Warning - This is fairly lengthy - if it's not your thing, delete it now.

<Make the window this big>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

As promised, here's the details of the cleanup system I use.  I can't claim to have originated the system - I got the basic idea from Fred Langa, who does the Langa List newsletter and a number of other internet publications.  

My system has a couple of minor variations to Fred's original, but it's worked well for me for over a year. I've also installed it onto 20 or more systems I've built. However, all of the systems are running W98SE.

The full system is in 5 parts, you can use all or any of them. And the way I set it up is just my habit - you might want to try something else. It uses 4 application programs: RegClean, RegCleaner, Windoctor (optional) and the Vopt defragger.

In C:\Program Files I have a folder labelled Cleanup.  It contains three sub-folders;- 

1). RegClean (into which I put Microsoft's RegClean.exe - I'm using 4.1a) This can usually be found on the net - Google will locate it.

2). RegCleaner (into which I put RegCleaner.exe - I'm using 4.3.780) This app is written by a Finnish guy named Juoni Vuorio (thanks Juoni) and should be available at : http://www.jv16.org/

3). Shortcuts
------------------------------------------------
This is the sequence in which I begin to install the system:

1. Create a shortcut from RegClean.exe to the Shortcuts folder.  Rename it '1.RegClean' (No quote marks, of course)

2. Click on RegCleaner.exe and allow it to install to it's default, C:\Progs. It puts a shortcut on the desktop, so collect it and put in the Shortcuts folder.  Rename it to '2.RegCleaner'

3. Optional - I usually install Norton Utilities, mainly to use WinDoctor, which, along with SpeedDisk and OptiWiz are all I use of the 13 utilities in the NU package. So if you have it, create a shortcut from WinDoc to the Shortcuts folder and rename it '3.Windoctor'  Otherwise skip this step and re-number accordingly.

4. Copy the Cleanup batchfile into a new folder, C:\Bats.  Then create a shortcut from the batchfile back to the Shortcuts folder. Rename it '4.Cleanup bat'. Note that because this shortcut involves a system file, it needs to be specially modified as follows: 

4a. Right click the shortcut and select Properties. Click the Program tab. Click the Advanced button. Check the 'MSDOS mode' box. Check the 'Warn before entering MSDOS mode' box. (Power users will probably leave this unchecked) Click OK, OK.

5. Install VoptME 6.2 to the default location, or wherever you like. Find the program folder and create a shortcut from VoptME.exe to the Shortcuts folder and rename it '5.DeFrag'.

(Note: VoptME has nothing to do with WinME, it's just the publisher's name for the app. I'm using VoptME v.6.2 and you can get it here:http://www.vopt.com/archive.htm but I've just been to the site and down'd VoptXP which is new and covers several OS's.
And if you're wondering why you should use Vopt to defrag, and not the scruffy old Windows defragger, or even the Norton SpeedDisk - just try it, that's all I'll say)

The shortcuts folder should now have five shortcuts in it. Add the following textfile to the folder and label it '0.How to Cleanup.txt'. This then presents inexperienced users with an easily followed menu and a numerical sequence to follow, and hitting the F5 key should shuffle them all into the right order.

But before you do that, create a shortcut from the Shortcuts folder and place it on the  desktop. Rename it 'Cleanup'.  Right click it and select Properties, then press 'Change Icon'.  Find your way to C:\Windows\Cleanmgr.exe and click the icon there to use the little brush for a suitable logo.
------------------------------------------
(Cut and paste this section then save it to the Shortcuts folder as '0.How To Cleanup.txt'  I've written this text to be readable by my customers, who are often newbies, so it might seem a little naive. Feel free to change it)

How To Cleanup.txt 

1. RegClean 4.1a - Double left click the program to run it. When it's finished, left click the 'Fix Errors' button, then Exit.  If it finds no errors, the 'Fix Errors' button won't be available. Just Exit.
------------------------------------------------------
2. RegCleaner - Start RegCleaner.  Go to Tools\Registry Cleanup and select 'Do Them All'.  When it finishes, there'll probably be a list of files in the window.  These are safe to delete. Either click on each file to select it (it'll change color) or hold down the Ctrl key (bottom left) and tap the 'A' key. This will select 'All' of the files. Press 'Remove Selected'.  Press 'Exit' to finish.
------------------------------------------------------
3. Run WinDoctor. Ignore introductory windows. Select 'Perform all Norton Windoctor tests (recommended)'.
Press 'Next'. When it stops, press 'Next' to see what it found (if anything). Press 'Finish' whether it found anything or not. If it did find anything to fix, press the 'Details' button at upper right if you want to see more information about each problem. You can either press 'Repair All' at upper left to fix all problems (which is quite safe) or you can check out each problem individually by going to the lower window pane (only available if you selected 'Details') and RIGHT clicking each problem and selecting 'Repair Selected Problem'. A window will open with further options. The suggested repair method will be dotted.

Note: Occasionally, the selected repair method will NOT be correct.  This sometimes happens with respect to shortcuts and you may have to scroll through the options to find the right one.....

Note also: All changes can be undone with the 'Undo' button (even at a later date)

When finished, X the program shut (x at upper right)
------------------------------------------------------
4. Cleanup.bat - Double left click the shortcut to the Cleanup batchfile (or .bat, for short). When prompted, press 'Yes' to run it in DOS mode. Windows will now begin to shutdown - press any key when prompted to continue. The Cleanup.bat will now clean out all temporary and unneccessary files then restart Windows.
------------------------------------------------------
5. De-fragment file structure - During use, Windows tends to scatter files about the hard drive, like someone reading many books in a library and leaving them strewn all over the floor. These files remain scattered and Windows has to go searching for them the next time it needs them.  This not only takes longer and longer as time goes on, but also results in unneccessary wear and tear on the hard drive mechanism. De-fragmenting forces Windows to clean up the mess, resulting in faster, more efficient data retrieval.
------------------------------------------------------
6. Select Start\Shutdown\ReStart to reboot the computer.  If you're in the habit of leaving the computer running most of the time, occasionally select Start\Shutdown\Shutdown, then, when prompted, physically switch off the computer.  Leave it off for about 1 minute then restart it. This ensures that all electronic processes will be completely closed and finished with.
------------------------------------------------------
End of How to Cleanup.txt
------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------
Here's the Cleanup batchfile.  First the original version, then my shortened version follows.
Note: You'll need to establish that your computer is using the paths detailed in the batchfile. If you're in any doubt what this means, ask. 
------------------------------------------------------
@echo off
cls
echo                  Fred Langa's CleanALL_9x.Bat,
echo           an improved Win9x hard-disk cleanup tool.
echo   ---------------------------------------------------------
echo            Copyright (c) 2001 Langa Consulting
echo                   http://www.langa.com
echo   ---------------------------------------------------------
echo       Use Notepad to view file contents before running!
echo       Only you can determine if the file contents and
echo       structure are OK to run on *your specific* setup.
echo   Info/Documentation/Etc: http://www.langa.com/clean9x.htm
echo                        -----------
::    This file is offered as-is and without warranty of any kind.
::    This file may redistributed as long as all header information
::    is retained in the final file. 
::    DO NOT PROCEED until and unless you have read the precaution/usage
::    info and checked for newer versions at http://www.langa.com/cleanup_bat.htm
echo This batch file aggressively cleans up all Temp files, compacts your
echo Registry and Cookies Index, empties the Temporary Internet File (TIF) area,
echo compacts your Icon Cache (by deletion) and then runs a disk-check utility in
echo order to verify that your hard drive is healthy after the cleanup operation.
echo .
echo Note 1: This file MUST be run from pure DOS, not from a DOS window. Note 2:
echo This file uses the standard DELTREE command usually found in Windows\Command.
echo Note 3: This file uses DOS environment variables to locate your Windows
echo and other directories. *Read this file* in Notepad or Edit to ensure
echo it will operate as intended.
::   (If you need help understanding DOS environment variables, READ THE
::   DOCUMENTATION LINKS on http://www.langa.com/cleanall_bat.htm, and
::   especially see http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-09-18.htm#1 )
echo   ---------------------------------------------------------
echo If you haven't followed the instructions above, hit ctrl-c to abort; otherwise
pause
cls
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: check that standard environment variables are in use and if not, abort
if %winbootdir% !==! goto noenv
if %temp% !==! goto noenv
if %tmp% !==! goto noenv
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: if the standard smartdrv disk cache is available, use it to speed things up
:: NOTE: Some systems actually work better WITHOUT smartdrv;
:: if you encounter trouble, place two colons "::" in front of the next line.
if exist %winbootdir%\smartdrv.exe %winbootdir%\smartdrv.exe 2048 16
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: Next line catches missing/nonstandard deltree directory
if not exist %winbootdir%\command\deltree.exe goto nodeltree
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: The next lines wipe out the temp directories in standard locations
deltree /y %winbootdir%\temp\
deltree /y %winbootdir%\tmp\
deltree /y c:\tmp\
deltree /y c:\temp\
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: The next lines wipe out the temp directories in nonstandard locations
:: as long as they are aliased in the environmental variables
:: (may repeat actions of previous deltree operations, but no harm is done)
deltree /y %temp%\
deltree /y %tmp%\
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::  Next line kills garbage files that Office leaves behind
del %winbootdir%\ff*.tmp
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::  Next line erases the icon cache, saving some resources on restart
if exist %winbootdir%\ShellI~1\ deltree /y %winbootdir%\ShellI~1\
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: Next line catches missing/nonstandard cookies directory
if not exist %winbootdir%\cookies\*.* goto nocookie
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: Next line deletes index.dat in the normal cookies directory
deltree /y %winbootdir%\cookies\index.dat
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: Next line checks for, processes standard TIF
if exist %winbootdir%\tempor~1\*.* goto cleantif1
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: If no standard TIF, next line checks for the alternate TIF
:: and if 2nd TIF missing, then no TIF has been found; abort
if not exist %winbootdir%\locals~1\tempor~1\*.* goto notif
:: But if 2nd TIF exists, process it
goto cleantif2
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: this line should never run, but is here for completeness
goto end
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:noenv
:: noenv runs if env variables aren't in use
cls 
echo Error! 
echo There's a problem with one or more of your environment variables.
echo Batch process aborted. No files deleted.
echo Please edit this file manually to insert the correct path
echo to the referenced directories.
pause
goto end
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:nodeltree
:: nodeltree runs if deltree can't be located
cls 
echo Error! %winbootdir%\command\deltree.exe not found. No files deleted.
echo Please edit this file manually to insert the correct path
echo to your copy of Deltree.exe.
pause
goto end
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:nocookie
:: nocookie runs if the cookies directory can't be located
cls 
echo Error! %winbootdir%\cookies\ not found. No cookie or TIF files deleted.
echo Please edit this file manually to insert the correct path
echo to your Cookie directory.
pause
goto end
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:notif
:: notif runs if the TIF can't be located in either standard location
cls
echo Error! Cannot locate TIF! No TIF files deleted.
echo Please edit this file manually to insert the correct path
echo to your TIF directory.
pause
goto end
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:cleantif1
:: cleantif1 deletes the TIF if in the standard location
if exist %winbootdir%\tempor~1\*.* deltree /y %winbootdir%\tempor~1\
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:cleantif2
:: cleantif2 deletes the TIF if in the usual alternate location
if exist %winbootdir%\locals~1\tempor~1\*.* deltree /y %winbootdir%\locals~1\tempor~1\
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: if scanreg is available, use it to optimize the registry;
:: if you have trouble with this command, see
:: http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-10-05.htm#2
if exist %winbootdir%\command\scanreg.exe %winbootdir%\command\scanreg.exe /opt
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: edit this section to invoke the drive-check utility of your choice
:: by placing double colons "::" in front of any lines you DON'T
:: want to run, and removing the colons from any line you DO want to run.
:: By default, Windows' own Scandisk is enabled as follows
scandisk /all /autofix /nosummary
:: if you prefer Norton Disk Doctor, and have it installed,
:: disable the Scandisk line, above, and remove the colons
:: in front of the following line
:: ndd c: /q
:: you also may edit the Norton command any way you wish, or 
:: add commands for any other disk checker you prefer
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:end
echo Done. Please reboot now.
exit

----------------------------------------------------------
End of original batch file
----------------------------------------------------------
Ian's shortened version: Note - I don't claim to be a DOS expert and this file could probably be refined.  But it works for me :--))

cls
c:\windows\smartdrv.exe 2048 16
deltree /y c:\windows\temp\
deltree /y c:\windows\tmp\
deltree /y c:\tmp\
deltree /y c:\temp\
del c:\windows\ff*.tmp
deltree /y c:\windows\ShellI~1\
deltree /y c:\windows\cookies\index.dat
deltree /y c:\windows\tempor~1\
deltree /y c:\windows\locals~1\tempor~1\
c:\windows\command\scanreg.exe /opt
scandisk /all /autofix /nosummary
exit
-------------------------------------------
End of shortened batch file
-------------------------------------------

Whew, what a saga!  Hope this is helpful for some of you as it has been for me - it's certainly kept my computer clean and mean.

I'm sure my explanation could be improved - I'm probably too familiar with it and too close to it to be able to see it with a new user's eyes......

So Good Luck!   

Ian Porter
Computer Guys
Arrowtown
New Zealand
[log in to unmask]

               The NOSPIN Group Promotions is now offering
              Mandrake Linux or Red Hat Linux CD sets along
         with our NOSPIN Power Linux CD...  at a great price!!!
             http://freepctech.com/goodies/promotions.shtml