Clean up your hard disk

Disk Cleanup, which comes with Windows Me, helps you to free up space on your hard disk by removing files you don't need. You can also permanently delete any type of unnecessary file, including:

• Deleted files in the Recycle Bin.
• Temporary files.
• Cached Web pages that you don't use.
• Downloaded program files temporarily stored on your hard disk.

When you run Disk Cleanup as part of the Maintenance Wizard standard maintenance routine, the settings allow you to select exactly which types of files are to be deleted.

When run as a separate tool, Disk Cleanup gives you even more control: it calculates how much space you can save by removing each type of file, and offers descriptions and views of the files. You can even remove optional Windows Me components that you don't use (for example, desktop theme files).

You can also use Disk Cleanup to uninstall programs that you want to remove.

When to run Disk Cleanup
As part of standard maintenance, Disk Cleanup should be scheduled to run at regular intervals, perhaps once a month, at some convenient time when your computer is not otherwise in use.

Here's how to run Disk Cleanup:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup.
2. Choose the drive you want to scan from the drop-down menu, and wait while the program calculates how much disk space is available for cleanup.
3. To delete obsolete files, click the Disk Cleanup tab, select the check boxes next to the files that you want to remove, click OK, and then click Yes.
4. To remove Windows components, click the More Options tab. In the Windows Components area, click Clean Up.

To see what is included in any component, select the component, and then click Details. If you want to remove individual items within any component, clear the check boxes of the items you don't need.

1. To remove installed programs, click the More Options tab. In the Installed Programs area, click Clean Up.
2. On the Install/Uninstall tab, click the program that you want to remove, and then click Add/Remove.
3. Follow the instructions on your screen to remove the program.