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How to run utilities for workstation maintenance

Details

Cause

• Over time, the increase of temporary files in TEMP folders may cause applications to run more slowly. Buildup of data in TEMP files eventually slows a processor down as valuable resource space is taken up. This may result in slow performance of the workstation. Disk Cleanup provides an easy way to delete temporary Internet files and temporary files in the WINDOWS\TEMP (or WINNT\TEMP) folder.
• "ScanDisk" (or "Disk Checker" in Windows XP) can check the integrity of your hard drive and repair most problems that may occur.
• As applications and files are saved and deleted, they gradually cause your hard drive to fragment - your files become scattered all over the drive instead of being optimized in logical locations. This can cause slow performance because your workstation cannot access data as quickly. Defragmenting your hard drive regularly can increase your system's performance

Resolution

Using Micrsoft Windows Disk Cleanup, Scandisk, and Disk Defragmenter:

The following articles from Microsoft's knowledge base describe the Windows maintenance utilities and explain how to use them.

Disk Defragmenter may take a long time to run, depending on the size of your hard drive and when you last defragmented it. You should defragment your drive when you don't need to use your computer (on your lunch break, or after school for instance).

If you are a teacher or administrator in charge of the PLATO computer lab, you may wish to set up the utilities to run automatically. You can do this by using Windows Task Scheduler, a tool that greatly increases your efficiency and saves you time. Some of the articles below walk you through how to schedule automated tasks.

Using Disk Cleanup

310312 - Description of the Disk Cleanup Tool in Windows XP
315246 - How to Automate the Disk Cleanup Tool in Windows XP
253597 - Automating Disk Cleanup Tool in Windows 2000
186099 - Description of the Disk Cleanup Tool in Windows 98/ME

Using ScanDisk

315265 - How to Perform Disk Error Checking (ScanDisk) in Windows XP
156571 - How to Perform ScanDisk in Windows 2000
186365 - Description of ScanDisk for Windows in Windows 98/Me
179306 - How to Automate ScanDisk and Disk Defragmenter Using Task Scheduler Tool

Using Disk Defragmenter

305781 - How to Analyze and Defragement a Disk in Windows XP
555098 - How to Automate Disk Defragmenter Using Task Scheduler Tool in Windows XP
300978 - How to Analyze and Defragment a Disk Volume in Windows 2000
186171 - Description of the Disk Defragmenter Tool in Windows 98/Me

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