Degunking Windows
Book Review by Gerhard R. FischerEvery PC owner knows there is only one way to cure a sluggish, frequently crashing computer, namely to completely re-install Windows and all other software. Wrong!
The current book, which is addressed to the novice and intermediate computer user, outlines on the first page already a detailed 12-step degunking program that will clean up the machine and restore lost performance. Although mainly concerned with Windows XP, many of the methods described in the book also apply to older versions of Windows. In fact, seven of the sixteen chapters contained in the book are applicable to older versions
The book is well and understandably written throughout, and the text is supported by many figures and by instructions given in the "Gunkbuster’s Notebook". While perusing the volume, my eye got caught by the discussion of spam. In order not to be victimized, the authors recommend the use of several e-mail addresses (Primary, backup, and disposable), alternate e-mail clients, not posting your e-mail address on the net, mail filtering, the use of proxies, and more. A very interesting, brief "Spam Filtering Glossary" is included.
The other topics of the book are probably best desribed by just listing the
chapter and appendix titles:
Why is My Computer All Gunked up?
Degunking you PC
Getting Rid of Files that Shouldn’t Be There
Uninstalling Programs You Don’t Need and Tweaking Those You Do
Organizing Your Remaining Files and Folders
Tweaking Your Desktop and Start Menu
Preventing Spam Gunk
Cleaning Up E-Mail Gunk
Cleaning and Tweaking the Registry
Optimizing Your Hard Drive and Startup System
Installing Upgrades for Your System
The Best Hardware for PC Degunking
Power Toys and Awesome Shareware
Improving Security
Backing UP Precious Files
Last Resort Degunking Techniques
Performing a Clean Windows Install
Recovering from a Corrupted Registry
Troubleshooting Your PC with Degunking Techniques.As this list shows, the entire volume is full of topics of interest to every computer user and would most certainly make a valuable tool for the computer maintenance.
Degunking Windows
By Joli Ballew and Jeff Duntermann
Paraglyph Press 2004
4015 N. 78th Street, #115
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
US $ 24.99 - Can $ 37.99
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