WEEKEND PROJECT: Get your hard drive back in the fast lane
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Step 1

Getting started

Step 2

What you'll need

Step 3

Check for errors

Step 4

Clean up your disk

Step 5

Defragment your hard drive

Step 6

For extra credit

Weekend wisdom

Need more advice? Have tips to give? Go to the Windows XP forum to share your insights.

Get your hard drive back in the fast lane

By John Woram
(November 19, 2004)

Estimated time required:
4 hours

Estimated cost: $30 and up

Step 1:

Getting started

Do you see your dentist regularly? Change your car's oil every 3,000 miles? Defragment your hard drive? Well, two out of three ain't bad, but if your PC isn't the speedster it used to be, chances are a bloated hard drive is to blame. Steer clear of PC bottlenecks by making the most of Windows' built-in maintenance tools. Just mouse over to your System Tools folder and get ready to fine-tune your PC.
What you'll need

This story originally appeared in Computer Shopper magazine.
Get your hard drive back in the fast lane

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