Freeware to sanitize your personal computer of scrap and other sediments
Initially I will tell you where to find some free brooms to clean out the sewage. Yeah…sewage. Windows registry’s refuse, software detritus, Internet debris, fragmented data, skulking spyware/malware and other ghosts which are always heavy on the viscera of Windows PCs.
We start with the Windows registry. The registry is a database of the OS’s settings and options. It keeps track of the settings for all your PC’s hardware, software, users, and associated preferences. Whenever you alter the Control panel parameters, install software, change file associations, or rework system policies, the amendments are stored in the registry. Therefore, tuning and tampering with it can have a major impact on the workings of your PC. A clean registry makes a PC boot faster, run quicker and stay more stable. That is why umpteen registry cleansers are born unto this universe. Here are some good ones; but beware, tamper testily. Then, some cool tools to monitor hot-headed PCs.
OS: Windows XP
It’s a Freeware system optimization and privacy tool. Removes unused and invalid gunk from the registry (entries, file extensions, ActiveX controls, ClassIDs, ProgIDs, uninstallers, shared DLLs, fonts, help files, application paths, icons, shortcuts) to help PCs run faster. And free disk space. Also swabs traces of your online activities (temporary files, URL history, cookies, auto-complete form history and index.dat). Comprehensive backup feature.
OS: Windows XP, NT, 2000, 9.x
A very tidy multilingual proggie, that sifts through the registry for entries pointing nowhere and bogging down your system’s speed. It finds unnecessary temp files, duplicates and backups to help create disk space. The good part is that it lists everything… The choice to axe or annex is always yours. EC can tweak startup programs, gouge out invalid shortcuts, add/remove software, and devour IE’s temporary Internet files, history and cookies with it.
OS: Windows Vista, XP, 2000, NT, 98
It is a decent alternative, newly refurbished, with Vista-ready claims. Advantage: An easy-to-use backup and recovery feature.
OS: Windows XP, 2000, NT, 98
It combines registry cleaning with some degree of registry management. It can get dicey if you don’t know your fundas. So newbies, stay away!
OS: Windows XP, 2000
The more you browse the web, the more cookies you collect. Each cookie has a set lifetime – from a few seconds to several years. IE hoards these cookies in various files on a hard disk, and never tries to get rid of them even after they have expired. So a disk can end up accumulating hundreds of useless cookies. ECC eradicates these expired cookie accrual – and thereby speeds things up somewhat (or a lot, depending on how much muck it trims). To keep things shipshape, use this Ute twice weekly or more.
OS: Windows XP
Now some system info. CPU-Z’s a tell-all freeware that collates information on the primary devices in your PC. From the CPU’s name and number, core stepping, processes, core voltage, internal/external clocks, clock multiplier, supported instruction sets to cache information – it spells it all. Likewise for the main-board, it harvests vendor info, model and revision, BIOS model and date, chipset and sensor. Memory frequency and timings, module specifications etc. are also spelled out.
Intel Active Monitor
OS: Windows XP
More system info. As PC’s pep-up performance and shrink in size, the need to be in the know and monitor overall system health becomes imperative. This alerting utility for Intel boards works with specialized sensors on Intel boards to constantly monitor system temperatures, power supply voltages and fan speeds. You are notified the moment temperatures get too high or a fan or power supply fails.
OS: Windows Vista, XP, NT, 2000, Me, 9.x
It is another tool to monitor voltages, fan speeds and temperatures in PCs with hardware monitor chips. It supports Intel Core Duo, Windows Vista 64 bit, SCSI disks and a host of other state-of-the-art silicon stud-ware. It has the ability to change fan speeds (depending on the capabilities of your sensors) according to the temperatures inside your PC, thus reducing noise. A must-download for over-clocking geeks as it lets you over-clock PCs but ensures chips do not fry.
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