How to Keep Your Computer Running at It's Best
June 19, 2020
Remember how happy you were when you first turned on your new computer? It turned on and was ready to go. No loading, problems, or little red Xs anywhere. Now what do you see. A cluttered desktop and a My Documents folder running wild? Here are some tips to keep your computer at its best.
- Organize!
The number one biggest problem in computers is organization (or lack thereof). You should ALWAYS rename files so you can find them again. A picture called PG34256.jpg does nothing to tell you what it is of. Simply right clicking on the file and renaming it to something more personal can make a big difference. Also, do not save everything to My Documents. Many programs you install try to put themselves right in My Documents. Consider making a “Programs” file IN My Documents to install programs.
- Clean up the clutter!
Many people believe that computers can hold as much information as possible. Well, they can’t! Depending on the specific machine, your space may be limited. Don’t get me wrong, you do have plenty of space BUT if you have has a computer for 5+ years you may start to run out. Do you really need to have those vacations pictures from 5 years ago? You can still keep them, but not right on your own PC. Try an external hard drive. Sound complicated, but it’s not. Every computer has a hard drive to store information. It is an actual physical disk, shaped like a circle, that a computer writes to and reads from. However, they have a finite amount of storage. An external drive is just like the one in your computer, minus a processor. So you can just drag (literally click and hold) it into the drive. Simply hooks up through a USB, what your camera probably uses. This frees up space on your main drive, but you can still get to those files, just not as immediately. You may also want to look into flash memory, for quick portable storage.
- Check-ups
You may not have realized it, but a computer needs maintenance that YOU have to initiate. One of the biggest problems is a fragmented hard drive. That means files are scattered in different sections of your hard drive. This condition can dramatically slow down your computer. Solution? Run the disk defragmenter located in the system tools files of every computer. It will run for a few hours, but you only need to do this once every few months. The difference in speed is worth it.
- Protect your computing.
They’re out there. Sadly, many people choose to use computing power for evil instead of good. Viruses have emerged that can damage a computer. Any computer that has ever been connected to the Internet OR has ever inserted a CD or other media is at risk for a virus. Most of us fit those criteria. So before for become all schizophrenic, all you need is good Anti-virus software. And there are many choices. From Norton to ZoneAlarm to McAffe, there are tons of products to keep you safe. You do need to purchase them, but the price is worth the protection. Plus, new computer usually offer complimentary subscriptions and Comcast customers get McAffe for free.
