FIVE QUICK WAYS TO MAINTAIN YOUR COMPUTER

The majority of my work revolves around home internet and email issues, home networking issues and slow, bloated computers with lots of viruses.  So I thought I would give you a few tips on how to maintain your computer so you can keep it running well all of the time.

1.Run Disk Cleanup

Windows includes a built-in tool that deletes temporary files and other unimportant data. To access it, go to your Start Menu, then in the search bar type “disk cleanup”, it will appear and it will be at the top of the list. Click on it and a window will appear.

Select the types of files you want to delete and click OK. This includes temporary files, log files, files in your recycle bin, and other unimportant files.

You can also clean up system files, which don’t appear in the list here, to do that, click the Clean up system files button if you also want to delete system files.

2.Uninstall unused Applications/ Programs

Over time we all download programs that we use only a couple of times, they use up memory and hard drive space and ultimately contribute to a slow computer. To uninstall them, go back into your Start Menu and type “Control Panel”, then click on the button that appears, it will open a window that will have a list of options. Click on “Programs and Features”, go down the list and look for programs that you do not use anymore. Warning: If you don’t know what it’s for then don’t uninstall it! Very important, leave it for an expert to make that decision.

If you are running Windows 10 you can uninstall unused App’s so from your Start Menu, click on settings or the cog icon and it will open your settings window, click on system icon and choose the Apps and features heading, then scan down the list to see which apps you can uninstall from here.

3.Use Ccleaner

The Windows Disk Cleanup tool is great for keeping your computer clean but it doesn’t delete temporary files left by other programs. The Google chrome browser for example stores caches of websites so that they load quickly if you go back to them, some of these can use gigabytes of hard disk space. So for a more aggressive temporary and junk file cleaning, try Ccleaner, it is a free cleaner and quite simple to use, just type in a search for Ccleaner or use this url https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download then download the free version. Ccleaner cleans junk files from a lot of third-party programs but it also cleans up some Windows files that the Disk Cleanup won’t.

4.Scan for Malicious Software

There’s also a chance your computer is slow because malicious software is slowing it down by running in the background. It might not be full malware but it interferes with your web browsing to track it and add additional advertisements, to the webpage.

To be safe keep your antivirus up to date and scan your computer regularly. You can also scan it with Malwarebytes, a free malware scanner which catches a lot of “potentially unwanted programs” (PUPs) that most antivirus programs tend to ignore. These programs try to sneak onto your computer when you install other software, and you certainly don’t want them.

5.Get a professional to give your computer a clean out.

Have your computer regularly serviced, just like taking your car for a service, it pays to have a technician clean up and optimize your computer. Most of my clients don’t notice how laborious it is until it is serviced and they wondered why they persisted for so long. With the amount of time we spend on the computer and the time we dedicate to the internet, I would suggest you have someone give it a good clean out every 6 months. Not only will it get your computer running at speed it will also extend the life of your computer as it isn’t overwhelming your computer parts with unwanted software.

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