Where Programs Put Stuff

Software: You can't live without it, and you can't get it to tidy up after itself. From the moment you boot up in the morning till you select Shut Down every evening, programs toss data around your hard drive without a thought for whether you'll be able to find it all again. Sure, you exercise some control over where programs save your files, but if you've saved a file in a hurry, you may have trouble locating it a week later.

C:\Program Files

If you're lucky (and that's a big "if"), your software will install itself in a subfolder under Program Files. Highfalutin programs like Adobe Acrobat, America Online, Lotus Notes, and Quicken consider themselves too important to occupy a mere subfolder. They insist on sticking themselves right there in C:\Acrobat, C:\America Online 4.0, and so on.

Don't set up too fast! Some programs let you choose where to install them. Unfortunately, this choice is usually offered after you've clicked through ten other dumb questions during the installation. Don't click the default too quickly--it's much easier to find a program when it's filed neatly away under C:\Program Files.

C:\Windows\Application Data

If you use Outlook or Outlook Express as your e-mail client or information manager, get familiar with the Application Data folder, the place where some programs (especially Microsoft apps) store really important data. Outlook and Outlook Express usually store their folders, including e-mail archives, here--which is good to know when you're backing up data, like e-mail archives. (And if you're backing up messages, don't forget to check the Address Book subfolder.)

C:\Windows\Temporary Internet Files

Internet Explorer caches files, graphics, sounds, and downloaded pages, and stuffs 'em here. It's best not to delete files at random here--at least not while your browser is active. If you really need to purge your cache, use Windows 98's Disk Cleanup feature (located at Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup,) or select Start, Settings, Control Panel, double-click Internet, and click Delete Files under Temporary Internet Files.

C:\Windows\Temp

Throughout the day, programs throw a lot of junk into this folder. Sometimes, Windows gets the mess cleaned up before it gets out of hand. But like a teenager (Windows was, after all, born in 1985), it usually needs a gentle nudge (at the least). If you find a mountain of files in here, delete anything with a date stamp earlier than the current day: Click View, Details to get a list of files with a Modified column at the right. Click that column heading to sort the files in descending date order. Then select and delete any outdated entries.

C:\My Music

If you've installed RealJukebox, you may well be taking CD audio tracks and creating MP3 files galore every time you spin a CD. My Music is where the software stores the goodies. A cursory glance will show you one thing: They take up a lot of space.