Keeping your computer running at its peak can be a hassle. I optimize my PC by using a few simple techniques which I've decided to share with you. If your system seems to be lagging, one of these tips might just help speed things up a bit.
Free Disk Space - For starters, every computer comes with a hard drive of specified size. Most of them now are over 100 GB in size. That should be enough, right? Not necessarily. Your hard drive should never go over 50% of used space. Why? It will take the system longer to access files and folders when there is more to search thru. Plus, the operating system (Windows) needs a set amount of space for things like temp files, recycle bins, etc. So make sure you remove any unnecessary files off your hard drive. Use such media as CD/DVD, external hard drive, USB flash drives as well as others to transfer your data.
Defrag the Hard Drive - Here is a vital step in keeping up the speed of your machine. Tell me, how long would it take you to move four cars to the center of a 400x400 yard parking lot if they were parked in the four opposite corners? Don't answer that. If the parking lot represents your hard drive and the cars represent fragments of data on the hard drive, can you see what will happen to the drive over time? Fragments of data and software applications will be written to various corners of the disk. The PC will begin to start lagging. Running a disk defrag takes all the fragments of data and moves them. They get placed side by side with other fragments of the same file or application. What this does is simple. Instead of searching the whole hard drive for the next fragment of a file, now it only needs to move to the next fragment. What is the bottom line? Run a defrag of your hard drive regularly. Once a month should be sufficient.
Clear Temp Files - These are folders located throughout your system designed to hold temporary information which can be deleted later. Your operating system uses temp files, as well as applications such as Internet Explorer. On top of that, each profile on your PC will also hold temp files specifically for that user. As time passes, your computer becomes cluttered with useless information that it can download again if needed. Clearing the temp files once per month will clear up some much needed disk space. Reclaim that much needed hard drive space.
Remove Unused Programs - I don't know about you, but the programs in my start menu need a second column in order for me to see them all. This will tend to happen as you install more software programs on your PC. Once in a while, it is good practice to look at the list of installed applications on your computer and uninstall the ones you don't use anymore. This helps with reclaiming disk space as well as speeding up the machine. If your system in new, you probably don't need to worry about this. However, when your PC is 1-2 years old, it's something you may want to think about.
Use A Good Registry Cleaner - This is a step that scares so many of us. While it's true the registry is extremely important, keeping it clean and running smoothly can help you in the long run. Now, it's not something you need to do everyday like updating virus definitions, but once every three months will suffice. Take the time to do some research on this, find a top quality cleaner, and read the instruction manual. They are not that difficult to use, and they all have some sort of default scan that won't touch the vital parts of your registry.
These are just a few of the most useful items to optimize your computer for the long haul. I use these steps on my own computer and highly recommend each one. Use any or all of these tools to protect your initial investment for a long lasting computer experience. Your PC will love you for it.
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