Your PC might well have been faster than a Ferrari when you bought it, but after a year or two it probably bears closer resemblance to a clapped-out Cortina. It now takes 10 minutes to even start, Windows is complaining of a lack of hard disk space and files have gone missing.

Many people might shrug their shoulders and buy a new PC. Yet all your system probably needs is a good clean to keep it purring – the digital equivalent of changing the spark plugs.

There are software packages on offer that promise to spring clean your PC for around £40. However, these so-called fix-it tools rarely do anything more than you could do yourself for free, with a little know-how.

Windows, both XP and Vista, has a variety of built-in yet hidden-away tools to help keep your system running smoothly. There are also freely downloadable clean-up applications that are as good, if not better, than the commercial packages. At this point Mac owners can put their feet up: the Mac operating system largely takes care of itself, although you’ll still need to keep an eye on your hard disk space and remove unnecessary software. Better still, Macaroni (£5 from www.atomicbird.com ) will ensure all works smoothly. For the majority of us in the Windows world, read on.

CLEAR OUT YOUR HARD DISK

One of the biggest factors that affects the speed at which your computer runs is the hard disk – the fuller it is the more cumbersome the system becomes. The easiest way to save space and help your PC run more smoothly is to get shot of programs (such as old versions of Word) that you don’t use any more. In Windows XP, click Start, Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs. In the top right hand corner, select “Sort by date last used” and the software you haven’t touched in months, or even years, will appear at the top of the list. Click on those you don’t need, select Change/remove and follow the on-screen instructions.

Microsoft provides full advice on clearing out old software and other valuable tips on keeping your computer clean at tinyurl.com/26p2yt. This site also offers a free PC scan that searches your system for viruses and spyware (both of which can cripple your PC’s performance) as well as several other useful maintenance checks.

Programs aren’t the only things that clog up your hard disk: all manner of internet files and downloads can quickly accumulate. The excellent CCleaner (www.ccleaner.com ) will root all these out, as well as performing easily forgotten space saving tasks, such as cleaning out the Recycle Bin (yes, you have to put the bins out even on computers).

Imagine your hard disk like a storeroom – the more files you add and delete from your computer, the more cluttered it becomes, with bits of data littered all over the place. When this happens, the computer has to work overtime to locate your files. The Windows Disk Defragmenter tool tidies all those little fragments into one large lump, which not only speeds up your PC but might also help your hard disk last longer. You’ll find it by clicking Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter. See support.microsoft.com/kb/305781 for full instructions.

STOP UNWANTED PROGRAMS

Could you finish The Times crossword in the time it takes your PC to start up after you switch it on? Infuriatingly, most modern software applications needlessly insist on loading automatically every time you switch on your PC and boot up Windows, causing that huge delay. And the more software you install over time, the longer the wait becomes.

You can stop these programs from running by following the step-by-step guide at NetSquirrel (www.netsquirrel.com/msconfig ).

Only stop software you’re certain you no longer need – don’t prevent vital programs such as antivirus software from running on start-up.

If you want to give your PC a full MoT, try downloading Advanced WindowsCare Personal from www.iobit.com/ advancedwindowscareper.html , free of charge. This software includes a start-up manager that will advise you which programs it’s safe to stop from running at start-up.

It also includes a bevy of powerful tools to stop spyware and performs clever tricks such as slightly reducing the quality of the thumbnail images that appear when you open a folder of digital photos, so that you don’t suffer that irritating delay. Beware, however, this is powerful software and some features, such as the Registry Fix, should only be used by experts. Follow the software’s advice and back up your data on an external hard disk first.

TIDY UP THE DESKTOP

After a few months the Windows desktop – the screen that first appears after you’ve logged in – can resemble a teenager’s bedroom, with so many icons littering the screen that it’s a struggle to find the one you want.

It’s a common misconception that deleting a program’s icon from the desktop will uninstall the software itself – it won’t because these icons are simply shortcuts that enable you to quickly open a program, and are not the program itself.

You’ll still be able to find the program from the Start menu, so why not save the desktop for the handful of icons you need to access regularly? Every 60 days Windows will invite you to move the rarely used icons on your desktop to a special folder, but if your screen’s a mess, you can run this handy tool immediately by right-clicking on the desktop, then selecting Arrange Icons By and running Desktop Clean-up Wizard.

There are more useful hints on tidying up your desktop – including how to make the icons line up neatly – at tinyurl.com/33fl6 .

Apple Mac computers are the epitome of clean design, and they keep the desktop clutter-free with a smartly animated menu system called the Dock. This is a large bar that sits at the bottom of the screen and contains big, bold icons for your e-mail software, internet browser and all your other favourite programs. Windows users can make their PC look like a Mac by downloading ObjectDock from (www.stardock.com/products/objectdock ).

Those who remain keen on the Windows look, but want a bit more control over the layout of their desktop and Start menu, should download Tweak UI from Microsoft’s site (tinyurl.com/2meyw ). It enables you to customise your desktop by adding things such as shadows or changing fonts, but won’t work with Vista.

FINDING LOST FILES

The inevitable consequence of any good spring clean is that in all of your reordering you’ll misplace something vitally important – be it a program, music file or digital photograph.

Thankfully there now exists a host of souped-up search tools (known as desktop search engines) that you can download which will search your computer far more effectively than the Find tool that comes with Windows.

The best of these is the brutally efficient Copernic Desktop Search 2 (a free download from www.copernic.com ). Type in part of the filename, or even a word or phrase you know is contained in a missing e-mail or document, and Copernic will hunt it down within seconds. It even provides a quick preview of the files it turns up, so you don’t have to open up a document to check it’s the right one.

Google also offers a desktop search tool (desktop.google.com ). One key advantage of this tool is that it takes snapshots of your documents as you are working on them. This means that if you accidentally delete a file you can still recover it.

If you’re already running the latest version of Windows you’ll know the operating system now comes with a built-in desktop search – XP owners can benefit from this, too, by heading to tinyurl.com/mgqzg .

Note that all three of these search tools may need to spend up to a few hours indexing your PC before they can locate all its files.

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