1. CCleaner

CCleaner (Crap Cleaner) is without doubt the best and the most popular tool for Windows optimization and cleanup. It consists of almost all the modules for optimizing and cleaning Windows including a registry cleaner, an uninstaller and temporary files cleaner with a plethora of options which includes cleaning the history and temporary files for most of the popular programs including Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Safari, Google Chrome, Adobe products, Microsoft Office and a lot of others. CCleaner includes an option to take a backup of system settings before proceeding with the cleaning and optimization process. This enables you to easily restore everything to its original state if anything goes wrong. It also includes a drive wiper which can securely erase the contents of any drive and make it irrecoverable.

The down side of CCleaner is that some options like adding the CCleaner option to the Recycle bin, check for updates automatically etc. are already checked during installation. I think it should be up to the user to select them if he needs to.

2. FCleaner

FCleaner is a very close competitor to CCleaner. I like the graphical user interface of FCleaner as it is easier to use than CCleaner because it uses a three dimensional menu approach. The uninstaller module of FCleaner is far more advanced and offers to repair or remove a software in addition to the traditional uninstallation methods. It also includes a startup manager for optimizing and cleaning Windows startup. Another feature that I like is RAMRush. Windows does a pretty good job in optimizing the usage of memory but there are applications which will leak some memory which makes it unusable. RAMRush does the job of cleaning those patches of memory leaked by running programs.

3. Glary Utilities

Glary Utilities is another software to keep Windows in good shape. While it has features very similar to the above given utilities, it becomes superior to both of them by offering one additional feature, the 1-click maintenance. You can just click the 1-click maintenance button to analyze the system for problems. The modules consist of registry cleaner, shortcuts fixer, startup manager, temporary files cleaner, tracks eraser and spyware remover. Glary Utilities will automatically create a system restore point before proceeding to the cleanup and optimization process. If you feel anything has gone wrong, you can easily restore you system to the previous state.

The down side of Glary Utilities is that it offers to install the Ask.com toolbar during installation and this option is checked by default.

More Alternatives

While the above mentioned software are the best and the most used free tools for optimization, there are others worth mentioning:

WinUtilities is a close competitor to Glary Utilities with almost all the same functionality including 1-click maintenance.

SlimCleaner includes some additional features to the traditional ones like file shredder, hijack log etc.

SKTools Lite is specifically made for smartphones having Windows Phone Operating System.

Please note that you should always backup your registry before running any of these tools as these tools can cause some of the programs to malfunction. This is very rare and I have never seen any adverse effects but care should always be taken in this regard.

What do you use to keep your Windows in shape? Tell us your choice through comments.

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Maintenance from the Inside

Correctly Clear Useless Files

I am sorry to tell you, but cleaning your trash bin on your Mac doesn’t do the job when clearing files. This clears the files that you have already deleted, like documents and other files, however you must go deep into your Mac to delete the heavy files. This is how you should do it.

First, you should go to the finder application on your Mac.

From there, go to “All My Files”. This will show every file in your Mac.

To make the job easier, sort your files in order of size. This is done by clicking the settings wheel, “Arrange By”, then click “Size”.

As you can see, the files are not only sorted in order, but also grouped by file size. Files are grouped in categories of 100MB to 10GB, 1MB to 100MB and so on. Preferably, you should take a look at each group, not just the larger ones. The larger files are what is bearing down on your system, however the smaller files are mostly cache and saved versions. These may seem harmless at first, but ignoring these files can snowball into a large system stress.

After clearing large files in the Finder application, it is also recommended to check out iMovie files and iPhoto files. Depending on the camera the photos were taken on, these files can be quite large due to resolution. It is important to go to the iPhoto application, clicking “iPhoto” at the top bar and going to “Empty iPhoto Trash“.

The same thing can be done in iMovie as well. All you have to do is go to “File”, “Space Saver”, then choose which rejected clips should be deleted. The clips not used in a movie will be sent to the trash along with its respective cache.

After each deletion, don’t forget to clear your trash. This may surprise you, but all of these deleted files will stay in the trash bin until you clear it. Sorry, but you have to do your chores!

Choosing Useful Applications

Before I took my own advice, I had three Twitter applications, four emailing clients, and a ton of other applications and games. It can be hard remembering to delete unused applications when they aren’t of use for me anymore. There is a good bet that you won’t find a use for multiple Twitter applications and emailing clients either. Instead of having a group of “okay” applications, try to have only quality and useful applications in your dock.

Expanding Your Memory

If you find that your memory still isn’t up to your required levels, then maybe it’s not you, but your Mac. This is where you should consider expanding your memory internally or externally. Apple allows you to upgrade your internal memory for $200, this gives you 4GB of extra memory. If you want 8GB, you can expect to pay upwards of $400. For many individuals, this is well over their price range.

A great alternative is an external hard drive. These usually run between $60 and $200, the size options can range from 500GB to 2TB. So, the question remains, why do people spend so much for little memory? When you upgrade the memory internally, you’ll find that the processing speeds also are faster, this creates an overall enjoyable Mac experience. External memory main moves the files and documents to another venue, not increasing the processor quality directly.

Maintenance from the Outside

Cleaning Your Screen

Whether you’re pointing out a specific fact in a document or trying to swipe off a smudge with your finger, you’ll find marks all over your screen if it isn’t regularly cleaned. If the marks stay on long enough, they can become a permanent part of your screen. Taking the time to have a monthly (or even a biweekly) cleaning will keep your screen fresh and new. Here’s how to do it.

Power Down Your Computer

Find a soft cloth, similar to an eyeglasses cloth, and lightly swipe every corner and inch of your screen. Your goal isn’t to have a complete clean from this alone, it will remove any loose or fresh dirt.

The messes left behind are the heavy marks. This will require a little more work. It is best to stay away from chemicals, they will decrease the LCD’s quality. Instead, get about a half a cup of water and a half a cup of vinegar. Then, mix this solution together to create a natural, computer safe, concoction.

Wipe in soft, circular motions until the marks are completely gone.

How to Clean the Crevices – Correctly

The computer is the center of many individual’s lives. Some people work from a computer all day, others may do assignment, play games online, or perform other activities. This means that we may find ourselves eating near our computer from time to time. The crumbs from the food can get caught in the crevices of your computer. A couple of tools can be used to combat the crumbs left behind. Here’s how to clean you keyboard effectively.

Grab a clean, soft cloth and do a quick wipe through on the keyboard. This removes loose and fresh dirt on it.

If available, grab compressed air to clean within the keyboard. If you don’t have compressed air, a vacuum is a great alternative.

You should then focus on the track pad. The track pad usually isn’t as dirty as the keyboard, however, you should use the clean, soft cloth we mentioned in step one to perform a quick wipe through of the track pad.

The fan should also receive some attention. The fan directly under the screen can collect food, dust and even bugs when used outside. A quick blow through with compressed air or a vacuum will do the trick.

Finally, the ports and CD drive can be blown with compressed air to prevent and remove built up dust. When you’re done, your Mac will be officially clean. Expect your Mac to improve in performance immediately!

Invest in a Case

Now that your Mac is fully cleaned, treat your computer with a protective case, if you don’t have one already. This won’t prevent dust, but it will lessen dirt and keep the outside protected from drops and scuffs.

Your best bet in terms of cases are hard surfaced ones. The rubber cases are dust and lint magnets and can actually increase the amount of dust that lands on your Mac. Hard surfaces, like plastics and metals, provide a clean slate that doesn’t require as much maintenance. A quick wipe through is all that’s needed. Most cases range from $20 – $50, Apple has a wonderful selection, however other retailers may be more willing to give you a deal or discount.

That’s all that is to it. Regular maintenance will show the appreciation that your Mac deserves.

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By itself, the update manager in Ubuntu has done a really good job in performing regular check with the repository and prompts you when there are update available. What it doesn’t do is to remove junk files and clean up your system. This is where 2ClickUpdate comes in. In addition to the regular system update, 2ClickUpdate also removes junk files, cleans used space and optimizes RAM memory.

The following is what 2ClickUpdate is capable of doing:

• ReApt: Updates your package list.
• SmartApt: Installs the latest updates for your applications and system components.
• AutoremApt: Removes packages that were automatically installed to satisfy dependencies for some package and that are no more needed.
• OrphanApt: Removes packages and configuration files which are not required by any other package upon your system.
• AutocleanApt: Removes all stored archives in your cache for packages that are no longer in the repositories or that have a newer version in the repositories.
• CleanApt: Deleting from cache the downloaded packages to free up some space.
• RamCleanApt: Optimizes RAM memory.

Usage

2ClickUpdate is dead simple to use.

1. Go to the 2ClickUpdate launchpad website and download the deb file (make sure you download the 2ClickUpdate_all.deb and not the 2click-update-core.deb).

2. Double click the deb file to install it in your system. Go to “Applications -> System Tools -> 2ClickUpdate”

That’s it. It will proceed to do everything by itself. No configuration, coding, bash command required.

Download 2ClickUpdate

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Poor application programming is usually the cause of these apps retaining system resources and the usual fix is to perform a soft reset of the device – although a Task Manager is included on Windows Mobile 5 and later, it usually only assists in closing difficult to exit programs.

CleanRAM therefore is a vital tool in managing memory resources on Windows Mobile devices, and is available free from FreewarePocketPC.net. We’re going to look now at how to use CleanRAM in different ways to control allocated memory.

Getting Started

Once installed, cleanRAM displays two icons in your Windows Mobile programs view – the basic launch/clean app and the cleanRAM Config app.

cleanRAM Config determines the type of clean up that will be performed when the cleanRAM app is launched, with three cleaning “depths”:

Level 1 is a “Basic Purge”, best for closing non-responding tasks without resorting to Task Manager. Some versions of Task Manager – particularly that found in Windows Mobile 5 and 6 – are slow to respond when instructed to close the application in question, and fail to fully end all related processes. Basic Purge is quick and is the default setting on cleanRAM.

Level 2 is known as the “Quality Purge”. This option is recommended for best performance – in reality it cleans deeper than the basic option, but in around the same sort of time frame. Quality Purge is a good option to choose to save you performing a soft-reset. It will exit virtually all Windows Mobile apps and non-required processes, leaving your device to run as if it had just been switched on.

Level 3 is the maximum clean up option, “Fundamental Purge”. This option is vital for cutting ties with bad applications, perhaps online services that are hanging due to a poor data connection or those that the Quality Purge option failed to end. Fundamental Purge can take a bit of time to complete and as such should only be used in the most extreme cases.

These three options provide the best memory cleaning available to a Windows Mobile user free of charge, and using cleanRAM is a simple case of selecting the purge option, setting it as default and launching the clean up via the cleanRAM app button.

Advanced Customization and Scheduling Options

Along with these three options, cleanRAM offers a variety of options for customizing and scheduling your Windows Mobile system clean up.

The Customized Processes List allows you to select the running processes you wish to clean up (or end) whenever the cleanRAM tool is used. These processes can be added to the Customized Processes List, which means they will be the only ones cleaned when cleanRAM is run. The Customized Processes List is disabled by default, and must be enabled via the check box.

Conversely, the Exceptions List allows you to select processes that are never cleaned. The Exceptions List is activated via the check box.

Scheduling is accessed via the cleanRAM config menu and must also be enabled via the check box.  Using scheduling you can choose your purge level, set a time (hourly, every 4 hours, etc) and choose which days of the week of the cleanRAM runs.

Finally, it’s a simple task to backup your cleanRAM settings. This means rather than resorting to careful reselection of exceptions and scheduling following an uninstall of the tool or a hard device reset (restoring the factory settings of your Windows Mobile device) you simply restore your cleanRAM configuration settings from a backup stored on your Windows Mobile device memory card.

cleanRAM is one of the best utilities available for the Windows Mobile platform. If you do use it and gain benefit from it, remember to consider contributing a donation to the developers at www.htcaddicts.com.

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Before you start to upgrade your existing blog to the latest version of WP, you might want to create a maintenance holding page so that your readers know that your site is temporary down and will resume service in a short time. The last thing that you want to see during upgrading is your site showing a ‘404 error page‘ and all your readers start emailing you to ask what happen.

For basic maintenance/troubleshooting, the Maintenance mode WP plugin works fine to create a Maintenance splash page. But if you are upgrading your WordPress version, the plugin will not work. Here’s a easy way to create a Maintenance holding page that you can use while upgrading to WP2.7.

Creating a Maintenance holding page

Open a text editor. Copy the following code to it and save the file as maintenance.php

<?php
header(“HTTP/1.1 503 Service Temporarily Unavailable”);
header(“Status: 503 Service Temporarily Unavailable”);
header(“Retry-After: 3600″);
?>
<html>
<head>
<title>Site upgrade in progress</title>
<meta name=”robots” content=”none” />
</head>
<body>
<h1>Maintenance Mode</h1>
<p><a title=”Your site” href=”your-site-url”>Your Site name</a> is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance.<br />
Please try back <strong>in 60 minutes</strong>.</p>
<p>Sorry for the inconvenience.</p>
</body>
</html>

If you want to style up your Maintenance page, feel free to do so. The above is only a template that you can use quickly.

Upload it to the parent directory of your site. You’ll need to use a FTP program to upload it. Make sure that the page can be accessed on http://yoursite.com/maintenance.php

Redirecting your readers to the Maintenance page

Next, download your .htaccess file. It is found in the parent directory of your site.

Open it with a text editor. Add the following code to the starting of the page

Options +FollowSymlinks
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !/maintenance.php$
RewriteCond %{REMOTE_HOST} !^127\.0\.0\.1
RewriteRule $ /maintenance.php [R=302,L]

Go to http://www.whatismyip.com and find out the IP address of your network connection.

Replace the 127\.0\.0\.1 with your IP. This will ensure that you still have access to your site while other people are directed to the Maintenance holding page.

Save the .htaccess file. Upload it to your site.  When it prompts you if you want to overwrite, select Yes.

That’s it. When your readers visit your site, they should see something like

Note: When you visit your own site, you won’t be able to see the above maintenance page because you have configured your network to allow your IP address.

You can now perform your WordPress upgrade.

Remove the Maintenance holding page

When you are done upgrading your site, you need to remove the redirect so that your readers can access your blog again.

In the .htaccess file, put a # in front of the code that you inserted just now. It should look like

#Options +FollowSymlinks
#RewriteEngine on
#RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !/maintenance.php$
#RewriteCond %{REMOTE_HOST} !^127\.0\.0\.1
#RewriteRule $ /maintenance.php [R=302,L]

Upload it to your site (if prompted whether you want to replace the file, select Yes).

That’s it.

Note:

1) In the future version of WordPress, you may no longer need the Maintenance holding page as there is a feature in WP2.7 that allows you to upgrade your WP right within your dashboard.

2) Although this tutorial is meant for WordPress blog, it will work for any sites and platforms

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