Application cleanup

Have you ever taken the time to look at your PC application lineup? Trust me, you’ll be amazed at what has found its way onto your machine.

Last month as I was dealing with my computer’s meltdown, I pulled up the “Add/Remove Programs” tool in the Control Panel, and let’s just say I was bewildered by what it uncovered. Dozens of applications were on my computer that I never use. I’ve classified them in the following way:

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Have you ever taken the time to look at your PC application lineup? Trust me, you’ll be amazed at what has found its way onto your machine.

Last month as I was dealing with my computer’s meltdown, I pulled up the “Add/Remove Programs” tool in the Control Panel, and let’s just say I was bewildered by what it uncovered. Dozens of applications were on my computer that I never use. I’ve classified them in the following way:

• Pre-installed by the computer manufacturer.
• Downloaded unwittingly as part of other packages.
• Downloaded knowingly, but never used anymore.

The first category was the easiest to delete. They were applications that I clearly never use and never intend to use. Many had trial periods (some of which expired already) or required some sort of registration. Some performed duplicate functions of applications I regularly used. For instance, I use QuickBooks, but Microsoft Money was pre-loaded. Also, Microsoft Works was pre-loaded, but I own the Office suite. Deleting these freed up disk space.

The second category was a bit trickier as you never know what applications are connected with what programs. You have to uninstall these carefully as they may trigger ill effects in other applications. My advice: Go slowly and read the dialog boxes carefully. If it says that removing the program might upset other programs, don’t do it until you research the issue more carefully.

One that drives me nuts is AOL. Every time I load software, somehow AOL has gotten installed. I’ve deleted myriad versions umpteen times and it is still on my computer. I’m convinced it reinstalls itself automatically after three months.

The final category was the largest, I found. One big chunk of this I attribute to peripherals I no longer use. For instance, I had a program for my old digital camera that I never deleted. I also had one for my old photo printer. Remember that when you remove a peripheral from your network, remove its application counterpart, as well.

The other chunk of this category was what I like to call fad programs. I used to be a big Scrabble fan and played the game on my computer. Then I got bored with it and never opened it again, yet there it is on my desktop taking up space. Another example is a program that I used in conjunction with the New York Times Crossword puzzle. That fad lasted about a year and now my subscription has lapsed, but the program still sits on my computer.

If you are unsure how used a program is, follow the date stamp that XP puts next to it to show the last time it was called up. If it’s been more than a few months, chances are you can ditch it.

Take the time to go through your programs and weed out the ones that you don’t need anymore. You may just find that you’ve freed up a bit of disk space for future downloads.

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