Not recommended for cleaning your PC

While not as exciting as Chistmas, Halloween or even… Fruitcake Toss Day,  Clean Out Your Computer Day is an actual day which you just might want to consider participating in. Little is known of its origin other than it’s been around since 2000, and it was originally sponsored by the Institute of Business Technology as a day to declutter and clean out old and unused files from our computers.   It lands on the second Monday of each February.

(Today we’re looking at a guest post by computer gurus at iolo technoligies, fans of DigitalGrandparent. There are some great tips in this article for cleaning up your computer and getting it back to good computer performance. If you want to try the software mentioned, System Mechanic is currently available at a special sale price. I have no vested interest in the product, but you might find it useful.) –mkpelland

Clean out your computer day

Is your computer running slow, or low on memory?   Does it take forever to boot up?   Are there programs or files on it that you never use and/or don’t even know why are there?    Maybe Clean Out Your Computer Day is going to be your day.

In time for Clean Out Your Computer Day, here are some PC Clutter Facts and PC Cleanout Tips provided by iolo technologies, PC tune-up company and makers of System Mechanic software.

PC Clutter Stats

1. The average American adult has 1,800 digital files, according to the Consumer Electronics Association, making searching them quite a task.
2. Executives waste six weeks each year looking for lost items and information, according to a study published in the Wall Street Journal, adding up for huge corporate operating losses.
3. Americans waste nine million hours per day searching for misplaced items. On average, people spend a year of our lives looking for lost items, according to the National Association of Professional Organizers.
4. In 2007 alone more than 40 million computers were dumped, up from 20 million in 1998. On average, each computer lasted only 30 months (2.5 years), that short life span often attributed to the PC running slow and having low memory/drive space due to unnecessary clutter.

10 Useful PC Clean Out Tips, and how a utility (like System Mechanic) can help

1. Delete unused, old or duplicate files, emails, email addresses, bookmarks and favorites. Tools like SM’s “Remove Junk Files”, “Remove Internet Debris” and “Find Duplicate Files” tools can be used to recover a lot of lost space – and a lot of time wasted while looking for files on a cluttered hard drive.
2. Organize your files. Make sure to use a logical file naming system and put them into folders that make sense and are easy to remember and access.
3. Defragment your hard drive. While that won’t categorize your files (you have to do that manually, see #2 above), defragmentation will speed up your access to them, again saving you valuable time.
4. Back up your files and programs at least every month. Imagine all the time wasted if your files are lost. Back up regularly to a separate device like a portable hard drive or set up an automatic online back-up service.
5. Uninstall programs that you no longer need or use. To make sure they are completely uninstalled and do not leave any residual clutter, use a tool like System Mechanic’s “Remove Installed Programs” to uninstall even the most stubborn components.
6. Once you’ve uninstalled unused program, make sure to clean out your registry as well. Invalid or out-of-date registry settings can slow down your computer’s boot time. Use System Mechanic’s “Repair Registry Problems” and “Defragment and Compact Registry” or choose another good quality registry cleaning program to shave valuable minutes off your boot time.
7. Further improve your computer’s start-up time by removing unnecessary start-up items. Many programs lodge themselves in start-up without your knowledge.
8. Once you’ve organized all your files into folders, make sure all the shortcuts are still accurate. Remove those that aren’t working properly – as you’ve guessed, SM can do that for you.
9. For an ultimate clean out, try a program like DriveScrubber. DriveScrubber can securely wipe out all your hard drive data or you can use a more selective approach, removing only your personal files and leaving the programs intact. Definitely opt for this clean out option if you are planning on donating your computer to make sure your personal information is not recoverable.
10. For a complete PC clean out on Clean Out Your Computer Day, don’t forget your PC’s outside. Clean the screen, dust the keyboard, clean the mouse. After all, your computer deserves some pampering too.

Now mark your calendar – kick-start your spring cleaning on Monday, February 8 – it’s Clean Out Your Computer Day!

(The photo above was borrowed form a very cool blog called My PC Crashed)

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Baby boomers expect good websites for shopping

Fancy yourself a writer?

Let’s take a quick look at CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, before it opens in Las Vegas and see what might be coming to consumers in 2010. Baby boomers are often early adopters, since we have some discretionary income and resources, and, of course, free time. But baby boomers, while we buy electronics and like them, are very discerning about quality and purpose.

I wandered the Web looking to see what the consensus is. My take, no one is expecting much in the way of mind-blowing excitement. We may not be buying truckloads of gadgets this year. The big thing is expected to be electronic readers, if you’re talking how many will turn up in CES booths.

Electronic Readers

Molly Wood, of my favorite podcast, Buzz Out Loud from Cnet, says it will be raining readers. Only trouble is, most agree that of the dozens or maybe even a hundred that will debut, only three or fewer are likely to have much new to offer. And the prices still suck. Color is still not going to be a factor since the technology is too pricey.

As for 3-D TV

3D sets will probably be available. Molly says it’ll be dead on arrival, no one wants to wear the glasses at home – the providers will charge high premiums; it’s just not main stream. It’s a toy for people who have too much money and too much time. But who fits that demographic these days? 3D was to have been the big deal for 2009 and it fizzled out. As I see it, some people will buy the set, watch one show and say, “Is that all there is?”

Other electronic stuff

Google’s Nexus One Phone will get attention, for sure. I hope they don’t attach it to a particular carrier – rather see it come out unlocked, meaning it can be activated on more services than a single carrier. Three major cell carriers are tooting about 4G technology. Okay. Yawn.

The superstar of CES?

I would love to see wireless recharging – but not a dozen for a dozen different devices or manufacturers. I want a universal. If someone brings one out at CES, I’d buy it – so would a lot of other people. But I’m not going to buy all new electronics so I can recharge batteries wirelessly.

Something like 25,000 new electronic items will spring from about 3,000 companies before millions of show-goers. Some years, consumers latch on to new stuff and spend money like crazy — ya gotta have the latest and greatest. But since 2009 was the year that taught us how dangerous it can be to practice such conspicuous consumption, I don’t believe crowds will line up outside the big box stores, especially crowds of smart baby boomers, like us.

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Advocate for good ecommerce

Baby boomers and seniors, especially women, are a driving force in determining trends. We number in the millions. We spend money. Our opinion counts. Knowing that, the Nielsen Norman Group looked into how effective Web sites are for older seniors – those over 65.

They found that using most e-commerce sites is twice as difficult for seniors than for younger users. It’s pretty dumb of corporations trying to sell stuff online to not think it through, especially considering that baby boomers will be spending about $25 billion (with a “B”) at online stores within the next few years.

Some companies who, according to the survey, are doing it right include:

• Bristol-Meyers Squibb
• E*Trade Investors
• Travel.com
• SeniorNet
• Wine.com

It would be in our own best interests, those of us, like me, who do the majority of our purchasing online (who has time for malls??), to let companies know when their websites fall short.

If you visit a site that is too slow, or difficult to navigate, or doesn’t provide complete info, speak up. Send a note or call the company. Address the Webmaster – there’s usually a link for email. But send a copy to the executives at the company, as well. Those whippersnapper Webmasters may need advanced motivation to take us seriously.