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When your computer stores a large file (such as a photograph) it breaks it down into small pieces and places it on your hard disk drive where there is free space; not necessarily in one place and not directly after the last part of the file. As a result, every time your files are used, the computer has to find and reassemble them, slowing the process down.

This ‘fragmentation’ of files can also leave lots of small unusable free space on your disk drive. To re-arrange these files into a more sensible order, freeing up disk space and keeping files together as much as possible it is recommended that your regularly ‘defragment’ your hard disk.

To launch the Disk Defragmenter tool

- Go to: 'Start' > 'My Computer' (in Windows XP) or 'Start' > 'Computer' (in Windows Vista)

- Right-click on the icon for the disk you want to defragment.

- Select 'Properties' > click the 'Tools' tab > click 'Defragment Now'.

In Windows Vista, you can also set Disk Defragmenter to run automatically at appointed times.

- Go to 'Start' > 'Control Panel' > 'System and Maintenance' > click where it says 'Defragment your hard drive' under 'Administrative Tools'.

- In the window that opens, tick the box next to where it says 'Run on a schedule (recommended)' and click the 'Modify Schedule' button to change the time and frequency.

To check the physical state of your hard disk it is also recommended that you regularly (about once a month) run the error-checker tool. To do this:

- Go to 'Start' > 'My Computer' (Windows XP); or 'Start' > 'Computer' (Windows Vista)

- Next, right-click on the icon for the disk you want to check.

- Select 'Properties' > click the 'Tools' tab > click 'Check Now'.

- In Windows Vista you'll need to click 'Continue' on the 'User Account Control' warning that pops up. In the dialogue box that appears, tick next to both options then click 'Start'.

Often a new program will come along that looks fun to have or play with, but after a week or two you simply stop using it. These programs clutter up your drive and take up valuable space and resources.

You might be tempted to delete these programs from your drive, but doing so will cause problems. You must use the uninstall function of Windows for the program to be removed safely and completely.

Also, some seemingly invaluable programs may even cause problems on our PC once installed. If you're experiencing PC problems. The first thing to check is the last change you made to your system and undo it to see if this is what is causing trouble - this might mean uninstalling new hardware or removing the last piece of software you installed.

To safely uninstall programs:

In Windows XP
- Go to Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs. Windows then builds a list of the programs on your PC.

- Highlight the one you want to remove > click Remove or Change/Remove.

- Follow the on-screen directions for your particular program to finish uninstalling the software.

In Windows Vista
- Go to Start > Control Panel. Click 'Uninstall a program' under the Programs heading

- Highlight the program you want to remove > click Uninstall from the information bar

As we’ve already mentioned, keeping enough space on your hard disk and regularly defragmenting are key to ensuring your PC runs smoothly. Regularly clearing unwanted data and programs obviously goes some way towards this process. Not to mention reducing the need for you to upgrade your disk drive through lack of space!

The key areas to check are:

• Clean out temporary files.

When your computer is not shut down properly, it will pass information from memory into fragmented files. Also, while you’re running programs, your computer will write information that it does not immediately need into temporary files.

• Empty your internet cache.

As you surf the internet your computer stores web pages and images into a temporary internet cache (disk area) so that it can quickly recall and access information when you move back and forth between pages.

As default the amount of space that is used for these temporary files is 10% of your total drive space. This information can quickly mount up and take up valuable hard drive space that you could use for your own storage.

• Empty your mail programs of clutter.

It's easy to browse through your email and leave old messages there, promising yourself you'll sort them out later. One or two messages don't take up much space, but hundreds certainly do, particularly when they have large attachments.

Take the time to sort through these old emails now and delete what is not important. And remember, deleted only means moved to the ‘Deleted’ folder so you need to permanently delete them by emptying the “Deleted Items” folder.

• Empty your Recycle Bin.

Once you've emptied your drive of clutter; empty your Recycle Bin to remove what has been placed there in the process. Remember, deleting a file only moves it to this area. To actually free up disk space you need to keep your Recycle Bin empty!

To help you clean your system use the Disk Cleaner program. To launch this:

- Go to 'Start' > 'My Computer' (Windows XP); or 'Start' > 'Computer' (Windows Vista) and right-click the icon for the disk you want to clean up.

- Select 'Properties' and, under the 'General' tab, click 'Disk Cleanup'.

- Choose what you want to clean.

Windows will spend time calculating which files can be removed. A new dialogue box will appear, listing files in various categories. Some will already have ticks next to them (usually Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Internet Files and Recycle Bin); it's generally safe to clean these up.

You could gain space by deleting error logs or Windows System Restore points, but only do this if you feel comfortable doing so.

Delete Files

To look at specific files in each category at any point, click the 'View Files' button. If you're not sure of anything, the best course of action is not to clean it.

When you're ready, click 'OK' > 'Yes' (Windows XP) or 'OK' > 'Delete Files' (Windows Vista).

Windows needs at least 200MB and preferably more than 15% of free disk space on your C: drive to use as ‘virtual memory’ (sometimes not everything can be stored in the memory of your PC so it temporarily writes information to the disk) and as a “storage area” when it is defragmenting your disk (see earlier point on defragmenting). If you don’t have enough free space your system will stop working properly, you will experience extreme slow-down and eventually Windows will start dumping data to your hard drive.