Files that you have created --
like word processor documents, spreadsheets, text files, Web pages, or graphics
-- are safe to delete. The extensions of documents are too numerous to list.
Some of the more popular file formats have extensions like .txt (text files),
.doc (Microsoft Word documents), .xls (Excel spreadsheets), and .htm or .html
(Web pages).
If you share your computer with
others in your home, remember this: if you didn't create it, don't touch it.
You don't know whose term paper or budget spreadsheet you're zapping. To avoid
accidental deletions, you should always back your documents up by burning them
on to a CD, or by uploading them to an online storage site like Yahoo!
Briefcase.
Help Files
Windows comes with literally
hundreds of help files. And just about every application you put on your hard
drive has one. These help files can be useful in explaining the basics of
working with Windows or a particular program. Most likely, though, you will
wind up using few if any of them. Help files is aren't essential for the
running software. So, you can freely get rid of them. But the drawback of
deleting a help file is that you'll probably wind up needing it after it's
gone. A better option might be to compress the help files into an archive using
a program like WinZip.
In Windows, help files have the
extension .hlp or .chm. You can find Windows-specific help files in the
c:windowshelp folder. For other applications, help files may be in the main
program folder, or in a subfolder named Help. Some software developers create
online help with HTML files. These load into your default Web browser when you
request help in an application. Again, it's safe to delete these files but it
might be prudent to archive them instead.