my dreamz

Tuesday, 17 January 2012

Five tips for controlling procrastination

I recently heard a friend talking about a school assignment — a report he had to write on a business book he hadn’t started to read. With the deadline a week away, he admitted that he would probably wait until the last minute to read the book and write the report. A lot of us got through school (and handle our jobs) using that approach, and sometimes the pressure of a looming deadline actually makes us sharper and improves the results. But what he said next was the real kicker: “I won’t be able to enjoy myself all week knowing I have this report to write, but I’ll still keep putting it off.”
If you’re an “active procrastinator” — you do your best work with the clock ticking down to the final seconds as you finish a job — procrastination may not be a problem. But if you’re a “passive procrastinator” — chronically postponing tasks and becoming indecisive, anxious, or guilty — you may want to work on modifying that habit. Here are a few strategies for keeping yourself from sinking into the procrastination abyss.

1: Figure out why you’re procrastinating

The obvious starting point in dealing with procrastination is to analyze why it’s happening. It might be that the work itself is ill conceived or you don’t have clear instructions or the necessary tools, skills, or resources. Maybe the scope is intimidating or you haven’t been given a deadline so it’s easy to defer the project. Those issues may be out of your control, but often you can do something about them. And if you can, you should.
If the work itself is manageable and you know what you have to do to complete it — but you just hate doing it so you’re stalling — you may have to trick yourself to get it done. (See #5.) Either way, the goal here is to determine what’s really going on so you can develop a plan of attack.

2: Decide what has to get done first

There’s some debate over whether you should tackle your most critical, front-burner tasks first or start by knocking out several small, easy-to-finish tasks. There are good arguments for both. Tackling the big projects, the ones that will have the most impact (aka the Eat That Frog tactic), is often essential. You may be operating under someone’s mandate or unbendable commitment or there may be dependencies you can’t ignore.
But sometimes, accomplishing the smaller, less urgent tasks will get you moving and clear your schedule (and remove the excuse/distraction potential of those smaller chores) so you can mount a more effective effort to get the big, gnarly projects underway.
Obviously, how you prioritize is governed by the situation. The important thing is that you prioritize purposefully and don’t just randomly pick away at tasks that pull you in various directions.
There is a corollary to this tip: Planning is great, but make sure you don’t use the process as a means of procrastinating. I once worked with a writer who simply couldn’t hit a deadline. Never. Not one time. But he would spend hours designing increasingly sophisticated and elaborate schedules for delivering his work — in lieu of producing that work. Then he’d spend even more time explaining his plan to me in passionate detail. Maybe that’s not a problem for you. But if you’re prone to using planning and list-making as a stalling tactic, remind yourself not to fall for it.

3: Break the work into manageable pieces

One of the most common reasons for putting off a task is that it’s just too damn big. And one equally common — and practical — tip is to break the job into pieces. The key is to focus on each piece as a discrete task. Because if you keep looking up from the work in front of you at the monolithic project, it’s going to take the wind out of your sails.
Can’t subdivide a big job into smaller tasks? Try setting time goals instead — like three hours at a stretch, interspersed with other work (or downtime). You’ll still be taking a modular approach to the massive project, which should make it less daunting and give you a way to recognize progress along the way.

4: Don’t get paralyzed by the need to be perfect

It’s easy to become immobilized by concerns over the results you think are expected or standards you impose on yourself. If you find yourself saying, “I’ll be able to do a much better job if I start this first thing in the morning” or “I can’t do this until I’ve lined up all the resources I need,” you could be absolutely right. On the other hand, you might just be manufacturing reasons to put off the work. The irony, of course, is that if you get the jump on a project, you’ll probably have time to produce a rough draft, an alpha version, a work-in-progress that you can refine and perfect in time to hit your deadline. Working through a few iterations will take a lot of weight off your shoulders — you just need to stay out of the perfection trap.

5: Make a deal with yourself: Five minutes and out

The “Just get started!” rhetoric you hear might make for a spiffy little motivational motto — but in practice, it doesn’t offer much of a toehold. If you can’t bring yourself to get going on a project, the obvious countermove is to do it anyway. But HOW do you “just get started” when you keep failing to start?
Here’s my favorite trick: Stick your toe in the water a tiny bit, with the promise that you’ll quit after a few minutes. This might seem like you’re teaching yourself an even worse habit (quitter!!). But what usually happens is that those few minutes prime the pump. Once begun is half done, and all that. According to one theory, our perception of a task changes once we’ve gotten a taste of it — and for the better.
Even the most mundane and preliminary steps can get the ball rolling. Trying to get a report written? Create a folder for it, save a new document in the folder, add a title and a couple of headings to the document. It’s the digital-age equivalent of sharpening a handful of pencils and straightening a fresh stack of paper. And that’s often all it takes.

Bonus tip: Reward yourself

Most of the time, simply being DONE with something that’s been hanging over you is reward enough. But if you promise yourself some other tangible reward ahead of time — okay, yeah, call it a bribe — you may have an easier time summoning up the resolve and momentum to jump into the work and see it through.

Thanks & regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"
Raheel Ahmed Khan
System Engineer
send2raheel@yahoo.com
send2raheel@engineer.com
sirraheel@gmail.com
send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot
http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com/
http://raheeldreamz.wordpress.com/

My Face book pages
http://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Dreamz-Rebiuld-our-nation/176215539101271
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beauty-of-islam/223983470988333?sk=wall
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Health-is-wealth/289486761065829?sk=wall

Monday, 16 January 2012

Five tips for using System Restore effectively

Windows 7 System Restore is a powerful tool that enables you to turn back the clock on Windows. This is quite handy when something goes awry. After a bad crash, or after a program or user has caused a serious issue with the operating system, System Restore can take that computer back to a time when it was working properly. System Restore is fairly simple to use, but it is powerful and should be used wisely. Here are a few things to keep in mind to make sure you make best use of this tool.

1: Work with antivirus

System Restore works in conjunction with the installed antivirus by inducing a scan during the restoration. If, during the restoration, a file is determined to be infected, the antivirus will quarantine it as usual. This is effective — unless the antivirus can’t detect and quarantine the infection. If there is an infected restore point that must be used, temporarily disable the installed antivirus program, disconnect the computer from the network (to prevent further infection), and run the restore. Once the restore has completed, you can try to remove the infection. If all restore points are infected, I would recommend deleting them all and re-creating a new point once the infection has been removed and the computer is running as desired.

2: Don’t rely on it for antivirus

In the same vein, the Windows System Restore tool should never be thought of as an antivirus tool. I have come across this a number of times, where a user (and even an administrator or two) assumed that restoring to a previous state would remove whatever virus is on the computer. The flaw in that logic is that System Restore does not modify user data, so any infected files won’t be changed. Because of this, System Restore can’t be used to turn back the clock to a previous point that was not infected.

3: Keep multiple GOOD restore points

System Restore allows for the retention of multiple restore points. Although Windows 7 will create automatic restore points (or when Windows is updated), I always recommend regularly creating your own so you know you have a working restore point that represents a particular moment when the machine was working properly. Say, for example, you are about to manually install a new service pack or an application that will make numerous changes to the Windows registry or to other critical settings. Make sure you create a new restore point prior to the upgrade or installation. To manually create a restore point click Start, right-click Computer, click on Properties, click on System Protection, and click the Create button. When prompted, give the restore point a name that makes it clear what restoring to this saved point will do (for example, Pre-Service Pack 1).

4: Always scan for affected programs and drivers

When doing the actual restore, make sure you have System Restore tool scan for affected programs. When doing this, you will get an immediate overview of what’s going to be affected by the restore. This could be the final saving grace, should you catch a program or driver to be affected that you do not want to change. If this happens, attempt to restore a different save point or don’t restore at all. This will also show any programs and/or drivers that have been added or deleted since the last restore and that are to be either added back or deleted from the current system. If you don’t scan for affected programs and drivers, you jump into the restore blind — which I do not recommend.

5: Use caution when dual-booting with XP

If you have a machine that dual-boots Windows 7 and Windows XP, every time you boot XP all but your most recent Windows 7 restore points will be lost. This means that your most recent Windows 7 restore point needs to be a valid point for restoration. Imagine this scenario: You install an application that wreaks havoc on your Windows 7 registry and in the process, a new restore point is created. You dual-boot into Windows XP and then back to Windows 7, only to find Windows 7 is hosed. Can you fix it with System Restore? No. All but that most recent restore point are now gone, so you could be in a bit of a bind.

To prevent that from happening, download this registry setting change, right-click the file, click Merge, and okay the installation. Once the settings in this file have been successfully merged with your Windows registry, those restore points won’t be deleted when you boot Windows XP.

The System Restore tool is incredibly valuable. Not only will it restore a machine to a working state, it will save precious time in the process. Having to troubleshoot issues vs. restoring to a working state is often a no-brainer. But jumping into the restore process blindly could cost you time and dollars. These tips will help you approach the task ready to make the Windows 7 restore as effective as possible.

Saturday, 14 January 2012

Five tips for using System Restore effectively

1: Work with antivirus

System Restore works in conjunction with the installed antivirus by inducing a scan during the restoration. If, during the restoration, a file is determined to be infected, the antivirus will quarantine it as usual. This is effective — unless the antivirus can’t detect and quarantine the infection. If there is an infected restore point that must be used, temporarily disable the installed antivirus program, disconnect the computer from the network (to prevent further infection), and run the restore. Once the restore has completed, you can try to remove the infection. If all restore points are infected, I would recommend deleting them all and re-creating a new point once the infection has been removed and the computer is running as desired.

2: Don’t rely on it for antivirus

In the same vein, the Windows System Restore tool should never be thought of as an antivirus tool. I have come across this a number of times, where a user (and even an administrator or two) assumed that restoring to a previous state would remove whatever virus is on the computer. The flaw in that logic is that System Restore does not modify user data, so any infected files won’t be changed. Because of this, System Restore can’t be used to turn back the clock to a previous point that was not infected.

3: Keep multiple GOOD restore points

System Restore allows for the retention of multiple restore points. Although Windows 7 will create automatic restore points (or when Windows is updated), I always recommend regularly creating your own so you know you have a working restore point that represents a particular moment when the machine was working properly. Say, for example, you are about to manually install a new service pack or an application that will make numerous changes to the Windows registry or to other critical settings. Make sure you create a new restore point prior to the upgrade or installation. To manually create a restore point click Start, right-click Computer, click on Properties, click on System Protection, and click the Create button. When prompted, give the restore point a name that makes it clear what restoring to this saved point will do (for example, Pre-Service Pack 1).

4: Always scan for affected programs and drivers

When doing the actual restore, make sure you have System Restore tool scan for affected programs. When doing this, you will get an immediate overview of what’s going to be affected by the restore. This could be the final saving grace, should you catch a program or driver to be affected that you do not want to change. If this happens, attempt to restore a different save point or don’t restore at all. This will also show any programs and/or drivers that have been added or deleted since the last restore and that are to be either added back or deleted from the current system. If you don’t scan for affected programs and drivers, you jump into the restore blind — which I do not recommend.

5: Use caution when dual-booting with XP

If you have a machine that dual-boots Windows 7 and Windows XP, every time you boot XP all but your most recent Windows 7 restore points will be lost. This means that your most recent Windows 7 restore point needs to be a valid point for restoration. Imagine this scenario: You install an application that wreaks havoc on your Windows 7 registry and in the process, a new restore point is created. You dual-boot into Windows XP and then back to Windows 7, only to find Windows 7 is hosed. Can you fix it with System Restore? No. All but that most recent restore point are now gone, so you could be in a bit of a bind.

To prevent that from happening, download this registry setting change, right-click the file, click Merge, and okay the installation. Once the settings in this file have been successfully merged with your Windows registry, those restore points won’t be deleted when you boot Windows XP.

The System Restore tool is incredibly valuable. Not only will it restore a machine to a working state, it will save precious time in the process. Having to troubleshoot issues vs. restoring to a working state is often a no-brainer. But jumping into the restore process blindly could cost you time and dollars. These tips will help you approach the task ready to make the Windows 7 restore as effective as possible.

Friday, 13 January 2012

Five tips for getting cable clutter under control

Nothing is worse than a datacenter filled with a tangled maze of wires. Besides being unsightly, cable clutter can make it difficult to troubleshoot cable-related problems. Here are five of my favorite tips for taming that cable mess.

1: Multitask

One of the best ways to get cable clutter under control is to eliminate any cables that are not absolutely necessary. Of course, this is easier said than done. Since you probably can’t go through your datacenter and start unplugging cables, the next best option might be to multitask.

Sometimes, you can achieve the functionality of several cables with a single cable. To give you an idea of what I mean, I recently installed an IP-based video surveillance system in my datacenter. The system was designed so that each of the eight cameras required its own power supply (AC adapter). After spending a little bit of time on Amazon, I found a power supply that could provide power to four cameras. Granted, I still had to use a few power supplies, but I cut the total number of power supplies I was using by 75%.

I’ve also been performing cable multitasking through my KVM switches. Up until a few weeks ago, I was using KVM switches that required a keyboard, video, and mouse connection to every server. I replaced these outdated switches with a new model that uses only a video cable. On the end of the cable that connects to the server is a USB connection for keyboard and mouse input. However, there is no USB connection at the other end of the cable. All keyboard and mouse input is sent through the video adapter and then split out into a USB port at the end of the cable. What previously required three cables is now done through a single cable.

2: Use the shortest cables you can get away with

Another clutter-reducing trick is to make your own network cables. If you use pre-manufactured cables, you’re stuck using cables with standardized lengths. This can result in excessive cable in your datacenter. By making your own network cables, you can ensure that the cables are cut to exactly the required length. This can go a long way toward cutting down on cable clutter.

3: Label your cables

I also recommend investing in a good label maker and labeling all the cables in your datacenter, even if the purpose of a cable seems obvious. Having well-labeled cables can make it far easier to troubleshoot cable-related problems.

The reason it’s a good idea to label the cables that are used for obvious purposes is that troubleshooting a problem can sometimes run late into the night. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I tend to make a lot of stupid mistakes when I start getting tired. I have found that making things as idiot-proof as possible helps prevent dumb mistakes later on.

4: Use zip ties sparingly

I once worked in a place where a number of servers were arranged on a large metal rack (not a traditional server rack). The person who had done the setup used zip ties to secure the various cables to the rack. I have to admit that the person did a good job keeping all the cables nice and neat.

But eventually, one of the computers started having trouble communicating across the network. It turned out that the network cable had been zip tied too tightly and the RJ-45 connector at the end of the cable was being pulled loose. Replacing the cable meant cutting all the zip ties and then replacing them. Because the zip ties bundled cables for multiple machines, this turned out to be a big job.

There is a time and a place for everything, and sometimes zip ties do have a place in the datacenter. However, before you zip-tie a cable, consider the amount of work that will be involved if you ever have to replace the cable.

5: Bundle excess cable

Earlier, I mentioned using custom-made network cables to avoid having excess cable. Sometimes, however, excess cable is unavoidable. For example, the AC adapter for my wireless access point has a three-foot cord, but I need only about a foot of it. When you can’t avoid using a cable that is longer than you need, bundle the excess cord. In the case of the power cord for my wireless access point, I used a twist tab around the excess cable.

Saturday, 7 January 2012

Five tips for efficient file management in Windows 7

The Windows 7 environment will spook some XP users at first. It isn’t an extension of XP; it’s an entirely new interface. Although the underlying file structure is the same, there’s less to file management. The truth is, storing and accessing files in XP and earlier versions required some knowledge of the file structure. Windows 7 doesn’t require that knowledge — the file hierarchy is behind the scenes. Consequently, users new to the PC will find Windows 7 easy to use, but those upgrading from XP might be a bit disoriented. These five tips will help your users acclimate themselves to Windows 7 so they can get to work a bit faster.

1: Get to know the Documents library

Documents is the XP My Documents folder, only better. It’s no longer just a folder. Documents is now a library. (I’ll explain libraries next.) When you save an Office file, the application will default to Documents, just as it used to default to My Documents. While you’re learning Windows 7, save files to Documents because they’ll be easy to find later. Just click the Start menu and the Documents library is right there, with all your files. Or open Windows Explorer and click Documents in the Libraries group. Until you learn your way around, saving your files to the Documents library will save you a lot of confusion.

2: Use libraries for quick access

In earlier versions of Windows, you saved files to folders. Windows Explorer displayed the file structure as dozens of folders housing hundreds of files. Depending on your folder structure, some files might be several subfolders deep. Now, remember the old file cabinet analogy? Imagine a long line of file cabinets. Functional, yes, but efficient? Not always. And the more folders and files you added, the more of them you had to wade through to get to what you needed.

A Windows 7 library is more like a storeroom. Imagine that you’re in a hall with several doors. The sign on the first door reads “Documents.” You open a door to find a few file cabinets storing all your files. The second door’s sign reads “Pictures.” File cabinets filled with your pictures are inside. Windows 7 knocks the older linear C:\ hierarchy of dozens of folders down to a handful of libraries.

Libraries don’t actually store your files. Your files are still stored in the traditional linear hierarchy. Libraries simply pull related folders into one spot for quicker access. It’s a virtual view of your hierarchy. I recommend that you try to adjust to the library structure, but if you truly hate it, you can display a more traditional view. To do so, choose Folder And Search Options from the Organize menu. In the Navigation Pane section, check the Show All Folders option.

3: Avoid the HomeGroups password pitfall

HomeGroups are like libraries but they work with networked PCs. Any machine that’s part of a HomeGroup can grant read and write access to other machines in the HomeGroup. As you might expect, HomeGroups are password protected. But rather than letting you enter your own password, Windows 7 generates a 10-character password for you. Write this password down and don’t lose it! You’ll only need it once, when you connect the first time. Once connected, you can change the password to whatever you like.

I don’t know why Windows 7 forces this generated password on us, but it does, hence the warning. It’s easy to get distracted and forget the password or lose it before you have a chance to connect that first time. In addition, this new feature works only with Windows 7 machines — an unfortunate decision on Microsoft’s part because most of won’t be able to utilize it.

4: Save time with jump lists

Jump lists are one of my favorite features. You pin applications and files you use often to the Taskbar. It doesn’t matter where you actually store the file. Once it’s pinned, you have quick access to it. To add a program, do the following:

Click the Start menu.
Find the application and right-click it.
Choose Pin To Taskbar, as shown in Figure A. Windows 7 adds an icon, shown in Figure B, to the Taskbar.

Figure A

Choose Pin To Taskbar to pin an application to the Taskbar.

Figure B

Click the pinned icon to launch the application.

You can also pin individual files to their respective application’s list. With the file open, right-click its program icon on the Taskbar. In the resulting list, right-click the file, as shown in Figure C. Once you’ve pinned a file, you can quickly open it. Simply right-click the program icon and choose the file from the Pinned section. You’ll also see the most recently used files, but that list will change as you open and use new files. The Pinned list doesn’t change unless you add or remove items.

Figure C

Pin a file to the Taskbar.

5: Work efficiently with two instances of Windows Explorer

It’s easy to work with two instances of Windows Explorer open at the same time, thanks to Windows 7’s new snap behavior. First, open Explorer as you normally would by clicking the Explorer icon in the Taskbar. (That’s a nice feature in itself.) Drag the window’s title bar to the left until Windows 7 displays an outline around the left half of the screen. Release the window and Windows 7 will snap the window to the left half of your screen. To open a second instance, hold down the [Shift] key and click the Explorer icon on the Taskbar again. Repeat the process above, but drag the second instance to the right and release. You end up with two windows, side by side. Moving and copying files is a snap with two instances of the Explorer open.

Now, here’s a useful tip for the keyboard users. After opening the first instance of Explorer, hold down the [Windows] key and press the left arrow key. Doing so will automatically align the window to the left side of the screen. Open the second instance, hold down [Windows] and press the right arrow key.

Wednesday, 4 January 2012

Five tips for faster Web browsing

Everyone wants faster Web browsing. After all, who has time to wait for Web pages to load these days? This is especially true if you’re a tab-junkie like me. When you live with an open browser containing 10 to 15 tabs running at any given time, you know how crucial it is to have as fast a browsing experience as possible. But how do you manage this? Are there tricks to getting more speed when your pipe is maxed out already? You bet your sweet bits and bytes there are.
Not every solution will work for every user, and not every solution should even be attempted by every user. However, if you like to eke out as much blood as you can from every turnip, let’s see how you can squeeze a bit more speed from your browsing experience.
Note: This article is also available as a PDF download.

1: Use a fast browser

Not all browsers are created equal. Some are simply faster than others. The top speed you will find, in the current crop of browsers, belongs to Google Chrome. If you’ve grown accustomed to Internet Explorer or Firefox, you’ll notice a dramatic increase in rendering time using Google Chrome. Of all the ways you can speed up your browsing experience, this is by far the best. Google Chrome also helps speed things up by allowing you to enter search strings in the URL address bar. With this feature, you don’t have to add yet another toolbar, thereby slowing down the browser even further.

2: Disable Flash

Flash pretty much saturates Web sites now. It’s almost impossible to get away from this technology. Problem is, Flash can be slow, so it directly affects the speed of your browsing experience. You can have Flash turned off by default and then re-enable it to view what you need to view. The biggest problem with this is that some browsers require an add-on to block Flash. For Chrome, you need the extension Flashblock. There’s also a Flashblock extension for Firefox. Internet Explorer has a built-in tool you can access by clicking Tools | Manage Add-ons. In the Manage Add-ons dialog box, double-click Shockwave Flash Object. Then, click the Remove All Sites button. This will disable Flash for all sites.

3: Save your temporary Web files on a RAM disk

I wrote an article awhile back on using a RAM disk to help speed up disk-intensive applications. Since the RAM disk will be much faster than your standard hard drive, using it to save all your browsers temporary files will create a faster environment for your browser. However, this solution is not for the newbie, and you will need to use a third-party to better achieve this task.

4: Get rid of all those toolbars

You’ve seen them in the wild: browsers so filled with toolbars they take up the majority of real estate in the browser window. Most users don’t realize those toolbars tend to slow down the browser in many ways. Some toolbars simply take up precious computer memory, while others eat away at bandwidth by sending and receiving data in the background. The math here is quite simple: The more toolbars you have, the slower your browser will run. Some of those toolbars might seem essential. But if speed is really your top priority, you will want to jettison that extra baggage for the speed you will gain.

5: Use tabs, not windows

Too many tabs can cause problems, but they’re still your best bet for browsing efficiency. How do tabs speed up your experience? A couple of ways. The first is all about organization. With multiple tabs in a single window, it becomes quite a bit faster to locate the page you need to work on. You don’t have to maximize a window, discover that it’s not the right one, minimize it, maximize a new window… until you find the correct one. A single window open with multiple tabs is far easier to search. This is not the only way tabs can help you. Browsers like Chrome treat each tab as an individual process (instead of a child process of a parent). So when a Web site causes a tab to crash, you can close that one tab and not lose all the other tabs. This behavior is not a standard at the moment, so you’ll need to switch over to the Chrome browser to take advantage of it.

Other tips?

There are hundreds of ways to make your browsing experience faster. But the above list should give you an immediate, noticeable boost in speed. Have you found other ways to speed up your browsing experience? Share your favorite tricks with your fellow TechRepublic readers.

Thanks & regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"
Raheel Ahmed Khan
System Engineer
send2raheel@yahoo.com
send2raheel@engineer.com
sirraheel@gmail.com
send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot
http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com/
http://raheeldreamz.wordpress.com/

My Face book pages
http://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Dreamz-Rebiuld-our-nation/176215539101271
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beauty-of-islam/223983470988333?sk=wall
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Health-is-wealth/289486761065829?sk=wall

Tuesday, 3 January 2012

Five tips for using Ccleaner to degunk your system

There are a lot of tools out there that handle a lot of tasks, from antivirus tools that also clean your drive of temporary files and make you coffee to tools that promise to “make your computer faster.” But as far as I’m concerned, few tools can make as much of a difference as Ccleaner, at least on a machine that’s not infected by a virus or malware. Ccleaner is easy to use and will keep your computer cleaner, more secure, and running faster. It achieves this by safely removing temporary Internet files (and other means of tracing Internet activity), cleaning up the Windows registry, and removing temporary files and recent file lists (MRUs) from various applications.

But even though Ccleaner is a simple tool to use, that doesn’t mean you should just jump in and start cleaning everything without a bit of thought. Here are some things all users should consider before and during the use of this powerful tool.

Note: This article is also available as a PDF download.

1: Analyze before running the Cleaner

I know a lot of admins who just fire up Ccleaner and hit the Run Cleaner button without doing an analysis first. Yes, this is a fast method of getting rid of temporary Internet files. But there’s no way of knowing what’s going to be deleted (until it’s deleted) and there’s no way of knowing how much free space the deletion is going to create. Make sure you hit the Analyze button first. Then, after you read the report, hit the Run Cleaner button. Using Ccleaner this way ensures that nothing is deleted that shouldn’t be deleted. Also, after you run the analyzer, you can look at detailed information (by application) and then add exceptions directly from the list.

2: Set up cookies you want to keep

When you run the Cleaner, cookies are deleted. By default, cookies are retained from Google and Yahoo, but other cookies might need to be retained. To manage this, click on the Options tab and then on the Cookies button. From that window, any cookie currently on the system can be selectively added to the exclusion list. By adding these exclusions, you don’t have to worry about important cookies disappearing after each run of Ccleaner.

3: Always back up the registry

No matter how reliable Ccleaner is and no matter how many successful registry cleanups it does, never do a cleanup without first backing up the registry. Ccleaner will go so far as to remind you to back up the registry every time you run a registry cleanup. If the registry is not backed up, one of those corrupt or missing registry keys that Ccleaner fixes might not really have needed fixing. If that key is then broken and was not backed up, the issue caused by Ccleaner could become catastrophic. Fortunately, Ccleaner makes backing up the registry as simple as a couple of clicks.

4: Use the tools to manage startup applications

Ccleaner comes with a bonus: It lets you enable, disable, or remove programs from startup. I have always found this method of managing startup applications far easier than using the standard Windows method. What I like most about this feature is that startup applications can be enabled and disabled without removing them completely. This means if you need to temporarily prevent an application from starting up, it’s easy to do by going into the Tools tab, clicking the Startup button, selecting the application to be enabled/disabled, and clicking the appropriate button. When the application needs to be re-enabled/disabled, reverse the process.

5: Use the uninstaller

One of the best aspects of Ccleaner is the ability to remove applications from within it. It typically just starts the uninstaller, but I have found that running the application uninstaller this way ends with fewer registry issues than when I uninstall from the Windows Add/Remove Programs tool. And if there are registry issues after the uninstall, registry cleanup is only a couple of clicks away.

Great tool, used wisely

Ccleaner is more than just a tool to clean the registry or empty a computer of temporary Internet files. It also makes it easy to remove applications from startup and remove applications from the machine. Just make sure you use this powerful tool intelligently to avoid rendering your machine unusable.