This spring, take time to clean your computer both inside and out. Last week, I explained how to clean the exterior. This week, I’ll tell you how to clean up your operating system and files.

Begin by removing unnecessary desktop icons. A cluttered desktop simply slows down the computer’s initial boot time, especially if you have saved documents or photos to the desktop. Move these files to the My Documents folder.

The hard drive is a small, internal device that stores all your files. A hard drive works in much the same way a record player works. Inside the drive is a round metal disc, or record. Every time you save a file or download, a program is saved to the disc. When you ask the computer to open a file or photo, it has to pull it from this disc. Over time, the documents and photos you have stored on your hard drive get piled on top of each other -- sort of like the closet at your house where you throw everything when your mother-in-law shows up at the front door.

There should be a program on your computer called Disk Defragmenter. Just do a search for it on your computer’s hard drive. Once Disk Defragmenter opens, left-click the C drive (this is usually what your hard drive is called), so that it is highlighted in blue and left-click Defragment. It can take an hour to several hours depending on how frequently you run Defragmenter. The Disk Defragmenter puts similar file types together. If you think of your hard drive as a music collection, it puts all of the classical music together, all of the country music together, etc. Then when you ask the computer to open up a file, it can retrieve it more quickly, thus speeding up your computer.

Another great program to use is Spybot Search and Destroy. Spybot is a free program that can be downloaded from http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/. Spybot searches your computer for spyware, malware and adware and then removes them. Spyware is software that “spies” on your activities and reports back to a company. It is usually used for marketing purposes. Malware is malicious software that could be used to take over your computer. Adware is annoying software that pops up with advertisements on your computer even when you didn’t click on anything. Regularly running a program such as Spybot helps keep your computer cleaner and less prone to problems.

Sometimes dust and pet hair can get inside the case of your computer. Do not physically take off the computer’s case and scrub the inside, as that would damage all of the delicate machinery housed in it.

If the inside of the computer really needs cleaning, I suggest taking it to a professional. They can use a small vacuum to remove dust and pet hair. If the computer has been in a flood or gotten water in it, be sure to unplug it from power immediately and let it dry out completely for several days before turning it back on. When the computer is allowed to dry out completely, you have at least a chance of recovering data. Turning the computer back on before all of the internal components have had a chance to dry out is the main reason people lose data from their computers after a spill or flood.

Taking these simple steps can make working on your computer more enjoyable and extend its life.