Windows 7 Maintenance!
Welcome to the Windows 7 section
Here we will be looking into the following tasks :-
1) Removal/Installation of programs
Removal/Installation of Programs
Uninstall or change a program
You can uninstall a program from your computer if you no longer use it or if you want to free up space on your hard disk. You can use Programs and Features to uninstall programs or to change a program's configuration by adding or removing certain options.
To uninstall or change a program
Open Programs and Features by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Programs, and then clicking Programs and Features.
Select a program, and then click Uninstall. Some programs include the option to change or repair the program in addition to uninstalling it, but many simply offer the option to uninstall. To change a program, click Change or Repair. Administrator permission required. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Notes:
If the program you want to uninstall isn't listed, it might not have been written for this version of Windows. To uninstall the program, check the information that came with the program.
Here are answers to some common questions about uninstalling programs.
How do I uninstall a program that isn't listed under Programs and Features?
Only programs written for Windows will appear in Programs and Features. If you don't see the program listed and you want to uninstall the program, check the information that came with your program, or go to the manufacturer's website. Most programs install automatically in the C:\Program Files folder. Look in this folder—some programs also include an uninstall program that you can use.
Access to certain Windows programs can be controlled by using Windows Features in Control Panel. For more information, see Turn Windows features on or off below.
Turn Windows features on or off
Some programs and features included with Windows, such as Internet Information Services, must be turned on before you can use them. Certain other features are turned on by default, but you can turn them off if you don’t use them.
To turn a feature off in earlier versions of Windows, you had to uninstall it completely from your computer. In this version of Windows, the features remain stored on your hard disk so you can turn them back on if you want to. Turning off a feature does not uninstall the feature, and it does not reduce the amount of hard disk space used by Windows features.
To turn Windows features on or off, follow these steps:
1. Click the Start button , click Control Panel, click Programs, and then click Turn Windows features on or off. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
2. To turn a Windows feature on, select the check box next to the feature. To turn a Windows feature off, clear the check box. Click OK.
Folders can contain both checked and unchecked features
Some Windows features are grouped together in folders, and some folders contain subfolders with additional features. If a check box is partially checked or is dimmed, then some of the items inside the folder are turned on and some are turned off. To view the contents of a folder, double-click it.
What does it mean to "change" a program?
Some programs in Programs and Features can, in addition to being installed or uninstalled, be changed or repaired. By clicking Change, Repair, or Change/Repair (depending on the button displayed), you can install or uninstall optional features of the program. Not all programs use the Change buttons; many offer only Uninstall.
What can I do if a program won't uninstall?
If the program doesn't uninstall completely the first time, sometimes running the uninstall program a second time will succeed.
If that doesn't work, try uninstalling the program while Windows is running in safe mode.
If you installed the program recently, you can try using System Restore to return your computer's system files to an earlier date before you installed the program.
Install a program
You can do a lot with the programs and features included in Windows, but you might want to install other programs.
How you add a program depends on where the installation files for the program are located. Typically, programs are installed from a CD or DVD, from the Internet, or from a network. If you want to uninstall or make changes to a program already installed on your computer, see Uninstall or change a program.
To install a program from a CD or DVD
Insert the disc into your computer, and then follow the instructions on your screen. Administrator permission required If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Many programs installed from CDs or DVDs open an installation wizard for the program automatically. In these cases, the AutoPlay dialog box appears and you can choose to run the wizard. For more information, see AutoPlay: frequently asked questions.
If a program doesn't begin installation automatically, check the information that came with the program. This information will likely provide instructions for installing the program manually. If you can't access the information, you can also browse through the disc and open the program setup file, usually called Setup.exe or Install.exe. If your program was written for an earlier version of Windows, see Make older programs run in this version of Windows.
To install a program from the Internet
In your web browser, click the link to the program.
Do one of the following:
To install the program immediately, click Open or Run, and then follow the instructions on your screen. Administrator permission required If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
To install the program later, click Save, and then download the installation file to your computer. When you're ready to install the program, double-click the file, and then follow the instructions on your screen. This is a safer option because you can scan the installation file for viruses before you proceed.
Note:
When downloading and installing programs from the Internet, be sure you trust the publisher of the program and the website that's offering the program.
To install a program from a network
If you connect your computer to a domain (such as an internal corporate network) that has programs that you can add, you can install programs from Control Panel.
Open Get Programs by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Programs, clicking Programs and Features, and then, in the left pane, clicking Install a program from the network.
Click a program in the list, and then click Install.
Follow the instructions on your screen. Administrator permission required. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Disk CleanUp Tool
Delete files using Disk Cleanup
If you want to reduce the number of unnecessary files on your hard disk to free up disk space and help your computer run faster, use Disk Cleanup. It removes temporary files, empties the Recycle Bin, and removes a variety of system files and other items that you no longer need.
To delete files using Disk Cleanup
The following procedure cleans up files associated with your user account. You can also use Disk Cleanup to clean up all the files on your computer.
Open Disk Cleanup by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button. In the search box, type Disk Cleanup, and then, in the list of results, click Disk Cleanup.
In the Drives list, click the hard disk drive that you want to clean up, and then click OK.
In the Disk Cleanup dialog box, on the Disk Cleanup tab, select the check boxes for the file types that you want to delete, and then click OK.
In the message that appears, click Delete files.
To clean up all files on the computer
Open Disk Cleanup by clicking the Start button. In the search box, type Disk Cleanup, and then, in the list of results, click Disk Cleanup.
In the Drives list, click the hard disk drive that you want to clean up, and then click OK.
In the Disk Cleanup dialog box, click Clean up system files. Administrator permission required. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
In the Disk Cleanup: Drive Selection dialog box, select the hard disk drive that you want to clean up, and then click OK.
In the Disk Cleanup dialog box, on the Disk Cleanup tab, select the check boxes for the file types that you want to delete, and then click OK.
In the message that appears, click Delete files.
The More Options tab is available when you choose to clean files from all users on the computer. This tab includes two additional ways to free even more disk space:
Programs and Features. This option opens Programs and Features in Control Panel, where you can uninstall programs that you no longer use. The Size column in Programs and Features shows how much disk space each program uses.
System Restore and Shadow Copies. With this option, you can delete all but the most recent restore point on the disk.
System Restore uses restore points to return your system files to an earlier point in time. If your computer is running normally, you can save disk space by deleting the earlier restore points.
In some editions of Windows 7, restore points can include previous versions of files, known as shadow copies, and backup images created with Windows Complete PC Backup. These files and images will also be deleted.
Using Disk Defragmentation
Improve performance by defragmenting your hard disk
Fragmentation makes your hard disk do extra work that can slow down your computer. Removable storage devices such as USB flash drives can also become fragmented. Disk Defragmenter rearranges fragmented data so your disks and drives can work more efficiently. Disk Defragmenter runs on a schedule, but you can also analyze and defragment your disks and drives manually. To do this, follow these steps:
To defragment your hard disk
Open Disk Defragmenter by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button. In the search box, type Disk Defragmenter, and then, in the list of results, click Disk Defragmenter.
Under Current status, select the disk you want to defragment.
To determine if the disk needs to be defragmented or not, click Analyze disk. Administrator permission required. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Once Windows is finished analyzing the disk, you can check the percentage of fragmentation on the disk in the Last Run column. If the number is above 10%, you should defragment the disk.
Click Defragment disk. Administrator permission required. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Disk Defragmenter might take from several minutes to a few hours to finish, depending on the size and degree of fragmentation of your hard disk. You can still use your computer during the defragmentation process.
Notes
If the disk is already in exclusive use by another program or is formatted using a file system other than NTFS file system, FAT, or FAT32, it can't be defragmented.
Network locations can't be defragmented.
If a disk that you're expecting to see under Current status is not showing up there, it might be because it contains an error. Try to repair the disk first, then return to Disk Defragmenter to try again. See Check a drive for errors for more information.
Run Error Checking Utility
Check a drive for errors
You can solve some computer problems by checking a drive or drives for errors. For example, you can check your computer's primary hard disk to fix some performance issues, or you can check an external hard drive if it's not working properly.
Open Computer by clicking the Start button, and then clicking Computer.
Right-click the drive that you want to check, and then click Properties.
Click the Tools tab, and then, under Error-checking, click Check now. Administrator permission required. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
To automatically repair problems with files and folders that the scan detects, select Automatically fix file system errors. Otherwise, the disk check will report problems but not fix them.
To perform a thorough check, select Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors. This scan attempts to find and repair physical errors on the drive itself, and it can take much longer to complete.
To check for both file errors and physical errors, select both Automatically fix file system errors and Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.
Click Start.
Depending on the size of your drive, this might take several minutes. For best results, don't use your computer for any other tasks while it is checking for errors.
