Optimize your computer

People tend to use their computer less and less when the summer and the warm weather strikes. More often than not people prefer being outside, barbequing and enjoying each others company. In these times you often forget the importance of an efficient computer that runs fast and flawless. In this article, we have gathered a line of good advice that will increase your computer’s lifetime – even when you aren’t using it throughout the summer.

The advice in this article can be carried out on one of those rainy days the summer often brings. As mentioned, this list of advice will make sure that your computer gets an extra knock of power. If you don’t feel up for the task, you can seek guidance at a friend, colleague or family member who knows a bit more about computers and technology.

The software needs to be on point

If the rainy weather turns out be a short shower, and you become eager to go out in the sun again, you will find that the advice about software can be carried out relatively easy. The efficiency of the advice depends on how and how often you go through your computer’s programs and installations. The advice can be carried out by most users, no matter your technical knowledge.

Remove unnecessary programs

Have you had your computer for a longer period of time, you will most likely have a bunch of programs installed. Most of these programs will start running once you turn on your computer, which eventually slows down the computer’s start-up and its general performance. Remove all the unnecessary programs that you aren’t using anymore. Don’t hold back when sorting out your programs – if you suddenly need a program again, you can always download it anew. You will find a review of all your programs under “Control Panel” -> “Programs”

Helpful programs

The most important advice of all is knowing how to keep your computer clear of unwanted guest – these guests are also known as “spyware”. Spyware has an ugly tendency to not only compromise your computers safety, but also slow it down a lot. In worst case scenario your computer will become so infected that it becomes useless. Antispyware programs can help you locate, identify and remove these types of malicious programs. Seeing that spyware programs are often hidden amongst other files, we recommend that you make sure to always have an updated antispyware program installed.

A great deal of programs promise that they will make your computer run faster – all free of charge. This is where you have to thread carefully. The vast majority of these programs will end up slowing down your computer further, forcing you buy another service that will “optimize” your computer.

Clean your harddrive?

If your computer is of old age, making the hardware a bit worn out, there is still hope for expanding the computer’s lifetime. The hardware is where the speed of your computer gets decided.

A hard disk is the place where all information is stored. Every time you add a file or a program to your hard disk it will receive its own space. If you later on decide to delete a file from your hard disk, there is a chance that a piece of the old file will stay hidden in the hard disk. If you do this enough, your hard disk will start to have a hard time placing new files – this makes your hard disk work harder, which slows down your computer in the end.

We have combined three additional piece of advice that without a doubt will increase the speed of your computer.

Sort your deleted files

In most cases Windows will hide all your deleted files in your “Trashcan”. This is generally a useful function but in some cases it can prove slow down your computer’s performance – mainly if the “Trashcan” contains a bunch of files. Therefore, it would be advantageous to empty the “Trashcan” now and then. You will find your Trashcan on your desktop. Click right on the icon and choose “Empty Trashcan”. Remember to be aware of files you once deleted, but might want to recreate. Once deleted from the “Trashcan” the files are gone.

Remove temporary files

To make the overall use of your computer as smooth and flexible as possible, Windows is hiding a wide range of temporary files in your system. This is often shown to be information like passwords, cookies and other often-used codes. As time goes by a lot of old passwords and cookies will be stored. Therefore, it might be a good idea to delete these files once in a while. Remember to save your passwords, thereby avoiding not being able to log into your accounts. You could write them down on a piece of paper or create a document on your computer.

You will find “Temporary files” by clicking on the “Start”-button in the left corner of your screen. Then choose “Network and Internet”, followed by “Internet settings” – now activate “General” and “Delete Browser history”

Defragment your hard disk

In Windows you will find a tool that cleans up your hard disk – this method is called “Defragmentation” and is a quite useful program. You can bring it to use by typing “defrag” in the Windows search line. Run the program at regular intervals and you will start to notice a considerable difference in your computer’s speed. To put it simply, the program will remove all old “traces” or parts of files that has been stored on your hard disk.

If you have finished the first couple of advice regarding software and your hard disk, your computer will without a doubt run faster – alongside having created more space for new things. Yet in some cases your computer will need a smaller upgrade in order to work at optimum level. We will mention in  where you get the most value for money in this next section

Upgrade your computer

Like mentioned earlier in this article, you can reach great lengths by optimizing your hardware. But in some cases your computer will simply just to be to old to handle new and advanced programs – this is where new hardware enters the picture.

It is a good idea to replace some parts of your computer, thereby gaining significant results at a moderate cost. The most commonly replaced items are the hard disk, processer or RAM. If you use your computer for graphic assignments, it would be an idea to consider a new graphic card.

If we, here at the editorial office, were to recommend only one upgrade, the choice would almost always be a new hard disk. When buying a new type of hardware, remember that it has to fit with the other parts placed in your computer.

A common characteristic of the advice in this article is that they may take some time to execute and seem to require some technical skill. So if you aren’t up for the task, team up with a friend or colleague. If you’re in lack of people with technical knowledge in your network, some companies offer inspections and help with installation – often at a reasonable price.

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