Software for disc clean up & converting video files. Any tips?

reply to post by Havick007


From what I gathered the OP is experiencing OS slowdown because of lack of free disk space. Windows needs a certain amount of free disk space in order to function correctly.

If the OP has never performed a disk cleanup before then they would benefit greatly just by running a program like CCleaner and deleting the (possibly) gigabytes of temp files that accumulate over time.

Buying an external drive and transferring stuff like audio and video onto it will also solve the issue.

I've been using REGTOOL for 3+ years now and feel that the 35 dollar license pays for itself the first use...

I often wonder when I empty my recycle bin where does it empty into? My guess is somewhere on my hard drive-still taking up space until I'm forced to reinstall a new operating system or up-grade my existing computer.

I'm a greenhorn and trust regtool.

Wish I could help with the converter. That's an item I'm interested in as well.

Good luck.

PS- If you do go with regtool, and use Avast anti-virus, do not opt for regtool's malware remover--That icon has an "A" with the same "+" sign in it. I had to remove it from my computer because of compatibility issues...but none the less, regtool keeps me clicking away!

Now if I could just type more than 15 WPM.

reply to post by rokrep69


Registry cleaners aren't safe, there are no really good registry cleaners out there and many do more damge than good. Trust me i can say that from experiance.

Even Microsoft doesnt provide or publish reg cleaners. There is reg edit but it wasnt made to clean unused reg files and if you dont know what you are doing you can cause some serious damage to your PC.

For video and audio conversion you have Cyberlink Media Espresso.

Originally posted by loveguy

I often wonder when I empty my recycle bin where does it empty into? My guess is somewhere on my hard drive-still taking up space until I'm forced to reinstall a new operating system or up-grade my existing computer.

When you delete, the PC simply passes over the sections of the hard drive that contained the information and scrambles the magnetic alignments. Technically, the information remains there, scrambled, until another piece of information is written over it.

That's the simplest, most layman way I can think of to explain it.

reply to post by Havick007


I've been using CCleaner for years now and have never had an issue. But just in case, they offer the option to backup your registry so you can revert to it if it does stuff up.

Originally posted by Havick007
reply to post by dadgad

 

If your reluctant to give out your PC details online that is understandable. What i was going to say is perhaps you need to upgrade your RAM or CPU??

The next best thing i have founnd is a complete format or re-install of your OS (Operating System)

Most genuine PC's come with an install disk for Windows etc. It's not as hard or as scary as you may think, all you need to do is put the OS disk in and restart, the PC will run the disk from boot up and give you the options to re-install.

There are a re few things you need to remember before doing this though:

Back up all vital or important files, media and documents - an external HD would be perfect for this.

Make sure you have a copy of your drivers on disk or backed up, eg; Audio, Graphics.

Make sure you have an install disk that would have come from your ISP for your internet settings and modem drivers.

You will lose all previously installed updates and programs that didnt come standard with your OS. Updates are free but depending on how many updates you have, it may take awhile to download the ''upto date'' updates.

If you have purchased software or games online make sure your purchase is still valid and the software can be re-installed or you have the disks handy.


As i said it sounds scary and complicated but it's not that bad once you do it and your PC will run like new

Yes. This sounds like a good plan. I actually bought an external harddrive, a G2 portable 640GB and I already moved all files of importance to it. That is why I dont understand why my C disc is so full, it keeps filling up, with what... I dont understand.

My OS details are : (Just copying what I found in the system description)
Windows vista home premium
Intel(R)pentium(r) dual CPU T2390 @1.86Ghz, 1,87Ghz
Ram: 2 GB
system type : 32 bit OS
C: disc space : 184 Gb ( at the moment only 1,62 GB available)

Changing operating system sounds alright, im not too fond about Windows anyway.
But I bought this laptop off another guy, so I dont have any install disc.
And I am not an expert at all, (as you may have noticed)

Perhaps changing to Ubuntu as previous comments suggested would be a good step?

edit:

''Just a question, why do you want to convert avi or mp4 to mp3? ''

Its because I have a lot of documentaries by Micheal Tsarion where he basically only talks. I figured, If I change it to mp3 I can play it on my mp3 player and listen anytime, anywhere to his idea's.

I just did a clean up with Wise Cleaner without any significant change.

reply to post by Kryties


Yeah perhaps a HD upgrade might be in order or at least for large amounts of media an external HD as we both have said previously.

I still think a complete OS re-install is great for computers that are a couple of years old, another problem could be that the hard drive is failing. It is rare but it can happen and the reader can start to ''slip'' and stops reading the HD properly. It depends on the age and brand or quality of the HD.

With SSD (Solid State Drives) becoming more popular, SATA drives are getting cheaper all the time. Even 1TB SATA's are alot cheaper than this time last year.

Originally posted by dadgad

Windows vista home premium

Eeeeeeek! Stop right there. This is 50% of your problem - Windows Vista was a flop, it hogs CPU and memory and acts like a pregnant pig.

If you do decide to change OS, and wish to stick with what you know, you're best bet would be to upgrade to Windows 7. It's like Vista on steroids and without the crap that turns your PC into a wet towel.

reply to post by dadgad


You dont even need to change OS unless you wanna upgrade to Win7, although i use Vista and i have always been happy with it, with the exception of a couple of things but they werent a deal breaker....

You can re-install Vista if you have the disk and key that should have come with your PC.


In regards to your system specs, you are getting close or perhaps even overdue for an upgrade, 2GB RAM is the absolute minimum for Vista and your CPU could do with an upgrade as well. Look it all dpends on what you use your computer for but an upgrade would be perfect.

Your internal HD is in desperate need of an upgrade. 500GB internal would be fine and if you have alot of media just use your external drive for it.

reply to post by Kryties


haha,

How about Ubuntu?

I would be glad to totally move away from all the corporate associated products. ( I mean, I #ing hate Bill Gates)

reply to post by dadgad


In terms of performance and power, Ubuntu kicks any Windows product out of the water. The downside to it, however, is if you are not terribly computer literate it can be tough to learn the intricacies of a totally new OS. Although, having said that, Ubuntu is rather noob-friendly

reply to post by Kryties


awww Vista isnt that bad....


My PC is about 3-4 years old now and i only have 4GB RAM and an Intel Core 2 Duo E6550@ 2.33ghz with 500GB SATA and a second internal 125GB SDD.

In terms of what is out there today it isnt a monster system but it works perfectly, ironically it is McAfee that slows my boot time not Vista.....

I can run the latest and CPU hungry games with no probs. Vista wasnt that bad if your system could handle it. The problem is that many stores and outlets sold Vista with the bare minimum specs and it thrashed the systems.

reply to post by dadgad


Yeah, as Kryties said, Vista is probably most of your problem.

Ubuntu is free but a word of caution. If you want to make the switch since you may have to reinstall anyway, I suggest reading the material I mentioned earlier before you do. You do have to be comfortable with computers to use it and knowing what you are getting into beforehand will help you make that judgement call.

reply to post by Havick007

You dont even need to change OS unless you wanna upgrade to Win7, although i use Vista and i have always been happy with it, with the exception of a couple of things but they werent a deal breaker.... You can re-install Vista if you have the disk and key that should have come with your PC. In regards to your system specs, you are getting close or perhaps even overdue for an upgrade, 2GB RAM is the absolute minimum for Vista and your CPU could do with an upgrade as well. Look it all dpends on what you use your computer for but an upgrade would be perfect. Your internal HD is in desperate need of an upgrade. 500GB internal would be fine and if you have alot of media just use your external drive for it.

upgrades, upgrades, I dont have the cash for that!

Besides, I really only use my pc for surfing the net and I download like crazy, but it all goes pretty fine (up until recently)

reply to post by Havick007


You got lucky then. I had a new custom built rig that had Vista on it and I started having flashbacks to Windows ME... It wasn't my computer. That's when I finally made the full switch to Linux.

reply to post by glitch88

give this post a star posted on 17-6-2011 @ 16:10 this post reply to post by dadgad Yeah, as Kryties said, Vista is probably most of your problem. Ubuntu is free but a word of caution. If you want to make the switch since you may have to reinstall anyway, I suggest reading the material I mentioned earlier before you do. You do have to be comfortable with computers to use it and knowing what you are getting into beforehand will help you make that judgement call.

What are the risks? How liable am i to fail?

For Audio Files

For any Mac users Switch works really well. I think there is a PC version as well.

Switch

I've used it to convert files from FLAC to m4a, mp3 to m4a, and other format conversions. There is a handy 14 day free trial, and the software is sub $20 for the full version so it's not going to break the bank.

For Video Files

DivFix++

This software is brilliant, I downloaded a load of files which had some sort of corruption that wouldn't let me play them. Running them through DivFix++ fixed the problems quickly and simply and left me a happy bunny. I'd recommend this as an essential utility download for any Mac user.

reply to post by dadgad


Well, how computer literate are you? If all you are going to be doing with it is internet and downloading, you should be fine. It's when you want to get your Logitech mice working as perfectly as they do in windows (like using all the custom buttons for what they were original meant to do) that you might have a problem if you are not comfortable with using a terminal.

Write down the programs that you must have. Go to their websites and see if they offer a Linux version. If they don't go to the forums and see if there is an equivalent. That's one of the biggest problems. Software companies don't often cater to the Linux crowd, but the community is usually able to develop a work around (using something like wine) or creating a similar program.


Go to this particular thread. It is geared towards the new user and has a wealth of information on how to get started and used to it:
ubuntuforums.org...

'' ubuntu |oǒ'boǒntoō|
Ubuntu is an ancient African word meaning 'humanity to others'. It also means 'I am what I am because of who we all are'. The Ubuntu operating system brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the world of computers.''

This is awesome. look at their philosophy! screw gates, that maniac, who would want to support him.

Im gonna do this!

Are there things I must know, do, that the website wont tell me?