Hi my geeky gifted friends,I was here a year ago about my sound trouble and you helped me a lot  and I thank you.                                                                                   I have a new problem with the same old 2005 Dell Dimension 11 Windows XP.This computer  was very good to me and I did a lot of composing of music on it.    I would like to keep t for some time.I just have no idea how to clean it up.It became very slow and congested and on  system restore is no date to reset to.            Is there any possibility to restore the system to factory state?Is there some way to click on any key ,similar as Toshiba has "0" (zero)? I have all files I need saved and secure.Please help.Otto.

Hi Bev,thanks for noticing.I thing that you are right.I bought this unit in Canada,if that info is of any help.Thanks Otto.

Otto,

I assume that you have a dimension 1100, is this correct?

Try using the following to free up space on the hard drive.

http://www.howtogeek.com/125923/7-ways-to-free-up-hard-disk-space-on-windows/

Bev.

Hi Bev,slowly I am biting through this ordeal of cleaning my Dell.It's actually Dimension DE051 and I thing there is no possibility for Factory setting.I came across a "Disc format",but the system somehow does not permits it. So I am in this task second day of going over all the files and deleting old ,unnecessary ones.So far I recovered from complete  "the blue pie in hard disk properties" over 4ot to me.% of free space.The computer runs more quietly and I hope I can get back to my music composition Thanks my friends for helping.If you have any further suggestion for me ,please send it.Thanks again Otto

Hi Bev,slowly I am biting through this ordeal of cleaning my Dell.It's actually Dimension DE051 and I thing there is no possibility for Factory setting.I came across a "Disc format",but the system somehow does not permits it. So I am in this task second day of going over all the files and deleting old ,unnecessary ones.So far I recovered from complete  "the blue pie in hard disk properties" over 40.% of free space.The computer runs more quietly and I hope I can get back to my music composition Thanks my friends for helping.If you have any further suggestion for me ,please send it to me.Thanks again Otto

Otto,

What is the size of the hard drive?

I've been using the free version of CCleaner, to remove the trash from our hard drives,

http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

Unless you have a current Registry backup, do'nt use the Regestry cleaner.

Bev.

Also, use ATF cleaner, I am at iPhone now, so google it. I use ATF up until now in addition to CCleaner, those cleaning programs should be used at least once a week, after you done cleaning, run disk defragmentation utility

Hi Bev,this is a funny story which has to do with the hard drives.We bought the Dell just before Christmas  2005 and it looked OK for few days.We had an  Imack before and the video went on it.so we were not complete novices in computer world.But this new Dell all of a sudden died and noting could bring it back.So we got on Dell support and talked to many people with heavy accent,sitting somewhere in India and so on and so on .Finally one of them diagnosed it as Motherboard gone.Holly Molly what are we going to do ,we need a computer.No problem ,we are going to send you a new unit and you send the old one back,our UPS going to pick it up,this guy said.Just before New years,we got a new unit from Texas.

I wanted to give the old unit to the same guy from UPS as I suppose to do ,but he said that I have to use Purolator for this unit ,that they have nothing to do with it.So I got on the phone to Dell in India again  bombed them with phone calls about picking up the old unit.They said yes,yes,OK and nothing.The new unit worked like a wrist watch and we were happy.

The old unit just collected dust and was in everybody's way.About 8 months later and last phone call I decided to dismantle it for a garbage disposal and before I did that I plugged it in the AC power and what do you know, it started and it works till now.

So now my wife had a computer and I had mine.We were on top of the world for about a month.Then the second unit ,which my wife was using, died.This time I did not take a chance and took it to my computer man and he said yes it's a Motherboard.I had him take the hard drive from my wife's unit  and install it in to my Dell,the one which supposed to die almost a year before that.So now I have C and F hard drives each 71GB.

I already run  defragmentation utility and as you suggested I will ran the CCleaner..I got rid off Registry cleaner long time ago.But I don't know how to get rid off all of the garbage which I see in the defragmentation utility.I looks so congested.

Thanks Bev.Sorry to bore you with my silly stories.Otto

Hi Bev,are you paying for the ccleaner?They ask for $39;95.Otto

Hi Otto,

No, CCleaner is a free utility.

Otto,

You did not say, what the size of your primary C:/ hard drive is?

But, if you only have an 80gb primary hard drive, I would recommend increasing the storage capabilities and replace the primary 80gb HD with at a minimum, a 160/250gb IDE HD.

Bev.

Ps. You really luck out with the 'second' desktop. LOL

ATF cleaner picks up what left after CCleaner, the last officially supported OS is XP, however it works very good even with Vista 32 bit and Win7 64 bit.

ATF cleaner, select all choices, run it a few times until you see that about 16 KB left or nothing. After each run you need to close ATF cleaner and start again for next swipe, also it is stand alone application - no installation needed.

CCleaner has 2 tabs, first is Windows, those are my selections, working good, saves passwords

Second tab Applications

After you run those 2 there should be nothing left

Hi Bev,You are a very nice and helpful lady.You must have missed the info about the size of the hard drive among the diarrhea of my writing.

It's two hard drive each 71 GB and beats me how to increase it to the astronomic numbers you mentioned.I am all ears if you have the time to explain it to me.

Thanks ,your friend Otto.

PS:If you interested what I am up to .go to YouTube and in the search window type 2137otto.OK

Otto,

I saw the 71gb, but hard drives have a Binary and Decimal Capacity, they are recognized and purchased by their decimal capacity.

http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/615

You would need to replace the primary C: / IDE hard drive, with one of larger capacity eg 160/250gb. 

To install a hard drive larger that 120gb, you need to be running XP SP-1, or higher

After replacing the hard drive, you would need to reinstall windows, followed by loading all the drivers and applications, or use the easier procedure by cloning [my preference] the exsisting primary hard drive to the new replacement HD.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim1100/en/SM/parts.htm#wp1088567

To clone a hard drive, you need an imaging utility, similar to either Acronis True Image Home 2013 or Acronis Migrate Easy 7.0

First, install the new drive as the secondary, image the exsisting C:/ to it.

Immediately shut the system down, switch the data cable to the new drive, to make it the master and see if the system boots correctly.

Boot the system with only the new hard drive connected.

Remember to leave the original drive disconnected.

Before cloning a hard drive, be certain that existing drive has no corruption or virus on it, as these will be transfered to the new hard drive.

After the new primary C: / drive is working to your satisfaction, you can use disk management to partition and format the old hard drive to use as addititional storage, if you so wish.

Acronis will resize the transferred partitions to match new hard drive's size.

Note: Seagate and Western Digital hard drives have a free copy of Acronis, that is included in their retail boxed drives or can be downloaded from their sites for use with their OEM hard drives.

This copy of Acronis can only be used with their hard drives, you will also find that other hard drive manufacturers have their own free cloning software available.

Bev.