In order to get the most out of a relationship you need to put some work into it, and while you may be busy celebrating Valentine’s Day, you should take some time on National Clean out your Computer Day which falls on February 14th this year. While you may want to hold off until tomorrow, here are a collection of ways you can clean out your computer to keep it running in tip top shape.

Several of the ways to clean out your PC can be done for free with programs and guides we mention below, and others can be done using the popular System Mechanic 10, which is available for $25 (50% off) right now and may be a quicker way to clean out your PC for some users. Whichever method you use, if you put a little effort into rekindling the love with your computer it will pay off everytime you use it the rest of the year.

Why should you clean out your computer? Easy. It will make it easier to use and simplify finding the stuff you need. According to numerous surveys messy computers lead to stress, disorganization and lost time. They even contribute to the fact that 62% of U.S. adults have admitted to yelling and cursing at their computers due to slow response times! Stop the insanity, and rekindle the romance with your computer using these tips.

Clean up old documents: To start, lets clean out your old files that are taking up precious hard drive space on your system. To start, click on Start and type Disk Cleanup. Hit Enter.  If prompted, choose the hard drive you want to clean up and then put check marks next to the files you want to clean up. When you are ready, click OK, then choose “Delete Files”. See the image below.

Alternately, you can use System Mechanic’s “Remove Junk Files”, “Remove Internet Debris” or “Find Duplicate Files” tools to perform similar steps.

If you want to find large files that are taking up space, use the free TreeSize program that will help you find large folders and files of data.

Clean out your history: Another place to look is your browsing history. You can clean up your browsing history to free up some space on your computer. Here’s how to clear your web browsing history in Internet Explorer, Chrome, FireFox, Safari and Opera.

Uninstall Unused Applications: Today’s also a great time to clean out unused computer programs which take up plenty of space on your computer. To start, click on Start -> Control Panel -> Uninstall Programs and look for programs you don’t use.

Clean up your registry: Cleaning your registry can be tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing which is why we recommend using a trustworthy tool like System Mechanic to repair and clean up any registry issues or errors.

Clean up your startup: Loading up a bunch of programs at Startup can really slow your computer down and prevent you from getting to work or play faster. System Mechanic has an Optimize Windows Startup tool to clean up your startup, or you can follow our directions to stop unwanted programs from starting up.

Clean out your actual computer: This is also a great time to spray out the vents and keyboard on your laptop with a can of spray air. If it’s been a really long time, you may even want to open the case with a screwdriver and spray it out to keep things running cool.

If you’re looking for more, be sure to check out iolo’s top ten tips for cleaning out your computer.

Photo via Wm Chamberlain

Rekindle the Love: National Clean out your Computer Day Tips and Guides is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Does your computer take a long time to fully load Windows when your turn it on? Does it run more sluggishly than when you first purchased it? One of the things that may cause these issues is unnecessary startup programs. Annoyingly, many programs have the audacity to automatically register to launch when your computer turns on. This can make your computer take a long time to boot and run slowly as these programs are running in the background. Luckily, it’s possible to prevent these programs from running and this guide will tell you just how to do that if you are running Windows 7.

Check to See Which Programs Are Starting Up Automatically:

One of the easiest ways to find the annoying programs that are automatically starting is to check your System Tray which is the icon area next to the clock on the task bar. You are looking for items that you don’t use regularly enough to justify launching automatically every time that the computer starts. For instance, if you only use Microsoft Office occasionally, then you don’t want it slowing your computer down by always running on startup.

1. Glance down at the System Tray, you may need to hover your mouse over top of an icon if you don’t know what it is.
2. Some icons are automatically hidden, you may need to click the small upward facing arrow in order to reveal all of them.

Launch the Control Panel:

1. Press the start button [] at the bottom right of the task bar.
2. Search for Control Panel and select it from the start menu under Programs.
3. At the top right of the Control Panel window, use the search box to search for Administrative Tools; click on it once it has been found.
4. Locate and select System Configuration from the list.
5. Select the Startup tab at the top of the window.
6. If you find a program that you don’t want to start automatically, uncheck it from the list and click apply.
7. If you’d like to verify that you’ve removed the proper program, restart your computer and check the task bar to ensure that it is no longer starting.

How to Stop Programs From Running on Startup and Slowing Your Computer is a post by Ben from Notebooks.com.

In addition to the touchscreens that Toshiba added to the new Satellite notebook lineup, will be launching with Windows 7, all of the notebooks in the Satellite lineup will also get a simplified desktop and boot up faster.

This announcement is a welcome change from the days when buying a new notebook would require you to spend an hour removing all of the pre-installed crap that loaded at startup. While the situation has improved since 2007, when PCDecrapifier was a must have app, pre-installed programs have still plagued recently sold notebooks with Windows Vista.

Instead of bringing these problems along to Windows 7, Toshiba is focusing on giving users a clean desktop with minimal software running in the background. All of the new Satellite notebooks shipping with Windows 7 will offered the only have the recycle bin on the desktop and as for programs running at startup, they will be limited to an antivirus or similar program(s).

Not only will this lead to better battery life, thanks in part to new power improvements in Windows 7, but Toshiba claims that, “startup, shutdown and Fast Sleep-and-Resume performance will be improved.”

In addition to the Toshiba Satellite U505 and M505 with Touchscreens these usability and battery life improvements will be included on the following new Satellite notebooks.

High Definition Entertainment: Satellite A500 Series

Perfect for home users and tech enthusiasts, the Satellite A500 Series are entertainment-packed performance laptops that combine performance-class processing with Toshiba’s latest design elements. The sleek Satellite A500 Series features a 16-inch diagonal widescreen HD Edge-to-Edge display on select models, harman/kardon^® speakers, optional Blu-ray^® disc players and Fusion Finish and high capacity hard drives. Intel^® Coreâ„¢ 2 Duo or AMD Turionâ„¢ II Ultra processor configurations and choices of integrated or discrete graphics are also available. Pricing starts at $589.99 MSRP.

Desktop Replacement: Satellite P500 Series

Featuring a brilliant 18.4-diagonal widescreen HD TruBriteâ„¢ display, the Satellite P500 Series is designed with digital media enthusiasts and mainstream PC gamers in mind. The premium Satellite P500 Series offers more than an ordinary laptop. Featuring harman/kardon speakers, as well as sleek slot-loading DVD drives and Edge-to-Edge displays in select models, this high-performance desktop replacement also incorporates powerful processing muscle with either Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Turion II processors, and choices of integrated or discrete graphics. Select models also include a Blu-ray disc player and/or illuminating LED backlit keyboard. Pricing starts at $799.99 MSRP.

Everyday Value: Satellite L500 Series

The Satellite L500 Series laptops are ideal for students, home users and anyone looking to enjoy digital media, staying productive, connecting online or casual gaming. Satellite L500 Series laptops are available with either a 14-, 15.6-, 16- and 17.3-inch diagonal display sizes and come equipped with powerful processor options from Intel and AMD, including the new Turion II and Athlonâ„¢ II, hard drives ranging from 250GB to 500GB and Toshiba’s popular Fusion Finish. Starting prices range from $504.99 to $579.99 MSRP.

Ultra Thin: Satellite T100 Series

Also to include Windows 7 Home Premium are Toshiba’s recently announced ultra-thin Satellite T100 Series laptops (starting at $449.99 MSRP¹), which offer the performance, flexibility and functionality of a standard-sized laptop, yet in a highly portable package.

More information on the Satellite T100 Series

Toshiba Cuts The Crap For a Faster Boot! is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.