A Microsoft employee posted this update using the official MSWindows Twitter account a while ago:
ZOMG. LOL. EPIC FAIL. Et cetera.
Whoever decided to tweet that needs to be whapped about the head and shoulders with a clue-by-four. That link goes to an ancient article originally written about Windows XP and probably originally published seven years ago. It has been updated in the last year to include a generic reference to XP Service Pack 3, but that’s about it. In every other respect, the advice is hopelessly retro.
Does the Windows community in 2009 really need to be told to empty the Recycle Bin and run the defrag utility? Sheesh.
The worst part is the collective disappointment that the 4,313 followers of that account are going to feel when they see this article and realize that someone from Microsoft actually thought this information is relevant or useful.
Update: In the comments, Mike points out that this link is actually pulled from the Microsoft.com homepage. He’s right. It even has a gigantic graphic, which I’ve reproduced in miniature form here:
That’s several orders of magnitude worse than the Twitter flub. Microsoft’s home page is one of the most popular destinations on the Internet. It’s prime online real estate. And this ancient article is getting marquee treatment?
Just to add insult to injury, here’s the link to the same story that appears in the master list of Microsoft At Work articles:
Is anyone at Microsoft paying attention to this stuff?
Ed Bott (@ wordpress.com) 
There is more on that. The very same link to 5 methods of speeding up your computer is published on the main microsoft.com website…
Your idea of great photo for the server giveaway is a picture of a cat. I think we could both use a bit more marketing savvy. 😉
Totally agree — what the HECK were we thinking…?
While the Twitter followers probably didn’t need to see it, I’ll bet there are many, many millions of non-expert Windows users around the world who never, ever clean up their disks or defrag.
I think you missed the point, Yes seasoned users find this information wastefull. But I’ve seen many Home Techs charge 35 Dollars or more just to do this basic maintance on a persons PC. I have explained to many beginner users what their money is going to. So Yes even in 2009 you need to remind people to empty their recyle bin and run their defrag program. We can not think for a moment that everyone knows as much about computers as we do. To do so is a great disservice! Anyone that wants to write for the general masses needs to write for everyone not just the advanced users!