Computer Optimization Tips
Dominic Acito
June 18, 2009
If your computer is lagging in speed and general performance overall, there may be a few things that can help to get it working to your satisfaction again. Review these simple tips before deciding to call up your computer repairman. These are simple tips that the average computer user can complete with little problem. Implementing just one or two of them could save you some time and quite a few bucks as well.
The first thing that you want to do, and something that is often easily overlooked, is to free up disk space by deleting any old junk files you have stored on your computer. This is actually a two step process. First, you need to select any files that are obsolete or just pointless and do a soft-delete (move the files to the Recycle Bin). Once you have done that, you need to get rid of those files, as well as anything that is hidden. For this, you can use the Disk Cleanup feature that comes with Windows. Access it through the Start menu and navigate to All Programs, then choose Accessories. You will need to select System Tools, and under it will be Disk Cleanup.
After running the Disk Cleanup tool, you want to make sure that your computer is free of any viruses, malware, spyware, or the like. Run a security scan. I would recommend Ad-Aware for a free tool to look for spyware. You may also want to make sure your virus program is up to date and that your firewall protection is at optimimum levels to prevent future attacks. After this, you should defragment your hard drive. You can do this as well from within the Windows interface (look under System Tools).
Another thing that you can do that should probably help a lot is to check all the programs you have installed. Chances are you have gotten in the habit of downloading and installing programs and then after a while, you don't use them anymore. You should go through and uninstall any outdated and unused programs, as this can greatly affect your PC's performance. This can also help you increase your free hard drive space. Once you have run the uninstall features for them, you will again need to run the Disk Cleanup to get rid of any files that were left behind. This can also help the startup speed since this can cut down on the number of startup programs.
Follow these simple tips before you call the "computer guy" and you'll surely be glad that you did.
The first thing that you want to do, and something that is often easily overlooked, is to free up disk space by deleting any old junk files you have stored on your computer. This is actually a two step process. First, you need to select any files that are obsolete or just pointless and do a soft-delete (move the files to the Recycle Bin). Once you have done that, you need to get rid of those files, as well as anything that is hidden. For this, you can use the Disk Cleanup feature that comes with Windows. Access it through the Start menu and navigate to All Programs, then choose Accessories. You will need to select System Tools, and under it will be Disk Cleanup.
After running the Disk Cleanup tool, you want to make sure that your computer is free of any viruses, malware, spyware, or the like. Run a security scan. I would recommend Ad-Aware for a free tool to look for spyware. You may also want to make sure your virus program is up to date and that your firewall protection is at optimimum levels to prevent future attacks. After this, you should defragment your hard drive. You can do this as well from within the Windows interface (look under System Tools).
Another thing that you can do that should probably help a lot is to check all the programs you have installed. Chances are you have gotten in the habit of downloading and installing programs and then after a while, you don't use them anymore. You should go through and uninstall any outdated and unused programs, as this can greatly affect your PC's performance. This can also help you increase your free hard drive space. Once you have run the uninstall features for them, you will again need to run the Disk Cleanup to get rid of any files that were left behind. This can also help the startup speed since this can cut down on the number of startup programs.
Follow these simple tips before you call the "computer guy" and you'll surely be glad that you did.