical side of the issue. However, there is also a purely organizational side, since often the clogging of the desktop occurs from our desire to pull out, as it seems to us, a “VERY IMPORTANT” document closer to quick access. As a result, we still have the same picture of a screen crammed with many shortcuts. I want to offer one, perhaps not very scientific, but well-proven in practice way of combating this “disease.”
If the number of shortcuts and files on your desktop has exceeded the critical point, then create new folder(why should we waste time on trifles!), we proudly call it “Desktop” and with a confident hand We send absolutely EVERYTHING there!


After this, you can calmly begin your working day. If you really need something from the contents of the newly created folder during the day, then take it out and place it on your desktop. But only what you really need right now. By the end of the day, you will be able to see that the screen remains relatively free. Continue in this mode for at least 4-5 days. But after this, you can safely delete everything that continues to remain in that created folder. Just delete it, because if you haven’t needed it for almost a week, then you won’t need it. And in the future you will be able to find similar information in a more up-to-date version. You can use this method with some regularity as soon as you can no longer distinguish the background of your desktop.


And since we are talking about the background for the desktop, we will devote a few lines to this point. Today on the Internet it is offered simply huge selection screensavers, as they say, “for every taste and color.” We must admit that this is very convenient, since it is unlikely that anyone will want to look at the same picture for months or years, no matter how wonderful it is.


However, when choosing a screensaver, you should not always be guided only by your preferences and tastes. For example, if we're talking about about office computer, then it is better to exclude images of girls and boys immediately. Moreover, regardless of the degree of their “clothing”. In any case, such screensavers will be regarded as a manifestation of frivolity and may create a false impression of you as an employee. Also try to avoid screensavers with aggressive overtones or in too bright colors. For example, the color red is a natural stimulant and irritant, which can ultimately lead to fatigue and nervousness. It is better to choose a relatively calm screensaver with images of nature or animals, in soft warm colors that set the mood for a certain relaxation.


There is another benefit to choosing a neutral screensaver. We often make our choices on a subconscious level, and such a picture can tell a lot about a person’s psychotype. Do we really want to once again demonstrate our inner world and open our souls to strangers? Therefore, the work computer is not the best place for strong expression of individuality, unless, of course, you work as a creative designer.

System maintenance utilities

• Free AVG antivirus: http://free.avg.com/us-en/download-free-antivirus
• Full version AVG Free Edition in one file: http://free.avg.com/ru-ru/download.prd-afh
• Mega utility AVZ - monitors Trojans, keyloggers and other evil spirits. A must have! Databases are updated via the Internet, fantastic opportunities! This is not an antivirus pure form. You need to have it in addition to the main antivirus.
• The latest utility from Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool: http://devbuilds.kaspersky-labs.com/devbuilds/AVPTool/ Lots of different settings - don’t forget to enable heuristics.
• Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10: http://support.kaspersky.ru/viruses/rescuedisk
• Dr.Web CureIt!® healing utility: http://www.freedrweb.com/cureit/ There is a LiveCD - it is very useful to boot from it.
• You can download LiveCD from Dr. Web and browse your computer from it: http://www.freedrweb.com/livecd/
• Auslogics Disk Defrag - if Windows takes an insanely long time to boot, then at least it’s time to defragment
• CCleaner - cleaning the system from junk files

Remote administration

• TeamViewer - free program For remote administration computers connected to the Internet: http://www.teamviewer.com/ru/download/index.aspx
• TightVNC is also a free administration program, but it is simpler and does not require an Internet connection: http://www.tightvnc.com/

Comment There is no panacea. If you have used one antivirus and the glitches have not disappeared, try another. If you run out of options - reinstall Windows :)
If nothing helps, you can run msconfig program and turn it off unnecessary programs from startup, which will relieve your memory.
If this doesn't help either antivirus scan down the drain - reinstall Windows.

Super Grub Disk allows you to restore the bootloader or boot installed system.

Possibilities:

GNU/Linux:
* GRUB recovery
* LILO(beta) recovery
*Linux download
* Activation of Linux partition.

Windows:
* MBR recovery (equivalent to fdisk /mbr)
* Booting Windows normal/from the second HDD/from the second partition

It also loads HURD and OpenSolaris. Allows you to manipulate sections (hide/open/activate). The disk is very useful for inexperienced users, because it has multi-level menus with varying degrees of detail and detailed explanations. Size - 500K.

From myself: boots from floppy disks, CD-ROM, USB

Gamers

The main thing in a computer's performance is not even its teraflops (of which we all have plenty), but the absence of short-term freezes.
The main reasons for slowdowns:

1. Insufficient amount of RAM. It’s worth having at least 2Gb, or better yet 2 2Gb each
2. Old hard drive. Obviously, the new hard drives work 10 times faster than those produced 2-3 years ago. Also, it follows in the BIOS mat. boards, indicate (before installing the system) that the HDD must be operated using the AHCI protocol.
3. No defragmentation
4. Heavy antivirus. AVG Free Edition- quite fast and free. Sometimes you can scan your computer with free utilities from Kaspersky and others. Web
5. The toy may experience slowdowns due to the small amount of video memory. 512MB is relevant, but ideally there should be 1GB of video memory.
6. In games you must use mice with 2500 DPI
7. Wear headphones when playing games. I recommend BBK EP-3000S price 750 rub. The sound quality is worth 3000 rubles
8. To unload the CPU, buy a discrete sound card X-Fi and in addition to improving the sound, the processor will be significantly unloaded. The lags will go away.

P.S.
The use of 4 cores really gives a win in games.

Greetings to readers of the blog YOUR DECISION!

In this article, I will share an algorithm for how to put things in order in files and folders on your computer, which will help every reader become organized and make your work with information more efficient. And following just seven steps will save many hours of your time.

So, are you ready to organize your files and folders? Great! Then go ahead!

1. Create a clear file structure

The main task for this step- invent and create your own file structure. This process is purely individual and does not contain the only correct solution. However, we can highlight the main points that will greatly facilitate the process of creating your own file system.

• The most natural way to organize file storage on a computer is to create folders, each of which must correspond to a specific category. For example, the folder “Video”, “Games”, “Music”, Photos”, “Work”, “Downloads” and so on.

• If there are several computer users, you can use a system based on storing files by computer user (“My Files,” “Spouse Files,” “Son Files,” etc.).

• Create as many levels of folder nesting as needed. Notice and use the opportunity to group into separate folder kit related files. For example, combine songs from one artist, photos from one event, documents received from one client into subfolders

• When creating your folder structure, follow simple logic:
  - “parent” folders sort files according to criteria that are more important to you;
  - “children” (nested) – according to less important ones.

• Whatever organization system you create, get into the habit of creating new catalogs all the time.
  

  Every document on your computer must have its own home, just like things in a closet must have their own place.

• We create folders not on the “C” drive, but on the “D” drive, if you have one and there is enough space there.
  And remember that drive C is intended only for system documents and for installing programs! The rest - photos, videos, work and personal documents, maps, books, and so on should be stored either on a removable hard drive or on drive D. This approach significantly speeds up the computer, it slows down and freezes less.

  Drive "C" ONLY for operating system and programs! Store all your documents, photos, music and movies on drive “D”

2. Audit and sorting of “old” files

Create an “Archive” folder on drive D. Transfer all files that are stored on your computer to the created “Archive” folder
Then go through each of your files by hand and arrange them into your new structure using three rules:

• if you have nowhere to put it new file– create a folder suitable for the topic;

• if a file “asks” for two (three, etc.) folders at once, save the most suitable thematic folder, and delete the rest, having first transferred everything valuable to other folders;

• don't store Not necessary files.

Sorting files, due to its routine nature, can be done in parts and divided into 15 minutes. Set aside 15 minutes every day to sort through “old” files and gradually put everything back into place. Then the Archive folder can be deleted.

3.Create an Inbox

Create an Inbox folder on your file system. This folder is for recently created or downloaded files that you have yet to sort or process. You can name such a folder differently, for example, “INBOX”, “Downloads” or “Downloads”.

Once you create your inbox, don't use any other folder to store your pending and working files. When creating or receiving a new file, immediately place it in your Inbox, then your computer will always be clean and tidy.

There should be one Inbox folder on your computer. Two tips to avoid creating duplicate inboxes:

• set the default Inbox to save files in all programs;

• Set your default download inbox in all browsers.

Don't let your inbox become overcrowded. For this:

• Check your inbox regularly (at least 1-3 times a day)

• Immediately place files that are finished in the designated folder.
  If you notice a file located there in your Inbox, long time, admit that you probably don’t actually need it and put it in the Trash

4. Create correct file names

Create filename templates

When the number of files in one folder exceeds several dozen, difficulties arise with searching the required document. Often the file name does not convey information about what is inside the document. In this regard, I propose a simple way to facilitate the process of creating an “information” file name - to create a file name template for each of your information streams.

When constructing a name template, follow these rules:

• reflect the essence of the document in the file name

• use the date in the file name
  — at the beginning of the file name, if the relevance of the document depends on the time of its creation;
  - at the end of the file name, if the information and contents of the file are more important than the date of its creation.

• Arrange the elements of the file name from the general to the specific (from date, subject, address, etc. - to the contents of the file)

• dates were arranged from largest to smallest (year – month – day)

Be thoughtful about file naming

• Never create files with meaningless names like "Document1.doc". Take the time to come up with a title that accurately describes what's inside the document.
• Avoid long file names
• Using long file names indicates that your file system not clear and deep enough.

So highlight free time within a few days to put the files in order. Consistently, step by step, give new names to all old files, renaming them according to patterns.

5. Use shortcuts

The shortcut provides the user easy access to frequently used files, placing it in two places. This allows you to always make do with one copy of the file.

6.Clean up your “Desktop”

Never store files and folders on your desktop!
The desktop is located on drive C and when you reinstall the operating system, you may lose all of its contents.
Store all files in the desired folder on drive D, and display only shortcuts on the desktop!

Desktop cleaning algorithm:

• Drag all files from the desktop to the “Archive” folder created earlier (except for the “My Computer” and “Trash” icons)
• Assign specific areas of the “Desktop” to essential objects (programs, folders, files).
  For example:
  - left top corner- for shortcuts important programs and “My Computer” icons;
  — upper right corner – shortcuts to actively used folders and the most important documents;
  — lower right corner — “Trash” icon
  You can change the location and purpose of zones depending on your needs.
• Transfer from the Archive folder necessary files to the “My Documents” folder, delete unnecessary files.

7.Keep your file structure in order

Strictly adhere to the created structure

Pointless to spend long hours to put all files in order and continue saving freshly downloaded documents to the “Desktop”.
Make a rule for yourself: every time I have nothing to do on the computer, clean digital trash.

Rules for maintaining order in the file storage system:

1. Store only those files that:

• will be useful to you;
• it will not be possible to download again if necessary

2.When creating or downloading a new file, immediately place it in the appropriate folder
3. If the file cannot be immediately saved within your system or you need it for a short time, then save it to the “Inbox” folder.
4. Clean out your inbox once a week or delete all files in it.

So, behind you are seven difficult steps to sort out the digital rubble that resulted in your personal system file storage. Once you have spent time sorting documents, maintain the order and improve the created file storage system.

And remember that the habit of keeping in order digital documents- a guarantee that you will accomplish much more!!

I will be glad if my experience becomes YOUR SOLUTION to emerging problems! I'd love to hear about your experiences with digital trash cleanup in the comments!

You can learn about my experience in organizing the storage of paper personal documents!

Vladimir Pavlovich is the owner of a modest business producing earplugs, but looking at the desktop of his laptop, you could mistake him for some kind of secret agent. The entire screen is literally covered with a multitude of files and shortcuts - a real control center for undercover operatives. Behind the huge accumulation of icons, it’s not easy to guess the outlines of a blue BMW, but finding something you need among this pile of information is real torture. One glance at the screen is enough to raise your blood pressure. But Vladimir Pavlovich is not an agent at all. It's just that his computer is a real funnel of entropy.

Is there a connection between professional activity Vladimir Pavlovich and the disorder on his computer desktop, it’s impossible to say for sure, because from time to time each of us accumulates a lot of junk or simply materials that are not properly sorted on the screen. Meanwhile, such an environment does not bode well for you: you may not notice it, but according to research, a cluttered computer has a negative impact on your productivity, preventing normal distribution time to complete certain tasks and reduce your concentration.

One day, Vladimir Pavlovich decided that enough was enough, and if he wanted his business to prosper, he would have to clean up the mess in his computer and develop principles that would not allow this madness to happen again.

Read today's article about the dangers of desk clutter and how you can deal with it.

The price of disorder

Having a computer cluttered with information is an expensive pleasure. Of course, we are talking about mental costs. Researchers from Princeton University have experimentally proven that people whose desktops are in disarray perform much worse on cognitive tasks than those who have all the necessary files arranged systematically, in a certain order.

The finding that our brains take longer to find the files we need when they're scattered isn't really surprising at all.

Moreover, the additional distractions that probably abound on your desktop act as triggers that force us to solve unimportant tasks - which leads to poor concentration and unnecessary loss of time.

Every icon, browser tab left open, and program minimized to the toolbar is like an annoying reminder of unfinished business and unresolved tasks. As a result, this merciless onslaught of triggers easily leads to the fact that instead of solving the current problem, you are moving in a completely “different direction”.

This kind of jumping from problem area to another, according to Sophie Leroy, a researcher at the University of Minnesota, causes irreparable harm to our productivity, since any problem grabs a piece of our attention, making it difficult to return to the point where , in fact, a distraction occurred.

Removing unnecessary triggers frees up our minds and allows us to focus all our power on getting things done. current issues. Whereas loss of concentration and chaotic surroundings put heavy psychological pressure on us and prevent us from solving problems in the best possible way.

If you need additional arguments in favor of order, keep in mind that in addition to additional cognitive waste and unnecessary waste of time, you also lose in computer performance. Each open tab is an additional load on the processor and RAM. Of course, now there are technologies that allow automatic mode stop the consumption of resources to maintain unused programs and processes, but these, speaking in metaphors, are those drugs that eliminate the symptoms, but not the disease itself.

Removing triggers

So, the first thing you can do to somehow relieve your working space- create a folder and move into it all the files that are in currently are on the desktop. Of course, this will not solve the entire problem, because you will simply move the mess from one place to another, but it will still stop being an eyesore.

“Search” (or Spotlight - the built-in search function in Mac OS) will help you quickly find this or that file, so it makes sense to use it, and files that you access every day (for example, a shortcut Word editor), can be easily found in the tab " Recent Documents" (or place it on the taskbar).

You can listen to the advice of Vladimir Pavlovich and change background image desktop with some plain wallpaper. If you are the owner Apple products, you can also use Bartender program 2 to accommodate everything running applications at the top of the screen. After all the procedures done, you will start every day with a “clean slate”.

To keep your attention on current tasks and not get distracted, you can turn off all notifications (alerts) from programs:

Caption: “Turn off notifications”

Use the Do Not Disturb feature. Set the time interval from 7.00 to 6.59 am (day):

Once you've turned off all those annoying notifications and tidied up your desktop, you'll need to deal with the biggest enemy of your productivity: your browser.

The first problem is what to do with all the open tabs? First, they need to be divided into several categories. For example, it might look like this:

• tabs related to what you are currently doing;
• articles you plan to read later;
• sites you may need in the future;
• communication tools (social networks, etc.).

Sorting tabs will help you quickly bring order to your browser. For example, the URLs of sites that you use daily can be entered into a special sheet, a kind of database. If necessary, you open this sheet (for example, a document on Google Drive) and select the resource you need.

Next - what to do with articles? The truth is that articles you put aside for later are usually never read. But now we are not talking about this, but trying to figure out where to save all these materials. To protect yourself from clutter, you can use the services

Pocket was created in 2007 by Nate Weiner to help people save interesting articles, videos and more from the web and enjoy them later. After registration, your browser will appear active button, when clicked current page will be saved in your account:

This is how this button will be displayed in the Yandex browser

Evernote's web clipper also offers more advanced functionality. By clicking on the icon in the top sidebar of your browser, you can choose in what format you will save the page: completely, as a snapshot, as an article, etc.:

If it seems to you that all these tools are nothing more than a way to transfer information noise from one place to another, but not solve the very cause of this noise, know that the abundance of information today is not a problem at all. The challenge is to organize the incoming material so that it does not affect your productivity and clarity of thought, and at the same time is easily accessible when needed.

Another source of chaos in your head and computer is Email And social media. These comrades are constantly trying to grab a piece of your time and attention, so the most The best way To cope with them, turn off all notifications and do not keep pages with these services open while you are doing something that requires strong concentration. Social media like jelly - try it once and get stuck in it for a long time, reading an endless series of posts from news feed. You will think that you are busy, although in reality it is just an illusion of activity.

You can also use tools like StayFocusd or Freedom to block yourself from visiting certain resources while you're busy.

Once you've put everything in order on all possible fronts, it's time to set aside time in your schedule to "take out the trash" from your computer and browser and not let the abundance of information overwhelm you. Just 15 minutes a week will be enough. If you do it right, you will experience an increase in efficiency and mental clarity.

Conclusion

You may not think much of it, but chaos in your environment means chaos in your head. Clean up your surroundings and you will feel energized and increase your productivity. The main conclusions of the article are below:

• clean your desktop by dumping all files into one folder (or better yet, sort the ones you need and delete unused shortcuts);
• turn off all notifications from applications installed on your computer and social networking services;
• leaving too much open tabs in a web browser, you slow down the speed of your computer and create many additional incentives for yourself to be distracted;
• use these useful utilities, such as Evernote's web clipper, Pocket service or similar applications;
• Every week, dedicate at least 15 minutes to clearing away all the garbage that has accumulated over the past 7 days.

Ivan Afanasiev

The active life of a computer involves the use of various software. A significant part of the life of programs occurs in the system registry. It remembers the files you open, the correspondence between file types and the applications responsible for them, personal settings. Not to mention, of course, the important system information about drivers, starting services, the need to download a particular program, settings various menus and so on. During the installation and removal process, programs leave traces of their existence, which, accumulating, slow down the operating system, forcing it to access files that no longer exist.

This problem does not depend on the quality of the software products. When uninstalling, only what was recorded during installation is deleted. The uninstaller simply does not know about what has already appeared during operation. The situation is even worse with large software packages, drivers, browser add-ons, and games. Much of the above does not imply the opposite of installing the process, or by installing libraries in system partition registry, I can’t delete them. To rid the operating system of unnecessary actions and links to non-existent programs, the registry must be cleaned.

Historically, from the moment such a need arose to the present day, programs that optimize and clean the registry have evolved towards the most user-friendly interface and almost automatic activity. This approach allows the user not to be afraid of ruining something by pressing an unfamiliar button.

Registry Cleaner

Carambis Registry Cleaner is one of the simplest and effective means to maintain your operating system. All your actions practically come down to pressing two buttons - starting a scan and correcting the errors found. Of course, for more experienced users there is additional functions and the opportunity to get detailed information. Let's look at an example of how this works.

Registry scan

When you first launch the program, it immediately begins scanning the registry for errors. In the future, you can run the scan yourself or set up a schedule for regular scanning.

List of errors

All errors found are conditionally grouped by type of problem or by the name of the application to which the registry branch belongs. For example, file association groups are registry entries that associate document types with the programs that open them. When you uninstall the program, the links remain, but the computer continues to try to show such files an icon icon from a non-existent file. Another common problem is MRU (Most Recently Used) links. When you open a file, most programs store it in special list to make it easier for you to open it again. If the file is deleted, the link to it will remain and will interfere. Naturally, there are also more serious errors, such as registration entries for no longer existing system classes and libraries that Windows tries to load every time you turn on the computer.

Bug fix report

Patch history

The essence of fixing the registry comes down to simple removal wrong lines. Each work session is saved in a log, in which all changes made are remembered, so that if something happens, deleted registry branches can be restored back. Although, as a rule, unforeseen situations do not happen, similar programs, if you are using a quality product, they work carefully and take into account all the features of the operating system.

Program settings

Since the program is aimed at an inexperienced user, there are not many settings in it. You can configure the program to load with Windows and schedule the registry check. The ignore list tab contains a list of registry branches that you know you shouldn’t touch. But this is already a function for more experienced users.

In addition to cleaning and fixing Registry Cleaner will help you optimize it at the file level. Technically, the registry is a database stored on disk in several files. Due to the fact that programs actively use it, the registry, like any other file, is gradually defragmented. That is, in the process of deleting and writing data, pieces of the file end up in different places disk. The system has to piece it together to read it, and the more the registry is defragmented, the longer it takes, and the slower the computer runs. Unfortunately, in trial version Registry Cleaner optimization function is blocked, it was not possible to get Carambis support to solve this problem, so as an alternative we will consider an equally useful and free utility from ChemTable Software - Registry Life.

Registry Life is intended for absolutely similar purposes as Registry Cleaner. Perhaps the interface is just a little less friendly. The program checks and fixes problems in the so-called logical structure- these are, in fact, branches and registry entries that “lead to nowhere.”

Registry scan

Search and correction are carried out virtually behind closed doors. First, the program scans something, then displays a message about the number of errors found with one single “Fix” button. Then he corrects it and says that everything is “Ok”. Of course, you can see what she found there, but it is presented in the same form as it is stored in the registry, so even experienced user It is impossible to understand what this or that entry refers to. Nevertheless, after the correction, I was able to successfully reboot and the system did not “stumble” on anything. A change log is also kept here, and all operations can be rolled back.

Registry defragmentation

Optimizing the physical structure means defragmenting registry files and reducing the space they occupy by optimizing the use of disk space. When you start this mode, the program scares you with scary messages about the need to close all programs and restart the computer. After this, the desktop is blocked and the sacrament begins.

Report after defragmentation

All processes also occur behind the scenes inside the utility; it was probably possible to make a visualization with moving squares, as in a regular defragmenter, but, strictly speaking, there is no benefit from this. A picture with squares is shown at the end of work, before rebooting. It shows how bad the registry structure looked before and how beautiful it became after. Since the program was tested on a fairly fast computer with a recently installed OS, it was difficult to feel a significant difference in performance. It probably loaded faster, considering that I have a lot of programs in startup that usually don’t load very quickly.

Everything is fine now

As a result, we can say that it doesn’t matter which program to use for computer prevention, the main thing is that it is reliable manufacturer, specializing in such utilities. To ensure data security, longer computer life, and personal comfort worth buying good set for system maintenance and apply it regularly. Then there will be fewer freezes, your nerves will be in order, and your computer will serve you faithfully for many years.