Schedule Maintenance Tasks (ex. Disk Cleanup)

A:
You can schedule maintenance tasks like Disk Cleanup. First, see our tip for settings on Disk Cleanup that will avoid "throwing out" stuff you might need. Go to the Start Menu, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Scheduled Tasks. The Scheduled Tasks window will appear, and you can click on the icon "Add Scheduled Task".

The Scheduled Task Wizard will open. Click Next to continue and scroll down to Disk Cleanup. Click it, then click Next. In the next window, you can select how often you want the task to occur. For most of us, monthly will be sufficient.

Click Next. Now select how often you'd like your computer to run this task. It helps if you select a time your computer is likely to be on. You can either select a date (the 3rd of the month) or a day (2nd Monday of the month) to run the task.

Click Next. You may or may not see a username/password window next, but you shouldn't need to enter a password unless you set up multiple accounts on your computer. Click Next, then Finish. and you're all set to keep your disk space clean- no remembering needed!

If you ever want to unschedule a task, get back to the scheduled task window (the first picture) and right-click that task. Then choose Delete and OK.

~ Chris Fisher