9 Tips To Keep Windows XP Running SmoothThere are many things that cause a computer to be sluggish from software to hardware. It can be too small a hard drive or not enough RAM. It can be anything from BIOS and/or Operating System Settings to programs that are eating up your CPU and RAM (no matter how much you have). Or it can be your network.Personally, I work my computer like a young mother with a house full of kids 12 to 18 hours a day. That mother needs to unwind at the end of the day and so does my computer and probably yours too.Here are 9 Tips in the order they should be completed that can help keep your computer happy and working without complaining:1. This is so basic I shouldn’t need to say it, Keep Which Ever E-Mail Program You Use Cleaned Out. I have clients who are always complaining, but who refuse to dump years and years of accumulated e-mail.2. Make sure you have a good anti virus program (Only one per computer please), have it up to date, and auto monitoring.3. Make sure you have a good anti spy ware program (Only one per computer), have it up to date, and auto monitoring.4. Run Disk Clean Up Daily (Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Clean Up – a box opens – make sure each box is checked, click ‘OK’ – a box pops up – Click Yes).5. Delete Cookies and Cached Files Daily (Start, Control Panel -if you have not done it yet, click ‘Switch To Classic View’, Internet Options – a pop up box will appear – Delete Cookies, Click OK, Click Delete Files – check ‘Delete All Offline Content’ – Click OK, Now Set Your Clear History to no more than 7 Days – if you haven’t used it for a week you probably won’t miss it – Click OK)6. A very important step almost everyone misses: Empty The Prefetch Folder (Start, My Computer, ‘C’ , Windows, Prefetch Folder, Edit, Select All, File, Delete – pop up box appears – Click Yes, Close Windows Window)7. Empty Recycle Bin. For the sake of brevity, I am assuming everyone knows where it is and how to empty it.8. Scan Hard Drive ‘C’ (Start, My Computer, Right Click ‘C’ – box opens – Click Properties at the bottom – another box opens – Click Tools, Click Check Now, Make sure both ‘Automatically fix file system errors’ and ‘Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors’ are checked, Click Start. Get a cup of java (oh, black, thank you) and Wait !9. Defrag Computer (Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter – window opens – Select ‘C’ Drive, Click Defragment). Pop a top and Wait !The last two steps (8 and 9) can take awhile if they have not been done recently. I complete this entire routine on my computer just before I stop work for the day everyday and the entire sequence takes no longer than 20 minutes and often much less.You can find more help with free download links at http://www.remotehelpdesk1.comtmm