cleaning out harddrive

[-Dman100-]

I have been looking for a comprehensive resource either online or preferrably in a book that discusses how to clean out the harddrive. I've read lots of different articles and information online, but nothing fully detailed.

I routinely delete out my temporary internet files, internet history, cookies, temp files but I continue to see my harddrive space eroding at a faster pace than I would have expected.

Some information that I have read indicates that many of the files aren't deleted unless the files are deleted in DOS during bootup even though they show as being deleted from Windows Explorer. I understand that the same applies to Outlook email messages and newsgroup messages. I also have read articles that discuss how index.dat files can seriously eat away harddrive space as they archive all the URL's, website information, search keywords, etc., that you have visited. From the information that I've read, it appears that .dat files are very dificult to find and delete.

Other areas I'm looking to understand and learn to optimize in a PC are the registry and anything else that can help clear out old information from the harddrive and optimize the space.

Is there a comprehensive book that discusses these topics? I've come across a few books that just point out some basics that I'm already aware of, but nothing that details the full gamut of cleaning, optimizing, and protecting privacy on a harddrive.

Any help or suggestions is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
-Dman100-

[SirCujo]

[-Dman100-]