Windows Vista: The Missing Manual

20.1. Disk Cleanup: All Versions

As you use your computer, Windows litters your hard drive with temporary files. Programs, utilities, and Web sites scatter disposable files everywhere. If you could see your hard drive surface, it would eventually look like the floor of a minivan whose owners eat a lot of fast food.

To run Windows Vista's built-in housekeeper program, choose your favorite method:

  • Open the Start menu . Type disk cl in the Search box. Double-click Disk Cleanup in the results list.

  • Open the Start menu . Click All Programs Accessories System Tools Disk Cleanup.

  • Open the Control Panel . Click "System and Maintenance," scroll down to the bottom of the window, and, under the Administrative Tools heading, click "Free up disk space."

Vista asks if you want it to clean up only your files, or the files of everyone who uses the computer. When you make your choice, you're then asked which hard drive you want cleaned. When you finally click OK, the program dives right in, inspecting your drive and reporting on files you can safely remove.

The Disk Cleanup dialog box shown in Figure 20-1 appears when the inspection is over. Turn on the checkboxes of the file categories you'd like to have cleaned out, and then click OK to send them to the digital landfill. It's like getting a bigger hard drive for free.

Figure 20-1. Disk Cleanup announces how much free space you stand to gain. Links on the More Options tab lead to several uninstall functions, for quick removal of programs and restore points .

Tip: The More Options tab of the dialog box shown in Figure 20-1 provides links to three other cleanup programs of Windows. Its two "Clean up" buttons take you to the "Uninstall or change a program" window (which lets you delete programs you no longer want) and to a confirmation box that lets you delete all but the latest restore point , described in Chapter 22.

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