Can you imagine what your office would look like if it hadn’t been cleaned in three years? Try to visualize the dust bunnies under your desk and the papers stacked in piles on the floor instead of in folders and Redwells inside filing cabinets.

OK, maybe your office isn’t that much of a disaster. But what if I asked the same questions about your computers?

Have you ever had maintenance done to your computers? Have you ever opened them up? Dust inside the case can wreak havoc on smooth operation. For starters, it can cause the fan to work harder and potentially make the system more prone to over-heating. It’s worth the time to have the innards periodically vacuumed. Be careful, though, so you don’t worsen the situation. First, unplug the power cord and all connectors on the back. Second, discharge any static that may have built up in your body as you crossed the carpeted floor. Finally, make sure while the computer is open that you don’t accidentally disconnect or loosen any components. You’ll know quickly when you start the computer and it doesn’t work at all or gives an error message that something that used to be there now is missing.

Along the same lines, the CD and floppy disk drives plus the system tape backup unit should be cleaned regularly. For those old enough to remember phonograph needles, imagine what a vinyl record would sound like played by a gunk-filled needle. There are in-expensive kits to assist cleaning these devices.

The hard drive also requires periodic maintenance. When the spiral-shaped drive is new, data is stored at the beginning. As new programs are installed or documents and records added, that new information is stored further along the spiral. While working, you also will delete or move in-formation around the drive. However, rather than taking the time to put things in order, your hard drive comes with the equivalent of a table of con-tents that dynamically accesses the related pieces when you need them. Over time, though, the spiral develops gaps or holes where data used to be.

Recent versions of Windows include system tools (usually under Accessories / System Tools) such as a disk defragmenter, which reviews information stored on the hard drive and reorganizes it to delete gaps and return related pieces to the same area for more efficient access. It’s wise to run the defragmenter every few months to reorganize files. If you delete many files or remove unneeded programs, you may want to run a defrag to recover the lost space.

Cleaning the junk

There are several other useful utilities under the System Tools that can be used to maintain a PC. Beginning with Windows 98, Microsoft added a maintenance wizard that can schedule the disk defragmenter along with Scandisk and deletion of temporary files. Scan-disk looks for physical defects on the hard drive’s surface or in the file structure and moves information located in shaky spots to safer areas. As with the defragmenter, it’s a good idea to run this periodically. The utility also includes an option to delete temporary files, which include those placed on your computer when browsing the internet, overflow files from programs you have run but may not have closed properly, or those written poorly that leave garbage behind.

This utility also cleans the Windows temp folders. These pesky files can cause all sorts of problems when they get too numerous. I have been at offices where certain programs were behaving erratically, and removing large accumulations of temporary files resolved the problem. Each of these utilities also can be run separately and are accessible under the Accessories menu and other locations depending on the version of Windows.

Even if you set these utilities to run weekly, you may want to eliminate temporary files more often. Lots of programs frequently run in law offices leave behind these leftover files. To delete temp files yourself, open Windows Explorer or My Computer, open the Windows folder (in Windows 95, 98, and Windows XP) or WINNT (in Windows NT or 2000), then open the Temp and Temporary Internet Files folders. Make sure no other programs are running before proceeding. High-light all the files (you can do this quickly by pressing CTRL and “A” to select all the displayed files). Press Delete to transfer the selected files to the recycle bin. You may get an error message indicating you have hidden files that can’t be included in your selection. You also may be told you’re at-tempting to delete program files or other files. If these files are in your temp folder, it’s a safe bet to delete them because the original files are located elsewhere.

Under Folder Options (it’s in different locations in each Windows version to make it more fun), you can change your system settings to show Hidden Files. While there, you also may want to change some of the other options to make Windows easier to work with.

I recommend changing the settings to show file extensions, especially if you have any old DOS files still lingering. Showing file extensions lets you see the last three characters of file names, which can be helpful information.

Another setting under the Folder Options is to have Windows display the full path in the title bar, which shows the full location of the folders and files when opening My Computer or Windows Explorer. Given how of-ten people delete files they thought were on their local computer only to find they deleted irreplaceable files from the server, I have never under-stood why Microsoft left this box un-checked.

After emptying the temp folder, clean out the recycle bin, which has an icon on the Windows desktop. Right-click on the icon to access the Empty Recycle Bin option. If you’ve wondered why you never have more disk space after deleting files, it’s quite possible you’ve left your garbage behind in the recycle bin.

Demo software

Do you like to check out demonstration versions of programs or tend to buy lots of software to try out? Consider periodically uninstalling older programs no longer in use. Recent versions of Windows make it much easier to uninstall unwanted, unused or older versions of programs. Click on Start, choose Settings, open the Control Panel and select Add/Remove Pro-grams. You’ll see the list of programs installed on the computer. Be sure you have a recent backup of your computer (more about that shortly) and be extra careful to remove programs you’re absolutely sure you don’t need. If you accidentally remove one, you’ll have to find your original installation disks or redo a local installation from your office server and update it with any re-cent service patches and any customization. Trust me, this is not a fun task and can be extremely time-consuming depending on which products are involved.

In some previous columns, I’ve discussed other steps to keep computers running smoothly, including keeping virus definitions updated and performing regular data backups. Taking those copies offsite is equally important. What good is a backup tape in your office that you can’t get into because of a fire, flood or other disaster?

Consider multiple backups to en-sure you can restore the server’s data or push information back a day or two in the event of a problem. For my critical applications (case management, timekeeping and billing, and accounting programs), I back up each daily with unique file names (I use names like tmmon, tmtue to identify each day of the week). These files are stored on my file server. I copy them to a CD each day and finally I make a tape of my system overnight to take offsite along with alternate tapes. You can’t have too many backups.

All this reveals my other philosophy: A little time spent maintaining computers pays for itself when I spend less time having to restart or trouble-shoot pesky problems that could have been avoided by routine maintenance. Waiting until a crisis may be a decision you’ll regret.

Carol L. Schlein is president of Law Office Systems in Montclair, a training and consulting firm specializing in law firm automation. Copies of previous columns are on her company website, www.losinc.com. For information about her quarterly meetings for Time Matters users, check the website or e-mail info@losinc.com. Schlein formerly chaired the Computer and Technology Division of the ABA Law Practice Management Section.

Questions for Carol L. Schlein on law office technology may be faxed to New Jersey Lawyer at (732) 650-7010, e-mailed to news@njlnews.com or mailed to “Law Technology Questions,” New Jersey Lawyer, Edison Square, 2035 Lincoln Highway, Suite 3005, Edison, N.J. 08817.