Q. Proprietary ‘registry cleaners’ are as likely to do as much harm as good. Discuss. Buzzer.

A. An interesting topic, Buzzer! The Registry, the operating system's master file of information on a computer's configuration, is best not touched at all unless one is confident that one knows what one is doing. Rather like the medical advice to never to put anything larger than your elbow into your ear! Whilst it may not be universally true, a sound approach is to assume that any cleaner that offers a free scan before insisting that you pay to have the results implemented will ALWAYS find problems to be fixed, even on a clean machine! At best, they won't actually harm your PC, just your wallet - and watch out automatic annual renewals being set up without notice - but in many cases they will actually do more harm than good. If you insist on running a proprietary cleaner, then the best: trustworthy and available free without support, is CCleaner from Piriform, who also offer a good free defragmenter. CCleaner is a customisable general tool for cleaning computers, which includes a Registry cleaner which backups changes so that they may be reversed, and offers a range of other tools as well as including a program deletion tool. However, if you think that you have a real problem, call in a professional before too much damage is done trying to fix it yourself!

A couple of useful Windows keyboard shortcuts.

Alt+F4: closes the open window or application. Very useful to quickly get rid of whatever is on screen. Nice to use when full screen games lock up.
Alt+Tab: toggles between the open windows on your PC or laptop.

Q. Should I use the Windows Disk Defragmenter tool, and if so how often?

A. Windows isn’t very efficient when it comes to storing files. It actually splits them up, depositing them into whatever spaces are available on the hard disk. The more spaced apart the pieces of a file are, the harder your computer has to work to make them run. The Windows disk defragmentation system tune-up utility works to piece all of those files back together again. The process is a long one, though, and only needs to be done about four times per year. Set it up to run automatically once every three months. By doing so, you’ll be able to keep your computer running in tiptop shape.

Q. Do I need to empty the Recycle Bin, and if so how often?

A. When you click "delete" on a file or a program, it doesn’t go away for good – not immediately, anyway. Instead, it sits in a kind of purgatory in your computer’s Recycle Bin. As things pile up in the Recycle Bin, your computer can start exhibiting some very annoying problems. If sluggish startups, and crashes, are occurring with increasing frequency, and your computer’s Recycle Bin is very full, then go ahead and empty it. From then on, get into the habit of doing so about once a week. This small but important strategy can make a huge difference to your PC's performance.

How to compress a file.

Some files are too big to be sent over the internet and it is often necessary to “compress” them to make them smaller so that they can be sent more quickly. The files are not damaged or changed, just stored in a different way. A good analogy is to think of it like taking a large letter, folding it up and putting it inside a small envelope. You send the envelope which now takes up less space, but at the other end the envelope can be opened and the large letter folded out again. The contents can now be “extracted” back to their original size and used as normal. To compress a file with Windows XP, Vista or 7 follow these instructions:-
1. Create a new folder and cut or copy all of the files the you would like to compress into the folder.
2. Right click on the folder and select Send To from the menu which appears.
3. Select Compressed (zipped) Folder from the list of options.
4. Attach the compressed folder(with the .zip extension) to your email.
To uncompress the files:-
1. Right click on the compressed file.
2. Select Extract All from the menu which appears.
3. This will open the Windows Extraction wizard.
4. Click Next to extract the files.

A few words about security.

Most off-the-shelf PCs come with some sort of security software: Norton Antivirus (or Symantec), McAfee Security, Trend Micro, and there are many more. All of these software packages provide basic PC security: anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, anti-malware and firewalls. It can become a little overwhelming to the uninitiated. You get a free trial with your machine, then after a month or 3 you start getting these messages that your "subscription has expired" or your "anti virus definitions" can’t be updated. Essentially all of these security suites charge a yearly subscription fee to provide you with the latest virus protections. If you don’t pay, then you’re subject to picking up the latest computer virus. In case you weren’t aware there are "free" antivirus programs. They provide real time monitoring of the files on your PC and alert you if they encounter a defined "virus" or piece of "malware" (malicious software). Two of the best, free, programs that provide real-time monitoring of your files are Avast and AVG. There is also an open source program called Clamwin that will scan your PC for viruses, but doesn’t commit resources to actively looking for them. So if you are looking for a free alternative solution to McAfee, Norton, Trend Micro or any of the others, check out some of these. If you do choose to use one of these free anti-virus programs, be aware that it may not play well with the previous anti-virus program that came with your machine. You will have to uninstall the old program first.

Q. Do I need to make sure that air can circulate around my computer?

A. Computer manufacturers design computer cases with air flow in mind. All of those chips, resistors, transistors, capacitors, and heat sinks that make up the internal electronic components of your computer need to stay within a certain temperature range. If they get too hot, eventually they will fail. If you have a laptop, keep the underside the computer ventilated. Don’t set it on a pillow. There are vents on the bottom of most laptops, the worst thing you could do is to sit it on a surface that will sink and cover the vents like a pillow. Try to keep it on flat level surfaces so that it gets good airflow and doesn’t overheat. If you have a desktop computer, do not leave it sitting on carpet. Carpet can attract and discharge static electricity which can cause serious problems for computer components. If your computer is on a desk or a low shelf, turn it around and clean the dust off it occasionally. Once a season, or about 4 times a year, is a good guideline. Use a can of compressed air to blow the dust out of the fan vents on the back of the case. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove dirt and dust from the shelf or area where the PC resides. Try not to smoke around your computer case. The tar in tobacco smoke will accumulate over time on the fan motor and internal components of a computer (or any electronic device for that matter). Keeping the computer cool by allowing the proper airflow into and out of the case will keep your computer running for many years. The idea is to upgrade because you want to, not because you have to. Paying attention to the physical environment of a PC is sometimes just as important as updating and securing the software and files on a hard drive.

Q. My practice is to put my laptop to sleep for long breaks during the day, and to hibernate it overnight. About once a week I feel that I should close all programmes and switch off and boot up for next use. I do this out of a feeling that I should ‘clear out my RAM and Registers’ periodically to keep the machine up to speed. What do you reckon is the best practice for a laptop?

A. One should indeed periodically power off. Many programs are poor at clearing themselves completely out of RAM when closed, so that over time less and less is available for actual processing. Once a week sounds reasonable, unless you spot that the laptop is slowing down.