Why all this clutter? Throw it out!

General

Having discussed how to remove MSN Messenger, here’s a suggestion how take another step. Whether it’s a hard drive space issue, or an attempt to tidy up your installed programs, there are some quick ways how to reduce operating system clutter.

On Windows XP, MSN Messenger is installed by default, along with MSN Explorer and Outlook Express. If you have Microsoft Office 2000 (or newer) installed, you may already be using Microsoft Outlook. That is the e-mail program that replaces Outlook Express. If you are using Eudora or Thunderbird for e-mail, you don’t need Outlook Express at all. To remove it, open Control Panel, then open Add/Remove Programs and click the Add/Remove Windows Components button on the left-hand side. Scroll down the list until you see Outlook Express, then remove the check mark. Click OK and wait to be prompted – you may require your original Windows XP CD, or to know the location of its source files on your hard drive (typically in the C:i386 folder).

In addition to Outlook Express, you may also remove MSN Explorer, a combination of utilities including a web browser, e-mail, chat, shopping and media center. This is the type of software you may have received if you purchased an ISP monthly subscription with the Microsoft Network. It serves no real purpose for the average Windows XP system. If you have purchased a MSN subscription, leave it as it is. To remove MSN Explorer – once again – go to the Add/Remove Programs icon in Control Panel, Add/Remove Windows Components. Look for MSN Messenger and remove the check mark.

Desktop screen savers, mouse pointers, sounds schemes and wallpaper are also good sources of clutter. You can remove them all if you follow the same steps as above.

Let’s take a closer look at the Add/Remove Windows Components categories and their components. Remove bolded items with impunity, but check whether you meet all of the conditions first.

  • calculator, character map, clipboard viewer, desktop wallpaper, document templates, mouse pointers, paint.
  • Games – if you use them, leave them, otherwise remove them.
  • Fax services – if you use a modem to send faxes, this is essential. If you have an external fax, uninstall this.
  • Indexing service – if you commonly look for files, this speeds up searches. If you don’t search often, remove it.
  • Internet Explorer – unless you use Opera, Firefox or Netscape, you will need this.
  • Internet Information Services – if you run a web site from your computer, keep this.
  • Management and monitoring tools – chances are you don’t use these.
  • MSN Explorer – as mentioned earlier, you can remove it.
  • Networking services – again, this is for advanced users only and not required for us average Joans and Joes.
  • Outlook Express – if you don’t have any other e-mail client, keep this.
  • Update Root Certificates – this should be left alone.
  • Windows Media Player – most people use this.
  • Windows Messenger – as mentioned above, you can remove it.