Owning a computer is a bit like owning a car. When it’s new and sparkly, it runs smoothly and efficiently. As it gets older, applications don’t run as fast, files seem to take forever to open, and you become aware that you may need to do some computer maintenance. The good news is that there some quick fixes you can do to help speed it up again.
(1) Eliminate the clutter
When you’ve had your PC for a while, the chances are, that you’ve got a fair amount of unnecessary files lurking on your computer. By having an excess of junk files and programmes, your computer can become unresponsive due to a clogged up hard drive. This also applies to your desktop. If it’s cluttered, your computer has to load every folder and icon every time the desktop refreshes. This means increased pressure on your hardware that can be reduced by a little computer maintenance. Use a system cleaner to erase these files.
(2) Keep the majority of your pictures externally
Try and back up any large photos and videos onto an external hard drive. This will help decrease the number of files saved onto your computer. You may not think that these take up a lot of space, but when you consider several hundred files, images, and large pdf documents, it’s no wonder your computer is slow. Once you’ve freed up space, your performance should improve based on the fact that your hard drive isn’t being pushed to its maximum capacity.
(3) Make sure you defragment your hard drive
When you defrag your hard drive, you combine all of the empty spaces that are made in your file system as you remove or add files. These blanks mean your hard drive takes longer to think and work. You can use your operating system’s options or download a tool to defrag your hard drive. Some options include Defraggler, Smart Defrag and Disk Speedup.
(4) Consider cleaning, replacing or upgrading hardware
If you’ve tried the above and nothing improves, perhaps your hardware is to blame. In many cases, computer support specialists suggest carrying out regular hardware upgrades to ensure optimum performance.
At Conosco, our team of passionate IT professionals have the expertise to assist you promptly and effectively. If your computer is running inefficiently or if you feel it might be time for an IT upgrade, please contact us today.