My mother is killing her poor computer and I need help fixing it please!

Question

My mom has a mac mini and all shes does with it is download those dumb animated gif icons....over and over....dont ask me why...
anyway, she downloaded like an insane amount to her desktop and now when she starts up, the computer spends so much time trying to change the icons into thumbnails, that it's a constant spinning wheel. I cannot do anything and this computer is slow as * now.
Anyone have suggestions about what I can do to get rid of these files and speed things up?

Answer 1

Alexandre, I was also amused, in the nicest possible way, by your post!
I would have suggested that you quietly hack into Mom's computer and make her default download folder somewhere other than the Desktop, perhaps even somewhere she can't find but from where you can delete all the gifs!
I would also have suggested that you read her the following 'riot act':
From a recent article in MacFixit:
Performance tip: Keep the Desktop clutter-free (empty, if possible)
Mac OS X's Desktop is the de facto location for downloaded files, and for many users, in-progress works that will either be organized later or deleted altogether. The desktop can also be gluttonous, however, becoming a catch-all for files that linger indefinitely.
Unfortunately -- aside from the effect of disarray it creates -- keeping dozens or hundreds of files on the Desktop can significantly degrade performance. Not necessarily because the system is sluggish with regard to rendering the icons on the desktop and storing them in memory persistently (which may be true in some cases), but more likely because keeping an excessive number of items on the Desktop can cause the windowserver process to generate reams of logfiles, which obviously draws resources away from other system tasks.
As such, keeping as few items as possible on the Desktop prove a surprisingly effective performance boon. Even creating a single folder on your Desktop and placing all current and future clutter inside, then logging out and back in can provide an immediately noticeable speed boost -- particularly for the Finder.
More here:
http://www.obbygobby.com/?p=18
and here:
http://www.lifeclever.com/how-to-organize-your-cluttered-desktop-and-regain-your -sanity/
And it is why Apple invented 'Stacks' for Leopard.