Clean Up and Speed Up Your Computer

Before starting, download CCleaner,this will allow you to do many things from one application without all the hassle of opening and closing programs. Install this (make sure you uncheck the Yahoo toolbar unless you really want it!). Back up your computer before doing any of the following; any sensitive material should be burned to a cd or another reliable method and a System Restore Point should be created.

Get Rid of Spyware, Adware and Viruses
Open up or install any programs you need to get rid of spyware, adware or viruses. I highly suggest ad-aware, spybot and AVG anti-virus. Viruses may be difficult to get rid of if they continually pop-up even after "removing". It may be necessary to manually go to the file and remove with a program like "Delete on Boot." Make sure the internet is down while these steps are taken so no sensitive material can be mistakenly sent. If you still encounter trouble, you can find help on various internet forums with people who will list all steps needed to get rid of a virus. Once all of these are removed, we can begin cleaning up the computer.

Uninstall Programs
Open up CCleaner and go to Tools and then Uninstall. Look for any programs you don't need. Common useless applications include "junkware" included with the computer or operating system. I cannot list all the applications that are included in operating systems are they defer by manufacturer and some may not be junkware even if they were bundled. Common examples are AOL software or any "Trial" applications. Uninstall these immediately. Then, uninstall any program that will not be used. These often include one-time use programs such as programs that claim to speed up your computer or maybe some games. If you follow this guide exactly, you may not even need "necessary" programs like "Ad-aware" or even an anti-virus program, although having these is preferable.

Startup Programs
Now, in CCleaner, go to Startup and look for any paths to programs that you don't want starting up with the computer. Some common things for this include the Java Updater (jusched) or microsoft messenger (messenger), which is not MSN Messenger and is rarely, if ever, used. If you don't know what the program is, google it to see if it's something you need or want; if nothing can be found (which should not happen), don't remove it as it could be necessary for the computer to run. If there are some programs you would like to run at startup, you can add shortcuts to the Programs/Startup folder.

Cleanup Computer
Click on Cleaner in CCleaner and click on Run Cleaner. This could take a while depending on how often the computer is cleaned. Leave all the defaults as isunless you know what you're doing. After it is done, go to Issues and Scan and Fix the issues in the registry.* If this is the first time you've ever cleaned your computer, there should be many issues and many files removed from these two steps. The final step to cleaning up is to defrag the computer. Open up the Disk Defragmenter (Accessories/System Tools) and have it defrag the computer.**

Checkup
Restart the computer and there should already be a noticeable improvement in startup time. If you're happy with the results already, no further actions are needed except to periodically do everything above.

Services Cleanup
If your computer is still running a little slow, it may be because there are too many services running. This can be checked by looking in the Task Manager/Services. It is impossible for me to determine what is needed in services and what is not. Generally, the Indexing Service is not needed and can slow your computer greatly. Look on the internet for a list of required services; make sure you follow those directions exactly as a single mistake can force a reinstall in Operating System.

Continuing...
Make sure you clean up the computer with CCleaner and defrag the computer at least once a month.

*Rather than use the built-in Registry Cleaner, I would recommend using Regseeker, a free program that is much more effective at cleaning up the registry safely.
**A better alternative would be using Disk Defrag, a much better defragging program to the windows version.