Question About Defrag/Disk Clean Up

kittkatt · Oct 8, 2008

I just did a defrag on the computer, and was also gonna do a disk clean up too, but I'm not sure what I should do b/c when I click on the disk clean up icon, it's bringing up two options: one for "C:", and another for "recovery". I'm confused about this, b/c I didn't have any choices on the old computer - there was only one option from what I can remember.

Do I do both?

theimp98 · Oct 8, 2008

if you look under my computer, do you see a disk c:
and another one called recovery?

strange_wings · Oct 9, 2008

If you don't have any other partitions that you use for files (ie D: or E: ), then yes you would clean up C:. Leave Recovery alone.

coaster · Oct 11, 2008

The "Recovery" partition is what OEM's give you for restoring your system, because (I'm guessing) they didn't supply a restore CD. You should be able to do a disk clean on the Recovery partition, but then on the other hand it shouldn't need it -- it sounds like you haven't been using it, so there shouldn't be any files on there that need to be removed. So, I agree, just do the C: partition; leave Recovery alone (and figure out how to do backups in case you need it)

kittkatt · Oct 11, 2008

Originally Posted by coaster

The "Recovery" partition is what OEM's give you for restoring your system, because (I'm guessing) they didn't supply a restore CD. You should be able to do a disk clean on the Recovery partition, but then on the other hand it shouldn't need it -- it sounds like you haven't been using it, so there shouldn't be any files on there that need to be removed. So, I agree, just do the C: partition; leave Recovery alone (and figure out how to do backups in case you need it)

What's an OEM?

There isn't any restore CD, or any CD for that matter, that came with the computer. And I'm pretty sure that there is already a back-up system program preinstalled, so I shouldn't have to worry about that.

All this technical computer stuff gives me a headache!

If you don't know what you're doing, you could really mess something up.

Thanks, peeps!

strange_wings · Oct 11, 2008

Originally Posted by KittKatt

What's an OEM?

Original equipment manufacturer. In this case, the company that sold you the PC had the license and software, installed it on the PC and that software and license cannot be used anywhere else. You don't get flashy Windows and software boxes, you don't get the "here's our other products" junk - just the OS and software as installed.

You need to purchase cdrs or dvdrs depending on what type of burner you have - most new PCs have dvd burners (if you can play a dvd in it and see DVDRW on the rom drive door that is what you have). Windows should step you through how to make your own recovery cds.

Originally Posted by KittKatt

If you don't know what you're doing, you could really mess something up.

Not really. You need to have someone make you a regular user account for general everyday computer use. You would log into this daily and if you needed to do anything that would actually change the system - log into the administrator account instead. That pretty much keeps you, and anyone else who uses your computer, from actually changing anything major.

But I've found, even running as admin or root and doing all sorts of things that should be "iffy" that I have never messed anything up. As for knowing what I'm doing - I had to start somewhere and mostly learned through trial and error (error being a setting that didn't take - not a system crash

).

kittkatt · Oct 12, 2008

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Original equipment manufacturer. In this case, the company that sold you the PC had the license and software, installed it on the PC and that software and license cannot be used anywhere else. You don't get flashy Windows and software boxes, you don't get the "here's our other products" junk - just the OS and software as installed.

Thanks for the explanation.

You need to purchase cdrs or dvdrs depending on what type of burner you have - most new PCs have dvd burners (if you can play a dvd in it and see DVDRW on the rom drive door that is what you have). Windows should step you through how to make your own recovery cds.

It says: DVD+/-R/W/RAM / CD-R/W. I wasn't aware of the fact that you even could play a DVD/CD on a computer! I'm gonna have to give it a try.

Not really. You need to have someone make you a regular user account for general everyday computer use. You would log into this daily and if you needed to do anything that would actually change the system - log into the administrator account instead. That pretty much keeps you, and anyone else who uses your computer, from actually changing anything major.
But I've found, even running as admin or root and doing all sorts of things that should be "iffy" that I have never messed anything up. As for knowing what I'm doing - I had to start somewhere and mostly learned through trial and error (error being a setting that didn't take - not a system crash

).

I set up a user account when I first got the computer in my name, and I'm the only one who uses it. My s/o really could care less about having a computer, so I never bothered to set up an account for him. So there's no one to mess it up - except me.

That's how I'm learning, too - by trial & error. There are some things I'll take a chance with and mess around with on my own, but some things I don't want to take a chance with. I really don't know anyone who really knows a whole lot about computers - except for my son - but he's 1200 miles away and can't come over every day to guide me through some of this stuff. And he works 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, so he's not around much to answer my questions if I send him an e-mail. So I end up asking y'all, b/c y'all are so helpful and I know y'all will give good advice. And I sure do appreciate it!

coaster · Oct 12, 2008

Originally Posted by strange_wings

But I've found, even running as admin or root

When you say "root" you mean running with "System" level priveleges in Windows XP/Vista? Correct? How the heck do you get to run as root - I've tried that several times, and though in the cases where I needed to alter something that needed System priveleges I was able to finagle it some way, it would be a whole lot easier if I could just LOG ON AS System and do what I need to do without trying to do it by hook or by crook.

strange_wings · Oct 12, 2008

Originally Posted by coaster

When you say "root" you mean running with "System" level priveleges in Windows XP/Vista? Correct?

Wrong. I've even said several times elsewhere that I'm a debian user. I avoid XP and Vista at all costs, if possible.

Originally Posted by KittKatt

That's how I'm learning, too - by trial & error. There are some things I'll take a chance with and mess around with on my own, but some things I don't want to take a chance with. I really don't know anyone who really knows a whole lot about computers - except for my son - but he's 1200 miles away and can't come over every day to guide me through some of this stuff. And he works 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, so he's not around much to answer my questions if I send him an e-mail. So I end up asking y'all, b/c y'all are so helpful and I know y'all will give good advice. And I sure do appreciate it!

Get MSN , AIM or whatever he may use. You can chat with him online when he is around.

And don't worry - short of dropping your PC or physically destroying it somehow there's really not much you can do that can't be fixed.

kittkatt · Oct 12, 2008

I'm soooo glad that you mentioned being able to play a DVD/CD on the 'puter, StrangeWings!

I tried it out, and it works!

I especially like the CD playing, b/c all these funky, cool colors flash across the monitor in sync with the music. It's just way too cool!

I definitely have way too much time on my hands.

I noticed that when I play a CD, there's an option for "rip", "bum", and "sync". What does that mean?

And is it possible to load the CD onto a file on the computer?

kittkatt · Oct 12, 2008

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Get MSN , AIM or whatever he may use. You can chat with him online when he is around.

I do have the option to use messenger, but I rarely ever turn it on. I really don't like using it. If I do happen to notice that he's online I'll usually turn it on, but he rarely goes online anymore b/c he's hardly ever at home. On his days off he spends his free time with my granddaughter & his girlfriend. When we do talk, it's usually by phone.

laureen227 · Oct 12, 2008

Originally Posted by KittKatt

I noticed that when I play a CD, there's an option for "rip", "bum", and "sync". What does that mean?

And is it possible to load the CD onto a file on the computer?

"rip" means to transfer the album to the computer. "burn" means to transfer music from the computer to a CD.

what "sync" means...

coaster · Oct 12, 2008

Originally Posted by strange_wings

And don't worry - short of dropping your PC or physically destroying it somehow there's really not much you can do that can't be fixed.

Except that for us stuck with running Windows, fixing something can be a VERY painful experience. A couple months ago I had a problem with my system; don't know if it was a virus, corrupted system files, or what, but I ended up having to clean install, and not just clean install, but I had to do it FIVE times. It was a whole week before things were back to normal.

strange_wings · Oct 12, 2008

Originally Posted by laureen227

"rip" means to transfer the album to the computer. "burn" means to transfer music from the computer to a CD.

what "sync" means...

Maybe it's for if you have more than one pc + device and want all the files to sync on them? ...not sure how practical it would be, but I'm sure someone uses it.

I used Windows for years... and honestly never had anything that weird happen.

Chalk it up to bad luck? or a bad update.

In all that time I only had one slight problem - a trojan and it didn't even get to fully copy or install itself as intended because I had so much automatic stuff turned off or blocked.

kittkatt · Oct 13, 2008

Originally Posted by laureen227

"rip" means to transfer the album to the computer. "burn" means to transfer music from the computer to a CD.

what "sync" means...

Thanks, Laureen.

I tried out the "rip" option last night, and loaded a few CDs into a file w/o any problems.

Although I accidently re-arranged the contents of the CDs alphabetically when I changed the tracks from "track 1" etc. to the titles of the songs - which means I'm gonna have to go back and change them if I want the CDs to play in the order they were meant to be. In most cases it's no big deal I reckon, but in the case of Pink Floyd's The Wall, it really should be kept in the order it was recorded.

I still haven't figured out what "sync" is though..

Question About Defrag/Disk Clean Up

kittkatt

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theimp98

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coaster

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laureen227

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