Use the Windows facilities or those of a cleanup utility to delete tempo-
rary files (including those that have a .tmp extension or ones that begin
with a tilde, like ~tempfile.dta).
You’ll find tools to do these tasks as part of your system utility program,
or by right-clicking on the disk name under My Computer and going to
the Tools tab.If I’ve been using the system heavily — and especially if I’ve been work-
ing with large files such as digital images — I defragment the hard disk
drive. The more stuff I accumulate on the drive, the more frequently I
defrag the files.Keeping it clean ....................................................................................
To this point, I’ve been concentrating on setting straight the internal dirt of
your machine, from fragments of files to corrupted Registry items to frag-
mented drives. It’s also important to keep a clean exterior.
Clean the LCD and case as needed. To clean the exterior of your laptop
system, use the following procedure:
- Lightly moisten a soft, lint-free cloth with either a 50-50 mixture of
isopropyl alcohol and water, a non-ammoniated glass cleaner, or
pure water. (Hot water works best.)
Never spray liquid cleaner directly on the system, especially the display
or keyboard.- Gently wipe the LCD display with the moistened cloth and follow with
a dry cloth.
Be sure the cloth is not wet enough to drip and that the LCD is com-
pletely dry when you’re finished. You can use a piece of an old, old
undershirt that’s been washed and cleaned so that it leaves no lint; if
you prefer spending money, you can purchase an antistatic LCD-cleaning
cloth from a computer supply store or an industrial lint-free tissue like
Kimwipes.- Gently vacuum the keyboard every few weeks or every few trips,
whichever comes first.
Use a vacuum with a brush end to avoid scratching the case. You can
vacuum from above or on an angle to get beneath the keys. As an alter-
native, you can use can of compressed air. Take great care to hold the
can upright so the liquid propellant within does not come out with the
air. Carefully hold your laptop at a sharp angle and work the jet of air
down, from the top to the bottom.Chapter 2: How to Treat a Laptop 23