SPEED UP YOUR PC

SPEED UP YOUR PC

Slower performance over time is completely normal and can be caused by anything from a hardware failure to something as simple as a full hard-drive.

Here are some handy tips to help you speed up your computer

DESKTOP FILESRemoving all those files, folders and shortcuts from your desktop will certainly help to speed up your PC. This is because the desktop is interactive and isn’t designed for file storage. Its job is to make it easier for you to navigate your computer and give you information. So instead of having individual folders for everything on your desktop, put your files and folders into one folder and sort them from there, also move your app shortcuts to the taskbar. These simple tips will help to maximise the speed of your PC.
RECYCLE BINEmptying your recycle bin can speed up the computer’s performance and add room to your hard drive.
CACHE FILESCaches helps make things faster and easier to get to, but too much in your cache could be slowing your computer down.
TEMPORARY INTERNET FILESIf you do a lot of web browsing, there is a good chance that this is why your computer is slow. To remedy this, close your Internet browser, open up “Internet Options” and click delete in the “Browsing History” section.
HARD DRIVE FULLBecause of the way “Virtual Memory” works, RAM files get swapped out onto the hard drive. If the hard drive doesn’t have very much space left, it will slow the process down. If your computer has less than 10 percent of the total hard drive space free, it will begin to slow down.
FREE UP SPACEYou can free up space on your hard drive by deleting temporary files, removing old or unwanted programs and emptying your recycle bin.
CLEAR OUT UNWANTED DOWNLOADED FILES Your Downloads folder is often full of forgotten about photos, videos, documents, update files, downloaded programs and email attachments that have accumulated over the years. Cleaning this out will help free up hard drive space.
DEFRAGMENT YOUR HARD DRIVEFragmented data can cause the read/write function of your hard drive to slow down. Set up a schedule to regularly defragment your hard drive. If you have a Mac OS X, it is also helpful to verify and repair the disk and disk permissions.
CLOSE DOWN UNWANTED TASKS AND PROGRAMS Open the Windows Task Manager and select “CPU” -> “Memory” -> “Disk” to see what is using your computer’s memoryand close anything you’re not using. You can close programs manually or use the “End Task” function within Task Manager. This will reduce the CPU usage and speed up performance.
RESTART YOUR COMPUTERRestarting your computer is probably the most effective way to close down lagging software, end unwanted tasks and processes and reset any other data that is draining your computer’s resources. When you reboot your computer it will free up resources such as RAM allowing your computer to perform faster.
Tech Tips