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If it were up to me, I'd never defragment my PC's drives. I'm one of those people who prefers to have Windows' maintenance operations done in the background, without my direct intervention.

So it comes as no surprise that I'm a big fan of Vista's automatic-defrag setting. But I also know better than to put all my faith in Microsoft's ability to keep my system healthy. Last year, I started using Auslogics' free Disk Defrag utility, which works with Windows 2000 and up.

If you prefer to use Windows' defragger, you can open it by pressing the Windows key (or Ctrl-Esc), pressing R (in XP), typing defrag in Vista or dfrg.msc in XP, and pressing Enter. The interface of Vista's Disk Defragmenter is nonexistent; the utility is clearly designed for behind-the-scenes operation. Your only options are to set the defrag schedule, select the volumes to defrag, and run the defragger.

Vista's Disk Defragmenter utility is a no-frills affair.

(Credit: Microsoft)

XP's version of the Disk Defragmenter isn't much more functional, although it does give you a little more graphical feedback about the state of your drives.

You get more control over your disk defrags by running Windows' defragger utility from a command prompt and entering command switches that modify its actions. Start by opening a command-prompt window. One way is by pressing the Windows key (or Ctrl-Esc), pressing R (in XP), typing cmd, and pressing Enter. Or click Start > All Programs > Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.

At the command prompt, type defrag ? to see a list of available command switches. In both XP and Vista, you can add -a to the "defrag" command to analyze the drive only, -f to force a defrag with less than 15 percent free space, -b to defrag only boot files, and -v to show a "verbose" report of the defrag.

Vista adds a couple of other switches: -i defrags even when the PC isn't idle, -c works on all drives, and -w processes chunks of files smaller than 64MB; without this switch, Vista's defragger ignores all file fragments smaller than 64MB.

Type defrag ? at a command prompt and press Enter to see a list of available command switches.

(Credit: Microsoft)

For example, to defrag all your Vista volumes regardless of fragment size and when there's less than 15 percent free space, enter this line at the command prompt and then press Enter:

defrag -c -w -f

The utility will display a report on the selected volumes prior to beginning the defragmentation.

Windows defrag utility will show a report on the selected volumes prior to defragmenting the drives.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Unfortunately, defrags run from a command prompt aren't any faster than those conducted via the graphical interface. That's the biggest advantage of specialty defrag programs such as Auslogics' Disk Defrag, which is much speedier than the defragger in Windows.

The fact is, Vista's automated defrags were doing a great job of keeping my disk space nice and compact. I didn't notice much of a performance improvement after I manually defragged my Vista PC, but the defrag did wonders for my ancient XP box, which I admit I had neglected to defrag for many months.

The other day, I was talking to a guy who wanted a PC but didn't want Vista. He asked me how long he would have to wait for new PCs running Windows 7. When I told him that such systems were still several months away, he indicated that he'd buy a machine from a company that let you "downgrade" Vista to XP.

I didn't say anything, but part of me thought he was crazy. I'll take Vista over XP any day of the week. Not having to run a disk-defrag utility is only one of the reasons why. (Yes, I know you can automate disk defrags in XP via Scheduled Tasks, as Microsoft explains in this Knowledge Base article, but doing so is too much hassle for the average Windows user.)

I wouldn't give you a nickel for all the system tools that come with Windows. That's because I can replace them with programs that do the job better without spending even that much.

Start with the firewall, which most people would consider an indispensable piece of software. Windows Defender's firewall is better than none at all, but not by much. Of the free alternatives, my favorite is the Comodo Firewall Pro. I described why and how I switched from ZoneAlarm to Comodo in a post from last February.

Since that time, I replaced the Comodo firewall and all my other free security apps with a commercial security suite. For me, the convenience of a single security program is worth paying for.

However, I recognize that many people will gladly put up with maintaining several individual apps if they can save a few dollars. For them, Comodo's a good firewall choice. Popular antivirus programs that are free for home use are AVG, Avira AntiVir, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, ESET NOD32, and Avast.

Top-rated spyware blockers include Ad-Aware, Spybot Search and Destroy, and Spyware Blaster.

Plenty of better browsers
Internet Explorer 7 has been a big improvement over IE 6, and early reports are that IE 8 will be a big step up from the current release. But Internet Explorer isn't even my fifth favorite browser, trailing (in no particular order) Firefox, Opera, SeaMonkey, Chrome, and Safari.

I acknowledge that some people have to use Internet Explorer--maybe their organization requires it--but the rest of us have no excuse for limiting ourselves to a single browser. The NoScript add-on (donationware) that lets you block scripts in Firefox is reason enough to use that browser. IE has nothing to compare with it.

One-step cleanup tool is the multitasking champ
I'm surprised that so many PC users don't know about Piriform's CCleaner (donationware), which does the job of about a half-dozen Windows applets. Along with a disk cleaner, you get a program uninstaller, a start-up manager, and a Registry checker.

CCleaner clears the clutter from your drive and performs other system tasks with aplomb.

(Credit: Piriform)

You have to exercise a little restraint the first few times you run CCleaner, which empties your Recycle Bin, clears your Internet history, and performs other irreversible system chores. Still, I've been using CCleaner for several years and haven't had any problems with the program yet.

A new alternative for shoring up your drive's sectors
In a post from last March, I described the free Disk Defrag utility from Auslogics. My new favorite free disk defragger is another Piriform product, Defraggler (donationware). The program recovered 20GB of lost space on my laptop's 200GB hard drive, though in my unscientific tests it seemed to take longer to complete the defragmentation than it does when using Disk Defrag. This might indicate that Defraggler's doing a more thorough job, but maybe not.

The Defraggler disk defragger provides more info than Windows' built-in defragger.

(Credit: Piriform)

You can also defrag from a command prompt. To open a command prompt in Vista, press the Windows key, type cmd, and press enter. In XP, click Start > Run, type cmd, and press Enter. The Vista Forums provide a detailed explanation of the many options you have when you defrag the DOS way.

Some people claim defragging does nothing to speed up your system. Even though my notebook wasn't necessarily low on disk space, I'll take that recovered 20GB any day.

Freebies for inveterate system tweakers only
Sysinternals, which is now part of Microsoft, offers a solid lineup of utilities for digging deep into Windows' darkest corners. Two of my favorites are Process Explorer and its cousin, Process Monitor. Once you get a handle on the information they present, the programs give you as complete a glimpse inside Windows--in real time--as you'll find anywhere.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Most of the time our Macs run smoothly due to the well-designed Mac OS X (choose your big cat) operating system. But over time, as you download more applications, visit more Web sites, and begin to use up space on your hard drive, your Mac won't run as quickly and smoothly as it did out of the box. Some users reason that it must be a RAM or hard-drive issue, but more often than not it's a question of maintenance rather than inadequate hardware.

I've talked about programs for uninstalling old or unused apps in an earlier post, but even with the extra space provided by app uninstallers, you still might find your Mac isn't running up to snuff. For a good way to keep your Mac running smoothly and diagnose overall-system health, download CheckUp. With this shareware system utility ($29) you can quickly view your system stats and abilities in a visually appealing interface. Use the tabs to find out more about your what operating systems your computer can run, processor load, memory configurations, available disks, your network, and running processes. Each are well designed and very easy to read, even for novice users.

Use the profile tab to get a detailed overview of your Mac's specs.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

CheckUp isn't just about viewing your Mac's current health, though. From the main interface you'll be able to determine which operating systems your specific Mac can run--from various flavors of Windows to Ubuntu Linux. You also can uninstall apps directly from within CheckUp, but in the feature-limited trial version we were unable to uninstall apps. More on this later.

Get processor specs as well as realtime processor load with the Processors tab.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

At the top of the interface are tools you can use to improve your Mac's performance (registered version only). The Notifications button lets you configure when CheckUp will alert you if your processor is exceeding a certain temperature, if your Mac is using too much RAM, if your hard drive is almost full, or if your network is exceeding predesignated bandwidth limits. The Tools button offers several functions to fix your Mac when it's not running properly: you can perform tasks which repair disk permissions, run maintenance scripts, and rebuild your spotlight database. Each button comes with a detailed description of what each function does so you won't feel like you're pressing a button just to see what happens.

Along with real-time network activity, you can detect nearby Wi-Fi networks and signal strength.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

CheckUp is an excellent program for monitoring the various system processes on your computer, but the trial limitations are a bit too strict. Most maintenance functions and scripts are disabled in the trial (including the app uninstall feature). We would have preferred a 30-day full-featured trial so users could see how each function affected performance, but even without registration, the CheckUp trial is useful as a stand-alone system-information and monitoring tool. We think with all these easy-to-understand features and the visually appealing layout, it's worth it to spend the $29 to keep your Mac running smoothly.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Mac OS X looks great and runs smoothly right out of the box. But if you wanted to make minor tweaks to the interface or automate specific maintenance tasks, in the past you had to know how to use the command line. Fortunately, some savvy developers have made it possible to perform once-difficult tasks through the use of an easy-to-understand interface. We have a couple of freshly-reviewed programs this week that make tweaks and useful maintenance tasks in Mac OS X much easier for the regular user.

Cocktail's Pilot feature lets you set up routine maintenance tasks.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Cocktail (Leopard or Tiger) is perfect for those who like to tinker with their Macs. With Cocktail you can help with routine maintenance and customization across your disks, system, files, network, and even your interface. You'll be able to perform other tasks, such as clearing out your cache for speedier computing and adjusting the appearance of your Dock and Finder. Cocktail's Pilot feature makes it possible to set up a schedule for regular maintenance, so you can rest assured your Mac is running at peak performance. One of the best things about the application is the extensive help manual, which will guide you through even the most complex of Cocktail's tasks. All this functionality isn't free ($14.95), but the 10-use trial lets you take a look at all the Cocktail has to offer.

Simply check the boxes and let OnyX do the dirty work.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Onyx (Leopard or Tiger) offers a set of tools similar to Cocktail's, with some minor differences. OnyX can help you with everything from checking S.M.A.R.T. status on your disks to configuring the Dock, Finder, Dashboard, and Expose. One of my favorite tweaks with OnyX is the ability to have an animated desktop background. You won't get the scheduled, routine maintenance that comes with Cocktail's Pilot feature, but you may be able to look past it, because, well, OnyX is free.

Even though Mac OS X is a great experience from its first launch, sometimes people like to get under the hood and make customizations of their own. Thankfully, there are programs like OnyX and Cocktail to keep the guesswork out of small tweaks and routine maintenance, making it possible for people like you and me to make tweaks of our own.