Needing help with a few things...

[Nikki]

Alrighty, I'm needing a bit of help with my laptop and lately my Dad's been too busy to check it out fo me, so i'm going to try and fix it up myself.

1. I think i need to Defrag it. I haven't defragged it since i got it back in July. Hoooow would i go about doing that?
2. I want to clean out some files but i'm at a loss as to how to do some of them. If i delete the -Installer- files, would that also delete the programs themselves?
3. How do i go about cleaning under the keys? A few of them have been getting stuck and i have a suspicion my brother dropped crumbs on the keyboard =/

Information that you may need in order to help: i have a Gateway 15.4" M Series Notebook with Vista.

Thanks in advance for any help 

[superluser]

1.) What filesystem are you using?
2.) Not necessarily, but it may make it impossible to remove the programs safely later, if you need to.
3.) What sort of keyboard do you have?  In any case, compressed air or a keyboard vacuum will probably do the job.  A keyboard cover may help in the future.

[Nikki]

Okay, not gonna delete files for now for fear of ruining my baby.

Ummm...my laptop...keyboard...thing is like a regular keyboard...Here XD

Filesystem...filesystem...Elaborate please?

[Lysander]

I'm thinking he may be talking about your OS, like Windows, Mac, or Linux for example.  Considering your laptop is probably a gateway I'm thinking you either have windows XP or Vista. If so, to defragment:

Open My Computer
Right click on C drive, or Local Disk (C)
click Properties
go to to the Tools tab
Click Defragment

For cleaning the keyboard compressed air is always a good choice. If you don't have a can or don't want to buy one another idea is to use a flat head screwdriver to pop out the keys and clean out underneath, and just press the keys back into their places when finished.   

[superluser]

Ummm...my laptop...keyboard...thing is like a regular keyboard...Here XD

Filesystem...filesystem...Elaborate please?

Some filesystems do not need to be defragged.  I'm pretty sure all Windows-based FS can use a good defrag.

Without knowing what sort of keyboard Gateway uses (like, is it safe to remove the keys or is it safe to use a damp cloth), I couldn't say for sure how to clean it.  Like I said, compressed air is safe.  I've never run across a keyboard where you couldn't pop the keys back in, but I don't want to tell you something and have it be wrong.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Information that you may need in order to help: i have a Gateway 15.4" M Series Notebook with Vista.

*cough*

The query was filesystem. That means either FAT32 or NTFS. Chances are you're using NTFS. If you follow the instructions above, at the "Properties" step, it should say which it is.

Edit:

Without knowing what sort of keyboard Gateway uses (like, is it safe to remove the keys or is it safe to use a damp cloth), I couldn't say for sure how to clean it.  Like I said, compressed air is safe.  I've never run across a keyboard where you couldn't pop the keys back in, but I don't want to tell you something and have it be wrong.

I have. Particularly on laptops. :-/

I have a better laptop now.

[Saist]

A: Defrag : http://www.kessels.com/Jkdefrag/  Set it as the screensaver, and just walk away.

B: Cleaning up files : www.ccleaner.com : all the temp files you don't want, gone.

Also don't forget stuff like Spybot Search and Destroy and a Good Antivirus.

C: Cleaning under the keys: Let me introduce you to a friend of mine from Home Depot ... or it's younger cousin. I'm actually not joking about using a leaf blower to clean out keyboards. Most homes with any size yard have a leaf blower, or vacuum cleaner with a blower function... so you don't need to go out and spend money on a can of compressed air. Although, if you are in some inner city zone where nobody has ever heard of a yard, canned air might be the only option.

[superluser]

C: Cleaning under the keys: Let me introduce you to a friend of mine from Home Depot ... or it's younger cousin. I'm actually not joking about using a leaf blower to clean out keyboards. Most homes with any size yard have a leaf blower, or vacuum cleaner with a blower function... so you don't need to go out and spend money on a can of compressed air. Although, if you are in some inner city zone where nobody has ever heard of a yard, canned air might be the only option.

I know this is a blower, not a vacuum, and I'm pretty sure that keyboards are well insulated, but if you ever want a vacuum for the computer, it's probably worth the extra couple bucks to buy one designed for computers, since there's a decent chance of static electricity otherwise.

[Nikki]

Alrighty i defragged and HOLY CRAP what a difference!!

I'm debating on wether to use a leafblower cuz ours is kind of dirty and blows out dirt a lot =/ I may have to save up for compressed air.

Think i would be able to pop the keys off safely?

[Reese Tora]

Canned air is usually pretty inexpensive ($4-$6 for a can), though you need to be careful when you use it for long periods of time(for instance, cleaning out a PC tower that hadn't been cleaned in four years of use...).  The problem being that the liquid air inside needs to turn in to a gas, and that expanding gas absorbs a lot of heat.  The cans can form frost on the sides with extended use, and the pressure that comes out of the can can be reduced until it warms up(they tell you not to shake teh can before use, but vigorous shaking can speed up repressurization, just make sure to let the can sit afterwards so the air bubbles will 'settle' at the top of the can).

Most laptop keyboards use a scissors style mount that can be popped off if you lift it from the correct edge.  Unfortunately, I don't know what edge that would be for yours(different manufacturers make them facing different ways), and the wrong edge will break the keys, so you should do a little research on your laptop/keyboard model.  there might also be instruction on removing adn cleaning keys on the manufacturer website froy our model (doubt it, but there might be.)

[franksandhotdogs]

Alrighty, I'm needing a bit of help with my laptop and lately my Dad's been too busy to check it out fo me, so i'm going to try and fix it up myself.

1. I think i need to Defrag it. I haven't defragged it since i got it back in July. Hoooow would i go about doing that?
2. I want to clean out some files but i'm at a loss as to how to do some of them. If i delete the -Installer- files, would that also delete the programs themselves?
3. How do i go about cleaning under the keys? A few of them have been getting stuck and i have a suspicion my brother dropped crumbs on the keyboard =/

Information that you may need in order to help: i have a Gateway 15.4" M Series Notebook with Vista.

Thanks in advance for any help 

Nope, deleting installer files won't delete the program, but you won't be able to install it back if you delete the program.  I defrag my laptop whenever I remember to, which isn't a regular basis.

Go buy a can of compressed air at K-mart, Gamestop, Shopko, Target, Wal-mart, Best Buy or whatever and spray it all over the board between the keys to get the small dust particles out.  It's $5.34 at the K-mart in my town.

BTW, XP is better than Vista.  Vista is almost worse than ME (Millennium).

[Vidar]

I think that using a leafblower on a laptop is a terrible idea. Don't risk it. Go for the canned air solution.
If your keyboard is really dirty, tissues, q-tips, and an alcohol-based cleaning fluid can do nicely. Don't poor the cleaning agent over your keyboard, but moisten the q-tips / tissues with it, and gently clean between the keys.
On normal keyboards you could pop the keys and clean undderneath them, but I don't know if this is possible with laptop keyboards.
If keys are getting stuck, you might want to switch to a normal keyboard. Normal keyboards are nicer to use anyway, unless you use your laptop away from home/your office.

[Rakala]

I am also having computer trouble myself. Basically I get up to the point where it says "Windows XP" and is loading, then just gives me the blue screen of death. No sounds, no heat from the computer. If it's a virus then I'm never getting to it.

[Reese Tora]

Rakala: if you can, write down the stop code of the blue screen

something like 0x00000000(0x00000000 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x00000000)

the numbers inside the parenthases aren't too important, but the first number might tell what part is failing

Also, hit F8 as windows starts to boot, see if you can boot in safe mode.(as in this article) or if that sends it to bluescreen as well.