Tech4Life: Clean Your Drive

It is time to toss the junk you’ve been (unknowingly) hoarding inside your PC’s hard drive.

Over time, your PC will get cluttered.  Even the best machines will find that duplicate files and large files litter the PC hard drives, will find an obscenely large accumulation of redundant DLL files and unused programs and appalling large collection of old cookies and internet history files.



This collection of productivity busting files can lead to a host of problems from the annoying to the unsafe.  Machines that have been bogged down with digital gunk perform poorly, respond slowly, fester viruses and create openings for hackers.

Do not pass “Go”.  Do note collect $200.  Immediately download and run CCleaner.  This free software is arguably the best utility program available for Windows based machines.

Running the programme, from the PC or external drive (more on that anon) can remove unused, unnecessary and unhealthy files in addition to scrubbing the registry of dead file references.  CCleaner, with one pass, will remove cookies, browsing history and cashe; the programme will clear the Recycle Bin; it will dump the thumbnail cashe and update log files.  Forgotten, expired and useless programmes can be easily uninstalled.

Best of all, the compact and highly efficient utility allows users to tweak the configuration of their Start Up Programmes.

The result: a faster, leaner, healthier machine that has more hard drive space.  Even better, the free programme works with just about every version of Windows.

To further boost the functionality of CCleaner, the developers have included a 'run from drive' feature which means that it doesn’t even have to be installed to reap the massive benefits touted above.  Users can opt not to install CCleaner but rather run in from a jump drive.

Can you imagine borrowing a friend’s laptop, running the program from a jump drive, cleaning their machine and surprising them with power boost?!  Talk about a great gift!  Gift yourself first by downloading CCleaner here.

Of course, it should go without saying, back up your system both before and after this process and schedule regular cleanings.

Tech4Life airs every Wednesday morning at 8:15 AM on RJR94FM.

T4L: Low Tech Cleaning

Some tech threats are decidedly more low tech than others.  Germs, parasites, microbes and quick frankly plain old disgusting gunk, can accumulate on our devices.  Worse, because we are afraid to clean them, we sometimes leave these dregs to fester.

Well, no more!  Let us resolve to scrub away any crud that may have built up on our electronics.

All devices can be cleaned, just in different ways.  For example, monitors require a different approach than keyboard.  So let’s break them down by categories.  But first, let us gather the needed supplies.

Electronics Cleaning Supplies List

• Lint free Microfibre cloth (terrycloth texture)
• Cotton swabs
• Distilled, filtered or boiled water
• Vinegar
• Rubbing alcohol
• Compressed air or vacuum
• Elbow grease

Never apply liquids directly to electronics.  Never use paper towels.

Electronics Cleaning Dump List

• Windex and other solvents
• Disinfectant
• Paper towels and tissue paper

Monitors and LCD TVs
If your TV or computer monitors screen looks spotty, smudges, marks and dried saliva are the common culprits.  Rub them with a clean microfibre cloth and light elbow grease.  Be firm, but don’t press too hard or risk damaging the liquid crystals inside the screen.  Dampen - never wet - the cloth with diluted vinegar, to amplify the effects of the elbow grease as needed.

Phones, phablets, and other mobile devices
Since mobile device screens are made to be touched (for the most part), feel free to add more elbow grease for maximum cleaning power.  And, since  mobile device screens tend to touch our faces, feel free to replace the diluted vinegar with diluted rubbing alcohol to power punch gems to oblivion.

Keyboards, mice and other input devices
Input devices are generally quick hardy, after all, they were designed to handled.  They also tend to be a reservoir for spilt juices, coffee and other liquids (read as nesting ground for slime).  Feel free to pull these devices apart and attack with compressed air or a vacuum depending on your preference.  Next, hit them with cotton swabs dampened rubbing alcohol.  Then wipe them down using the microfibre cloth.  Then hit them with air again before reassembling.


Whether your motivation is aesthetic or antiseptic, a cleaning regimen is definitely rewarding.