Would a complete restore of my laptop get ride of all the junk on it?

I have a huge amount of junk on my laptop that is slowing my computer down considerably. Someone on Answers provided me with a list of junk files that Icould remove. However, my computer is still very slow. If I were to do a complete restore with my original start up disc, completely cleaning my system and starting over, would that get rid of all the junk, viruses, trash, etc? Thanks
Would a complete restore of my laptop get ride of all the junk on it?
If you mean reformatting your computer, that would bring it back to factory setings completey, getting rid of ALL your files in the process. You could do the following things though:





It basically means that you need to update the RAM on your computer, that the memory used to process the information on your computer is running low beacause too many things are being run at once.


Some software to clear up some clutter are CCleaner:


http://www.ccleaner.com/download





Also try using Windows Disk Deframgenter (All Programs%26gt; Accessories%26gt; System Tools)





Another thing you cna do is uninstalling programs yu no longer need (Start Menu%26gt; Run%26gt; Type "appwiz.cpl")





And finally try clearing up programs that run at startup (Start Menu%26gt; Run%26gt; Type "msconfig"%26gt; Go to StartUp Tab%26gt; Uncheck anything you don't need)





Hope this helps
Would a complete restore of my laptop get ride of all the junk on it?
Restoring your PC will surely delete everything and return it to the factory state. This will also delete any personal files. Also, I wanted to say, that you use the word 'virus' really casually. Viruses are really dangerous. I suggest scanning your PC before putting in the restore disc, or it may get damaged too, if there are any.
Reply:Yes it would get rid of your junk files such as temporary internet files, cache, cookies, history, set up files, unwanted program files, bogged down prefetch files, etc. However, what it would not get rid off are viruses and trojan horses that have infected your Windows Registries. When you perform a clean install of your operating system, it's like taking it out of the box, however, the virus will appear again a day or two later because it has attached itself onto one of your Windows Registries. To quarantine and completely eradicate this virus or trojan horse, install a good Internet Security with updated definitions. Do not get succumed to free internet security in the web. They don't perform and protect your system very well. Purchase one because owning a pc is an investment after all.
Reply:A restore, per-se, would not clear your computer of alot of junk (i.e. junk files).





However, it would clear the operating system and restore it, clearing your computer of all viruses, malicious software and misconfigurations. Program files will still remain.





Your best bet is to completely format the partition or hard drive and re-install your operating system from scratch -- this would be a complete fresh start. Remember to back everything up first, though!





For example, if you're running Windows 2000 or later and that's what you're re-installing, your installation disk carries the capabilities to format and re-install.