Back in May we talked about physically cleaning up your computer – removing dust bunnies for your hardware’s health and your health. But what about your system’s disks and drives? Have you checked and tuned them recently? Or do you need some encouragement to kick-start the process?
Why should I do a system cleanup?
A slow computer can be caused by a number of things – including malware – but one of the most likely culprits is an overcrowding of your disk space with unnecessary files, including temporary files. Removing these files can make a marked difference in the speed and improved performance of your hard drive and computer.
So what steps should I take?
Disable start-up items & free up computer resources
Start-up items – programs that automatically launch when Windows boots – can unnecessarily suck up system resources and cause your computer to boot longer. So ask the question – do I need all of these items opening, and then running in the background, when I first turn my computer on?
To check what is opening upon start-up, open your Task Manager app, toggle to the startup tab and scroll through the list. If you’re not sure what anything there does, you can right-click the item in question and ‘search online’ for details. Anything you decide you don’t need, click the item line and click ‘disable’.
Disk cleanup
Your computer’s disk cleanup utility is a simple tool that allows you to delete items such as temporary and cache files, thus freeing up extra hard-drive space.
You can search for the application using the start-menu search function. From the disk-cleanup dialog box, select the types of files you want to delete and click ‘OK’. These ‘disposable’ files can include temp files, log files, files in your recycle bin, and other unimportant/unnecessary files. Get ’em out of there!
Uninstall applications
The disk cleanup utility also has a ‘more options’ tab that allows you to free up more disk space by uninstalling applications that you do not use. Clicking ‘clean up’ here will open a new dialog box showing a list of currently installed applications and allowing you to uninstall programs on a program-by-program basis. Deleting those programs or applications that you don’t need on your PC will clear up further space and help your computer run faster overall.
And now?
That’s amazing – thank you!
You’re welcome!
OR…
Actually, my computer is still slow…
Unfortunately, sometimes a computer may have issues that can’t be rectified by simple system cleanup procedures. If you’ve tried the above steps and your sluggish computer is still getting you down, give Geelong Technology Group a call. We can check for malware, analyse your hard-drive usage and space, assess your hardware and suggest extra storage or system/hardware upgrades as necessary.
And, of course, if you need a hand with giving your computer internals a spring clean (particularly if you’re not sure what can stay and what can go), our expert technicians are on hand – give us a call to book an appointment – we offer servicing in-store or on-site to individuals and businesses in Geelong, Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads, Torquay, Bellarine Peninsula, Surf Coast, Golden Plains, Colac and Warrnambool (or anywhere across Australia with remote IT support).