Spring has officially sprung.
This is the time that we open the windows and breathe in that fresh air.
Spring cleaning usually means getting your outdoor to-do list ready and cleaning out the attic or garage, but what about your PC?
Reduce Clutter
A good place to start your computer cleaning is on the desktop. If you have icons covering your screen it is a good idea to decide which ones aren’t used anymore and delete them. You can organize and sort docs, images, and other things into new labeled folders to keep things neat.
It is also a good practice to look at your system tray (bottom right icons) and see what is running. In the course of installing programs you might have allowed some to start every time you boot up your PC, removing some of these can boost start up speed.
Uninstall or Update
With the growth of technology such as MP3’s, digital cameras, HD, and smart phones, we are increasingly becoming digital creators and consumers. Storage space becomes even more important and you don’t want to lose any precious memories that you have captured. Uninstalling old programs can free up gigabytes of space on your computer.
Updating programs that you use often such as Office, web browsers, or multimedia software can help protect from security threats and improve performance of your PC.
Defrag the Hard Drive
As you continue to create, download, and use programs and files, pieces of these items can become fragmented and spread around in your hard drive. Running the defrag feature in Windows can help put some of these pieces closer together and reduce the time that your computer will take to accomplish tasks.
To do this click: Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter
Clean Temp Files
As you are browsing the internet, temporary files are being saved onto your computer (cache) to help load pages and speed up navigation. Unfortunately, overtime if these files are not cleaned up, you will see a noticeable decrease in speed when browsing the internet or opening files. There is a simple free tool that can help you remove these files and keep your computer running smoothly. Running Ccleaner once a week will keep these temporary files under control and help you maintain a clean PC.
Reduce the Dust
Just like the air filter in your car, a computer can get filled with dirt and dust which puts unnecissary strain on its components. Most of the individual parts inside a computer need to disperse the heat they create, this becomes harder when dust is caked on top of them. There are also fans on the front and back of most PC cases that circulate air, if these are clogged up with dust, they generally are less effective. If you are comfortable opening your PC case, a can of compressed air can quickly remove dust and debris.
Repairs and Upgrades
If these tips don’t help bring your computer back to normal then it might be time for some repairs or upgrades. Many people throw PC’s away and purchase a new one but it might be more economical to make some updates to hardware.
Increasing memory (RAM) or hard drive space (they are over 3TB now!) can breathe new life into a PC and increase your productivity.
Spaulding Hill Networks offers PC repair services, contact us for details.
