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Reviewing programs that run automatically at startup
To improve system speed and performance, set the Windows Start Menu to open only
needed software programs:
1
Click the Windows Vista start button, All Programs, and then click Windows
Defender.
2
Click Tools.
3
Click Software Explorer.
4
In the Category list, select Startup Programs.
5
Select the program that you want to prevent from running, and then click Disable.
Keep the system tray clean
In the bottom right corner of your Windows desktop (beside the clock) is a collection of icons
that make up the system tray. These icons represent programs that are running in the
background, potentially slowing down your computer.
Right-clicking these icons gives you a menu that usually allows you to disable automatic
startup of these programs, or at least exit them. Note that your anti-virus program resides here
as well, so be careful not to disable it.
Running the Disk Cleanup Program
The Disk Cleanup software program frees up space on your hard disk drive by removing
temporary and unused files (including temporary Internet files and files in the Recycle Bin).
Either run Disk Cleanup manually, or set it up to run automatically.
Manual Disk Cleanup
1
Click the Windows Vista start button, All Programs, Accessories, System
Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup.
Disk Cleanup searches for files to delete and calculates how much disk space can be
saved.
2
Place a check mark in the check box next to the file types you want to delete.
3
Click OK, and then click Delete Files to finish deleting the selected files.
Automatic Disk Cleanup
1
Click the Windows Vista start button, All Programs, Accessories, System
Tools, and then click Task Scheduler.
2
Click Action, and then click Create Basic Task.
3
Type a name for the task, and an optional description.
4
Click Next, and then click Next again.
5
Select the reoccurrence, and then click Next.
6
Select the time at which to run Disk Cleanup, and then click Next. Disk Cleanup may
take a long time, so select a time when the computer is on but not in use.
7
Select Start a program, and then click Next.
34
HP Firebird Desktop Essentials (Features may vary by model)
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