Help with computer cleaning and Microsoft items

Hi Jared,

Thank you for posting your queries on Microsoft Community.

Let me systematically clear your doubts one by one:

1. Microsoft .NET Framework:

If you do not develop .NET Framework applications, for the most part, the .NET Framework is completely transparent to users. If you do choose to remove the .NET Framework, always use Programs and Features from Control Panel to uninstall it. Never remove a version of the .NET Framework manually.

Note that multiple versions of the .NET Framework can be loaded on a single computer at the same time. This means that you do not have to uninstall previous versions in order to install a later version. Also, if an application that you use depends on a specific version of the .NET Framework, that application may break if that version is removed.

2. Microsoft SQL server :

Microsoft SQL server is just one popular implementation of a database server. Unless you want to use SQL, you don't need to have it installed. However, you may have some applications that use a SQL database, so only you can decide whether to uninstall it or not.

3.Visual C++ redistributables :

Visual C++ redistributables are components shipped by app developers who use Visual C++ to write their software and choose to use Microsoft's code inside the component. It's logical to think that Windows probably needs only one of these versions i.e. the most recent. And it's also logical to think that by clearing out the older ones, you'll reclaim some hard drive space and maybe lighten the Registry's load a bit.

My advice: leave those C++ installations alone. The reality is that they're small, usually no more than a couple megabytes, and different versions may be linked to different programs you've installed. It's darn near impossible to know which one is associated with which, and deleting one might render a program inoperable--a hassle you definitely don't need.

4. Microsoft XNA Framework Redistributable :

The XNA Framework Redistributable provides the necessary runtime components to execute a game on Windows that was developed using Microsoft XNA Game Studio 4.0

The latest version of it is Microsoft XNA Framework Redistributable 4.0 (which is installed) so it is safe to remove the older version.

Now regarding improving your performance of your computer, I would suggest that you follow the steps mentioned in this link:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/performance-maintenance-help#performance-maintenance-help=windows-8&v1h=win8tab2&v2h=win7tab1&v3h=winvistatab1

Also, One of the best ways you can improve your PC's performance is by optimizing the drive. Please refer to this link on how to optimize your hard drive:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-IN/windows-8/improve-performance-optimizing-hard-drive

Additionally, you can use Disk Cleanup to reduce the number of unnecessary files on your drives, which can help your PC run faster. Please refer to this link:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/windows/delete-files-using-disk-cleanup#delete-files-using-disk-cleanup=windows-8

Lastly, you can visit our Malware Protection Center from this link and know more about malwares or adwares which clog your system and how to remove them.

http://www.microsoft.com/security/portal/mmpc/default.aspx

Hope this clears up all your doubts on what things you may remove from your computer and how to improve your PC performance.

If you have any more queries please feel free to post back