Tips for a Faster PC

Everyone likes a new PC-it's fast and efficient. But over time, the computer's speed starts going downhill and one experiences frequent lags and crashes which can be quite a pain in the butt. At times like these, buying a new PC is very tempting. But don't do that just yet-the computer's manufacturers have already foreseen such problems and have pre-installed some stuff that could help you improve your computer's performance. Here are some maintenance tips that could help you stabilize your computer's performance.

Always clean the system

A clean system is the way to go for faster PC performance. Often times, people's hard drives unknowingly become filled with junks that come from several programs such as web browsers.

One way to deal with this and to ensure the cleanliness of your device is to uninstall programs that you don't use frequently or programs that aren't really essential to you. To do this, just click the Start button and go to Control Panel. There you will find Uninstall Programs and this will show all the programs installed in your computer. Just look for the ones that you want to uninstall and click the Uninstall button located at the bar before the list.

Another way to do this is by using the pre-installed Disk Cleanup utility. Basically, what this does is remove the temporary and unnecessary files in your drive, thus freeing more space. To access this, just click on My Computer and right click on your drive C. A dropdown list will appear and there you will find "Properties". In the General Properties window, you can find the "Disk Cleanup" button on the right side of the pie chart and clicking this will open the utility.

Defragmenting the hard drive

Defragmentation is the process of piecing fragmented files together. Fragmentation occurs as you change, delete or save files since the changes done in a file is usually saved in a different storage than the original file. As more changes are done, files become more and more fragmented. As a result, the PC runs slower since it has to look in different places in order to open a specified file. The Disk Defragmenter utility defragments the files in your hard drive, resulting to faster performance. This utility can be accessed by right clicking on the C drive and choosing "Properties" on the dropdown list. Then opening the Tools tab and clicking on the "Defragment Now" button under "Defragmentation."

Remove viruses

So far, we've discussed ways to clean and repair the files present in your drive. Junks however, are not the only cause of lags and crashes. Viruses, spyware, and adware are also to be blamed. But how do you know if your device is infected with virus? Some symptoms are listed as follows:

1. Frequent system crashes

2. Random restarting of device

3. System suddenly runs much slower

4. New toolbars in browsers and new shortcuts in desktop suddenly appear

If you experience this, it's time to remove all those viruses. The easiest way to do so is by finding and installing a good Anti-virus Software. A lot of these can be downloaded from the internet but if you don't want to risk further infection, you can always buy one with a disk installer. In order to delete a virus using the anti-virus software, just open the said program and run a quick scan or if you want a more in depth scan, run a full system scan. However, merely installing an antivirus does not guarantee that one would get a virus-free PC. Viruses "evolve" and change types as programmers create more viruses so it is important to update your virus definitions regularly.

Check air flow

Always ensure that your PC gets adequate air flow. If your computer does not have enough air flow, the system usually reduces its speed in order to stop the CPU from overheating. Typical computer desks do not provide the air flow necessary for the device to work properly. The way to solve this is by buying a laptop cooler or cleaning the part where air is released since dust can obstruct air flow.

Consistent maintenance

The tips mentioned above would be for naught if these were only done at times when the PC is slow. In order really achieve an improved PC speed, one needs to execute such steps on a regular basis. For example, it is ideal to conduct a quick scan daily and a full system scan monthly. On the other hand, Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter should be used at least once a month. Another tip for maintenance is regularly installing essential software updates.