- 1). Back up your music, pictures and other files of importance. Click on the Start button and in the search area, type the name of the file and search for all of your files if you don't know where they may be on the hard drive. Copy all the files to one folder. Copy that folder to the root of your hard drive. Copy that folder to another drive, portable hard drive, or optical disk for backup as well.
- 2). Right click on the Start menu and choose "Open Windows Explorer." Right click on the hard drive and choose "Properties." In the "General" tab click on "Disc cleanup." Select from the different types of files to delete in order to clean up your computer.
- 3). Uninstall programs you do not need or want. Go to the Control Panel and click on "Uninstall a program." Select programs that you don't need, one at a time, and click on "Uninstall." Restart your computer after each uninstall.
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