The Bottom Line

Most users don't like to mess with system maintenance and troubleshooting tools. I don't blame you. This stuff really isn't any fun, and it's often too technical and confusing to truly understand.

Still, you need to perform periodic maintenance on your system. And you may eventually run into a problem that requires the use of some of the more technical system tools. For those reasons, it pays to familiarize yourself with these tools and utilities. If nothing else, remember these key points:

• Microsoft has moved a lot of its maintenance utilities from the System Tools folder to the Help and Support Center. If you can't find a specific tool in one place, look in the other!

• The two essential hard disk maintenance activities are cleaning up unused files and defragmenting the disk.

• Even though ScanDisk no longer exists as a stand-alone program, the function of finding and fixing hard disk errors is still around. In Windows XP this disk fixing is accessible by right-clicking a hard disk icon in My Computer, selecting Properties, selecting the Tools tab, and clicking the Check Now button.

• A lot of key information is displayed in the System Properties dialog box; this dialog box serves as a gateway to other tools and utilities including the Device Manager.

• You use the Device Manager to view and reconfigure all the devices that are attached to or installed in your computer. (You also can use the Device Manager to install new device drivers, or roll back your system to use a previously installed version of a driver.)

• If you think you have a device conflict, use the System Information utility to display all the shared resources on your system. (You also use System Information to access several "hidden" utilities, including the DirectX Diagnostic Tool and Dr. Watson.)

• The Windows Registry is where Windows stores all its configuration information. You can edit the Registry with the Registry Editor utility.