Synopses & Reviews
Degunking Windows covers the basics to help users quickly get their PCs back to top performance. The unique thing about Degunking Windows is that it's organized according to the special "cleaning" process that will improve the performance of your computer. Shortcut and time calculation charts are provided at the beginning of the book to help readers determine how much time is required to perform different degunking tasks. The book provides proven degunking maintenance tasks that users should perform on a regular basis to keep their machines running at optimum levels. Topics covered include the basics of degunking ("Why is my computer all gunked up in the first place?"), cleaning files, hard drives, and making space, uninstalling programs you don't need, fixing your desktop and start menus, degunking email and dealing with spam, improving and cleaning the registry, hardware stuff to help with degunking, improving security, backing up precious files, doing a clean install when you really have to, and much more.
Review
"I once wrote a four-part series in InfoWorld about correcting what I called 'Windows arthritis.' This is the lethargy that seems to overtake the operating system as little as six months after it's installed.... Now Joli Ballew and Jeff Duntemann have compiled an entire book on the subject, and it's a good one." Brian's Buzz
Review
"Just follow this book, chapter by chapter and you'll be amazed at how you can improve your PC....The targeted audience in this extremely valuable book includes all serious Windows users who are tired of the common gunked up result that is just what happens in a Windows machine, and who are willing to take charge of their machine and take control over these gunking aspects. While most all extant PC technicians are likely already to be savvy to many of these super suggestions, I bet most all will also find some ideas in this book they have not yet heard of." Dale Farris, Goldon Triangle PC Club
Review
"The cheapest infusion of power to a Windows XP computer can now be had for a mere $24.99. It's not a faster processor or more memory but a well-done book titled Degunking Windows." Peggy Rogers, Miami Herald
Review
"Get rid of gunk with a little help." James Coates, Chicago Tribune
Synopsis
Degunking Windows is not just another book on how to use Windows. This book is an easy-to-read and concise guide showing you, step-by-step and in plain English, how to improve the performance of your computer after you've gunked it up. The book shows you how to reorganize files that are stored all over the place, how to reduce or eliminate spam, what to do with a fragmented hard drive, how to fix improperly installed and uninstalled programs, and how to handle a host of other problems you dont want to discuss with your closest friends.
Weve talked with scores of Windows users, and the common problem they all had was what we call a gunked-up machine. Although Windows is an excellent operating system, it has some peculiarities that cause it to slow down over time. Without regular maintenance, all PCs running Windows will get gunked up. The goal of this book is to show you how to degunk your own PC.
Synopsis
Degunking Windows covers the basics to help users quickly get their PCs back to top performance. The unique thing about Degunking Windows is that it's organized according to the special cleaning process
About the Author
Joli Ballew (Garland, TX) is a professional writer, technology trainer, and network consultant in the Dallas area. She is also a Microsoft Windows Expert Zone Columnist and Microsoft blogger. Some of her previous jobs include technical writing, education content consulting, PC technician, network administrator, high school algebra teacher, and MCSE instructor. She earned her MCSE, MCT, and A+ certifications in less than 14 months. She is the coauthor of Degunking Windows, and the author of Degunking Your Mac, Degunking Your PC, and Windows XP Professional: The Ultimate User's Guide, Second Edition, all published by Paraglyph Press.JEFF DUNTEMANN is the Editor-in-Chief of Visual Developer magazine, former editor of Turbo Technix and PC Techniques, the "Structured Programming"columnist for Dr. Dobb's Journal, and has written and edited more than twenty programming books.