Everyday Computer Skills · Installing & Removing Apps · Lesson 5 of 5

Challenge: Cleaning Up a Cluttered Laptop

Help your uncle tidy a slow, cluttered laptop using what you learned.

Uncle Ray's slow laptop

Your Uncle Ray asks for help. His laptop takes ages to start. The screen is full of icons, and his web browser has a strange toolbar he never asked for.

He also wants a new app to edit his garden photos. He found an ad at the top of a search page. It says "Free Photo Editor, download now".

You sit down with him. You remind him that the Microsoft Store is built into Windows. The apps there are checked first, and they install with one click.

Uncle Ray asks what to do about the ad.

Where did that toolbar come from

Uncle Ray remembers installing a free game last month. He clicked Next on every screen without reading.

You explain that some installers sneak in extra programs. Their boxes come already checked. That is likely how the toolbar got in. Next time, he will read each screen first.

Clearing out old apps

Next, you look at the list of apps on his laptop. You find the toolbar, an old game trial and two apps he has never heard of.

You search the unknown names on the web first. One is a tool from the laptop's maker, so you leave it alone.

A faster start for Uncle Ray

Last, you open Task Manager and the Startup apps list. Six apps start by themselves. Two have High impact: a game launcher and his antivirus.

You disable the game launcher. Uncle Ray asks why you left the other one on, since it slows startup too.