Have you noticed that computers slow down over time? It’s something we all experience, but few know what to do about it.
Good news, it’s not difficult or time consuming to keep your computer running fast and reliable!
In this article I’ll share with you a few things you can do to keep your computer healthy and happy. Try and remember to go through this list a few times every year.
Clean Up Your Hard Drive
Over time computers gradually create junk files. This is especially true if you install and uninstall programs frequently and also if you use a lot of web applications like social media. To remove unnecessary files or junk files from your computer you need to run a system cleaning program. We recommend you download CCleaner and run both the disk cleaning and registry cleaning utilities every couple months. This is very easy to do and is surprisingly effective at not only speeding up your computer, but also keeping your web browser working properly.
Defragment Your Hard Drive
To improve the integrity and efficiency of your hard drive run a disk defragmenting program such as Windows Disk Defragmenter. This utility is part of the windows operating systems and can be found by typing “defrag” into the windows search bar either in the start menu or next to the start button in the lower left of your screen.
A bit better option is to download and install a program called Defraggler. After opening the program select the drive you want to optimize and click “Defrag”.
Update Your Software and Operating System
Software developers frequently fix and improve their products by releasing patches, also known as updates. Each new patch brings your software to a newer version or revision. To find out which version you currently have look for the ‘About’ option in the program menu. This is sometimes found in the help menu. Although patches can sometimes be downloaded from within the software itself, it is often necessary to go to the company’s website to find the latest patch for your program. The software company’s website can easily be found by typing the company name into an internet search engine. When you find the company website look for ‘Support’, ‘Product Support’, ‘Patches’, or ‘Updates’. There you will be able to download and run the latest patch. Be sure and check the version or revision number of the patch. If you have version 3.2 and the latest patch is version 3.5 then you want to download and install the patch. However, if you already have version 3.5 then your software is already up to date.
Be sure to update your operating system often. To do this run Windows Update by typing “update” in the windows search bar.
Or if you want to save yourself time you can set ‘Windows Update’ to run automatically on a schedule. To setup automatic updates go to Windows Update and click Change settings.
Update Your Hardware Drivers
Hardware are physical devices or components that make up your computer. Each component requires a driver to function. Drivers are software that manage and operate your hardware components. Just like software companies release patches for their products, hardware companies release updated drivers for their products. Updating your hardware drivers is often overlooked by computer owners and can cause a multitude of problems. Updating your hardware drivers is very similar to patching your software. Windows Update has a nominal ability to update your drivers. When running Windows Update look for a tab or menu called Hardware Updates. Unfortunately Windows Update often times doesn’t have the most complete and up to date drivers available for download. The best way to update your hardware drivers is to download the newest drivers for your particular hardware directly from the manufacturer’s web-site. To do this you must know what hardware components you have in your computer and who the manufacturer is for each.
Professional System Optimization
Contact Assai Tech for local computer repair in Sequim, WA. We recommend semi-annual professional maintenance for all your devices. You will be amazed by how fast and reliable your computers are after we complete a full system optimization.