Computer Life : Is Your Windows Box Running Slow : Two Must Have Free Ware Utilities

By Avatar JayR Cela

    I don't know about you, but I am a Windows XP user and will be until April 2014 when support is finally halted on this currently decade old OS.

    What I am about to discuss today applies to all versions of Windows since Win 2000. # 1 the NTFS file system. To put it mildly, It Blow's ! Big Time ! # 2 The Windows Registry, it also is a .....well you get the idea :_)

      The New Technology File System ( NTFS ) is not really all that much different that the FAT32 FS it replaced with the introduction of Win 2000, except that it stores data in larger chunks at a time, and offers native indexing. But your programs data still get's splattered all over the Hard Drive, wherever the FS can find an open spot. This leads to fragmentation of the HD, causing the disk's head to have to move back and forth needlessly over and over again as it search's for the necessary data. All of this extra work causes longer seek times while your programs or desktop load.

    Next up is the Windows Registry, first introduced with Win 98 and expanded in Win ME, it sucked then and it still suck's now, a major problem, and usually rears it's ugly head after you un-installed multiple programs, 9 out of 10 times the un-install routines just so happen to leave traces of the removed software scattered throughout the registry.

    The end result ? Over a period of time your computer gradually gets slower and slower and slower...... There are several solutions to these problems, you can wipe the HD and do a fresh install, you can buy a new computer, LOL :_) or you can use some utilities to remedy the situation The first option is a pain in the ass and a tedious process, the second solution buying a new box is always fun ( if you have the spare $ ) or you can attempt repair.

    OK, so you have decided upon the later, attempt repair via software utilities, which ones should you use ? That question alone is enough to make anyone's head spin. Most software utility programs are marginally  helpful at best, this include's the more famous Brand Name boxed one's purchased for real life money. ( Norton, Symantec etc....) more often than not they are no better than the majority of Free Ware available.

    I recently came across two free utility programs from a company called  AML Software. AML Free Registry Cleaner, and AML Free Disk Defrag are excellent choices wither your on a tight budget or not. Both of them actually work extremely well, and are highly recommended not only by me, but some well known Technology Writers in the IT industry as well. The Reg tool includes a Registry Search, Disk Cleaner,
Startup Manager, Uninstall Manager and a Process Manager. Toss in the Registry Cleaner and you have a very handy utility program.

 AML Free Registry Cleaner 

      This is a very Useful Tool, Powerful, Easy to Use, and Free !

AML Free Disk Defrag

Don't let the simplistic looks fool ya, I have not found a better Disk Defrag program yet !

   The key tool here is the Optimize feature. It actually works ! It will make numerous pass's as it nicely rearranges related individual program data into contingent  HD sectors. It made 12 pass's on my old standby computer, but what a difference afterwards, defiantly faster response time's. I was very impressed. Needles to say the process of actually optimizing your drive can take a very long time, 6 hours or more, in some cases.

    Keeping an Ageing Computer is not much different that maintaining a Car. As your computer gets more use, depending on how much use it has had, it does require maintenance from time to time.

    I hope you will find these two tool's useful
Reg Clean DL : http://www.amltools.com/


Disk Defrag DL : http://www.amltools.com/free-disk-defrag.html

JayR Cela :_)