How to Improve the Speed and Performance of Your Computer

In this fast-paced world, the most frustrating thing you could encounter is anything that is slow. To top the list would be the speed of your computer as you depend on it for almost everything you need. You want to locate a place? You need your PC for that. You want to get some information about something? All you need is your PC and an Internet connection. It is a must therefore, that your computer's speed and performance is always at its finest, at all times.

How can this be done? It would be best to find out what causes the slow speed and poor performance in the first place. Here are some of the possible culprits and their solutions:

* Poor or lack of maintenance. Computers are the most neglected gadgets. People tend to use them for prolonged periods of hours without proper care and they expect these machines to last for decades. When they start to feel the change in the speed and performance of their PC, that is the only time they start to show concern for the wellbeing of these machines. Avoid future problems by being consistent in maintaining your computers. You should update and check them regularly. Be careful in handling them. Allow resting periods for them. When you take care of them, they would be able to take care of your work and documents, too.

* Accumulation of junk files. These unwanted and useless files can be found anywhere in your computer. Although technically they are harmless, they could really be the cause of why your PC is ever so slow. The solution? Frequent cleaning up is the answer. You could do this by manually deleting the files that you do not need especially the videos, audios and pictures, which take up so much memory space of your hard disk. You could also use the Windows cleanup system by simply deleting the junk files that it has checked. Delete also the items in your Recycle Bin. However, be careful when you do this, as the items would be permanently deleted.

* Viruses. These are not only guilty of causing the slow connection and processing of your pc but they can damage it seriously. Your files and documents are therefore not safe when viruses abound in your PC. The solution? Do not crimp and be careless on your anti-virus software. Invest in a good antivirus software. After all, prevention is always better than cure.

* Outdated programs and software. Not availing of packs and packages of updates could cause you that turtle pace you are experiencing. This can be simple remedied by just installing new updates, which usually are for free anyway. All you would need is time to install them.

* High temperature. Too much heat could dampen the speed and performance of your gadget. Maintain a cool environment especially when you are in a tropical country. Place an electric fan on the computer itself. Of course, an air-conditioned room would be better. There are PC cases with built-in fans to help cool them. Avail of these especially during summer. Dust is also one of the reasons why the computer can experience overheating. Protect your PC by constantly cleaning the computer and its surrounding areas. Lastly, prolonged use of the computer can cause the extra temperature, which can damage internal components of the computer. Strive to use the computer with lesser number of hours. If this is not possible, at least provide some resting periods and turn off the computer for at least 30 minutes or an hour.

* Not defragging the hard drive. Many users are not doing this because they fail to see the importance of it. Defragmentation is simply cleaning the computer by picking up all the pieces of data that are all over the hard drive and putting them back together. When a file is spread out on different locations in your computer, it would take longer for the computer to read and write it, therefore slowing the process. Another reason why most users do not defrag is because they do not know how to do it. Simply press the Start Menu and open the Disk Defragmenter. From there, you could select the disk that you want to defrag. If you are not sure if the disk needs to be defragmented, just click the Analyze disk button. After that, just press the Defrag button and that's it.

These simple actions could save you from lots of frustrations brought about by slow speed and poor performance of your computer.