Cleaning Windows XP For Dummies
by Allen Wyatt
Cleaning Windows XP For Dummies
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Copyright 2004 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2004107894
ISBN: 0-7645-7549-X
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
1B/TQ/QY/QU/IN
About the Author
Allen Wyatt, an internationally recognized expert in small computer systems, is president of Discovery Computing, Inc., a computer and publishing services company located in Mesa, Arizona. He has worked in the computer and publishing industries for almost two decades, writing more than 50 books and numerous magazine articles. Allens popular lectures and seminars have reached audiences throughout the United States, as well as throughout Mexico and Costa Rica.
Besides writing books and technical materials, Allen helps further the computer book industry by providing consulting, production, and project management services. He publishes two free weekly newsletters, WordTips and ExcelTips (www.VitalNews.com).
Allen can be reached by e-mail at awyatt@dcomp.com.
Authors Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the good folks at Wiley for their invaluable assistance in bringing this book to fruition. The people I worked with Greg Croy, Nicole Sholly, and Tonya Cupp were all very professional and helpful in creating what you now hold in your hands. I also extend a special thanks to Jim Kelly for his technical expertise, liberally provided as a technical reviewer.
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Introduction
A computer is nothing but a tool. Its bigger than a hammer (well, most hammers), heavier than a screwdriver, and generally less noisy than a circular saw but is nonetheless a tool. You can do more stuff with a computer than you can with a hammer and a screwdriver, but hammers and screwdrivers are simpler to use and easier to clean up. (Circular saws are another story; things can get messy really fast.)
Your computer does get messy; have no doubt about it. Programs load and unload, files pop into existence and then slither off to unknown parts of your hard drive, and spyware tries to adhere itself to your operating system. Every day your system changes, as information is added and new demands are placed on old programs.