Reviewed By: Missy Grote
Date: July 4, 2004
Section: Book Reviews
Publisher: Paraglyph Press
Authors: Joli Ballew and Jeff Duntemann
Pages: 320
Retail Price: $24.99
Dot Journal Price: $16.99

I think I’m not the only one who has felt frustrated with their PC. With even slower boot times and programs crashing more regularly, I catch myself paying more and more attention to the commercials advertising faster computers at a shrinking price. Why should I have to buy a new PC until I am ready? Until then, I have found a book that has made me feel confident that I can tweak it back into its impressive state when I first brought it home. Degunking Windows, by Joli Ballew and Jeff Duntemann was written with the intention of helping you, dear reader, degunk your PC and make it as fast and reliable as the day you got it.

The best thing about Degunking Windows is that even though delving into technical terms, it still manages to translate each step into plain English so that even computer novices can follow along. To help you not feel overwhelmed, degunking tasks are segregated depending on how much time you have available. From a quick 10 minutes to a half day revamp, your PC will hum smoother with each completed task. It starts by getting you the most results in the least amount of time.

The book adopts a 12 step process for degunking your PC. The first few chapters help to give you a better understanding about why you have to degunk in the first place. By looking this over you’ll be more aware of the warning signs to look for during normal PC usage. After this, you begin the nuts of bolts of starting to really dig into your PC. You’ll be walked through deleting files and programs that you no longer need, and get ideas on how to better organize your folders. I really liked the suggestion of not emptying the recycle bin right away after purging files and programs. Then after a certain time has passed, they suggest restarting all programs just to make sure you are not deleting a needed file; talk about a potential lifesaver. Tips for uncluttering your bloated desktop and systray are also included.

Degunking Windows covers all the critical topics you need to know about to increase your computer’s performance. From reducing spam and uncluttering your email to cleaning the complex registry, this book guides you through each degunking task without the technical jargon. I particularly liked the chapter dedicated to controlling spam where I learned some new information regarding the usefulness of obfuscating your email address! In addition, many free or close-to-free programs are discussed to help you in your degunking quest.

f you’re not ready to trash your current PC, I’d highly suggest getting a copy of Degunking Windows. In no time at all, you’ll put the Perky back into PC.

 

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