used computer

Brian Henry · Posted 16 Sep 2006 6:06 am

Hi Wiz,

I bought i good used computer and want to clean off what he previous owner put on. I don't want to get rid of xp windows or all the good software, just what is on them. What is the best way to do this? Thank you!!

[This message was edited by tbhenry on 16 September 2006 at 07:47 AM.]

Wiz Feinberg · From: Mid-Michigan, USA

The smart way to clean out unwanted programs is to uninstall them, using Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs. Data files can be deleted manually. Empty the IE Temporary Internet Files from within IE, using Tools > Internet Options > Delete Temporary Internet Files.

You can also remove temporary files using the built in Windows cleanup utility. Go to My Computer and right-click on the C drive icon, then press the Disk Cleanup button and follow the prompts and allow it to remove all temp files. Do the same for any other partitions or hard disks.

Another fast way to rid a computer of unwanted application files and settings is to create a new user account and log into it. From the new account you can delete the previous master account, along with all of it's files and settings. From then on you would use the new account.

I recommend creating two accounts; one with administrator privileges and a password, and the other with limited privileges and a password (or not). Do your daily work and browsing from the limited account, for your own protection against malware threats. Switch to the admin account to install or uninstall programs, defragment, check for disk errors, obtain Windows Updates, or perform other system level activities, then log off and back onto the limited account.

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Bob "Wiz" Feinberg
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