• If your computer is crying for help, clean it up.ambulance concept - technologies healthcare image by Stasys Eidiejus from Fotolia.com
  
  If your Windows XP computer seems slow or sluggish, it may be due to the number of files on your system. Your computer's resources become depleted over time, as you download and save more files and applications. This is a major cause of slow or problematic computers. Fortunately, Windows XP offers several built-in clean up tools.
  
  

Disk Cleanup Tool

• The Disk Cleanup tool helps improve your computer's performance by searching for unnecessary files that you can delete at your discretion to free up system resources. Click "Start" and click "My Computer" from the right side of the "Start" menu to use Disk Cleanup. Right-click "Local Disk (C:)" and select "Properties." Go to the "General" tab and click "Disk Cleanup." You can choose which files you want to delete, and you can see how much space will be freed after it scans your computer.
  
  

Disk Defragmenter Tool

• When you use programs and applications on your computer, some program files are moved around and then "put away" in a location other than where they originated. Windows must hunt around for them all each time you want to use those programs again. The Disk Defragmenter Tool cleans up your computer by finding those bits of files and putting many of them back together. Click "Start" and click "My Computer" from the right side of the "Start" menu. Right-click "Local Disk (C:)" and select "Properties." Go to the "Tools" tab, click "Defragment Now" and click "Defragment" to start the tool.
  
  

System Configuration Tool

• The System Configuration Tool is a troubleshooting utility that can find and correct numerous computer problems. You can use the tool to clean up your computer by removing unnecessary start up applications. Often, when you install a new program on your computer, it adds itself to the list of programs that run in the background when you start your computer, even if you are not using them. This makes it faster to start those programs, but it can also slow down your system. Click "Start" and then click "Run" to use the System Configuration Tool. Type "msconfig" into the "Run" box and click "OK." Go to the "Startup" tab and clear the check boxes for any programs that you do not need to run each time you start Windows XP.