Quiz: Are you a digital packrat?

Is your desktop cluttered with so many shortcuts that you can't find anything? Are there so many files on your hard drive that you constantly run out of hard disk space? If so, you may be a digital packrat. Take this quiz to see how you rate; then see the answers for tips on how to clean up and get organized.

1. Having too many shortcuts on your desktop makes for visual clutter and slows you down. What's the best way to keep your desktop uncluttered?

A. Delete shortcuts you don't use very often.
B. Move all of your shortcuts to the My Documents folder, so they won't be in the way while you're working.
C. Drag shortcuts you use on a regular basis to the Quick Launch Toolbar.
D. Install the Virtual Desktop Manager (a Microsoft PowerToy for Windows XP) so you can see four sections of your desktop at a single time.

2. Running low on hard disk space—under 200 megabytes (MB)—can seriously slow down the performance of your computer. How can you avoid getting the "Hard Disk Is Low on Disk Space" error message?

A. Uninstall software you no longer use.
B. Delete temporary Internet files, and empty your Recycle Bin on a regular basis.
C. Use a disk defragmenter to consolidate files and free up hard disk space.
D. All of the above.

3. How can you quickly go back to a Web site you visit on a regular basis?

A. Type the Web address into the Address Bar in Internet Explorer.
B. Go to your Favorites subfolder and quickly find the shortcut to the Web site.
C. Click a shortcut that you've saved on your Desktop
D. Type a company name into the Address Bar in Internet Explorer, click Enter, and hope the correct Web site is displayed.

4. When you're in a rush, you need to be able to find files quickly so you can get to work. When you need one of your Word documents, which of the following is the quickest way to find the file?

A. Open the My Documents folder and look for the document you need.
B. Open the My Documents folder and sort the files by file type to find the document you need.
C. Open the correct subfolder in the My Documents folder and sort the files by file type to find the document you need.
D. Use Window's Search feature to search the documents on your computer for the right file.

5. Having too many e-mail messages in your Inbox can make it hard to find information and can slow down Outlook. What's the best way to manage the size of your Inbox?

A. Create subfolders under Personal Folders, and archive the subfolders on a regular basis.
B. Use the Outlook Junk E-mail filter and create rules in Outlook to send certain messages to folders automatically.
C. Develop a new approach to processing your Inbox to help you gain more control, improve your response time, and keep up with critical actions and due dates.
D. All of the above.